Clearing Forested Fence ROW

[MarEng]

Help! I need to clear about two miles of ROW for a fence. Land is hilly and timber covered. I accept that I will have to get out of my comfy tractor seat to take care of anything big, but is there an implement I can use to clear the remaining small trees/downed timber? I have a fairly young stand with a thick canopy so there is very little underbrush but plenty of downed timber (tops and limbs) rotting from the last thinning and lots of 2-4" base diameter trunked trees. Stand is mostly white oak with some pine.

I would like a finished lane 4-5' wide. My father-in-law offered his brush hog but said it wouldn't do much more than heavy grass. The local tractor dealer said he could get me an HD Brush Hog that would take care of small trees. I figure I could add a push bar and make a mini-mulcher. I'd love a real mulcher but cannot afford the mulcher, let alone a 100hp tractor.

I'm picturing a horizontal saw blade or chain flail or giant chain saw or . . .

I'm sure there is info here on whatever works, I'm just not sure what it is called. My other option is to rent a D3 but there are a number of issues with that, not least is that I want to work the fence project as I get time and $$$ and the dozer delivery charge requires I take a week off work and run flat out to make it cost effective.

 

[MarEng]

Help! I need to clear about two miles of ROW for a fence. Land is hilly and timber covered. I accept that I will have to get out of my comfy tractor seat to take care of anything big, but is there an implement I can use to clear the remaining small trees/downed timber? I have a fairly young stand with a thick canopy so there is very little underbrush but plenty of downed timber (tops and limbs) rotting from the last thinning and lots of 2-4" base diameter trunked trees. Stand is mostly white oak with some pine.

I would like a finished lane 4-5' wide. My father-in-law offered his brush hog but said it wouldn't do much more than heavy grass. The local tractor dealer said he could get me an HD Brush Hog that would take care of small trees. I figure I could add a push bar and make a mini-mulcher. I'd love a real mulcher but cannot afford the mulcher, let alone a 100hp tractor.

I'm picturing a horizontal saw blade or chain flail or giant chain saw or . . .

I'm sure there is info here on whatever works, I'm just not sure what it is called. My other option is to rent a D3 but there are a number of issues with that, not least is that I want to work the fence project as I get time and $$$ and the dozer delivery charge requires I take a week off work and run flat out to make it cost effective.

 

[Big_Cajun]

If it were me, I'd hire a dozer/operator to push the trees over. You can then have him pile them up, or in my case, I have a MF 1130 with a JD blade on the front that I'd pile them up with. Then, set em on fire.

I don't think I'd put a rotary cutter in there, especially if it is thick with trees (even if the cutter is HD). It is true that some HD cutters can cut 3" diameter trees, but I doubt that cutting several of those size trees at a time with it would be good for the cutter. I'm having to do the same thing you are doing, and there are tons of chinese tallow trees to contend with. I'm going to shred what I can, push what I can't shred, and chainsaw what I can't push. Then I'll paint them with broadleaf herbicide.

Hope that helps. Just my two cents worth.

BC

 

[Big_Cajun]

If it were me, I'd hire a dozer/operator to push the trees over. You can then have him pile them up, or in my case, I have a MF 1130 with a JD blade on the front that I'd pile them up with. Then, set em on fire.

I don't think I'd put a rotary cutter in there, especially if it is thick with trees (even if the cutter is HD). It is true that some HD cutters can cut 3" diameter trees, but I doubt that cutting several of those size trees at a time with it would be good for the cutter. I'm having to do the same thing you are doing, and there are tons of chinese tallow trees to contend with. I'm going to shred what I can, push what I can't shred, and chainsaw what I can't push. Then I'll paint them with broadleaf herbicide.

Hope that helps. Just my two cents worth.

BC

 

[Dishpointer]

Check out this post : http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/showflat.php/Cat/0/Board/projects/Number/879242/page/3/view/collapsed/sb/5/fpart/1

This rig would do a great job at clearing a row for a fence.

 

[Dishpointer]

Check out this post : http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/showflat.php/Cat/0/Board/projects/Number/879242/page/3/view/collapsed/sb/5/fpart/1

This rig would do a great job at clearing a row for a fence.

 

[Highbeam]

First thing to do is make sure you know where to clear the line. I guessed with my bulldozer and was off by more than 10 feet in places. My wandering line was good enough for the surveyors to stake the real thing. Then I cleared the line well enough for a string to be strung. I cut trees and drug them or pushed brush with the little dozer.

Then I had the logger come out with his 300 class excavator. That puppy is about 12' wide. I told him to put one track near the string line and then knock everything out in front of him all the way around. He pitched stumps and logs over into the property.

After he was done, I used my tractor and BB to smooth it out well enough do drive on.

Always build a fence line road large enough to drive your pickup. This is a firebreak and a maintenance road so wider is better. 4-5 feet will be filled back in right away with weeds since you can't mow it or drive it.

Once the fence is up, you won't be able to clear or out brush from the other side so it is best to do it as part of this fire lane. Your road should end up no less than 12' wide with 2-3 of those feet on the other side of the future fence.

