tree/post puller for invasive honeysuckle works great

[mtsman2]

I have ACRES of invasive honeysuckle and autumn olive. I am eligible for various habitat restoration grants. Some of those grants request removal of invasive species and replacement with pollinators, native species, etc. etc.

To remove invasive honeysuckle in the past, I would wrap a chain around its base and pull it out with a small tractor. This worked well except on the large bushes. This also was alot of crawling to attach the chain, then loading/lifting the carcass onto bucket to move to the brush pile, placing my head down under bush with more exposure to ticks, etc. Don't mind the effort but when you have ACRES to do, then 6 hours of crawling/moving the chain/etc. wears you out fast.

Was going to purchase a grapple but came across this MTL tree/post puller and went in this direction instead. Just tried it out on a couple bushes and gosh if you have alot of large invasive honeysuckle to remove then this works great! Should reduce my removal time by 75% and much less effort. Can move the carcass to the brush pile while staying on tractor and so much simpler.

My initial thoughts:
Attachment via SSQA - 10/10
Durability/Heavy duty - 10/10
clamping force - 11/10 - may be too much clamping force since it crushes small trunks
length of tooth bar - 7/10 - could be longer
design of teeth - 9/10
protection of operator from limbs - 10/10

For $1200 I feel it will be well worth it! My $0.02.

I have a couple vids but I believe I need to host them before I can attach. maybe post vids later...

 

[ovrszd]

You'll wonder why you didn't buy it sooner!

 

[NoTrespassing]

I have ACRES of invasive honeysuckle and autumn olive. I am eligible for various habitat restoration grants. Some of those grants request removal of invasive species and replacement with pollinators, native species, etc. etc.

To remove invasive honeysuckle in the past, I would wrap a chain around its base and pull it out with a small tractor. This worked well except on the large bushes. This also was alot of crawling to attach the chain, then loading/lifting the carcass onto bucket to move to the brush pile, placing my head down under bush with more exposure to ticks, etc. Don't mind the effort but when you have ACRES to do, then 6 hours of crawling/moving the chain/etc. wears you out fast.

Was going to purchase a grapple but came across this MTL tree/post puller and went in this direction instead. Just tried it out on a couple bushes and gosh if you have alot of large invasive honeysuckle to remove then this works great! Should reduce my removal time by 75% and much less effort. Can move the carcass to the brush pile while staying on tractor and so much simpler.

My initial thoughts:
Attachment via SSQA - 10/10
Durability/Heavy duty - 10/10
clamping force - 11/10 - may be too much clamping force since it crushes small trunks
length of tooth bar - 7/10 - could be longer
design of teeth - 9/10
protection of operator from limbs - 10/10

For $1200 I feel it will be well worth it! My $0.02.

I have a couple vids but I believe I need to host them before I can attach. maybe post vids later...

View attachment 779853
View attachment 779854

View attachment 779855

View attachment 779856

Have you run across bushes you couldn't pull? Would rocking back and forth help? I assume soil moisture would be a factor.

 

[i7win7]

Have you run across bushes you couldn't pull? Would rocking back and forth help? I assume soil moisture would be a factor.

Have ballast & filled tires, rocking back & forth can lift rear axle off the ground. Slowly pull forward - can envision breaking tractor when I get too aggressive. Clamping a little higher up and curling down while driving forward applies twisting forces on roots. Sometimes pull again at different angles help. After pulling up several piles, need grapple to move them.

 

[lman]

The honeysuckle I deal with are vines. I try to find it before they get big and pull them by hand.
Those look like trees.

 

[ovrszd]

The best time to use the puller is in the Spring when the frost first goes out. The ground is heaved from frost and the roots haven't reattached themselves to the dirt yet. If you get lucky and be in a dry time you can shake most of the dirt off the root ball at the pull site. Helps fill the hole left in the ground

Be careful about the forces you are applying to the curl cylinders. If you have the puller tilted forward and you reverse the tractor you can easily apply more forces to those cylinders than they are designed to stand. This can result in a bent cylinder ram.

 

[mtsman2]

Have you run across bushes you couldn't pull? Would rocking back and forth help? I assume soil moisture would be a factor.

I just received it 2 weeks ago and only tried it for an hour on a few honeysuckle. one was massive and it took a couple back/forth to remove it but others were no issue at all. As I pull more I should figure out the easiest method. Yes, soil moisture would be a factor.

I like to remove my invasives the first couple weeks after the ground is unfrozen. For me this is usually early April. Invasive honeysuckle has shallow spreading roots. Combine those shallow roots with ground that was frozen all winter and now has thawed and that creates empty voids around the roots which are now are loosely attached to the soil. So they pull out easily in very early spring.

 

[mtsman2]

The honeysuckle I deal with are vines. I try to find it before they get big and pull them by hand.
Those look like trees.

Those vine type forms are probably the native honeysuckle. Lonicera sempervirens or L. periclymenum are native. I would hesitate to pull those native Honeysuckles. Honeysuckle (Lonicera periclymenum) - Woodland Trust

There are also invasive honeysuckle such as my Lonicera japonica. It is more bushlike in form. My area in PA is too cold for the native honeysuckle. we hit -22 last winter and about 3 years of 5 we have frosts in June, lol. Invasive Bush Honeysuckle: Bad for Birds, Wildflowers and Water | Central Indiana Land Trust

I can catch the L. japonica when its young and also pull it by hand. But once it gets past 2-3' tall it can be tough to pull by hand. Im working with over 100 acres and birds pick up seeds from neighboring properties and poop them EVERYWHERE, then they grow so quickly so its hard to keep up. But I know its the right thing to do. I try to do several patches/acres/year, lol.

 

[mtsman2]

The best time to use the puller is in the Spring when the frost first goes out. The ground is heaved from frost and the roots haven't reattached themselves to the dirt yet. If you get lucky and be in a dry time you can shake most of the dirt off the root ball at the pull site. Helps fill the hole left in the ground

This ^. Exactly correct! Just posted the same info. in a reply and did not see your post yet.

In the hole left by the invasive I usually plant a native. dogwood, viburnum, patch of NWSG, or sometimes a mast tree.

I just stack the carcasses in brushpiles which create great nesting areas and escapes for other wildlife. I would estimate that the number of rabbits on my place has quadrupled in the last 10 years or so due to these brushpiles safety areas. I even had 1-2 coveys grouse the last couple years and I really suspect the brushpiles are a reason.

Sometimes the carcasses grow back when in the brushpile so I just zap them with a little gly.

 

[2manyrocks]

If most of the stuff being pulled up is like your pictures, I'm not sure that a grapple would add much usefulness because it looks like you already have a pretty full load to manage with your puller, especially with the dirt rootball attached.