Tree Shear

[mmorisoli]

I would like to purchase a hydraulic tree shear for my Kubota L3940 but am a little concerned with the flow and pressure required by these shears might be a bit higher than my L3940 produces.

Does anybody have any actual experience running a tree shear on their Kubota and if so how did it work out for you?

I have the factory skid steer front end on the loader and a third function which I use all the time with my grapple bucket.

Thanks in advance, Mike

 

[jmanatee2]

Never heard of one of these,.... Quick google search returned this site Timberline 14" HTC Tree Shears - attachments for skid steer loaders, small compact construction equipment - Sidney Manufacturing Co. LLC

Looks very cool. I would be interested in hearing from someone that has used one or seen one used.


There Brochure says it needs 2400 PSI for best performance.

 

[mmorisoli]

That is a great point that I forgot to ask in my post. Does anybody have info on what the pressures should be on a L3940 with the factory third function option installed?

I know I have had a lot of problems with the Kubota third function sticking when I open and close and the dealer(s) have worked on this 7 times without it truly being fixed. They have played with the pressures up and down in hopes it would help. Just wondering what the actual pressure should be for factory settings and factory third function.

Thanks, Mike

 

[mmorisoli]

This is one that I was looking at, but am open to all (useful) input

Power Axe Tree Shears : Quick Attach Attachments, Inc.

 

[dusty3030]

Pressure would probably be fine.

Concerns I would have on using it on a tractor.
1. Have to have more than just a cab or a regular ROPS. I would want a full 4 post cage with a steel roof like a skid steer. Tree coming back on you will happen.

2. Tearing the loader up. That thing will put a lot of stress in every different direction on the loader, I would expect to break something.

 

[ovrszd]

My Brother purchased this shear Sweiger Shop

It can be purchased in two sizes, 8" diameter or 12" diameter. He went for the large model. It's a load to carry on his L3240. And it's very slow, not enough tractor gpm. He should have gotten the smaller model. I'm gonna guess the weight at 1100lbs. I think he gave a little over $6K.

My concern is this. It has a grapple about 4 ft above the cutter that grabs the tree as it's cut. The grapple closes first, then the cutter. When opening, the cutter opens first then the grapple. There's no way to quick release the cut tree. If he cuts a 12" tree it has the ability to be as much as 30ft tall. You better hope you are sitting on flat ground and the tree is well balanced and growing straight up!!!! Otherwise you are going on your side before you can let go of the tree!!! So far he's been very cautious but I see the day coming when the tree topples his tractor!!! :ashamed:

 

[sandman2234]

Since I have some blades, I thought about building one for a 3pt, but decided that I didn't like the idea of not being able to control the tree as it falls. The one I had in mind would work great for smaller trees, but knowing me, I would probably push the limits to the max and end up messing up my tractor. I am better off with a chainsaw anyway, but that is just me.
David from jax

 

[crazyal]

It may be a little slow but you should be fine pressure wise. I would be a little cautious with which way the tree will fall when you cut it. I assume that they don't clamp onto the tree but just sheer it like a set of loppers. Even a 12" diameter tree still has a lot of force when it comes down.

 

[jakell2010]

They look pricey,,,,,,, what do they run?

 

[ovrszd]

Since I have some blades, I thought about building one for a 3pt, but decided that I didn't like the idea of not being able to control the tree as it falls. The one I had in mind would work great for smaller trees, but knowing me, I would probably push the limits to the max and end up messing up my tractor. I am better off with a chainsaw anyway, but that is just me.
David from jax

That's my concern with my Brother. He tends to push the limits a little too.

The cut bottom of the tree is just sitting on the blades so it could still kick out and the tree topple back onto the tractor.

I just look at them as extremely dangerous attachments that are better suited on a full caged skid steer which is where they began.

My Brother's unit can also be attached to his 3pt and used there. it would be awesome on a large tractor, maybe a 80-100 hp, 10,000 lb or larger tractor.

 

[ovrszd]

They look pricey,,,,,,, what do they run?

I asked my Brother yesterday and he said $6,800. Tougher than a boot and will last for many, many years. If ya had a commercial use it would be cheap. To use a couple times a year for personal use makes it very pricey.

 

[mmorisoli]

Well I am going to try an experiment this weekend. I found a local bobcat dealer that sells and rents a 12 tree shear that is a bit heavier than the Power Axe which is fairly light at (900 lbs). I did some more research and the pressure and flow of the L3940 is at the low end of the spec but still within specs. Life of 1,540 lbs at the center of the bucket, pressure of 2,200 PSI at a flow of 9.8 GMP.

So for the cost of hauling the tractor up to the dealer/rental yard I can at least try to connect it, lift it and operate it on flat ground. If that goes well I will take it back to the ranch this weekend and see what kind of trouble I can get into.

