FEL mounted tree limb trimmer

   / FEL mounted tree limb trimmer #1  

DeadTurtleCreek

New member
Joined
Mar 30, 2017
Messages
14
Location
NW Mississippi
Tractor
JD 6415; Mahindra 7060
I have searched this forum and seen a few people who seem to be searching for the same type of equipment. I am looking for some type of saw, mower, or rotary mulcher that attaches to the FEL and can trim tree limbs that are encroaching on roads and shooting lanes. We have a large amount of acreage planted to 20 year old oak trees. Our roads and shooting lanes were fine for years, but now that the trees have gotten bigger, the limbs have grown together from both sides making mowing grass miserable as well as shooting a rifle down these lanes impossible.

I have seen the limbinator and similar pole-mounted chainsaws. This is not necessarily what I am looking for given that I would be cutting max 3" diameter limbs and needing to do it constantly down the length of these roads. I have also looked at google earth and added up that I have more than 7 miles of these roads and shooting lanes to trim on both sides so doing this manually is just not feasible.

Does anyone have any ideas about a piece of equipment that might do this job? I have seen the limb beaver, but at $9k I think I can come up with something better and a whole lot cheaper.

I was looking into the idea of running multiple circular saw blades mounted vertically on top of one another with a hydraulic motor used to power them. I'm trying to figure out some pointers from this group as to what may be the best way to get this built. It seems I could make it simply enough mounting rotors to 1/4" plate steel with a chain or belt running the blades from the hydraulic motor. My biggest concern is that if it sounds too good to be true and nobody already makes it, its probably either much harder than expected or extremely dangerous.

Thanks for the help. I know this group thinks way outside the box on these problems and thats what I'm looking for to solve the problem.
 
   / FEL mounted tree limb trimmer #2  
How tall are you wanting to go and how many passes are you willing to make? I've never looked for such a device but have some ideas based on your description.
 
   / FEL mounted tree limb trimmer
  • Thread Starter
#4  
Well thats a perfect reason why I made a point to post on here before I went and did something drastic like building the death machine I had drawn up plans for. That implement is exactly what I am looking for. I just sent the guy an email. I have looked for quite some time and not found anything on the internet like this for a reasonable cost (which i think $2,200 is very reasonable for what I can accomplish using it).

I have no idea how I missed the other post that you added a link to. It answered most of my questions. If I can sell a few things around the shop I will be getting one early this summer and post some videos.

For anyone else who is looking landsharkusa.com is their website. Not a whole lot of information there and very hard to find through google, but helpful to give you an idea of what they are building.

I'll get back to all of you hopefully as soon as June with some videos if I can get one of these in my hands to do some work.

Thanks for sending me in the right direction
 
   / FEL mounted tree limb trimmer #5  
Here is what I done, works great. Note the saw must be spring loaded so you don't put to much down pressure on it and brake it. I also have it spring loaded to one side.
 

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   / FEL mounted tree limb trimmer #6  
While touring in France last year I saw French farmers "pruning" hedgerows and woodlines with what appeared to be boom-mounted flail mowers, often to a height of 15' or so. (Fairly large tractors, too.) Where trimmed hedgerows were next to the road some limbs or trunks appeared to be around 3" in diameter and well "chewed". Certainly the farmers were seeking to keep the fields open and cared not about the health of the plants in the hedgerows.
 
   / FEL mounted tree limb trimmer #8  
While touring in France last year I saw French farmers "pruning" hedgerows and woodlines with what appeared to be boom-mounted flail mowers, often to a height of 15' or so. (Fairly large tractors, too.) Where trimmed hedgerows were next to the road some limbs or trunks appeared to be around 3" in diameter and well "chewed". Certainly the farmers were seeking to keep the fields open and cared not about the health of the plants in the hedgerows.

A lot of road crews here in California use those. Some are flails, some are rotary cutters. They can reach pretty far and cut fairly thick material. They use larger tractors than the usual CUT and there's a big tank of something on the left side, presumeably to offset the weight of the boom. Also a wheel weight on the left rear wheel.

I'd love one of these to trim my road but it's total overkill and they're probably really expensive, even used. The ones I see have a smaller cutter than the lane shark, something in the 36" range.
 
   / FEL mounted tree limb trimmer #9  
------------------

For anyone else who is looking landsharkusa.com is their website. Not a whole lot of information there and very hard to find through google, but helpful to give you an idea of what they are building.

I'll get back to all of you hopefully as soon as June with some videos if I can get one of these in my hands to do some work.

Thanks for sending me in the right direction
Did you mean Lane Shark USA | A Different Kind of Brush Cutter. ?

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   / FEL mounted tree limb trimmer #10  
A lot of road crews here in California use those. Some are flails, some are rotary cutters. They can reach pretty far and cut fairly thick material. They use larger tractors than the usual CUT and there's a big tank of something on the left side, presumeably to offset the weight of the boom. Also a wheel weight on the left rear wheel.

I'd love one of these to trim my road but it's total overkill and they're probably really expensive, even used. The ones I see have a smaller cutter than the lane shark, something in the 36" range.

No, i think he's talking about what we call "epareuse" here in france.
With this name you can google it. Main manufacturers are Rousseau
Rousseau Nos produits | Rousseau
SMA Epareuses SMA Archives - SMA FAUCHEUX
Noremat Faucheuses-debroussailleuses, epareuses - Materiels d'entretien des accotements routiers
They are pretty expensive, and you need a big tractor but for hedges, ditches etc ... there's nothing better !
 
 
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