Autumn olive and multiflora rose puller

Milo · Oct 16, 2021

It is a Titan tree puller but it will be used by me as a bush and bramble puller and so far I really like how well it works. (I haven't had much success on this stuff with the grapple.) I first tried this small olive w/o any ballast just to see and all that happened was the rear of the L2501 raised, but after connecting the ballast box, even though the ground was hard and dry, it had no problem yanking it out along with a few barberry, rose and other small to medium olives.

the old grind · Oct 16, 2021

Mine also works for willow, poplar, buckthorn, blackberry, elm, mulberry, & locust but other than that ...

It's the 'other' grapple you wonder how you ever lived without.

Smokeydog · Oct 16, 2021

I have a similar Danuser Intimdator that it’s real good for weed trees and bushes. Grip low, lift and driving forward increases pulling power while being stable. Sure helps this old man keep up.

With any grapple best to improve your grill guard to help prevent damage clearing brush.

deereman75 · Oct 16, 2021

Now I'm thinking about building one of these to fit on my payloader.... I could rip out decent size trees with that

John_Mc · Oct 16, 2021

Smokeydog said:
With any grapple best to improve your grill guard to help prevent damage clearing brush.

JohnnyMX · Oct 18, 2021

I've had the same experience with my STP-25 tree puller by landpride. It makes it easier to grab something that has either smaller stalks or multiple stems that may slip through the normal grapple. In either case, it is nice to be able to pull these and stack them and then come back and move them. Anything is better than doing that by hand. Darn multi-flora.

Milo · Oct 21, 2021

I worked on pulling olive and rose again yesterday, it's so easy with this attachment I only wish I'd have bought one earlier. I was pleasantly surprised my tractor was able to pull out this fairly large multi olive bush/tree especially given the dry ground.

Perhaps more surprising (and equally important) is how it can grab on to the smallest little stalk like this single multiflora rose plant.

JohnnyMX · Oct 21, 2021

Looks good. I have been surprised by the size of tree I can remove from the ground. If you haven't already had this happen, you need to be careful of a few things. Your puller does not have a top "push bar" that extends up a few feet and angles out. As you get more and more comfortable you may begin taking larger trees. My STP-25 didn't have one and I started pulling things 20' high. If it gets loose or pivots it is coming at you. I ended up with a face full of tree one day. If you find you are rocking a tree back and forth that doesn't want to come up, if you go in reverse TOO hard you'll do an endo on the front wheels. I see you have ballast which is good (as do I) but I still have done it and it never gets less sketchy. My grill is also still not protected and I did have a pin-oak limb come right through the plastic and luckily miss the radiator. Your tractor will push into things, but it can go through the grill and into the vitals.

I love the comparison of the twig vs. bush

. It is a versatile tool.

Xfaxman · Oct 21, 2021

deereman75 said:
Now I'm thinking about building one of these to fit on my payloader.... I could rip out decent size trees with that

For trees you should consider this clamp style tree puller:

Or the Long Arm style that I have:

HawkinsHollow · Oct 21, 2021

Wow!! Looks like a handy tool. I am covered up with privet, this looks like it would really clear some privet out.

jmc · Oct 21, 2021

John_Mc said:
Attachments

Grill guard sm.jpg
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Got any wider photos of where that frame goes further back from your grill guard? (I'd like to deflect low limbs before they get to me or the ROPS.)

Milo · Oct 21, 2021

JohnnyMX said:
Looks good. I have been surprised by the size of tree I can remove from the ground. If you haven't already had this happen, you need to be careful of a few things. Your puller does not have a top "push bar" that extends up a few feet and angles out. As you get more and more comfortable you may begin taking larger trees. My STP-25 didn't have one and I started pulling things 20' high. If it gets loose or pivots it is coming at you. I ended up with a face full of tree one day. If you find you are rocking a tree back and forth that doesn't want to come up, if you go in reverse TOO hard you'll do an endo on the front wheels. I see you have ballast which is good (as do I) but I still have done it and it never gets less sketchy. My grill is also still not protected and I did have a pin-oak limb come right through the plastic and luckily miss the radiator. Your tractor will push into things, but it can go through the grill and into the vitals.

