trail clearing technique and tools

[ArlyA]

With the rain we got those turf tires have become my nemesis. If it was my tractor I'd get rid of them asap. I shouldn't have even been out there doing dirt work but the owner is going to want his tractor back!

 

[ArlyA]

48 hours helped things to dry here and I regained some traction. Top photo was a ridge the forestry guys had made but was terrible to groom snow over. You can't see this in my lame photo but its 1.5ft tall. I'm not done bladding it off in this photo. I had it scraped down in 20 minutes, the lower photo shows the gravel I spread out in the parking lot.

 

[ArlyA]

While on a trip to look at camps FS, we stopped at a trail we had partially cleared this past summer, but this summer time was not in the cards for us to finish it. Wow has it overgrown! It was tough cutting with all the weeds, shoots, and rain we seen this summer but ironically, we replaced no strings. We only did the parking lot.

 

[EscapedSuburbia]

I know I could probably find it by going back through 150+ pages, but what is your current recommendation for a string trimmer?

We just returned from a 2 month RV trip. We viewed a property the day before we left and we ended up buying it while on the road. Nobody mowed or trimmed while we were gone so we just pulled into the driveway an hour ago to find we'd bought an overgrown jungle. My 18V battery string trimmer ain't going to be up to the challenge. There's a Stihl and Echo dealer nearby. I like the idea of a fixed string head like you use - I've never had much luck with bump heads.

 

[ArlyA]

I know I could probably find it by going back through 150+ pages, but what is your current recommendation for a string trimmer?

We just returned from a 2 month RV trip. We viewed a property the day before we left and we ended up buying it while on the road. Nobody mowed or trimmed while we were gone so we just pulled into the driveway an hour ago to find we'd bought an overgrown jungle. My 18V battery string trimmer ain't going to be up to the challenge. There's a Stihl and Echo dealer nearby. I like the idea of a fixed string head like you use - I've never had much luck with bump heads.

We run echo and stihl power heads and on them, run heads that hold 155 strings. These are that machines you can switch out the tool you are using. Nonetheless I'd suggest getting a largest cc machine offered and put a cam-lock head to hold these large strings. These can seriously cut lots, including tree shoots.

 

[EscapedSuburbia]

I stopped by a Stihl dealer today and bought a commercial level trimmer. He had to order the cam-lock head. He says in the 25 years he's been at that store it's only the second he's ever sold. I asked if it was because I was only the second moron who has no luck with bump heads or if it's because nobody has ever heard of cam-lock heads and he said he thinks it's the latter. He might have just been being polite.

I mowed the new property today with the 72" ZTR we negotiated as part of the house purchase. I don't think you can appreciate how much 6 acres is until you've mowed it. Most of that time was circling around trees - thank God for the ZTR. Tomorrow I'll string trim what I couldn't mow and I'll start hosing down the poison ivy.

 

[BnRidge]

The previous owner here mowed 7acres, with lots of open space, and boulders trees and shrubs to go around. First time out I set a timer, 1-1/2 hrs and I'm done. It was interesting then finding ways to work the place. Boulders were moved and turned into rock gardens, prairies planted and pathways formed.