PTO mulcher on a to-be-bought tractor

[yumbrad]

Hi there, new here! We bought a former ornamental tree farm, and would like to convert a lot of it to pasture. There's perhaps 50 acres of hardwood trees, most from 5-8", some up to 12". Where we are leaving groves, we need to thin extensively, as they were meant to be harvested years ago and are far too close together. And there are hundreds if not thousands of volunteer Bradford pears that are too big for a brush mower.

I was hoping to save money (as this is a side project for now, not my job), and combine a good piece of tree clearing equipment with a general purpose tractor that I'd want anyways. I've cleared a little with a chainsaw, and considered an 8" PTO wood chipper, but then I have stumps (LOTS) to deal with, so I'd also need to grind thousands of stumps to have it tractorable (I think?). So then I was thinking based on a thread here that a tractor + a used PTO mulcher would be a good idea. I found a used 85" PTO mulcher, which the Fecon rep said would need 100hp or so. So I'm now looking for a tractor with a 1000 PTO, and thinking < 20k would be good, but maybe could go to 30 if need be. That has me looking at 70's/80's JD 4240, 4450, 4640 with cabs. Be great if it had a loader/grapple. Thinking I'll need to add some wire mesh at the back - on trees big enough that I'd be worried about knocking them over in place, I could saw them, then use the mulcher to grind the stump. I did find a forestry New Holland TB110 (google that, and the first match shows it, I can't post links) nearby, but it seems the cage would prevent use of a loader.

Would the older JDs work for this? The land is relatively flat. Would you do it differently? I'm a bit overwhelmed by all the possible routes since I'm starting from scratch.

 

[jeff9366]

Unless you can repair a mulcher yourself, I would not buy a mulcher. High stress equipment breaks.

I recommend an excavator or a bulldozer for clearing your land. Both will tear stumps out of the ground. Equipment on tracks is multiples more stable than equipment on four wheels. An excavator can reach in to remove trees from areas a physically large tractor cannot enter. A 100-hp tractor on R4 tires is at least 100" wide.

A tractor is not reasonable equipment for fifty (50) acres of the hazardous work you identified. Do not be under the illusion a new operator can jump on a tractor and SAFELY perform complex tasks immediately. Maneuvering would be complex.

You can use a tractor to fill the empty stump depressions after ground settles. A HEAVY angle/rear blade turned around to push material is probably the best tractor implement for filling stump holes.

If you absolutely must do this work yourself consider a compact track loader (CTL) (Skid Steer on tracks.) as well as a tractor.



VIDEOS (3): excavator removing trees - YouTube

excavator removing stumps - YouTube

The *UPDATED* Kubota KX8-4 Super Series midsize excavator - YouTube

 

[yumbrad]

Thank you for your reply. That Kubota excavator looks awesome. But expensive! And wouldn't it be even more difficult and accident prone for a new operator than a tractor?

What about if I sawed down the trees and mulched them on the ground? If I rip trees out with a bulldozer or excavator, I've got a mess to deal with - need to move the material and burn it at a minimum, which would add to the time given the many trees. One of the attractions of the mulcher was processing in place, dealing with the stump and all.

 

[jeff9366]

yumbrad

That Kubota excavator looks awesome. Wouldn't an excavator be more difficult and accident prone than a tractor for a new operator ?

Equipment on tracks is multiples more stable than equipment on four wheels.



What about if I sawed down the trees and mulched them on the ground? If I rip trees out with a bulldozer or excavator, I've got a mess to deal with - need to move the material and burn it at a minimum, which would add to the time given the many trees. One of the attractions of the mulcher was processing in place, dealing with the stump and all.

Spending weeks cutting with a chain saw is hazardous in itself.

You could mulch to ground level. Personally, I would consider that a half-way job. I could not stand having grade-level stumps in a pasture, which would decay over time leaving depressions so you could not cut hay. Even grade-level stumps will make a tractor yaw considerably when a wheel encounters one. Encounter two grade-level stumps on the same side and you could roll it. Tractors are inherently unstable.

Others will chime in, but I think an excavator and burning is your fastest and best solution. You can rent excavators, or buy one second hand just for the duration of need. Did you watch the first "removing stumps" video, done by an neophyte operator on a rented excavator?

EXCAVATORS FOR SALE NEAR ZIP CODE 29302 UNDER $35,000: Excavator in Business and Industrial Supplies | eBay

There is a Kubota U-45 for $26,000.

 

[mddorange]

:welcome:
To the TBN forum. You came to the right place to get help/answers.

I have rented mini excavators before and for me that was the best thing to do. No big expense for an item to be used sparingly. At my place here, the previous owners had someone come in with a bulldozer and push the trees into big piles and then burn them. As for the smaller one's I wait for it to rain and push them over with the tractor.

 

[yumbrad]

Others will chime in, but I think an excavator and burning is your fastest and best solution. You can rent excavators, or buy one second hand just for the duration of need. Did you watch the first "removing stumps" video, done by an neophyte operator on a rented excavator?

Well, that's two folks in favor of a small excavator, and it does look like I could come in under $30k. I thought I could get away with a single machine, since I'm going to have to have a tractor to mow/bush hog what I've cleared lest I have to clear all over again!

Thank you for the welcome mddorange. I think I would end up spending a ton renting, as I want to clear probably 40 acres over time. Perhaps buying a small excavator and selling it when I'm done with it could work well.

Another thing I need to do, which would be slower with an excavator than with a CTL or tractor with loader, is to take dirt from my construction piles and fill in the many 2 foot holes around the property left from harvested trees. What do you guys think about a CTL with a tree puller, compared to a mini-ex?

 

[yumbrad]

Here's an excavator near me that looks interesting: Hitachi EX75UR midi Excavator - farm & garden - by owner - sale

And here's the tree puller that looks like it would work well for the size trees I have: Grip N Rip Tree Puller - YouTube

 

[mddorange]

And here's the tree puller that looks like it would work well for the size trees I have: Grip N Rip Tree Puller - YouTube

That size trees are the ones that I push over after a rain. I normally get about the same amount of roots.

 

[jeff9366]

Another thing I need to do, which would be slower with an excavator than with a CTL or tractor with loader, is to take dirt from my construction piles and fill in the many 2 foot holes around the property left from harvested trees. What do you guys think about a CTL with a tree puller, compared to a mini-ex?

A CTL will move faster over the ground than an excavator. An excavator has reach through 360 degrees of rotation.

I have no experience with tree pullers but I speculate moist ground is essential.

MORE: CTL vs excavator - Google Search

 

[4570Man]

A ctl will take out trees that size pretty quick with a stump bucket. Pulling 6” hardwood trees is about the limits of my machine without digging the roots. I have the Danuser intimidator puller and it’s an awesome tool.