patrick_g
Elite Member
I was out clearing some more pasture earlier this afternoon. Brush and trees take moisture and nutrients that could be used by grass that would be eaten by cattle and turned into BBQ. The brush and trees shade the ground and there is little or no grass if the brush and trees are too thick and or close together.
There being more demand for BBQ than brush and scrub trees, every so often I invest some management time to incrementally rectify the situation.
The picture with the shoe in it is to illustrate the size of trees I routinely cut with my Kubota Grand L4610HSTC. Decoded, that means a cab tractor with heat and air, 4WD, 39 PTO HP. The shoe in the picture is size 13 to give an idea of the size of the "brush" I cut. I cut up to this size by driving over them like mowing grass. Larger trees require a different technique.
For larger trees and sometimes even for much smaller ones than pictured, I raise the brush hog with the hydraulic topping lift and back up to the tree or brush. Once I make good contact I then slowly lower the brush hog, "eating" the tree down to the preferred height.
I prefer to leave a stump at least 6-8 inches tall for small stuff and higher for the big stuff. This allows me to drive the tractor or my trucks over the cleared area with out puncturing a tire on the "punji sticks." When a tire contacts the taller-than-standard stumps they are pushed over harmlessly instead of poking a hole in the tire. I have been doing this successfully for hundreds of tractor hours.
Previously, not knowing any better I thought shorter was better for brush and I found that if I remove my wheel with the flat tire on it and use a winch to drag it onto my trailer and drive it 60 miles round trip I can have the flat fixed for $50 per episode (rear wheels.) I can get a front done locally for $10. I only ruined one good truck tire. It has been over 5 years since I poked a hole in a tire due I believer to cutting brush a bit higher.
Lots of the plants cut off 8-10 above ground die, the trunks rot off at or below ground and next year they just fall over when you run over them with the brush hog. Sometimes they put up shoots and try to recover. These can be mowed again the second year (depriving them of solar panels a second consecutive year - solar panels are leaves, without which the plants don't do very well.)
Also depicted in the accompanying pix is a shot of the Cimarron brush hog. It is a 6 ft HD model. If I recall correctly it is rated for at least 80 PTO HP (more I think.) It has a slip clutch, NOT shear bolts for self protection. By using a brush hog designed for over twice the PTO HP I have and with the slip clutch, it is unlikely that I can easily break it. I have broken blades (they are 4 inches wide and 1/2 inch thick and I distorted the mower around the edges and welded on reinforcement. The braces on the deck are channel not bar or angle.
One of the pix shows an area after mowing it and the picture with the cute little BBQ's to be shows the motivation for removing trees and brush to get more grass so the little fellers (so far 6 steers and 1 heifer but more coming soon if the "Girlz" stay on task) have more graze.
The purpose of this post is NOT bragging but to share my experience. I have frequently mentioned how I use the brush hog but never showed pix. Between the pix and the narrative maybe I can provide data of interest to someone trying to size a brush hog to a tractor or brush hog or tractor to a job. I think I am at the upper limit of the envelope of HP vs the brush cutting task. If you need to handle heavier brush you will need more tractor or a different implement. Tractor mounted hydraulic shears (front or back mounted) would be a good choice as would a chain saw.
We cuss and discuss tractor styles, sizes, HP, implements, 2 vs 4wd, and on and on but frequently don't give examples of the typical run of the mill tasks that might be of interest to someone trying to get a handle on sizing tractors, implements, and tasks.
Again, I honestly believe this post demonstrates what you can do with a CUT of just under 40HP at the PTO at the upper limit of the reasonableness envelope. I don't think many people are doing much more with much less. The brush hog I use is well over 1000 lbs and that tail tends to wag the dog in 2wd on slopes and uneven ground. In 4wd I have much more positive control. I made several passes this afternoon in 2wd and did get some work done but control was marginal at times on uneven and hilly areas. Back into 4wd things were way better. Still if you push
the limits hard enough, even with 4wd you have problems. I recommend making haste slowly while in learning mode (and a good deal of the time thereafter.)
Doing what I did is not for the feint of heart. A more prudent citizen would not drive over such large trees and would back up to the larger ones I drive over. If you push hard enough then stuff happens more often. I had an opening "wind wing" window open up and hit a tree once shattering it into thousands of little cubes (last year.) Today I knocked one of those completely off the tractor without breaking it! Now I need to order the custom fasteners to reinstall it.
