Briar removal

viking65 · Mar 10, 2005

I need to clear the perimeter of my property and an acre or two of woods of briars. I have briar bushes everywhere. Most of these briar bushes are very large, some of these briars are 12' tall or more and have entangled themselves in the trees. I have just started to cut them down with a chain saw and brush cutter and now I have piles of tangled briars. The first mangled and tangled pile I loaded into my 12' trailer and pick up bed with a pitch fork and took to the dump. I cut the heck out of my arms and hands on those darn things. It took a long time to just to get rid of this one pile.

I have considered buying a chipper shredder (I looked at a Makissic Mighty Mac, 10hp Troybilt and a Woods 5000 series) but untangling these briars so they will fit down the chute will be quite difficult. I thought about buying a rotary cutter and backing over the briars with the tractor and rotary cutter. Burning is not an option.

Any better ideas?? I am not having any fun with this project at all.

RodgerF · Mar 10, 2005

I did the same thing last year and have a little more to do this year if the mud ever dries out. I used the teeth on the loader to pull the briars/vines out of the trees then used the loader and box blade to to dig them out of the ground. I too loaded them in the truck and hauled them away.

I'm thinking this year to finish the job I'm going to get a brush hog and chop them up. Too much work loading and unloading them.

Rodger

Gatorboy · Mar 10, 2005

I drop the FEL down into the bush and then back out which usually pulls a majority of the bush out of the ground. After that, I take my rotary mower and lower it over the pile I pulled out, and also over the remaining portion still in the ground.

The mower cuts it up pretty darn good, and it doesn't take long for the clippings to decay.

RalphVa · Mar 10, 2005

I chopped up briars and big oriental bittersweet vines that I'd cut away from some black walnut trees. Took the LX4 down there yesterday (made all sorts of mistakes; see under Owning/Operating general section). Chopped them up pretty good.

Day before yesterday, I chopped up some briars and smaller stuff on a new trail bypass that I'd cut with my Gravely bush hog. Stuff yesterday was too big for it and too big a landscape area, as I wanted to go around under all the tree drip lines.

Ralph

getut · Mar 10, 2005

I had a combination of briars and honeysuckles that had formed a webbing from tree to tree about 30 feet high behind my shed. It was a mass of solid vines from ground level up to the tops of the trees. I just kept backing into it until I had it all chewed up. When I encountered a vine larger than the rotary cutter could handle I stopped and cut it off below ground level with a chainsaw. Most of the stuff pulled out of the tree tops on its own.. but some of it did rip off and stay in the trees. That part has died over the last year and has just about completely fallen or blown out of the trees now. It looked bad for a while, but is looking much better now.

viking65 · Mar 10, 2005

Thanks for the suggestions guys. I like the rotary cutter idea. I looked at and priced a Woods RCC42 (42" Estate Series) rotary cutter for $879 today, and a King Kutter 48" cutter for $596. I guess I'll just have to buy a new implement...darn /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

deere_x475guy · Mar 10, 2005

Be real careful pulling those vines out of the trees with your bucket. I did that last year and almost had a terrible accident. The 1' diameter dead limb that I didn't notice got pulled lose with the vines and came withing inches of the top of my head. Scared the **** out of me!!!. I was very lucky.

RodgerF · Mar 11, 2005

( Be real careful pulling those vines out of the trees with your bucket. I did that last year and almost had a terrible accident. The 1' diameter dead limb that I didn't notice got pulled lose with the vines and came withing inches of the top of my head. Scared the **** out of me!!!. I was very lucky. )

I watched that carefully while I was doing it. I also have a pretty nice hard canopy that should help save my melon. Hopefully I never need to find out. Glad to see you didn't get hurt.

Rodger

1bush2hog · Mar 11, 2005

Oriental bittersweet? What a PIA! This is one of the most agressive invasive species.

If you used your rotary cutter to chop it up, look out this spring, it will come back with a vengence unless you got the roots too, and/or treated with a herbicide.

My property has quite a bit of this stuff and I have used a logging winch to pull some of the larger vines(2-3in dia) out of the ground. I used Remedy herbicide last year on some other. that I had bush hogged before I found out that cutting it only makes it multiply with great tenacity.

I'll let you know this spring when things start coming back out, how the remedy worked. I do expect to have to apply multiple treatments over a few years based on what I have read.

rdbrumfield · Mar 11, 2005

I make short work of briars. I use the loader to pat them down as I mow over them. They are a mess to go through, but they mow easily. Be sure to wear protective gear. I sometimes wear my full face motorcycle helmet. Sure saves the hide and getting slapped with limbs.

