M4800 - MX5000 - L5030

Seven_U_Bar · Dec 8, 2005

Hope ya'll don't mind my butting in with a question--esp. for you, Tree Guy since, from your name and pictures I saw of your gear, you might be the resident expert on trees and brush:

I don't have as much tilling as NYFarmboy, but I have way more brush clearing (and am a novice with no pride, so don't hold back!)

I have to clear and keep clear about 7 miles of fence lines and clear several fields of small mesquite. My hope is that I can push them out with an FEL. I clearly don't have a use for the grapplers you use for trees, but I'm wondering at the best way to push out brush on fence lines. Do you use the bucket? If so, do teeth help? What is the best technique. What I am talking about here is 2-4 inch small oak trees, with vines and youpon bushes as understory. Stuff you can't even walk through and deer and hogs go around.

CT_Tree_Guy · Dec 8, 2005

Hi Seven, welcome to TBN, hope it's a long stay. (Warning: it's highly addictive, and can lead to actual tractor use LOL)

As far as me being an "expert on trees and brush" - I can kick tree butt with the best of them, but brush and mesquite (never actually seen one, but I've heard 'em buzzing around) aren't my strong suits. I've never even run a bush hog, ever - just read a lot about 'em. So you've found me out - I'm not a tractor expert, I just play one on the internet. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

If you give some more details about exactly how the brush grows near the fences, do you have to get both sides of the fence, height/type/other dimensions of the fence, terrain, etc., that might help us figure out what might be best. It might turn out that there's a type of grapple I'm familiar with that might do some good, or someone might suggest something else like a flail mower, bush hog, sickle bar, who knows. There are things called right-of-way mowers (ROW) that kick butt on brush and small trees. I've seen them mostly for good-sized Bobcats and larger wheeled and tracked vehicles. They get pretty heavy and usually require quite a bit of power to run the hydraulics, so they're not for CUTs, or maybe anything less than an M9000 or bigger. Also, I've seen some good recent threads on tree shears for (CUT and up) tractors - maybe do a search for "Tree Eliminator". Dymax is one of the more popular "big brothers" to the T.E. among land-clearers.

Ditto on the mesquite as far as additional info - height, diameters, how thick is it growing, terrain, what you're going to do with it after you cut it (burn it?).

Also, someone might suggest a chemical approach to the brush along the fence. Roundup is pretty benign, and has the advantage of killing stuff dead so you don't have to keep cutting it. You can get it for as little as $1/gallon (after dilution) at Home Cheapo, probably more like $.60/gallon in 55-gallon drums. Might cost you several thousand dollars per application for seven miles of fence, but it might be worth it since it won't grow back (as much). Hook up a tank sprayer and go to town maybe, just like they do on the highways. Kill it and then whack it with something, or let mother nature take care of the rest (like Exxon did in Prince William Sound /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

Anyway, hope this helps somewhat, and again, welcome!

John D.

tjkadar · Dec 9, 2005

If you are looking at moving a bunch of scrub oak at 2-4 inches in diameter, I would consider getting a Bush Whacker rotary mower. On most of their mowers, if you can run over it, you can cut it (depending on the HP rating of the gearbox).

The problem with moving brush with a FEL is that you can only go in one direction with the brush, forward. After pushing brush for a bit, the pile gets bigger and bigger and you really can't put it anywhere except in front of you. If you are lucky, you can kind of swipe off a pile to the side, but there it will sit.

Also, small scrub is a tough bugger and will tear up your tractor given the smallest chance. If you have a small scrap of a tree less then an inch thick, it will often times bend and not come out of the ground. This isn't too bad until you have to reverse direction. That little twig will find its way somewhere up into your tractor, and break, bend, or mutilate something.

Clearing thick brush is a tough job. I would actually consider using a root grapple for the job in combination with a rotary mower. A root grapple allows the bottom teeth to get into the ground and tear scrub up by the roots. It allows most, if not all of the dirt to stay behind. Plus, you can then pick up the scrub and place it where you want. After you've cleared your path, the rotary mower will help keep it clear.

You'll always want to keep at least an axe or machete handy when clearing brush (a chainsaw is very handy too). No matter how good you are, there is always something that will try to tangle up your tractor.

One more word of caution; if the vines are strong enough, and go from the ground up into the trees, they will bring stuff down on top of you while you are trying to clear them out. They are best handled by hooking them with a bucket or grapple and backing up. That way, whatever garbage they pull down from the top of the trees falls in front of you and not on you.

Using chemicals is an option. You might to contact your local farm supply store or ag agency to see what they recommend. After you kill the stuff off by chemicals, you can then mow over it.

