Using a tree spade

[livemusic]

Does anyone know if this is possible to use -- tree spade -- and what size tractor you'd need? I would think even a smaller PT could handle 1-2" saplings. Of course, you can limit the size of the sapling you want to dig up and transport but the weight of the sapling would be negligible, just the rootball size/weight is the concern. Heck, that wouldn't weigh as much as, say, an 8-ft oak log! These have 3-4 scoop blades that dig into the soil around the sapling via hydraulics and you extract it like pulling a tooth and then drive the whole thing to a hole your previously dug with it and put it in the ground in the new spot. I suppose PT does not have one, so, an after market unit would be necessary.

 

[m5040]

I could never understand how those things work and why they don't just raise the front of the tractor up.
But I would think the larger the tractor the better. The PT tractors do not have a lot of weight on the front (unlike farm tractors with the engine).
With your calculations, I would cut the lift capacity of the machine by 1/2 due to the distance of the attachment away from the quick attach plate.

 

[MossRoad]

Since the weight of the implement and the root ball together could easily be more than the lift capacity, I'd be more inclined to get a tree spade that is portable and supports its own weight on its own tires.

I've seen them before.

 

[scotts562]

A 2" tree is typically dug with a minimum 28" wide root ball. Approximate weight 500-600 lbs. 30-32" wide root ball gives increased transplant success for a 2" tree. Approximate weight 700-850 lbs. Add the weight of the spade and distance from the machine and the smaller PTs will probably struggle.

Smaller trees with smaller root balls would be fine weight wise. Running a spade off the QA circuit 2500psi 1/4" hose will be slow but should work.

 

[2manyrocks]

This link is to PT attachments which include a hydraulic tree auger, but no tree spade that I see. Attachments