Pulling Trees With A Wheel Rim

   / Pulling Trees With A Wheel Rim #1  

jeff9366

Super Star Member
Joined
Jan 14, 2011
Messages
12,368
Location
Alachua County, North-Central Florida
Tractor
Kubota Tractor Loader L3560 HST+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 3,700 pounds bare tractor, 5,400 pounds operating weight, 37 horsepower
Pulling Small Trees With A Wheel Rim

I wish pulling trees and shrubs using a WHEEL RIM for mechanical advantage was my idea, but it is not. I learned about this idea from a post on TBN. I had pulled a great number of trees and shrubs before reading the post. I was a little skeptical about how effective the addition of a wheel rim to my equipment would be....but decided to give the wheel rim theory a try.......

Pulling trees and shrubs with a WHEEL RIM is highly effective.

#1 This is a made-in-China "Brush Grubber" also known as a pallet puller. Available on eBay and Amazon. This is the Heavy Duty model. As BG's get larger spring tension increases. Heavy Duty model is all I can manage at age 65. Grips small trees much better than chain. On larger trees and grape vines it grips; chain too often tears through. As pulling force from chain increases, gripping force of BG toothed jaws increases.

TBN posts comment that springs come off regularly. I have spring ends secured with green zip ties plus a piece of copper tubing over the spring. My spring has not come off...but I bought spares from the spring bin at local Ace Hardware.

#2 Brush Grubber on tree, 1/4" grade 43 slip hook on Brush Grubber bale, 1/4" grade 43 chain on slip hook.

#3 Wheel rim close to tree, chain over wheel rim.

#4 +#5 Chain to Speeco Drawbar Grab Hook mounted on (Kubota optional) tractor draw bar, Kubota B3300SU / 33-hp / 1,800 pounds. Tires NOT loaded.

(Remember to remove the Speeco drawbar grab hook at the end of the day. Otherwise grab hook will bend the eye bolts on your limit chains when you raise the 3-point.hitch. Kubota metric eye bolts are $35 each.)

#6 Proceed in HST - LOW, 4-WD engaged ---> ----> EUREKA!! Tree is out roots and all.

The initial vertical pull, until the rim topples over, is what make the tree come out with its roots intact.

Links:

BrushGrubber | Brush Grubber HD

SpeeCo Inc. - Log Splitter, Tractor Parts, OEM and Farm Accessory Contact information

Speeco Drawbar Grab Hook is available retail at Tractor Supply. At TSC hook comes with the pin as one unit.
 

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   / Pulling Trees With A Wheel Rim #2  
Re: Pulling Trees With Brush Grubber, WHEEL RIM, Speeco Grab Hook & Kubota B3300SU

That is a great idea. I have also heard of putting a heavy pipe through the rim and hooking to the end of the pipe, looping the chain from the stump around the pipe and pulling with a small tractor or lawn tractor. The hole thing looks like a big lolly pop.
 
   / Pulling Trees With A Wheel Rim #3  
Before I bought a track loader we did this regulary. bigger the rim and the closer to the tree you can get it the more leverage you get!
 
   / Pulling Trees With A Wheel Rim #4  
Hmm, good setup, but... you don't even need to bother with a wheel rim. The brush grubber will get the tree out, roots and all, by itself. no rim required. Try it and see!

Brush grubbers are a fantastic tool - best used with an assistant (slave) to do all the grub work while you sit on the tractor and drink beer.
 
   / Pulling Trees With A Wheel Rim #5  
Basically the rim is simple leverage. I don't have to pull a lot of stumps and such, but I use a stout log chain over a fat log. Works easily almost every time with minimal outlay. I usually have little trouble finding a way to get purchase for the chain on whatever I'm pulling, without a pincher device. With big stumps I get a shovel and dig up a root on the far side and put the chain under it. Although I would like having a "slave" to save getting on and off the tractor, I haven't found one yet. But I am growing some grandsons for the future.

For small stumps, small trees and brush, I go forward and push them out with my Ratchett Rake. Works every time.
 
   / Pulling Trees With A Wheel Rim #6  
Yeah, I would skip the rim and simply put the brush grubber higher on the trunk. I normally clamp it on about 12-16" above the ground. The tree trunk then acts as the lever to pop the roots loose. I have about a 99% success rate this way.

You can also attach the chain to the 3-pt and use the lift pressure to pop stuff out. This works well for shrubs and other smaller stuff.
 
   / Pulling Trees With A Wheel Rim
  • Thread Starter
#7  
The Brush Grubber will pull trees without the wheel rim, but usually more of the tree roots stay in the ground....then sometimes the roots sprout into new top growth. Without wheel rim the ground usually is more disrupted so I have to go back with the FEL or a hand rake to complete the job.

Tire traction improves when using the wheel rim. Larger saplings will come out using the wheel rim that would likely not depart soil with pulling force applied horizontally, without the wheel rim against the tree. If you have a heavy, powerful tractor wheel rim would not be an issue. With compact and sub-compact tractors the wheel rim will sometimes make the difference between success and failure in sapling removal.

As my first post relates I was sceptical whether adding the wheel rim would provide enough improvement to justify carrying it around. IT DOES.


I agree with you about the Brush Grubber being a good tool. The design could be tweaked to better secure the spring to the tool.
 
   / Pulling Trees With A Wheel Rim #8  
I don't know, I have pulled out hundreds of saplings up to 3" with my B2920, and never had a problem except in 1-2 cases. Just make sure you hook up far enough up so that the tree trunk is your lever. That is very important. Not only does it alleviate traction issues, but it lets the roots pop and then you finish pulling them out sideways once the tree has tipped over.

I think in your case, the rim might be helping because you hook up down low. But if you hook up higher and let the trunk do the levering, I think it will be at least as good as the rim.
 
   / Pulling Trees With A Wheel Rim
  • Thread Starter
#9  
Go wild!!!!!!!!!

Buy the largest diameter wheel rim you can cadge or buy for $10 and try it yourself.

I know you want to.......
 
   / Pulling Trees With A Wheel Rim #10  
I know this thread is getting old but I'm going to add to it also.

I've used the wheel rim also and it does make pulling a bigger tree than your tractor could normally pull possible. I use an old mobile home rim, no center in the way. I place the rim against the tree as if I rolled it up to the tree in the direction I am going to pull. I then chain the rim to the tree tight, 5-6 wraps. I then hook my pulling chain as high as I can get it, usually standing on the fender of my tractor. I let the weight of the top of the tree work for me. But make sure you use enough chain to not pull the tree over on top of you. I then maybe rock the tree some to loosen it and eventually give it the juice and lay it over, the tree laying down in the chained on rim. As the tree lays over the weight of the tree and the pull of the tractor together will pull it over and the rim chained close to the stump actually causes it to pull up and pop the stump out of the ground, still connected to the tree. Even if the roots still connected on the side that you were pulling it towards don't come out completely, you can then pull it sideways. The roots loosened enough to make that possible.

If you have a big enough tractor all this is not necessary. But with the rim I have plucked out trees I would have never tackled with my Ferguson TO-35. The weight of the tree and the upward pluck with the rim all works for you.
 
 
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