FEL Mulcher - What do you think?

[Shenandoah MF1760]

While I'd dearly love to have a skid steer, I simply have no way to justify it. I have a hard enough time getting wife approval on new attachments, you'd think I was asking for a government grant under DOGE. And then there's the cost of the mulcher.

I have a what's rated as a 60HP tractor (actual 59) and I ran across this item on Youtube; Forax | Small-Medium Tractor Mulcher Attachment | GP40 Gas Powered Mulcher Attachment - $8,400

I have a Laneshark, and it's good for what it does, but it leaves a mess than needs to be cleaned up. A mulcher would be good on the Yupon Holly and small pines that I have all over the place.

I could rent a skid steer w/mulcher but I'm a little afraid of what it might run into while I'm using it. It's amazing what you'll discover just laying in the brush, T-posts are bad enough, but I've even found a 4-cylinder Suzuki engine block.

I also have a person that does mulching/land clearing for a living, but $1800-$3000 a day depending on the season is a bit hard to take.

Also the convenience factor of being able to use it when I want is appealing.

What are your thoughts?

 

[2manyrocks]

The video seems to be their hydraulic version?

There's another video showing the GP40 that is powered by some kind of gas engine. I'd want to know how the gas engine is able to operate at so many different angles without having a problem with engine oil. I didn't find much info on the gas engine itself.

One question would be how fast this unit will actually mulch brush in real life.

Another question is whether the brush can be ground up enough not to poke tractor tires.

Not having a plexiglas screen to protect the operator would also be a concern.

 

[Todd727]

You will be dissapointed. It just isn't going to have enough power from the tractor to do much real work.

 

[jmc]

Since you asked, the secret to selling your wife on a new attachment is to convince them it would benefit them personally. (Sometimes you have to do that after the fact) For example, I drove my tractor with its new aftermarket loader down to the road to retrieve the Sunday's paper. Wife was out on the patio having coffee. Pulled up on the tractor, dramatically raised the loader to its full height and dropped the paper next to her lounge chair. Drove off, looking for something else that needed moving.

 

[oosik]

Todd727 makes a good point. Local highway dept has a mulcher on a type of skid stear. I stopped to watch it. Moved much further back as this unit got into heavy shrubbery. It was chopping and coughing and flinging heavy stuff quite a distance. It had a 175 hp diesel engine.

Somebody was going to have to follow this unit with a chipper. It was flinging as much stuff as it was grinding up. Maybe it was the way it was being operated but it was sure creating one big mess.

AND - about half of the mess it was creating is being thrown out onto the roadway. No doubt - it DID clear the roadside ditch area. But it was by no means the final answer.

It looked like a tornado came thru the area.