Clearing Overgrown Land – My Experience

[Victorwilliams]

Hi everyone,

I wanted to share a quick story from a recent job. A client called me to clear 3 acres of land that hadn’t been touched in over 10 years. It was full of thick brush, fallen trees, and vines everywhere — you could barely walk through it.

I used my skid steer with a forestry mulcher to start clearing it up. First, I had to make paths just to see what we were working with. Then I focused on removing the heavy brush while keeping the healthy trees.

By the end of the job, the land looked completely different. The client said, “I didn’t even know I had this much space!” Moments like that make the hard work worth it.

I’d love to hear from others:

What’s the toughest land you’ve cleared?

What tools or machines do you like best?

Any tips or lessons you’ve learned?

Let’s share our experiences and help each other out!

 

[groundcover]

Nice job ! Get any pics ? I did one years ago but the grade was too much for machines, which I didn't have at that point anyway. All chain saw and hand work. Made a dramatic difference and opened up a view the owner didn't know was there.

 

[Lineman North Florida]

I clear all kinds of thick properties with my skidsteer and forestry mower, most people are amazed at the transformation of their property, I have a thread over in Owning/Operating called pictures from a skidsteer mowing contractor if you would like to see some pictures over the last couple of years.

 

[Hay Dude]

Toughest job I ever did was a tract on a sloped hillside. It was left overgrown for 30+ years. We have dead ash trees everywhere, so they were dropping large branches while we were clearing. Also the hillside was sloped adding to the discomfort/danger of working it. Lastly there was rock outcroppings and a sudden 15’ drop off onto active RR tracks.
We lost a track twice and learned you can’t run a CAT skid loader along a steep incline with less than a 1/2 tank of fuel.
Always keep your cell phone with you in the cab. Have someone check on you every so often if you are working alone.

 

[aidan solomon]

Absolutely nothing beats seeing land come back to life and that client “wow” moment.

One job last summer really taught me a couple of key lessons. I was clearing 5 acres of untouched land for 15+ years with thick brush, fallen trees, and hidden obstacles like barbed wire and buried rocks.

Lesson one: always walk the site first and mark anything suspicious. It can save your equipment and your time.
Lesson two: prep your gear like it’s a big job every time: sharpen teeth, top off fluids, check everything.

Those two habits alone have saved me more headaches than I can count. Curious what tips others live by.

 

[Gem99ultra]

I clear all kinds of thick properties with my skidsteer and forestry mower, most people are amazed at the transformation of their property, I have a thread over in Owning/Operating called pictures from a skidsteer mowing contractor if you would like to see some pictures over the last couple of years. View attachment 3240510View attachment 3240511View attachment 3240512View attachment 3240513

Great job! It looks like different property!

 

[bcs001]

I'm considering hiring a forestry mulching service to clean up a few very overgrown areas on my property that have large hardwoods and pines that I plan to leave in place. The biggest problem are the rocks scattered all around and plastic nursery pots remaining from when the property was used as a commercial nursery. Rock vary in size up to 8" which I'm sure would tear up a mulcher.

My question is how much rock clean-up needs to be done before mulching?

Most of the plastic plastic pots can be removed but some are rooted in place and will just have to be mulched along with the underbrush and then cleaned up after.

 

[part-time-Farmer-NC]

My hardest cleanup happened about 42 yrs ago. I was on crutches from a knee injury. I had to clear a spot out in a tangled cutover about 40x50 ft and a path to get in so the inspectors would even grant a well septic permit.

I balanced on the crutches, used a weed eater with a blade on it. Got it done, got the permit.

I would have loved my tractor then....

 

[HawkinsHollow]

It is amazing how good a piece of land looks as you clear it out. Every 100 sqft. reclaimed from the jungle just makes it look better and better. Such a great feeling! I have only done this for myself, but I imagine as a contractor it is REALLY easy to please a client clearing land. Because ANYTHING is heads and shoulders better than what was there before.

I cleared 5 or 6 acres of HEAVY brush like you are explaining. Next to impossible to even walk through it. First year I rented a bobcat with a heavy duty bush hog and went to town. Taking out most of the small stuff up to 4 inches in diameter. Man it looked good and I felt very accomplished. The next year I rented a good sized mini ex, like a 10,000 lb machine and took out a bunch of bigger trash trees, 4-10 inches dia. Made it look even better. I had my tractor by this time and the combo of a tractor with a grapple and a good sized mini can do some serious damage. I found it was easier to top the trees about 5 or 6 feet up and then cut them into a couple of pieces. I found that a bit more physical labor, but easier overall to get the stuff moved around and into piles for burning.
Before:

After:

This is right before I planted my food plot.
I am now at the point that most of what I need to clear out can be handled with my tractor and tree puller/grapple.

 

[Victorwilliams]

Toughest job I ever did was a tract on a sloped hillside. It was left overgrown for 30+ years. We have dead ash trees everywhere, so they were dropping large branches while we were clearing. Also the hillside was sloped adding to the discomfort/danger of working it. Lastly there was rock outcroppings and a sudden 15’ drop off onto active RR tracks.
We lost a track twice and learned you can’t run a CAT skid loader along a steep incline with less than a 1/2 tank of fuel.
Always keep your cell phone with you in the cab. Have someone check on you every so often if you are working alone.

View attachment 3240518

That sounds like a beast of a job! Dealing with dead trees, steep slopes, and those rock outcroppings definitely seems like a recipe for some tense moments. The tip about keeping your fuel tank at least half full is a good one—I can see how that would make a huge difference on a slope like that.

And the cell phone reminder is key! Safety is always the priority.
Have you found any tools or techniques that help with the steeper or rockier areas, or is it just about being extra cautious and staying focused?