Should I upgrade?

[TheMadOne]

I thought about the Piranha bar but didn't want it permanently mounted. I might reconsider after reading your experience.

What are you doing that you feel a bucket attachment/RR will do a better job at than a grapple? If it's tree removal, then a stump bucket is what you want. One that mounts directly to the FEL arms, so you can get better power to the ground.

 

[widefat]

I have an L3200, a RatchetRake, and one of these -

BrushGrubber | Heavy Duty Clump Grubber

I have cleared quite a bit of brush and saplings using this kit. Love the Ratchetrake.
The brushgrubber works quite well. Funny thing, the brushgrubber says for "ATV/UTV" use, and the directions specifically say not for use with a tractor.
Balderdash. Just use common sense, and awareness that if you apply to much power to the brushgrubber, the end rings will separate.

 

[cathy liebchen]

A tractor is not a tree clearing machine. The FEL is not made to push things over, and the brush hog is not sized to chop up a 3" tree. We use a skidder to remove larger trees and it will pull up the stump like butter, for a 3" tree you can just tie a chain around it attached to the drawbar and the 3301 will often pull it up

 

[check]

I thought about the Piranha bar but didn't want it permanently mounted. I might reconsider after reading your experience.

It goes on and off with 2 bolts. Maybe 5 minutes if you are slow. I use mine all the time in the summer. Deadly, and very strong. Nicely reinforces the bucket, too!

 

[widefat]

It goes on and off with 2 bolts. Maybe 5 minutes if you are slow. I use mine all the time in the summer. Deadly, and very strong. Nicely reinforces the bucket, too!

Which is much faster than the strap system used on the RatchetRake

 

[TheMadOne]

A tractor is not a tree clearing machine. The FEL is not made to push things over, and the brush hog is not sized to chop up a 3" tree. We use a skidder to remove larger trees and it will pull up the stump like butter, for a 3" tree you can just tie a chain around it attached to the drawbar and the 3301 will often pull it up

That's how I deal with larger trees. Cut them high, leave a nice 4' stump for leverage, enough chain that I'm well clear of the stump, and pull with the drawbar. Do not jerk! That's how things/people get broken.

 

[Egon]

For inexpensive bolt four square tube extensions to the bottom of the bucket. Should extend about eight inches past the cutting edge. This will let you dig into/under roots a;d use the curl to break or cut them. Make a longer extensions and they work well for picking up and carrying logs?

 

[jeff9366]

That's how I deal with larger trees. Cut them high, leave a nice 4' stump for leverage, enough chain that I'm well clear of the stump, and pull with the drawbar. Do not jerk! That's how things/people get broken.

Good plan.

I cut stumps near grade level then treat immediately with undiluted 2,-4d herbicide. Wait one year and the small roots will have decayed and stumps come out pretty easy. The stump has to be dead for the roots to rot, hence the 2,-4d treatment.

Roots decay 12 months in Florida. Your decay rate may differ.

 

[JOHNTHOMAS]

It goes on and off with 2 bolts. Maybe 5 minutes if you are slow. I use mine all the time in the summer. Deadly, and very strong. Nicely reinforces the bucket, too!

True

Which is much faster than the strap system used on the RatchetRake

Not true.
I've owned both and the RR straps are quicker with no tools to remove. Under one minute and not much longer to install.
Interesting that people say a tractor isn't made to push/remove/pull trees down. I have two huge piles with over 100 small 3" to 5" trees which I removed with my tractor and a proper implement. The Piriniha will also dig under a small tree and lift it right out of the ground and no the RR won't as easy/quick because of the lower tooth bar and that is hard for me to admit being the RR greatest fan for years.

 

[rbtjr]

I agree about being able to push down sizeable trees. If you use good leverage by placing the front edge of the FEL bucket up high on the tree, you can take down a good sized tree. Obviously, you need to make sure that by raising the bucket a lot when you are not on level ground, you are not raising the center of gravity enough to create a dangerous tip-over situation. You can make the task easier by grubbing around the bottom of the tree. Obviously, if you remove some dirt on the side of the tree opposite from the side you are pushing on, that dirt doesn't provide resistance to the tip-over in that direction. And you can obviously make the task easier by grubbing out the roots on the side you are pushing on. I have done it many times. At first, I made the mistake of pushing sometimes with the front edge of the FEL bucket lowered. I bent the bucket down a little bit in the middle doing that. After that learning, I push the tree with the bottom of the bucket level so that the stress on the bucket is distributed widely and not concentrated.

