Smaill Pine trees in my pasture.

[rowellc]

I have a lot of small pine trees in my pasture which is about 90 acres that I need to get rid of. I have been bushhogging them but some can get up to 3 or 4 inches wide at the base. Any suggestions on what else I could do to get rid of them would be appreciated.

 

[s219]

3-4" is at the upper end of what I'd tackle with a brush grubber, but you could give it a try provided we're not talking about hundreds of trees. They make large size brush grubbers that should handle that size tree, though with a taproot a pine will give a fight. But I have had good luck with 3" and smaller saplings -- with a brush grubber on the end of a chain, a tractor will pretty much flick the stump and roots out of the ground with little effort. Normally I cut the sapling with a chainsaw first, leaving a 18-24" high stump, then attach to that with the brush grubber near the top. The 18-24" acts as a lever. Might need to go a little longer for a bigger pine with taproot.

If you are talking about hundreds of trees, look into the "V" doodad that attaches to your front bucket and lets you yank out stumps that way.

For that matter, you can push pines up to about 6" diameter over with your front loader. Use hydraulics, not wheels, to prevent damage. What you do is raise the bucket up so that the open face is vertical and as high as it can go, drive up to the tree to put light pressure on it, and then drop the bucket and let the hydraulics tilt the tree over as the bucket swings down in an arc. That will pop the rootball out (or break the taproot, but either is acceptable for basic clearing). Be sure the tree is alive and sound, and don't do this on any tree where the top could shake loose and fall.

 

[EddieWalker]

I can't say for sure if it's true in Florida, but here in East Texas, pine trees grow like weeds and it's a yearly chore cutting them all down in the spring. Once cut, they are dead, and what's left will rot away fairly quickly. Just keep on bush hogging everything. I have areas where I'm winning the battle, but I've also been spraying 2,4-d in those fields trying to cut down on the other weeds in there and improving the quality of the pasture grass.

Do you have sweet gums? they are worse because the roots will remain alive after cutting down the tree, or even digging it out. If there is anything left in the ground, it will sprout another tree. They are never ending and ten times worse then pines!!

Eddie

 

[jenkinsph]

If you have lots of trees to remove on 90 acres consider hiring a dozer with a shearing blade. The grass should fill back in within a year.

 

[jenkinsph]

I can't say for sure if it's true in Florida, but here in East Texas, pine trees grow like weeds and it's a yearly chore cutting them all down in the spring. Once cut, they are dead, and what's left will rot away fairly quickly. Just keep on bush hogging everything. I have areas where I'm winning the battle, but I've also been spraying 2,4-d in those fields trying to cut down on the other weeds in there and improving the quality of the pasture grass.

Do you have sweet gums? they are worse because the roots will remain alive after cutting down the tree, or even digging it out. If there is anything left in the ground, it will sprout another tree. They are never ending and ten times worse then pines!!

Eddie

I agree with cutting the pine trees in most cases but having field of 4" stumps sounds really irritating. Once cleared the OP needs to brush hog them to keep this from repeating.


The only use for sweet gum I ever had was building a coffee table for a friend years ago. He had some that was air dried for 5 to 8 years in 14" wide boards, made a nice coffee table when finished with Watco Danish oil.

 

[tractorshopper]

I have taken out many trees that size with FEL with tooth bar on my last tractor, Kubota L3800.

Push the tree from 5-6 feet off the ground level. Get it bending in the direction you want, then use a middle tooth to put under where the root ball is starting to come up and push and use curl function. Pines especially will pop right out. In most cases, you can probably push them over completely if they are that small with very little resistence.

 

[ovrszd]

Does your 3930 have rear hydraulics or an FEL??

If so, here's a very handy tool. I've pulled hundreds of trees with it. Mostly Eastern Red Cedar which multiple like rabbits. They also pull easily. Gets rid of the stump problem. I built it to use on an FEL but could be modified to work on the 3pt.

 

[DHD]

I don't know anything about this DR. product, but it looked interesting.
May not fair to well in an area with too many protruding rocks, like we have in New England.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lemYjJyDwTw

 

[tractorshopper]

ovrszd, very cool implement.

 

[ovrszd]

ovrszd, very cool implement.

Thank you David. There are several local welding shops building them now. A very well built one can be bought for $1250.

I don't have 3pt brackets on it. But plan to add some next Winter so I can use it on the Ford with no FEL.