Absolutely understand the concerns about the tree falling, etc. These are all cedar tress which here in Austin Texas tend to be bushy and wide, not so tall. I have spent the last 4 years cutting down well over a thousand of these buggers with chainsaws. The average tree takes 72 cuts to get one on the ground with all the darn branches. Sometimes it take 10 cuts to make a path to the center of the tree so you can start cutting. They are a pain in the butt and I am trying to find a more effect way of removing them from my life.

My thinking is that it will take a fair amount of drive in pressure just to get to the center of the tree, that should help pre-load the falling away from me. Using that, proper alignment, gravity, etc, I hope to keep them out of my lap and my tractor rubber side down!

Will report back how it goes either way. Complete defeat or raging success.

The PowerAx is not bad at $4,390.00

p.s. I love my Duramax and Maxey dump trailer for hauling the Kubota around. What a great set of guy toys!

 

[Baby Grand]

I just cannot imagine being attached to a 12 inch tree like that. Around here that's at least a 40 footer, maybe more. And they rarely grow dead nuts vertical. Even if they do, there's usually a weight mbalance due to storm damage. Don't even get me started about upper limbs dropping off - seen enough of that with the chainsaw & the black birches. Definitely would want that full forestry cage before even thinking about doing it.

 

[mmorisoli]

The majority of the cedar trees are much less than a 12 trunk, most are 4 to 10? Cedar trees here are overgrown juniper bushes really. They are low and squatty, perhaps 10 high with some going to 18? but I can use discretion and not shear those.

Here is a typical view of some pasture land that has been overrun with cedars. These are on the smaller side, but you can see, nothing here will hurt me.

Mike

 

[sandman2234]

Cedars are cedars, and people are people. If there are 12" trees that will hurt you and your tractor, and you have excelent luck with the 10" ones, then the next thing will be the 12" one that did hurt. Not sure just how you would do it, but I would seriously consider some sort of push cylinder to allow pressure to be put between the tractor and the tree. Putting pressure on the tree as it is cut at the base will give you some sort of a better chance at not getting hurt. All this AFTER the cage is attached!
David from jax

 

[Baby Grand]

The majority of the cedar trees are much less than a 12 trunk, most are 4 to 10? Cedar trees here are overgrown juniper bushes really. They are low and squatty, perhaps 10 high with some going to 18? but I can use discretion and not shear those.

Here is a typical view of some pasture land that has been overrun with cedars. These are on the smaller side, but you can see, nothing here will hurt me.

Mike

Now I can see why you can't just walk up with a chainsaw and drop 'em. I guess if that's all you're going to snip, I could see it. But I'd still want a full wrap cage before I tried it. Just make sure you sell the thing when you finish with the cedars - to avoid temptation (like sandman describes).

Almost looks like a boom (or FEL) mounted flail like the hwy dept uses would be useful for sepatating the brances from the poles. You could have a nice stack of fence posts and a few piles of mulch when you're all done.

 

[greasemonkeyok]

I have not used one, but a Limb Hog looks interesting:
LIMBHOG.com
You would have to learn to finesse it just like a regular chain saw.

Something a little heavier is the tree saw for 3-point:
http://www.turbo-saw.com/

 

[mmorisoli]

Well without taking anything away from my little Kubota is L3940 is no match for a large tree shear built for skid steers. I towed the tractor to the bobcat dealer who also sells and rents the tree shear. Very quickly it was obvious the Kubota is no match for this industrial piece of equipment. While the Kubota could lift it, there was no way near enough flow from the third function to even begin to operate it.

The skid steers are truly optimized for this type of work.

So we never got out of the parking lot with the shear. I spent the next two days chain saws in hand felling trees and then climbing back onto the Kubota to use the grapple bucket which has worked so well in the past. Seems to me the only option now is to continue as I have in the past dropping with the chain saw, relocating to burn piles with the Kubota or from time to time splurging and renting a bobcat with the tree shear for about 350 a day. Hard to swallow when I have several chain saws in stock and lots of hours to spend LOL

 

[sandman2234]

It appears the Kubota is older and wiser than you, LOL...as it KNEW what you only suspected, but hoped you could get away with (and thereby save some time/money!)
Glad the Kubota decided to show you at the yard, rather than after you took it home, as that was probably a lot cheaper to deal with than what I was thinking, if you tackled a tree just a little bigger that the tractor wanted to handle.
When it comes down to it, compared to a tractor, chainsaws are cheap!
David from jax

 

[Steve Marshall]

Have you every thought about trying the Brushshark tree shear? It's designed for regrowth up to 8" and while heavy duty, is light enough to work on the FEL of a tractor. www.brushshark.com