An important caveat: Do not try this kind of aggressive mowing with a little light duty brush hog, even if it is painted green.
Pat
There being more demand for BBQ than brush and scrub trees, every so often I invest some management time to incrementally rectify the situation.
The picture with the shoe in it is to illustrate the size of trees I routinely cut with my Kubota Grand L4610HSTC. Decoded, that means a cab tractor with heat and air, 4WD, 39 PTO HP. The shoe in the picture is size 13 to give an idea of the size of the "brush" I cut. I cut up to this size by driving over them like mowing grass. Larger trees require a different technique.
For larger trees and sometimes even for much smaller ones than pictured, I raise the brush hog with the hydraulic topping lift and back up to the tree or brush. Once I make good contact I then slowly lower the brush hog, "eating" the tree down to the preferred height.
I prefer to leave a stump at least 6-8 inches tall for small stuff and higher for the big stuff. This allows me to drive the tractor or my trucks over the cleared area with out puncturing a tire on the "punji sticks." When a tire contacts the taller-than-standard stumps they are pushed over harmlessly instead of poking a hole in the tire. I have been doing this successfully for hundreds of tractor hours.
Previously, not knowing any better I thought shorter was better for brush and I found that if I remove my wheel with the flat tire on it and use a winch to drag it onto my trailer and drive it 60 miles round trip I can have the flat fixed for $50 per episode (rear wheels.) I can get a front done locally for $10. I only ruined one good truck tire. It has been over 5 years since I poked a hole in a tire due I believer to cutting brush a bit higher.
Lots of the plants cut off 8-10 above ground die, the trunks rot off at or below ground and next year they just fall over when you run over them with the brush hog. Sometimes they put up shoots and try to recover. These can be mowed again the second year (depriving them of solar panels a second consecutive year - solar panels are leaves, without which the plants don't do very well.)
Also depicted in the accompanying pix is a shot of the Cimarron brush hog. It is a 6 ft HD model. If I recall correctly it is rated for at least 80 PTO HP (more I think.) It has a slip clutch, NOT shear bolts for self protection. By using a brush hog designed for over twice the PTO HP I have and with the slip clutch, it is unlikely that I can easily break it. I have broken blades (they are 4 inches wide and 1/2 inch thick and I distorted the mower around the edges and welded on reinforcement. The braces on the deck are channel not bar or angle.
One of the pix shows an area after mowing it and the picture with the cute little BBQ's to be shows the motivation for removing trees and brush to get more grass so the little fellers (so far 6 steers and 1 heifer but more coming soon if the "Girlz" stay on task) have more graze.
The purpose of this post is NOT bragging but to share my experience. I have frequently mentioned how I use the brush hog but never showed pix. Between the pix and the narrative maybe I can provide data of interest to someone trying to size a brush hog to a tractor or brush hog or tractor to a job. I think I am at the upper limit of the envelope of HP vs the brush cutting task. If you need to handle heavier brush you will need more tractor or a different implement. Tractor mounted hydraulic shears (front or back mounted) would be a good choice as would a chain saw.
We cuss and discuss tractor styles, sizes, HP, implements, 2 vs 4wd, and on and on but frequently don't give examples of the typical run of the mill tasks that might be of interest to someone trying to get a handle on sizing tractors, implements, and tasks.
Again, I honestly believe this post demonstrates what you can do with a CUT of just under 40HP at the PTO at the upper limit of the reasonableness envelope. I don't think many people are doing much more with much less. The brush hog I use is well over 1000 lbs and that tail tends to wag the dog in 2wd on slopes and uneven ground. In 4wd I have much more positive control. I made several passes this afternoon in 2wd and did get some work done but control was marginal at times on uneven and hilly areas. Back into 4wd things were way better. Still if you push
the limits hard enough, even with 4wd you have problems. I recommend making haste slowly while in learning mode (and a good deal of the time thereafter.)
Doing what I did is not for the feint of heart. A more prudent citizen would not drive over such large trees and would back up to the larger ones I drive over. If you push hard enough then stuff happens more often. I had an opening "wind wing" window open up and hit a tree once shattering it into thousands of little cubes (last year.) Today I knocked one of those completely off the tractor without breaking it! Now I need to order the custom fasteners to reinstall it.
An important caveat: Do not try this kind of aggressive mowing with a little light duty brush hog, even if it is painted green.
Pat
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Those aren't work shoes 
