80 Acres- Eagle Creek, Oregon

[NWOutlawMX]

We purchased 80 acres and finally signed the papers in June. The property has a house on it for the building rights only, it is uninhabitable and of no value. There is a huge amount of work to be done on the property that I will be doing most of it myself. I am a Commercial Fisherman so I have 4-5 months out of the year to concentrate and devote all my time to the project. Being as it is going to be a big project I figured I might as well keep a running account of the progress. My first order of business was to start clearing blackberries, 80% of the property is overrun with them and couldn't even drive through the gate, and get a new road back to the building sight. I ended up buying a 2013 JD 3038e with 5 ft brush hog and a brush rake for the FEL. My girlfriend has never driven a tractor before so I wanted to get something small enough and easy for her to operate but still have a decent amount of PTO hp. I knew there was going to be other bigger equipment later on so I wasn't too concerned about it being big enough. I'm very happy with the choice. Here's some pictures of the clearing of the entrance.

 

[RoMad]

sounds like you have a lot of work/fun ahead of you. I'll bet that bucket on your tractor won't look that shiney for long. I think it was a good idea to get a tractor your girlfriend is comfortable with. My wife used my first tractor a lot and when I moved up to a bigger tractor she has never used it much.

 

[Leejohn]

It looks like you are making good headway.

 

[murphy1244]

My Gosh, you got your work cut out for you there.

 

[BethelHntr]

Good luck with all those stickers, A pain for sure.

 

[Brad_Blazer]

Congratulations on the new property and tractor! Looks like a beautiful area. In 4-5 months full time you should be able to get a lot done. Keep us posted.

 

[jeff9366]

Them's some Blackberries!

GOOD LUCK. HAVE FUN.

 

[TomSeller]

Himalayan Blackberries? Been there, done that. Here are threads you might want to read. I'll post some thoughts when I get a chance.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/showthread.php?t=293754

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/related-topics/252861-how-do-i-kill-black.html

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/mahindra-owning-operating/249561-black-berry-removal.html

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/projects/84677-clearing-black-berry-vines.html

 

[oosik]

Wow!! I should say you've made progress. The gate is barely visible in the picture. All I know about blackberries is the God-awful sharp thorns from picking the berries. Been thru that area(hwy 211) on my way back from trips down the Oregon coast - alternate to I-84 up the gorge.

 

[rd_macgregor]

Keeping the berry vines under control will be a lifelong hobby! But, you have a good start.
Is that a hybrid tread design on the tractor? Clearly they aren't industrials, but the bars look closer together than on regular ag tires.
Bob

 

[NWOutlawMX]

This is by the house.

 

[NWOutlawMX]

Got back from 4 months away, the cleared spots came back but not too bad. Once over with the brush hog. Ended up buying a International TD8E with a brush rake and winch, some areas are just too big for the tractor to push through.

Installed a new culvert that has a better flow and proper angle so no standing water, for this i rented a Bobcat 335. Working on the driveway now, widened it out with the dozer.
Should have the driveway done this weekend, for the most part it's 13ft wide, looks like it will take 700yds to reach the house. I'm going to use a handheld rangefinder to get the distance.

 

[jeff9366]

I share your experience. New tasks require new equipment.

I try to restrain myself to two high quality implements per year, which seem to get delivered when my wife
is traveling.:crossfingers:

Just another lump in the lot next door, under an 18 ounce canvas tarpaulin....:up:

 

[dave1949]

Nice work! I think you have a diamond in the rough there.

I find it's often true that old homes are on some of the best land and house sites, there is a reason why they were built where they were.

 

[NWOutlawMX]

Nice work! I think you have a diamond in the rough there.

I find it's often true that old homes are on some of the best land and house sites, there is a reason why they were built where they were.

Here's the view, you can see where the existing house is on the right. It's built by a spring. That part of the property is very secluded and surrounded by a timber company's land, so no potential close neighbors.

 

[Bob77064]

That dozer should be a big help.

 

[dave1949]

Here's the view, you can see where the existing house is on the right. It's built by a spring. That part of the property is very secluded and surrounded by a timber company's land, so no potential close neighbors.

A view, and a spring! That's great. Distance makes the best neighbors. :laughing:

 

[TomSeller]

I would find it best to get as many of big the root crowns out with the rake on your dozer. I would spray any new shoots with Crossbow once they are around 18" to 24" long and leave them for 3 weeks or so. I would then brush hog and repeat once any new shoots get to the 18" to 24" range again. Every time you should have fewer shoots. Some will be from dormant seed waiting to grow. Some will be from root fragments and some will be from missed root crowns. The ones from the crowns are the hardest to kill since there is so much mass to the root. The ones from the fragments and seed should be easier to kill with the Crossbow since there is less root mass. Mix the Crossbow at the recommended concentration and apply it with surficant so it sticks. The reason I like 18" to 24" length is so there is enough surface area for the herbicide to adhear to and transport itself to the root. Closer to the root is better. I would burn the berry canes over the previous growth area so that you kill any roots there (might as well). I would prepare the soil and seed with grass as soon as possible to help choke out the berries. Crossbow does not kill grass. Keep us posted please. Good luck, you CAN do it. It will take a few years, then forever maintenance spraying, but even that will go down.

 

[NWOutlawMX]

I've made quit a bit of progress, so time for some updates: I've made it to the 1200' mark on the driveway, only 1100' more to go! Now for the hard part, i'm into the logged downhill portion that is narrow and twisty. As you can see there are some big rocks and even bigger stumps, the first one is 38" across. Rented a little bigger bobcat 337 for the last time to see what it could do. Dug out around the stump ( I knew there was no way it could move the stump) then moved on to the rocks. Dug them out but it couldn't pick them up so i finished up the rental period on other areas, time to rethink.

The first two are at the 600' mark looking at the gate and Mt Hood. The third is 600' mark and looking down the next section. 4th is at the 1200' mark looking back up and the 5th is looking at the next section and the rest is what I uncovered.

 

[TomSeller]

You sure are making progress!! Nice job.