kco
Veteran Member
Perhaps it would be easiest just to fell the dozen or so larger trees with a chain saw and remove the stumps with the excavator.
Tree Clearing w/KX121-3
- Thread starter DaNag
- Start date
Boondox
Elite Member
- Joined
- Apr 6, 2000
- Messages
- 3,873
- Location
- Craftsbury Common, Vermont
- Tractor
- Deere 4044R cab, Kubota KX-121-3S
While I second all the cautionary words, I think this is doable with the equipment and the timeframe you've mentioned. I harvest firewood with my B3030 and KX-121S. The largest trees are rock maple about 18" across. While too heavy for the mini-ex to pick up and move, I have been able to lift portions and use the chainsaw to cut off 8-12' sections which are then easily carried away. Or I slice them into stove length and use the RTV to haul them down to the splitter.
The largest tree I harvested was a massive black cherry with a diameter at the base of 42". With that tree I sawed it into six foot sections and used the blade to roll it across the meadow; the girth was simply too large for my thumb to get a grip on it. If you have an angled blade you can make mid-course corrections as it rolls.
Pete
The largest tree I harvested was a massive black cherry with a diameter at the base of 42". With that tree I sawed it into six foot sections and used the blade to roll it across the meadow; the girth was simply too large for my thumb to get a grip on it. If you have an angled blade you can make mid-course corrections as it rolls.
Pete
lumberjack1986
Silver Member
Cut the bigger trees and dig out the stumps if you don't feel comfortable pushing them over whole. I would suggest leaving the stumps taller than I did, however it still works.
That's a "24 inch" bucket in the picture; I haven't measured its outside dimension. Kubota 121-3.
That's a "24 inch" bucket in the picture; I haven't measured its outside dimension. Kubota 121-3.
Attachments
Last edited:
mike69440
Elite Member
- Joined
- Jun 2, 2005
- Messages
- 3,089
- Location
- Central NH (God's Country)
- Tractor
- 1984 Kubota B7200D (Sold 2015,) 2005 L39 Kubota, 2006 RTV 900 1997 Komatsu PC75UU2E w/ Thumb & Blade, 2013 Mahindra Max28XL Shuttle
Yuck, I missed that thread back in 2011. Very sad. Guess I have angels looking after me. A KX121 has no business clearing anything but small trees & brush. Yes it can slowly work at the roots of a large tree, but that tree can get revenge real fast.
lumberjack1986
Silver Member
There's no reason a 121 couldn't clear a large tree, provided it's fairly neutral in weight/lean and you can install a high line/rope to pull with another piece of suitable equipment to pull it into the lay.
The 121 has no business pushing any "large" tree over by itself. Cut the tree then dig out the stump!
This is a 30" stump, 20 minutes between the pictures, another 10 minutes to roll the stump out and fill the hole back in.
This stump took a while longer, it's my biggest to date with a machine this small. Guessing it's near 40" if it was ALAPed. (Cut as low as practical).
The 121 has no business pushing any "large" tree over by itself. Cut the tree then dig out the stump!
This is a 30" stump, 20 minutes between the pictures, another 10 minutes to roll the stump out and fill the hole back in.
This stump took a while longer, it's my biggest to date with a machine this small. Guessing it's near 40" if it was ALAPed. (Cut as low as practical).
Don't you hate it when folks don't follow up with results? I''ll rectify my guilty behavior.
After going over many options and taking in opinions here and elsewhere, I decided to tackle it myself - mostly.
First up - I did it with even a smaller excavator. The rental place I had in mind didn't have KX-121's, I was mistaken - all they had was a KX-91. Based on no universal opinion regarding the 121's capabilities, this caused me some concern.
In chatting with my local excavator/dozer pro, he mentioned another outfit in town that rented Cat equipment. They don't advertise to the public very much - they primarily cater to contractors and the timber industry. Chatted with them, and ended up renting a 304E...still smaller than a 121, but I was assured it was up to the task in the right hands, and given enough time. I had the latter part covered...the former, not so much.
The first two days were brutal...but then, it started to click. I noticed I was no longer thinking about what control did what, and was just starting to move the sticks without thinking too much about it. Another day was spent practicing being smooth, then a couple more days honing technique. After two weeks, the trees were down - but doing it again today, I could probably knock them out in under a week.
As it turns out, the biggest problem wasn't knocking the trees down - it was moving and stacking them. The little Cat had no swing power, and the alder grove was thick - so there was a lot of dragging trees around to clear them from obstructions, instead of picking them up and simply swinging them to a stack. Also, another shortcoming that was quickly noticed - limited reach. Creating tall burn piles just ain't possible with these little guys, so I ended up with about 20 or so smaller piles instead of two or three.
With the trees down, I had to call in the pro to grade for the pole barn - quite a bit of dirt needed to be moved about, and I took heed of the advice to bring in somebody who knew what they were doing. While he was here doing that, he took a couple hours to consolidate my 20 piles into two, and we got one lit off before the burn ban kicked in.
While I definitely saved money doing it myself, my time is now free. Were I still working for a living, hiring it out would have been a no-brainer. And, I readily tell folks now that should the opportunity present itself, there are few things in life more enjoyable than running an excavator. The fun factor alone was worth it, and now that I've a little skill under my belt - renting it again for future chores will be far more productive.
Pics show the final result. A little different, eh? Last remaining pile gets burned soon, pasture grass seed going down after the ashes are spread. Then, everything sits as-is until we can afford to build.