 

[Highbeam]

First thing to do is make sure you know where to clear the line. I guessed with my bulldozer and was off by more than 10 feet in places. My wandering line was good enough for the surveyors to stake the real thing. Then I cleared the line well enough for a string to be strung. I cut trees and drug them or pushed brush with the little dozer.

Then I had the logger come out with his 300 class excavator. That puppy is about 12' wide. I told him to put one track near the string line and then knock everything out in front of him all the way around. He pitched stumps and logs over into the property.

After he was done, I used my tractor and BB to smooth it out well enough do drive on.

Always build a fence line road large enough to drive your pickup. This is a firebreak and a maintenance road so wider is better. 4-5 feet will be filled back in right away with weeds since you can't mow it or drive it.

Once the fence is up, you won't be able to clear or out brush from the other side so it is best to do it as part of this fire lane. Your road should end up no less than 12' wide with 2-3 of those feet on the other side of the future fence.

 

[Highbeam]

Another.

The surveyor gave me points every 200 feet or so.

 

[Highbeam]

Another.

The surveyor gave me points every 200 feet or so.

 

[MarEng]

Thanks for the info so far. I have seen a mulcher at a local construction site (with no contact info on it) - parked on a Sunday - but when I went back on Monday to try and get a contact number it was gone. Haven't been able to locate anyone with a unit using the traditional means (phone, internet).

High Beam touched on my other problem. My surveyor was supposed to place a t-post every 100' or so on the boundaries. He didn't and I haven't had any luck getting him back. So the plan is to use the GPS/Compass to get close enough and then stretch a string between the corner stakes and clean up the missed spots. I'm lucky in that I'm surrounded by unused timber land on one side (with an unreachable out of town owner) and the back side of a dam on the other. Nobody will care if I'm a few feet off. And the way stuff grows here - nobody will know by this time next year.

The comment about 12' is noted. My wife wants a walking track so the idea was to clear at least a 5' path inside the fence (wide enough for the tractor) and then lay down a bunch of spare trees that have been through the chipper/shredder. If needed, I can mow the path from time to time to control regrowth.

If anyone knows of a mulcher contractor in the Conroe, TX area - pls forward a number. The closest I can find is in the Beaumont area and I'm sure the trip charge is more than my budget for the job, esp. as Rita clean-up is still ongoing.

Brgds, Will.

 

[MarEng]

Thanks for the info so far. I have seen a mulcher at a local construction site (with no contact info on it) - parked on a Sunday - but when I went back on Monday to try and get a contact number it was gone. Haven't been able to locate anyone with a unit using the traditional means (phone, internet).

High Beam touched on my other problem. My surveyor was supposed to place a t-post every 100' or so on the boundaries. He didn't and I haven't had any luck getting him back. So the plan is to use the GPS/Compass to get close enough and then stretch a string between the corner stakes and clean up the missed spots. I'm lucky in that I'm surrounded by unused timber land on one side (with an unreachable out of town owner) and the back side of a dam on the other. Nobody will care if I'm a few feet off. And the way stuff grows here - nobody will know by this time next year.

The comment about 12' is noted. My wife wants a walking track so the idea was to clear at least a 5' path inside the fence (wide enough for the tractor) and then lay down a bunch of spare trees that have been through the chipper/shredder. If needed, I can mow the path from time to time to control regrowth.

If anyone knows of a mulcher contractor in the Conroe, TX area - pls forward a number. The closest I can find is in the Beaumont area and I'm sure the trip charge is more than my budget for the job, esp. as Rita clean-up is still ongoing.

Brgds, Will.

 

[mikim]

It ain't easy - but the wife and I did it using chainsaws & FEL ... slow -- but it works...and you have the added help of a BH..... Is there a reason you need to be in a hurry? We did about 600 feet a day - couldn't walk through it to start with - had to lead with the chainsaws.

 

[mikim]

It ain't easy - but the wife and I did it using chainsaws & FEL ... slow -- but it works...and you have the added help of a BH..... Is there a reason you need to be in a hurry? We did about 600 feet a day - couldn't walk through it to start with - had to lead with the chainsaws.

 

[Highbeam]

600 feet a day is fantastic. I spent a long time getting the perimeter road in. I considered it very important.

 

[Highbeam]

600 feet a day is fantastic. I spent a long time getting the perimeter road in. I considered it very important.

 

[MarEng]

Thanks for the replies and encouragement that this can be done 'manually' with good production rates. My need for speed is only that I have a day job that demands a lot of time, so my homesteading time is very limited. I try to look at each task to find the balance point between time and money and figure out the best way to go.

Plus as summer comes and days get longer I've been getting more and more trespassers who not only don't mind buzzing the house on their four wheelers, but also see nothing wrong with tearing down the no trespassing signs. When you confront them, they will argue with you about their 'right' to ride on your land - because they've always done it. I'm hoping a sturdy fence will put an end to some of this.

 

[Highbeam]

Stopping the four wheelers and other recreational trespassers is a long discussed topic here. There are underhanded dirty tricks like leaving a rat nest of barbed wire in the trail so that it gets sucked up and tangled in their gear and then there are fences that are easily cut with a pair of dykes. I don't know if you will ever stop them.

A clearly defined property line with fence is a great start. It is also a dragstrip for them.

 

[Highbeam]

I want to be sure you did not read me advising to shoot anyone.