i was trying to find something that would help me clear brush and small trees on a slope. im not sure of the pitch but it is steep. i was thinking about a DR brush cutter or billygoat but tonight i saw something new... the brush blazer! then i found out the price.... for that amount i think i could hire someone to do it! anyone have other suggestions??? i have been doing everything with a chainsaw and weed eater with a blade on it.
clearing on a slope
- Thread starter torino06
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TedLaRue
Gold Member
Do you have a tractor? A tractor can handle a pretty steep slope as long as you attack it straight up and down the slope.
If you go for a 2-wheel walk-behind machine, make sure you can apply the brake to each wheel independently. Otherwise, on a slope, the upper wheel will have less traction and tend to spin, occasionally hitting the ground and causing the machine to try to spin around or else tip over.
I've used a 2-wheel walk-behind Gravely with a sickle bar on the front to cut brush like blackberries, multi-flora rose, and small saplings (maybe to 3/4" diameter, and occasionally 1").
If you go for a 2-wheel walk-behind machine, make sure you can apply the brake to each wheel independently. Otherwise, on a slope, the upper wheel will have less traction and tend to spin, occasionally hitting the ground and causing the machine to try to spin around or else tip over.
I've used a 2-wheel walk-behind Gravely with a sickle bar on the front to cut brush like blackberries, multi-flora rose, and small saplings (maybe to 3/4" diameter, and occasionally 1").
yellowdogsvc
Platinum Member
how thick is the brush and how steep is the grade?
the brush is pretty thick. there are a lot of small trees up to 3in in diameter.
i cant tell you a exact degree, but everyone in the area uses tracked tractors. in some areas the drop is very severe and others not as bad but it still has a nice drop in it.
ok i was able to get a picture in.
i cant tell you a exact degree, but everyone in the area uses tracked tractors. in some areas the drop is very severe and others not as bad but it still has a nice drop in it.
ok i was able to get a picture in.
rekees4300
Elite Member
If you have a small area just continue with the chainsaw and weed eater the first year then keep it clean with the weed eater annually after that. If it's too large to do that way hire a dozer with mulcher. Avoid doing it with a tractor since that would be very dangerous on the steep slopes.
in total we have 8-10 acres. i want to get enough clear to plant some olive trees. anyone have and idea what it would cost to clear lets say an acre or so???
ultrarunner
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I have cleared acres of brush with poison oak... used brush killer repeatedly and 5 years later... it is all gone.
It was the only way I could do it since I am highly susceptible to it.
It was the only way I could do it since I am highly susceptible to it.
A couple of years ago I was faced with a similar issue as I needed to site prep about 10 acres for planting P+1 seedlings in an area that was logged 9 years before and never replanted and very heavily overgrown.
I have a JD 4720 with a very robust Woods BB-720 brushcutter that will do anything I ask of it, but it has limitations when you talk about slopes.
I thought the DR brushcutter was the solution. I had watched their DVD, listened to their salespitches, and talked to them on the phone. I bought their most powerful (17 or 18 HP I think) with the 26 inch deck for manuverability thinking the 30 inch deck would be more efficient but harder to manuever in uneven terrain. It arrived and I took it into the field. It was a nightmare! It would get stuck in every significant dip in the terrain and would get stuck if it rolled over a downed small log (3-4 inches) hidden in the vegetation. I spent as much time trying to get the DR out of the terrain dips and coarse woody debris (CWD) as I did clearing. I was very frustrated and called their tech support trying to figure out what I was doing wrong. After describing what I was doing they had no answers and told me it should have no problems doing what I was asking of it. I went back and tried again same result. Called again and was told they had never had a customer describe to them the problems I was having. (SURE.....RIGHT!!!) Decided before I returned it under their money back guarantee I would give it one more try. I set up two different near identical plots in size, terrain and brush. With a thirty minute clock I worked one with the DR Brushcutter and worked one with my Stihl FS-250 with a brush blade. I did not finish the DR's plot in the 30 minutes. I not only finished the Stihl FS-250's plot but then finished the unfinished portion of the DR's plot and still had a little time left over on the clock. Physically the Stihl brushcutters required less muscle and less work from my old body as well. The DR would be a great device for those that have a SMOOTH overgrown pasture who do not have access to a tractor with a brushcutter. When I tried it on level flat terrain it worked very well just not on what I was asking of it.
Decision was made return the $3200+ DR brushcutter. I purchased another Stihl brushcutter. The FS-450 a BIG Brother to the FS-250. It was $825. Yes it is manual labor but while the FS-250 is great the FS-450 is fantastic. I can use it on any and all terrain it it does not stop. For about 25% of the DR price a got a better more capable unit for my needs. I have cleared a lot of land since then with them and would not trade them for ANYTHING. I use my chainsaw for really large diameter but with the correct blade I can take down 4 inch DBH saplings with either the FS-250 or FS-450 and not bend over at all saving my back.
Good luck on your decision.
I have a JD 4720 with a very robust Woods BB-720 brushcutter that will do anything I ask of it, but it has limitations when you talk about slopes.
I thought the DR brushcutter was the solution. I had watched their DVD, listened to their salespitches, and talked to them on the phone. I bought their most powerful (17 or 18 HP I think) with the 26 inch deck for manuverability thinking the 30 inch deck would be more efficient but harder to manuever in uneven terrain. It arrived and I took it into the field. It was a nightmare! It would get stuck in every significant dip in the terrain and would get stuck if it rolled over a downed small log (3-4 inches) hidden in the vegetation. I spent as much time trying to get the DR out of the terrain dips and coarse woody debris (CWD) as I did clearing. I was very frustrated and called their tech support trying to figure out what I was doing wrong. After describing what I was doing they had no answers and told me it should have no problems doing what I was asking of it. I went back and tried again same result. Called again and was told they had never had a customer describe to them the problems I was having. (SURE.....RIGHT!!!) Decided before I returned it under their money back guarantee I would give it one more try. I set up two different near identical plots in size, terrain and brush. With a thirty minute clock I worked one with the DR Brushcutter and worked one with my Stihl FS-250 with a brush blade. I did not finish the DR's plot in the 30 minutes. I not only finished the Stihl FS-250's plot but then finished the unfinished portion of the DR's plot and still had a little time left over on the clock. Physically the Stihl brushcutters required less muscle and less work from my old body as well. The DR would be a great device for those that have a SMOOTH overgrown pasture who do not have access to a tractor with a brushcutter. When I tried it on level flat terrain it worked very well just not on what I was asking of it.
Decision was made return the $3200+ DR brushcutter. I purchased another Stihl brushcutter. The FS-450 a BIG Brother to the FS-250. It was $825. Yes it is manual labor but while the FS-250 is great the FS-450 is fantastic. I can use it on any and all terrain it it does not stop. For about 25% of the DR price a got a better more capable unit for my needs. I have cleared a lot of land since then with them and would not trade them for ANYTHING. I use my chainsaw for really large diameter but with the correct blade I can take down 4 inch DBH saplings with either the FS-250 or FS-450 and not bend over at all saving my back.
Good luck on your decision.
i was thinking about going down that road trovven. my neighbor came over with an off brand brush cutter that had the bicycle handlebars and it was amazing how much faster that thing worked than my normal weed eater with a blade on it. that is looking like the route... otherwise spend 7000 for a brush blazer but for that i could get a bulldozer in
fishfactor
Gold Member
Or you could have one of these come out...
S & P Land Services CAT 315 Excavator Mulcher Clearing a Pond - Time Lapse - YouTube
S & P Land Services CAT 315 Excavator Mulcher Clearing a Pond - Time Lapse - YouTube