I love the comparison of the twig vs. bush . It is a versatile tool.

LOL yes I learned from having some olive branches and leaves come over on me from the tree in my 4th picture. In reality that's probably about a large a tree as I'll pull because most of the olives here are no bigger that that one. I can see how you'd need to be extra careful on a tall tree with this puller.

HawkinsHollow said:
Wow!! Looks like a handy tool. I am covered up with privet, this looks like it would really clear some privet out.

This thing would be great for pulling out privet!

Smokeydog · Oct 21, 2021

Autumn olive eater and privet puller.

Agree the upper guard on the puller helps protect and carry larger trees.

HawkinsHollow · Oct 21, 2021

Smokeydog, is that a hydraulic unit? I would feel SOOO accomplished if I could pull out privet that size all day!!!

Jstpssng · Oct 21, 2021

All of this time I've been cutting by hand, and stump treating. I've even gone so far as to pull honeysuckle with a chain attached to the grab hooks on my pickup. You guys make it look too easy!

John_Mc · Oct 21, 2021

jmc said:
Got any wider photos of where that frame goes further back from your grill guard? (I'd like to deflect low limbs before they get to me or the ROPS.)

What you are asking about are called "Limb risers". They are common on forestry equipment. The work really well for sliding limbs up and over the operator station. Easier on the operator, nd easier on the trees than hoping the limbs will bend sideways around you.

I had them added 6 or 7 years ago (the grill guard is more recent). There is a guy that runs a fab shop a couple of miles down the road from me. He is a genius with this stuff. I had seen a larger tractor he did for a forester/logger in the area (full operator cage and engine guards, limb risers, belly pan, etc) I was so impressed I had him do mine as well. HE designs in things I would never have thought to ask for. Here is a better shot of the limb risers. They run up to the FOPS (falling object protection) above the operator station. It won't stop a whole tree dropping on me, but it and the limb risers have been handy. Now that I have them, I would never be without them for a tractor used regularly in the woods.

One thing I would change: I had him make the cover over the operator station out of expanded metal. I figured I wanted the upward visibility, so did not want a solid piece there. If I were doing it over, I'd have done most of it solid, with just the front 1/3 or 1/4 in expanded metal. I'd give up some of the straight up view (which I rarely use) in order to keep those little pieces of crud when I drive under a cedar tree from dropping through the expanded metal and down my neck.

Let me know if you want any more detail shots. Also check out this thread I started a while back about Forestry Mods - lots of good ideas, big and small, from several members here for making work in the woods easier.

Smokeydog · Oct 22, 2021

HawkinsHollow said:
Smokeydog, is that a hydraulic unit? I would feel SOOO accomplished if I could pull out privet that size all day!!!

It’s Danuser Intimdator. Yes hydraulic off the 3rd function. Well designed with excavator teeth and cutting bars to break roots of bigger stuff. Cost more but does so much more.

Sure has saved much manual work. It’s the little stuff like olive, privet or multi flora rose where it where it really shines. Easy to see, reach, position and pull. Stack a pile then grab to haul off.

HawkinsHollow · Oct 22, 2021

Anyone want to sell their brush puller? Want one bad. Very few used on FB marketplace. There is one for $750, but it is 4 hours from me. Seems like one of those things that you only need for a little while. Once all the crap trees are gone seems like it would become obsolete.

John_Mc · Oct 22, 2021

HawkinsHollow said:
Anyone want to sell their brush puller? Want one bad. Very few used on FB marketplace. There is one for $750, but it is 4 hours from me. Seems like one of those things that you only need for a little while. Once all the crap trees are gone seems like it would become obsolete.

That's when you sell it to the next person - hopefully for something close to what you paid for it.

Xfaxman · Oct 22, 2021

HawkinsHollow said:
--------------- Seems like one of those things that you only need for a little while. Once all the crap trees are gone seems like it would become obsolete.

I used mine last year after an early ice storm broke branches because the leaves were still on when it hit: