Front-End Loader tooth or stump bkt

[lastborn]

This is what I have.
Kubota B3200 hst 4x4 with R4 tires {loaded} with LA-504 loader

Here is what I want to do.
I have 3 acres of pasture that Bradford pear trees { 2" to 4" dia. at base} are taking over.They have very large thorns, therefore I do not want someone to come in with a brush shredder and scatter the thorns all over the pasture for me to get a lot of flat tires while bush hogging afterward. They are tough to just pull up with a chain, I can do it but it will take a long time. { I don't have }
QUESTION: would a toothed bar make this any easier/quicker?
Would one of those stump buckets be better suited for the task?
We are talking 300 to 400 trees here and I have 3 kids that are into everything, baseball,softball,cheer leading etc...... and I also have to haul the tractor back and forth to the site every day. How would you approach this? EVERYONE is invited to express there ideas, experience and expertise.
thanks

 

[beppington]

Are you able to push them over by putting your loader against them & pushing? I'm not familiar with that kind of tree. (Edit: Some trees are rigid & therefore push over popping the root ball up, whereas others are too soft & just bend over. Which are yours?)

I have removed many trees this way, root ball & all.

I don't think 300-400 trees is gonna be quick, though, no matter how you do it.

 

[Herkypilot]

Well I can tell you a tooth bar certainly helps with digging, but probably not for your purpose though. I have a stump bucket on a larger tractor which narrows down your digging width vs. your loader bucket which would provide more pressure. As far as that goes, you'll just have to try it. I would cut the trees so that you leave about 4 to 5 feet of the stump above ground. That way, if a stump bucket doesn't work on the bigger ones, you then have leverage with a chain to pull on them.

HP

 

[LD1]

Yep....300-400 trees isnt going to be quick without an excavator or dozer.

I agree to try to push them over. A little leverage goes a long way when uprooting a tree:thumbsup:

As to the stump bucket vs toothbar/teeth.....

I think I would try the toothbar or bolt on teeth first. They are cheaper and can be used SOO much more after the trees are gone.

While I have no personal experience with a stump bucket...my take is that they probabally wont be as effective on a smaller machine like you have. For starters, not enough weight to effectivly dig/push under the root ball. Plus, the buckets are much longer, so that will reduce the amount of force you can generate with your lift and curl.

Have you considered renting a mini-excavator for a day or two?? Probabally cost less than a stump bucket and would be MUCH more effective. Get them out of the ground and worry about clean-up later with your B. At only a 2-4" tree, I cant see it taking more than a minute or two for each tree. If they arent too far from each other, I would think you could do it in a day with a mini-ex. Two days at the most.

 

[Rackluster]

Before spending money I'd do like someone else suggested and try knocking them over with the bucket then get under the root ball. I have a similar sized tractor and have taken out dozens and dozens of 2-4 inch trees. Average tree probably takes a couple minutes. Plus you don't have to get off tractor. Works slick! At least try this method if you haven't already. I can take out trees way easier this way then with a chain.

I would try this before you cut them down, you need to hit the tree pretty high up, sometimes I go like 6 feet up.

 

[magicheater]

Before spending money I'd do like someone else suggested and try knocking them over with the bucket then get under the root ball. I have a similar sized tractor and have taken out dozens and dozens of 2-4 inch trees. Average tree probably takes a couple minutes. Plus you don't have to get off tractor. Works slick! At least try this method if you haven't already. I can take out trees way easier this way then with a chain.

I would try this before you cut them down, you need to hit the tree pretty high up, sometimes I go like 6 feet up.

That is the way I do it!

 

[lastborn]

Part of the problem is they will push over but, the root ball doesnt pop up to give you something for the bucket to get a hold of. It rained here yesterday a good bit and I hope I can get over there this weekend and try it with the ground wet.
Thanks

 

[magicheater]

Part of the problem is they will push over but, the root ball doesnt pop up to give you something for the bucket to get a hold of. It rained here yesterday a good bit and I hope I can get over there this weekend and try it with the ground wet.
Thanks

As you alluded to in the beginning, maybe a different style bucket.

 

[SuperCobra]

Part of the problem is they will push over but, the root ball doesnt pop up to give you something for the bucket to get a hold of. It rained here yesterday a good bit and I hope I can get over there this weekend and try it with the ground wet.
Thanks

A tooth bar on your bucket is really helpful for getting under them and popping them out and also gives you a little more holding capacity for throwing the trees on your bucket and moving them to the burn pile - it has many other uses as well.

 

[dustinfox]

I have a toothbar on my bucket and the problem I have taking up even tiny trees is that the bucket is to wide making it difficult to get under the roots. You could take a chance and spend the money for a root bucket or tree spade but I don't how well those work on a CUT. With 300 - 400 trees I would think about renting an excavator... But that could get costly too with so many trees. This one is kinda pricey but there are similar less expensive ones out there. Again, I don't know how well these things work on a tractor.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYfHQ-U1wgU&feature=related]SkidSteer Tree Spade, FFC 36" Tree Spade - YouTube[/ame]