Nasty135 · Mar 11, 2005

viking65, I don't know if anyone touched on this yet , Becareful when pulling vines out of trees not only for dead branches coming after you but also breaking branches off that you really want to keep! Vines can really have a big hold on them sometimes. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

viking65 · Mar 11, 2005

I found that out. I pulled out several vines that were all intertwined by wrapping and tying a rope to them and used my truck to yank'em out of the tree. I pulled several branches down with the vines. Luckily I didn't damage the trees severely. I sure damaged the heck out of those vines!

I think I'll pick up a rotary cutter and/or a chipper shredder this weekend to help me eliminate these briars and vines. I'll probably use my chain saw and brushcutter to cut down the briars were I can't get my tractor and rotary cutter into then either run the deris over with the rotary cutter or chip/shred it. But like I mentioned earlier, getting those tangled briars down a shredder or chipper chute will be quite difficult if not impossible. I think somebody said that you should not run vines through a shredder because they will just get wrapped up inside and clog the machine. Maybe the rotary cutter is all I need along with my chainsaw and brushcutter.

Again, thanks for all the great ideas. This website is the best!

JimMorrissey · Mar 11, 2005

Viking,

Why is it that you can't burn this growth? You don't need a large fire.....burning is the way to go, if at all possible.

The other thing I would add, is that it seems to me you are in desperate need of a grapple. They are $$, but a grapple would make life much easier. There's been lots of discussion lately on here about grapples.

MossRoad · Mar 15, 2005

Any better ideas?? I am not having any fun with this project at all. 

Watch this video. I am having fun! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

http://www.mossroad.com/PT425Videos/PT425MultiFloraRose.WMV

HammerFour · Mar 15, 2005

Rip em out, pile em up, burn em.

Then keep running your rotary cutter over the area they were in every couple weeks until they give up trying to grow and you can get some grass established.

That's what I did, the ripping em out part is the worst. Tackle a small section at at time and chant to yourself "I only have to do this once if I keep em down from now on".

viking65 · Mar 15, 2005

Now that's pretty cool /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

edski · Mar 18, 2005

I've cleared acres of multiflora rose and rusian olive, some so thick a rabbit couldn't get through it. There are basically three methods; animal (cattle, goats), mechanical, and chemical. I've used the latter two methods.
Mechanical:
Chainsaw, chain and drag (big stuff)
Tractor w/ box scrapper used like a dozer - most effective in spring with ground is soft and roots are loose/ pile it up and burn or leave for wildlife.
Tractor w/ hog - smaller stuff and maintanence
Results - successful at a price...I've torn the $4it out of my tractor. Wear Carhartts and prepare to give blood.
Next time I'll rent a D3 size dozer.
Chemical:
2,4 D mixed w/ diesel in early spring (goes through the bark)
Round-up in April and May after leaves come out (growth).
I've a 14 gal sprayer on the back of a quad. This works well on fencelines.

Your mileage may vary.
Cheers, edski

Cactus · Mar 18, 2005

( cattle, )

Cattle wont eat multiflora rose...they will break paths around the bushes making it easier to get in closer to them.....goats will eat the leaves and younger plants...but if the bush's are already well established,and have a lot of size to them you will still have to use some type of mechanical means to remove them.

MossRoad · Mar 18, 2005

That WAS a multiflora rose. Nothing left but mulch! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif The little Power Trac with the front mounted brush hog is a beast on these things. Just eats them up. The larger Power Trac models would be even more powerful, so your guess is as good as mine as to what they'd do. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

viking65 · Mar 18, 2005

I have decided to go about my war on multiflora rose in the following manner:

Today I purchased a Simplicity Field and Brush Mower. I checked out the Billy Goat Outback and the Swisher Predator. The Simplicity was the largest and heaviest, electric start, hydrostatic transmission, 13.5hp B&S Intek for $1850, down from list of $2200. The Simplicity also keeps the operator the farthest away from the multiflora rose crap because it is the longest compared to the other 2 machines I looked at.

It was delivered today around 4pm and I worked 'till dark. The machine did a better job than I expected. Some of the sticker bushes I tried to cut were very old and well established. For those I cut in as far as I could with the Simplicity then cut the bush at the base with a chainsaw then cut it up with the Simplicity. I was able to take most of the multiflora down with the Simplicity not having to resort to the chainsaw. It will cut a little bigger than the 2" diameter stuff that it is advertised to cut. It's like a mini bush hog.

So that's it. This is a pretty big job but the Simplicity machine will make it a lot easier than doing it all with the chainsaw and handheld brushcutter. The Simplicity also cuts up the briars so well that trips to the dump won't be necessary. That will save me a bunch of time.

Thanks again for all of your great ideas.