Best way to clear unwanted trees from pasture

[shooterdon]

bad day yes, no i did not have an inland marine policy on it, my homeowners did cover a good portion of it, im not sure why as my agent told me i wasnt covered but the claims person found a way, i was not on my property i was helping out a friend on his place. A true blessing regarding the costs/loss.

the biggest blessing was getting out, it burst into an inferno instantly - a hydraulic hose in the engine compartment burst and was spraying on the hot engine manifold is my guess, it sounded like a blow torch - the black smoke was so thick i couldnt breathe within 30 seconds, i had the side windows out as my SS has heat, i had the front door on to keep flying debris from coming into the cab from the tree cutter

I had been running my machine for about 9 hours w/out stopping in 90+degree heat so it was HOT - I had just finished and was cleaning out that little spot on the way back to the barn - the wind was at my back so when it burst into flames the smoke came into the cab by the side windows and so i reached up and shut off the engine - MISTAKE, the mower was still up in the air i couldnt open the front door, i decided i had about one short period of time to get out, i launched arms first through the front door taking it out and landing on the tree cutter and rolling off to the side.

It was quite an experience glad im here to tell about it - and no i would not recommend the roll up type door on a SS - my neighbor got trapped in his and had to take out the back window and climb up/out of that which i could not have done with the fire in the rear, i would much rather kick out the front door and go thru it, i forgot about kicking mine first lol i just went thru it. My neighbors door got stuck in the track and he couldnt get out over the top or under it, BAD deal.

It is stories like this that make me think. Even with the right equipment, things can go south. We tend to use our tractors to do things they are not designed to do and push the envelope a bit to get the job done. Sometimes we damage them, sometimes we get hurt and a few die trying.

Thanks for sharing and reminding us to be careful.

 

[ddbackhoe]

Thanks for all your feedback! I appreciate it. So, excavator it is.
4. Use excavator and grapple to stack trees in multiple piles. Small enough that the whole pile can be set on fire.

Why make multiple small piles? Use the grapple and excavator to stack it tight and stack it high. Green trees will burn if the fire is hot and a hot fire burns down and out pretty quick. The potash makes somewhat decent fertilizer.

 

[shooterdon]

Titan Extreme HD Stump Bucket Tree Spade Scoop Digger Skidsteer Bobcat Implement

Has anyone used this for removing trees/stumps with a tractor?

 

[jeff9366]

Has anyone used this for removing trees/stumps with a tractor?

I have a very similar Rylee Root Ripper, which weighs 165 pounds.

My compact tractor operates a 100 pound bucket spade well, so I thought it would handle the heavier, longer Tree Spade. Well, it won't.

Compact tractor hydraulics are too weak to operate a long stump bucket satisfactorily even in my sandy-loam. Too much leverage working against the FEL, unlike a bucket spade which is relatively short. A 5,000 pound or 6,000 pound bare weight utility class tractor might work.

I need to make time to put my Rylee on eBay....

 

[jjp8182]

After seeing the picture, I think a fair amount of the work could probably done with the tractor (if soil conditions allow) since most of it looks to be conifers which usually (but not always) tend to have shallower more widespread roots.

Though based upon the clearing I have done with my own tractor, I don't think I'd do more than a 4 hours at a time (if that) as the FEL cylinders will start getting warm/hot after a while --- which from my understanding can cause problems (some a nuisance - which I've experienced, some more than that - which I haven't as of yet and would prefer to avoid). The other thing is to keep the forces as centered from left to right as possible. Sounds obvious, but it's really easy to start putting side loads on the loader of a tractor when clearing trees and tractor loader arms aren't meant for side loads, and don't seem to like a whole lot of torsional loading either.

So it's definitely worth taking things slow and using leverage to your advantage as much as possible. My personal favorite method (if space allows) is to use the trunk as a lever to break roots on one side of the tree, then once the tree is tipped over I roll the root ball like a wheel (with the tree being like an axle) break the remaining roots. Occasionally it takes trying from a few different directions to find the direction the tree is easiest to break the roots, but once the first few roots start breaking and the tree starts going it's pretty much over as gravity starts helping.

 

[daybreak1998]

Howdy,
Do it right the first time.

Hire a track loader and operator. Do not cut the trees. It makes things easier as full trees. Clears the land of the trees. A operator knows how to make sure most of the dirt stays there, and smooths out the root ball hole. The last thing you want is a bunch of stumps. Make your fire piles, cut wood if you want, burn it away.

Because of the residual needles and such from the cedars and Bradford pears, the ground need to be worked and fertilized. Soil sample taken and probably needing lime to adjust ph for good grass growth. Heavy disc the ground, and re-seed.

That would be the best way to turn it back into useful haying production pasture. There is no easy way to not having to work the ground.

 

[ovrszd]

I love these discussions. Experts abound.

Location and soil type matter.

Never, ever cut, saw, mulch trees on a field you intend to drive on later.

Eddie always gets ignored in these discussions. His solution isn't "cool" and requires dedication. But it's the best one so far.

 

[Ed27]

Howdy,
Do it right the first time.

Hire a track loader and operator. Do not cut the trees. It makes things easier as full trees. Clears the land of the trees. A operator knows how to make sure most of the dirt stays there, and smooths out the root ball hole. The last thing you want is a bunch of stumps. Make your fire piles, cut wood if you want, burn it away.

Because of the residual needles and such from the cedars and Bradford pears, the ground need to be worked and fertilized. Soil sample taken and probably needing lime to adjust ph for good grass growth. Heavy disc the ground, and re-seed.

That would be the best way to turn it back into useful haying production pasture. There is no easy way to not having to work the ground.

Preferred method: Hire the whole thing out to an experienced crew with large excavators. I need to get quotes on this. I'm sure it will be a lot. Funds are a little tight after just buying the property and getting ready to buy a new tractor, but I know it would be worth it. Saves lots of time. Costs lots of money.

Less preferred method: I cut trees about one foot off ground with a chainsaw and use tractor grapple to pick trees up and stack them in a pile. Now the trees are cut and out of the way. Rent a tracked Bobcat E50 excavator with a thumb on the bucket. Now it should be a more efficient use of rental time to just pull and drop stumps. Then I could use tractor grapple to pick up and pile up stumps, and tractor FEL to push dirt in holes after stump removal. Saves lots of money. Costs lots of time.

 

[ovrszd]

Preferred method: Hire the whole thing out to an experienced crew with large excavators. I need to get quotes on this. I'm sure it will be a lot. Funds are a little tight after just buying the property and getting ready to buy a new tractor, but I know it would be worth it. Saves lots of time. Costs lots of money.

Less preferred method: I cut trees about one foot off ground with a chainsaw and use tractor grapple to pick trees up and stack them in a pile. Now the trees are cut and out of the way. Rent a tracked Bobcat E50 excavator with a thumb on the bucket. Now it should be a more efficient use of rental time to just pull and drop stumps. Then I could use tractor grapple to pick up and pile up stumps, and tractor FEL to push dirt in holes after stump removal. Saves lots of money. Costs lots of time.

How about, hire an excavator or backhoe to simply dig out the trees. Then use your new tractor to pile them for burning and disposal.

 

[Ed27]

I love these discussions. Experts abound.

Location and soil type matter.

Never, ever cut, saw, mulch trees on a field you intend to drive on later.

Eddie always gets ignored in these discussions. His solution isn't "cool" and requires dedication. But it's the best one so far.

Actually, I value Eddie's experience (and all others') very much. He helped me to realize that forestry mulching would be a bad idea for my purposes.