Clearing land

[meos1]

I got out this this morning with a bush axe and a machette and the tractor. I pulled 14 trees out by the root and dug up two more with the FEL. I cleared a spot about 50' by 50'. Awesome day.

 

[bigbull338]

that sounds like a hard but good days work.

 

[meos1]

It twas. Reminded me of working the same when I was young with my Dad. He ran the tractor, I was the runner. I pressure washed the tractor, the lower half of the back of the house (gotta catch the upper when it warms) and the garage as well as the carport. Everything is put away.

 

[geneP]

I got out this this morning with a bush axe and a machette and the tractor. Awesome day.

I feel your pain. For the past few weeks I've been working a few hours a day when practical trying to reclaim about 5-6 acres that pine timber was cut off of about 8 yrs ago. Most of the debris that was keeping me out of there with a tractor has about all rotted away. I've cleared the 8-10 foot high brush and sapling with the bush hog and box blade. Now I'm going through pulling dirt away from the stumps and cutting them close to the ground with a chain saw. Hopefully when I'm done I can keep it clipped and get grass back in there.

 

[MinnesotaEric]

I got out this this morning with a bush axe and a machette and the tractor. I pulled 14 trees out by the root and dug up two more with the FEL. I cleared a spot about 50' by 50'. Awesome day.

Atta-boy!

Clearing land there are no rules on tools of destruction used!

This year, my zero turn got pressed into a brush clearing, a machete, hand axe, Stihl chainsaw (I need to make a video falling four trees at once like the Ax Man promo!), Stihl brush saw (think of a circular saw blade on a industrial strength 4 hp weed-whacker) and my tracter with a Woods rotary cutter which makes bits out of 6" and smaller trees (its rated for 4" unch: ).

29 acres to go.

 

[dragoneggs]

Atta-boy!

Clearing land there are no rules on tools of destruction used!

This year, my zero turn got pressed into a brush clearing, a machete, hand axe, Stihl chainsaw (I need to make a video falling four trees at once like the Ax Man promo!), Stihl brush saw (think of a circular saw blade on a industrial strength 4 hp weed-whacker) and my tracter with a Woods rotary cutter which makes bits out of 6" and smaller trees (its rated for 4" unch: ).

29 acres to go.

Is this the before or after photo? In these parts that would be the after!

 

[HarryN]

Amazing what satisfaction you get clearing your own land, even though it's hard work.
Go after it!!

 

[MinnesotaEric]

Is this the before or after photo? In these parts that would be the after!

That is a partial after photo.

This photo of the same place was taken after three days of hand clearing was done about six weeks before. It is just a wall of dead fall and green. You cannot even see the big oak just thirty feet past the jack pin the center of both photos!

 

[dragoneggs]

i like the clearing but still a tree canopy... I bet it is beautiful in fall colors!

 

[MinnesotaEric]

i like the clearing but still a tree canopy... I bet it is beautiful in fall colors!

Each season has its own kind of beauty. That little clearing is just the tip of the iceberg.

Everything in this video was a wall of green to start and I've much more to do.

All to say, I understand the victory over a 50x50 clearing!

 

[Thomas]

Thanks for the ride Eric,like the lay out of the land.

 

[DHD]

Sounds like a ratchet rake or piranah bar for the bucket for your Kubota BX2370 could had been a handy tool to have had for your land clearing project....

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachments/244219-piranha-tooth-bar-standard-tooth.html

 

[MinnesotaEric]

Thanks for the ride Eric,like the lay out of the land.

Thanks. I make these videos because my 88-year-old mother cannot get in there yet.

This year's goal is to get a the road extended all the way to the beach on that point (about 100 yards from the start of that video), and to kill off deer ticks on half that point so my dogs and run and play. I love my dogs, but on the one day I walked the land, they picked up at least 300 deer ticks.

Picking them off became a family hobby.

Speaking of, I found what i hope will be a good deer tick death fluid: Tempo Ultra SC Contact Insecticide. I looked up the five kinds of insecticide used to kill ticks and this stuff was the most used by commercial applicators. Sadly 8 ounces only mixes up 16 gallons.

 

[s219]

Heh, good luck with the ticks! When clearing my property, I was picking up dozens a day. I got several sets of Dickies work pants and long-sleeve shirts in khaki color to better see/remove the ticks, then wore gaiters around the bottom of my pants and boots with Permethrin applied, which all helped a lot. At the end of the day, I'd use a ball of duck tape to remove all the ticks from the clothing. Was a bit tough when the weather turned hot and humid though, so I had to be more careful when wearing shorts/t-shirt.

Since we moved in and have done some minor landscaping, the ticks are way, way less of a problem. Probably only saw 3-4 all summer.

 

[meos1]

I thought about that but I did not see any and I checked my scalp good as well. Yesterday it was 59 degrees.

 

[newbury]

<snip>

Speaking of, I found what i hope will be a good deer tick death fluid: Tempo Ultra SC Contact Insecticide. I looked up the five kinds of insecticide used to kill ticks and this stuff was the most used by commercial applicators. Sadly 8 ounces only mixes up 16 gallons.

Have you read of tick tubes? Amazon.com : Damminix 27203 Tick Tube, 24-Pack : Patio, Lawn & Garden
Mice are one of the main hosts for ticks and the tick tubes are said to work great. You can make them yourself w/ cotton balls, permethrin and empty toilet paper tubes.

Also check this thread http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/rural-living/82643-tick-control-there-such-thing.html

 

[MinnesotaEric]

Have you read of tick tubes? Amazon.com : Damminix 27203 Tick Tube, 24-Pack : Patio, Lawn & Garden
Mice are one of the main hosts for ticks and the tick tubes are said to work great. You can make them yourself w/ cotton balls, permethrin and empty toilet paper tubes.

Also check this thread http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/rural-living/82643-tick-control-there-such-thing.html

I've heard about that product but 30 acres and 1/2" of lakeshore (where it is mouse heaven in piles of cattails). The worst thing you can do for erosion is mow up the the water's edge but I plan to remove the windfalls along the water's edge with my grapple and chains and then come back and rotary cut or mow the high stuff down all along the lakeshore in order to cut down on mouse habitat. I then was going to hit it with the product I found.

However, your idea of making my own tick tubes is a really good idea in my mind.

Anybody know how far diluted this stuff can get and still be effective and controlling tick populations on my mice?

Amazon.com : Permethrin SFR 36.8% permethrin Quart 6666105 : Home And Garden Products : Home & Kitchen

Edit: found a how-to on making your own tick tubes. Tick tubes sound like a good idea for more civilized areas than my land clearing project.

Practical Primitive | Skill of the Month: Tick Tubes

Even so, I'll a make a couple of dozen tick tubes for the point, spray my dogs with tick killer (the same active ingredient that is in biospot) and go to town with treating the rest of the area in stages.