brush clearing

   / brush clearing #1  

cchoate

Gold Member
Joined
May 12, 2002
Messages
381
Location
Near Buffalo, NY
Tractor
Kubota GL3430 HST
What's the best attachment for a b7500hydro for clearing brush (3' high) and small (2" diameter) trees? It has a MMM, but I don't want to destroy the blades. Anybody ever use the fel like a dozer?
 
   / brush clearing #2  
I would think a bush hog and a chain saw might do the job for you.
 
   / brush clearing #3  
It all depends on how much, and how big. I wanted to clear about 12 acres. I brush hogged everything an inch or so and smaller. Then I tried pulling up the biggers ones, pushing them over, etc. I found that in our heavy clay my B2710 wouldn't pull up over push completely over a very big tree. Many times the trees would just break if they were dead.

Then I went to the chain saw, figuring to cut trees of at ground level. Had problems keeping the chains sharp, from getting them in the dirt. It was also back breaking labor.

I had dirt work to do - a road to build and a tank (pond) to dig. Since the guy had his dozer on the job (along with other equipment) he agreed to push over and pile up all the remaining trees (50 maybe) for $500. MUCH easier than trying to do it with your compact tractor.

The only problem is that I now have 3 brush piles. They won't burn because most of the piles are dirt from the tree roots. Also, there are corresponding holes all over the property where the roots used to be. Not a real big problem, as there seem to only be 10 or so that need attention.

I plan to use my new bucket forks to help me sift the brush out of those piles and burn it. I've already sifted and burned one of the piles - without the forks - and it was a 3 or 4 hour job and involved getting on and off the tractor repeatedly.

For small areas around the property the brush hog, brush cutter attachment on my Stihl trimmer, and the chain saw get the job done. And of course the FEL to haul it to the brush pile.
 
   / brush clearing #4  
I use a 48" KK brush cutter. I cut alot taller stuff than 3 feet. Nothing much bigger than 2" though. It handled it all just fine. Ide go with the brush cutter if it were my choice. Larry
 
   / brush clearing #5  
Sounds like you are a canidate for a very ingenious Canadian developed fel attachment called the Brush Brute made by D.D. Scissons in Smith Falls Ontario. They work unbelievably great. Just ask MChalkey!
 
   / brush clearing #6  
<font color=blue>...clearing brush (3' high) and small (2" diameter) trees? It has a MMM, but I don't want to destroy the blades...</font color=blue>

On your MMM... you'd be lucky to get 1/2" saplings for any length of time before the unit starts to self-destruct... Don't worry about the blades... it's the rest of the unit that would probably fall apart first... /w3tcompact/icons/blush.gif

Use the search tools on TBN and you'll see a number of previous discussions for brush clearing and reasons for not using a MMM for the job...

Obviously the first weapon of choice would be a rotary cutter... /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

18-35197-JD5205JFMsignaturelogo.JPG
 
   / brush clearing #7  
I just cleared out some 7 foot high forsythia. Used the FEL w/toothbar to pull it apart and pile it up. Then I used a rotary cutter to chop the pile of brush up.
 
   / brush clearing #8  
I used my NH TC33D to clean up a grown up fence row around an old garden plot on my uncle's farm in south Ark. I used the FEL to pull vines from the trees, pull out entangled barb wire and hog wire and dig up 1 and 2" saplings by the roots. I backdragged to pull weeds, bushes and smaller saplings out from around trees that had grown up along the fence row and and then either dragged or pushed them to the burn pile. I even reached up with the FEL and snapped off a few sagging, vine infested limbs from a pine tree. Granted, the broken limbs did not look as good as if I had cut them off with a chain saw but now that I have it all cleaned up I can go back and dress up the broken stubs on the tree with my chainsaw. Once I got the fencerow cleaned out I made a pass with my Bush Hog mower and leveled the scrub left sticking up from the ground.

I amazed and impressed myself with what I accomplished with the FEL. I bought it when I bought my tractor last year and it's primary function was going to be to level off a bunch of 40 year old dirt piles on a highline that runs through the property. I really had no idea just how useful the FEL could be. It saved me hours of work with a machete and chainsaw and definitely saved me from wearing my back out from all the manual labor!
 
   / brush clearing #9  
Cstocks,

It sounds like you had a great time and accomplished quite a bit. I'm just curious about one thing. Do you have a toothbar on your loader bucket?
 
   / brush clearing #10  
No, Gary I do not have a tooth bar. I do have the heavy duty bucket though. Basically, I just dig under small saplings until I get down past the roots. Then I curl and lift the bucket as I move forward and (hopefully) pop them out of the ground. Sometimes it takes several tries! If they are too stubborn I break 'em off close to the ground and finish 'em off with my Bush Hog. With all the digging I have done in the last year I have often thought about buying a tooth bar but just haven't done it.

Yes, I have a blast playing on my new tractor. I can't wait until I can go back to Ark. and do it some more! There are several more fences rows waiting on me.
 
 
 
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