Another update in a couple years.
After going over many options and taking in opinions here and elsewhere, I decided to tackle it myself - mostly.
First up - I did it with even a smaller excavator. The rental place I had in mind didn't have KX-121's, I was mistaken - all they had was a KX-91. Based on no universal opinion regarding the 121's capabilities, this caused me some concern.
In chatting with my local excavator/dozer pro, he mentioned another outfit in town that rented Cat equipment. They don't advertise to the public very much - they primarily cater to contractors and the timber industry. Chatted with them, and ended up renting a 304E...still smaller than a 121, but I was assured it was up to the task in the right hands, and given enough time. I had the latter part covered...the former, not so much.
The first two days were brutal...but then, it started to click. I noticed I was no longer thinking about what control did what, and was just starting to move the sticks without thinking too much about it. Another day was spent practicing being smooth, then a couple more days honing technique. After two weeks, the trees were down - but doing it again today, I could probably knock them out in under a week.
As it turns out, the biggest problem wasn't knocking the trees down - it was moving and stacking them. The little Cat had no swing power, and the alder grove was thick - so there was a lot of dragging trees around to clear them from obstructions, instead of picking them up and simply swinging them to a stack. Also, another shortcoming that was quickly noticed - limited reach. Creating tall burn piles just ain't possible with these little guys, so I ended up with about 20 or so smaller piles instead of two or three.
With the trees down, I had to call in the pro to grade for the pole barn - quite a bit of dirt needed to be moved about, and I took heed of the advice to bring in somebody who knew what they were doing. While he was here doing that, he took a couple hours to consolidate my 20 piles into two, and we got one lit off before the burn ban kicked in.
While I definitely saved money doing it myself, my time is now free. Were I still working for a living, hiring it out would have been a no-brainer. And, I readily tell folks now that should the opportunity present itself, there are few things in life more enjoyable than running an excavator. The fun factor alone was worth it, and now that I've a little skill under my belt - renting it again for future chores will be far more productive.
Pics show the final result. A little different, eh? Last remaining pile gets burned soon, pasture grass seed going down after the ashes are spread. Then, everything sits as-is until we can afford to build.
Another update in a couple years.
Bob Rooks
Elite Member
- Joined
- Feb 27, 2007
- Messages
- 3,854
- Tractor
- Dozer (sold), Yanmar SV40 excavator, Skid steer (sold), Laser Dozer, Rotary trail cutter, 13 HP debris blower, 6X4 Gator. Giant G2700HD+ wheel loader.
That turned out very nice. Good job.
ultrarunner
Epic Contributor
- Joined
- Apr 6, 2004
- Messages
- 23,011
- Tractor
- Cat D3, Deere 110 TLB, Kubota BX23 and L3800 and RTV900 with restored 1948 Deere M, 1949 Farmall Cub, 1953 Ford Jubliee and 1957 Ford 740 Row Crop, Craftsman Mower, Deere 350C Dozer 50 assorted vehicles from 1905 to 2006
Don't you hate it when folks don't follow up with results? I''ll rectify my guilty behavior.
After going over many options and taking in opinions here and elsewhere, I decided to tackle it myself - mostly.
First up - I did it with even a smaller excavator. The rental place I had in mind didn't have KX-121's, I was mistaken - all they had was a KX-91. Based on no universal opinion regarding the 121's capabilities, this caused me some concern.
In chatting with my local excavator/dozer pro, he mentioned another outfit in town that rented Cat equipment. They don't advertise to the public very much - they primarily cater to contractors and the timber industry. Chatted with them, and ended up renting a 304E...still smaller than a 121, but I was assured it was up to the task in the right hands, and given enough time. I had the latter part covered...the former, not so much.
The first two days were brutal...but then, it started to click. I noticed I was no longer thinking about what control did what, and was just starting to move the sticks without thinking too much about it. Another day was spent practicing being smooth, then a couple more days honing technique. After two weeks, the trees were down - but doing it again today, I could probably knock them out in under a week.
As it turns out, the biggest problem wasn't knocking the trees down - it was moving and stacking them. The little Cat had no swing power, and the alder grove was thick - so there was a lot of dragging trees around to clear them from obstructions, instead of picking them up and simply swinging them to a stack. Also, another shortcoming that was quickly noticed - limited reach. Creating tall burn piles just ain't possible with these little guys, so I ended up with about 20 or so smaller piles instead of two or three.
With the trees down, I had to call in the pro to grade for the pole barn - quite a bit of dirt needed to be moved about, and I took heed of the advice to bring in somebody who knew what they were doing. While he was here doing that, he took a couple hours to consolidate my 20 piles into two, and we got one lit off before the burn ban kicked in.
While I definitely saved money doing it myself, my time is now free. Were I still working for a living, hiring it out would have been a no-brainer. And, I readily tell folks now that should the opportunity present itself, there are few things in life more enjoyable than running an excavator. The fun factor alone was worth it, and now that I've a little skill under my belt - renting it again for future chores will be far more productive.
Pics show the final result. A little different, eh? Last remaining pile gets burned soon, pasture grass seed going down after the ashes are spread. Then, everything sits as-is until we can afford to build.
Another update in a couple years.
View attachment 338383View attachment 338384View attachment 338385View attachment 338386
Enjoyed following your updates...
Must be a great feeling of satisfaction know all that you have acomplished!
Don't wait so long to post next time!
When do you find time for the C-Dory boat?