Bushhoggin underbrush

[RMEADOWS]

I'm in the process of clearing 7 arcres or underbrush and scrubs from the wooded area of my property. Basically, I'm cutting out most everthing under 3", with a few exceptions.

I have some very heavy brush, higher than my head in the tractro seat. It's all very thin stalks, but weaved together and interspursed with vines (with thorns). I hate vines!

What is the best way to cut through this. I tried backing an intiatial trail, but I get hung up more that way and the thicker stuff. When I drive in, my body get caught up in the vines. I really like my head being attached to my body.

Any suggustions?

 

[gerard]

Do you have a fel? I've found if I put the bucket low and drive in forward I can push everything over and drive over it until the blades hit it. If it's too heavy for me to drive over then it's also probably too heavy for my bushog to cut too so it's kind of a built in safety system. If it's just too viny you could try either a toothbar on the loader or a brush brute and rip out the thicker stuff. Without a fel I think you're in for a tough time.

 

[BB_TX]

I don't like stuff that high raking the underneath of my tractor, so I back in. But only about to the middle or front of my rear wheels. Then I pull out, move over, and do it again. I repeat until I have cut a wide swath and go back and start over. If I go forward, I keep the FEL low to push over/down as much stuff as possible before I pass over/thru it.
If you are cutting everything and it is fairly clear of large stuff, you may be able to make parallel passes along the cleared edge cutting only about half a cutter width at a time to keep from getting tangled and hit so much.

 

[rdbrumfield]

I am regularly in blackberries and salmon berry brush up to twelve foot deep. I use my loader to pat them down as I go. I keep the loader up push down as I go keeping the bucket curled back so it will slide easier. I do have a belly pan to protect the tractor. I would suggest that you do not back up on brush that you have pushed over. Take an edge with the brush to your right if you can, the mower is able to get rid of what it cuts more readily. I take a half cut if it is tough going, I can look at what is going by incase there might be something I might want to avoide on the next pass. As far as those wait a minute vines, I liken it to fighting a bees nest, don't go in there if you don't want to get stung. Might laugh at this one, wear a full face motorcycle helmet. Has kept my nose and ears from turning red. Have fun, I love to mow briars.

 

[JohnMiller3]

My Satoh is almost identical PTO hp to your Kubota (22.5)… and cutting “thick” brush is quite a challenge… If you have lots of time and patience, you’ll eventually get it done in time to start over and be a perpetual thing with your 7 acres… /w3tcompact/icons/blush.gif

What you may want to consider is “renting” a 50-60 PTO hp unit… going in to get the job done and over with… and then maintain it with your Kubota… believe me… I’ve got 157 acres and my 50 hp JD is a workhorse… but she can’t keep up… so I’m ready to buy a second 75-90 hp unit and “scare” all those vines and small trees away… /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

 

[Soundguy]

I just recently got done cutting 10 ac of my pasture that had about 10% tall thin grass, 10" briars, and 40% tall thick ( 7' ) dog fennel, and 40 % tall thick ragweed.

I cut it with my NH 1920 and 5' cutter. I just drove over it. There were very occasional 1-1.5" saplings..

I fabricated a front bumper to keep weeds from tangling, but had to stop every 20 minutes to clean the pre-filter on the radiator.

Cut fine, ran fine in 3rd range 1st or 2nd gear.

Soundguy

 

[MossRoad]

I know this won't help your situation, but I have a front mounted brush hog and go through similar stuff with ease. <A target="_blank" HREF=http://users.beanstalk.net/godollei/pt425/PT425Videos/PT425DeepWeeds1.WMV> Here's a link to a movie</A> of what it looks like from my driver's seat.(low quality and takes a couple minutes to load, but fun to watch if you have the time)

Back to your question, a rear mounted brush hog is hard to use in tall stuff unless you can either do what everyone else does and mash it down with the FEL first, or just back into it all day(hard on the neck). /w3tcompact/icons/mad.gif

 

[markie61]

Is that your thumb at the end of the movie?/w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

 

[njrqs]

Kewl video !!!

Looks like the blair witch project !!

 

[MossRoad]

Yeah, that's my thumb. /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif I would have given it two thumbs up, but one hand was holding the video camera. /w3tcompact/icons/tongue.gif

I've got a few more video links out there on TBN somewhere. That front mounted brush hog is just plain fun to use. If you liked that video then <A target="_blank" HREF=http://users.beanstalk.net/godollei/pt425/PT425Videos/PT425MultiFloraRose.WMV> Click here to prune a multi flora rose bush.</A> /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif (same deal as before, kind of grainy and takes a few minutes to download, but fun to watch and listen to that hydraulic whine.)

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Good job MossRoad!

Enjoyed the action...nice having a fast connection. Probably would have been in bed before they loaded over my old dial up connection.

Bill in Pgh, PA...USA /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif Now I KNOW I need a brush hog!

 

[cisco]

Prior answers are appropriate - lower FEL (bucket rolled back) to a foot or 2 off the ground - drive forward - everything in front of you gets knocked over, and the brush cutter (if you have a heavy duty unit, and sufficient pto power) takes care of the rest. Ascertain the maximum cutting power (width of small tree, usually like "2 inch sapling" or similar verbiage) of your brush cutter, and its' pto requirements (can cut 3/4 or 1/2 widths if your tractor gets challenged), then go.
The first time my son got on the tractor in heavy stuff, he looked back at me as if to say "do you really want me to drive through this stuff" - yup.

 

[lblair]

MossRoad,
Not to knock your setup, but thats not similar stuff that i have bush hogged. I have hogged tall grass and weeds but normally it stuff you cant just drive over. Sapleings in the 1-2 inch range with thorntrees and lots of thick brush is what im use to. Yours looks like a good set up for what your doing though. Its all backing up for the first pass and some pushing over with the loader combined with hogging,
Larry

 

[MossRoad]

You mean like this? /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif<A target="_blank" HREF=http://users.beanstalk.net/godollei/pt425/PT425Videos/PT425Sapling.WMV> Click here to watch a short grainy video</A> of the PT425 taking down a 2 inch sapling. It isn't a very good shot, but I can assure you that it does a very good job on anything up to about 2 inches in diameter. Next spring, I'll be sure to get some better shots of the thicker brush. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

When I use to use my IH2500b with the 5' brush hog on the 3pt hitch, I would be dead dog tired at the end of a day of backing into everything. Now, I actually enjoy using this thing. I can honestly say that it takes me half the time with a 48" brush hog on the 25HP Power Trac than it did on my 50HP IH with a foot bigger deck on the 2 inch and under stuff. Plus, I don't have to worry about the radiator getting poked, or saplings popping up to damage the underside, because if the brush hog goes over it, it is gone before the tractor gets there.

Now, if your talking 3inch trees, the PT has to work with the FEL to dig up the roots to tip them over, while with the old IH, I could just push its FEL into anything up to about a foot in diameter and just step on the forward pedal. There is a big difference between an 1100 pound machine and an 8000 pound machine, for sure/w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

I see by your profile that you have the 21HP NH. I looked at those when I was searching for tractors. Sure was the most comfortable of all the ones I tested. Does your seat swivel a bit to help with watching the rear brush hog?

 

[cj7]

cool videos!