Land Clearing

[Billy Spell]

I've been lurking on the board for a couple years, but a new member now. Starting a home site by clearing 5 acres. Taking down most pines and keeping the hardwoods. I'm sure I will be asking for some advice as it progresses. Here's a couple pics to get started.

 

[teg]

On the third photo, do you have a grapple? 5 acres... Sounds like a bit of seat time in your future

 

[Billy Spell]

Just a bucket, not a grapple. Those pics are about a month old. I'll post some more recent, after a lot of seat and chainsaw time!!

 

[dave1949]

Nice looking home site! Welcome to the forum. Looking forward to watching your project grow.

Dave.

 

[teg]

Just a bucket, not a grapple...

For land clearing, grapples are great... so much faster and easier to deal with the brush by driving to it and let the tractor do all the work. Add a tooth bar and you'll be pushing over small trees and shrubs by popping out the root ball and picking up the whole mess

 

[CompactTractorFan]

Looks like a big job...Thanks for the pics!!! :thumbsup:

 

[scoutcub]

Welcome (officially) to the forum!
Looks like some nice timber and a great project!
Of all the "projects" I have, land clearing is the most fun to me(thus the Avatar) ....lots of work, but I sure enjoy the seat time.....
Enjoy it, and looking forward to future progress!

 

[ITHINKICAN]

Looks awesome. We tried to get a wooded lot but weren't able to find one close enough to home and or for the right price. Maybe next time! Good luck!

Any new pics

 

[MacLawn]

Looking good, Billy! About 35 years ago, we cleared some of our 5 acres for our house - my advice - CLEAR them trees away from your house! Man, have I lived to regret leaving too many trees around my place. I had the "pioneer" idea: let's build our house in the WOODS! Right - now one of my goals is to cut them rascals down. I even had to pay a man $1,700 two years ago to take down a huge southern red oak and pine that I left, thinking it would be nice to have them. After all, I thought way back then, it took them trees about 50 - 80 years to get this big, I don't want to cut them down in 5 minutes! Man, that thinking came back to haunt me!! Limbs, leaves, pine straw, etc., etc. I say, clear them rascals out!!

 

[TripleR]

We ran into something similar to McLawn on one of our farms. My son lives there and was surrounded by beautiful trees until a couple of years ago when we got hit by an ice storm. We are still taking trees down and some are probably have to be done by a professional for $$$$$$.

When we built our present home, we got a dozer in to clear out a cul de sac where we are surrounded on three sides for the most part by woods, but with no trees close to the house and an open front yard.

As to your present project though, it looks like fun; I love working in the woods.

 

[nickel plate]

Hello Billy,
I'm preparing to clear a two acre peripheral building site this summer and your post will help me and others do the same as you. Photos are GREAT and I'm looking forward to yours so can you please pixel them down from your current 2048x1536 to something near 640x480 as a lot of us are for one reason or another still (in chains) using turtle slow land lines. Thanks Billy, welcome aboard.

 

[Billy Spell]

Thanks for all the feedback. Here's a few more pics.

 

[Billy Spell]

Here's a few more from this weekend. Some should be lower resolution.

Been taking down a lot of pines and piling up for loading.

 

[radioman]

looks like you are having fun! :thumbsup:

 

[bironacad]

Good stuff! Looks like a really nice piece to start a home on:thumbsup: We have had a piece of property now for over twenty years and it is really satisfying to look around at the progress thats been made. To tell you the truth it is hard to imagine who did the work for I could not get it done now, lol. We spend as much time as we can there and hope to retire there in three years. Best of luck and hoping to watch your progress.

 

[jcliburn]

Here's a few more from this weekend. Some should be lower resolution.

Been taking down a lot of pines and piling up for loading.

Can you sell those pines for pulp?

 

[adjusterr]

Listen to the Oldtimers, me included, I live right in the trees on the East side of a mountain. Most are poplars and maples, nothing but junk falling off into the gutters, blocking the sunshine and most important, they are calling for freezing rain, that means falling limbs. My God man, cut those suckers down before you build. Your house will be brighter, warmer and drier but most of all, safer. Good luck.

 

[bironacad]

Listen to the Oldtimers, me included, I live right in the trees on the East side of a mountain. Most are poplars and maples, nothing but junk falling off into the gutters, blocking the sunshine and most important, they are calling for freezing rain, that means falling limbs. My God man, cut those suckers down before you build. Your house will be brighter, warmer and drier but most of all, safer. Good luck.

I look at the height of the tree and figure if it will hit the building if it would fall, if it will it is gone. There is something to be said for deciduous shade trees for keeping the southern exposure in some shade. The leaves fall in the winter to give you the solar heat they shade you in the summer for cooling but they don't have to be right at the house. I have a couple of elms on my eastern side that keep the early morning sun out of the bed room window in the summer, lol.

 

[Ray_Fort_White]

My brother decided to clear out about half of the trees on his 5 acres in Chiefland, Florida. He called a local company and was pleased to find out that they would take out the trees for free and would actually pay for the better trees. They wouldn't remove the stumps. He did pay for having the stumps in the front yard dug out with a backhoe.

He was able to borrow a neighbors tractor-loader to level the yard out after the after the backhoe was hauled away.

Some of the trees went to a pulp mill. Others were cut up for disposable ground mats. They use the mats under the out-riggers on cranes.

 

[TripleR]

I look at the height of the tree and figure if it will hit the building if it would fall, if it will it is gone. There is something to be said for deciduous shade trees for keeping the southern exposure in some shade. The leaves fall in the winter to give you the solar heat they shade you in the summer for cooling but they don't have to be right at the house. I have a couple of elms on my eastern side that keep the early morning sun out of the bed room window in the summer, lol.

We did this and much to my surprise, tree grow; who knew.

Sixteen years later and I see a few more should have come down and are now too big to drop without a professional topping them and taking them down.