 

[Industrial Toys]

Upgrade to the right tool for the job. A bulldozer. I wouldn't even think about pushing over trees with a loader.

 

[Ortimber]

I have used a small tractor, large tractor, small excavator, large excavator, and a dozer for dealing with trees. Yes, I have cleared a lot of trees. All of the above work, but an excavator is best. Tractors also work but things can go south in a hurry and I feel like that practice is generally hard on the machine.

 

[PILOON]

For inexpensive bolt four square tube extensions to the bottom of the bucket. Should extend about eight inches past the cutting edge. This will let you dig into/under roots a;d use the curl to break or cut them. Make a longer extensions and they work well for picking up and carrying logs?

You got it!
I made me one oversized 'tooth' using a scrapped axel from my pickup truck.
Naturally I used my grinder to create a sharpish point.
Basically a one tooth clamp on about 12 inches long.
I drive that pointed 'tooth' under the root ball and simply curl my bucket.
Pops out all those smaller scrub trees every time in one simple attack.
Best yet as the root ball is virtually free of soil since it is pulled by yanked it out.

(Since I made it from scraps in all of less than an hour I'd be ashamed to display a photo.)

Also discovered that it works great to pop out frost heaved rocks in the about one foot size.

On somewhat larger trees I drive the oversized tooth on both sides thus yanking 1/2 of the roots at a time.

 

[Egon]

You got it!
I made me one oversized 'tooth' using a scrapped axel from my pickup truck.
Naturally I used my grinder to create a sharpish point.
Basically a one tooth clamp on about 12 inches long.
I drive that pointed 'tooth' under the root ball and simply curl my bucket.
Pops out all those smaller scrub trees every time in one simple attack.
Best yet as the root ball is virtually free of soil since it is pulled by yanked it out.

(Since I made it from scraps in all of less than an hour I'd be ashamed to display a photo.)

Also discovered that it works great to pop out frost heaved rocks in the about one foot size.

On somewhat larger trees I drive the oversized tooth on both sides thus yanking 1/2 of the roots at a time.

. :thumbsup:

You are describing just the way I use mine. Usually I have at least two bolted on so logs can be lifted and moved. For scrub type situation’s I use four teeth. The bottom of the bucket has been reinforced as well as a much heavier cutting edge with cutting edge also on the bucket side face.

The arrangement also works well for rocks.

Note: for logs there should be some retainers on the back of the bucket so logs do not roll back and sit on your lap.

 

[tradosaurus]

Upgrade to the right tool for the job. A bulldozer. I wouldn't even think about pushing over trees with a loader.

I would need two months of dry spell before I ever thought about getting a bulldozer out on my land.

 

[crashz]

Not a fan of pushing trees over. As the others have said, it can be dangerous.

I've popped them out with dozers and excavators and still say the best way is cut the tree and pop the stump separately. Its the safety way with big trees, IMHO.

My recommendation is to keep your rig, and cut anything that your brush cutter will not taken down. A cheap chain saw and a few chains is way cheaper than most other options. Chain saws are a whole other discussion regarding safety, but you'll never risk flipping your tractor on top of you doing it this way!

 

[Industrial Toys]

I have ripped out plenty of Hawthornes, fourty years ago with a 40PTO HP 2wd tractor, using drawbar and chain. Mind you, a tractor was a beefier machine back then. I would not even use our 70HP large frame JD to pull or push any tree over with the loader. An AG loader was invented to load manure and move round bales. It is NOT a bulldozer.

 

[Grateful11]

Upgrade to the right tool for the job. A bulldozer. I wouldn't even think about pushing over trees with a loader.

I couldn't agree more, get a dozer. They've tried pushing over 2-3" trees with the L3940 here and it would be much faster to use a chainsaw. What can happen is like what happened a couple years ago. They were pushing over some small Sumac trees here and I was standing a long ways away. Anyway the top snapped out and flew through the air and hit me in the head and knocked me out for a bit and broke a tooth. Sumac's are very brittle even when green.