Best of luck!

Tim

Seven_U_Bar · Dec 9, 2005

Tree,

Yes, I understand about he addictive quality of BB s where enthusiasts are concerned. I read and occasionally post on: tractors, metal detectors, beef cattle, University of Texas football and BB, and firearms of all kinds. I am trying to be rational about farm machinery so that I treat it as a business and not let it become another expensive hobby, but then I get here and see you guys telling newcomers to buy not one but (count 'em) TWO tractors, and that at a minimum. Sheesh. I know I've found another bunch of enthusiasts!! But so much the better--that's where you get folks who know.

The brush on the fences is extremely thick--small evergreen trees/bushes called youpon (think miniature liveoaks with 2-4 inch trunks and lots of them growing from the same spot. Also, thorny vines and overhanging branches. Now I realize a bush hog cannot deal with the overhead stuff, but I'm having difficulty imagining how it would even deal with the really heavy ground stuff. Do you just run over it first with the tractor and then the bush hog cuts it up once it pops up behind you? (Actually, you said you hadn't used a bushhog but maybe I can get some elementary explanation on that from someone else.)

Most of the mesquite are out in the middle of what was once improved grass fields that have been open fields since the War Between the States. But they have grown up in the last say, 5-7 years. Again, they are multi-trunked 2-4 inch boles, with brush, THORNY, deciduous tops, to 12 feet. I'm not sure what the capabilities of a medium duty brush hog are or what the tractor can effectively run over first. I'm having a lot of difficulty with the concepts here. Texas A&M recommends chemical treatment in the spring with dual chemicals one of which is called "Remedy". And I will do that as well, but eventually, even if the damned things die, I will have to pull them up or push them over.

Does anyone know whether round balers can stand tree roots cut off about 2 inches above the surface??? Or would they have to be flush? I'm sure a disc array would have to have them out entirely?

Thanks again for the help.

Russ

kossetx · Dec 9, 2005

Russ, Please fill out your profile. I have found out quickly it helps people better answer your questions. I assume your in TX as I am. It sounds like your in the exact same situation as I am, or was. I can tell you this from experience. YOUR GOING TO NEED POISON! Mesquite and Yupon are tough devils. I dug and cut and scraped for 10 years and never accomplished much untill I started using the TX A&M BrushBusters method (hope Aggie doesn't offend you /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif. In the past year and a half I have reduced my scrub by 90% and will mostly eliminate it in the next few years, with then only needing upkeep on it. I read somewhere years ago that a mesquite bean can lay dormant in the ground for 50 years before germinating. The poison isn't cheap, but neither is the tractor equipment and I've found the poison to work better. You can find info on the brushbuster site using any search engine.

Bird · Dec 9, 2005

( Texas A&M recommends chemical treatment in the spring with dual chemicals one of which is called "Remedy". )

The farmer/rancher I worked with for several years used the Remedy mixed with diesel. He had a 25 gallon 12 volt spray rig he'd put in the bed of his Kawasaki Mule and just drive around spraying all the mesquite with the hand held nozzle. I can't remember whether the Remedy already had the color in it or whether he added a dye, but the ones he sprayed were a pretty blue/green color for awhile that let him tell which ones he'd already sprayed and which ones he hadn't. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

CT_Tree_Guy · Dec 9, 2005

but then I get here and see you guys telling newcomers to buy not one but (count 'em) TWO tractors 

Only two tractors? Let's put that up for bid:

Two tractors, I got two tractors, who'll give me three now two now two I want three, gimme three now two ... Come on folks, this boy's got 150 acres! He needs more than two tractors! ... two now two I got two I want three gimme three gimme three ... OK then! Three from the man in the Kubota hat, thank you sir, that's more like it! ... three tractors I got three tractors now three now three gimme four now three I want four who'll give me FOUR tractors!!?? /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

OK, we've got it all figured out for you Farmboy - just kidding about the four tractors, we think you can get away with just three!: An M105, a 5030HSTC, and a B2710. (We would have said B2910, but you've got to draw the line somewhere).

Thanks for stopping by, enjoy your tractors, and please tell all your friends about TBN!

NEXT!! /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

JoeR · Dec 9, 2005

I use Remedy on my fence line and it works great! I add silicone and dye. The silicone gives it some sticking power...

Remedy page

notafarmer · Dec 11, 2005

My Kubota dealer quoted me $17,500 for an MX5000 and $21,000 for that machine with a LA852 FEL.

Best deal on a new 50hp tractor I have seen between JD, NH, and Kubota.