What is the best way to rotary cut big stuff?

[Evasive1]

I have some clumps of sumac bushes up to 7' high and 1 1/2 inch in diameter (most smaller though) I would like to get rid of. What is the best way? I have a Century 3045 (45 hp) tractor with a 6' rotary cutter. With the old 9n and 4 foot cutter you would run out of power so you never got yourself in trouble.
I thought about just lowering the FEL down and going forward and let the rotary tuff it out. Does not sound very safe though for me or the tractor. Should I cut them down some first then let the rotary have at the rest, go all the way down to the ground with them? Was worried about putting one through the tires if I cut them too low?
What have you guys found to be the best way to handle this kind of stuff???
Thanks in advance!

 

[jinman]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I thought about just lowering the FEL down and going forward and let the rotary tuff it out. )</font>

I don't think you will have to worry about your tires. Your rotary cutter will splinter the stubs sufficiently that they will not bother even the thinnest tires.

When cutting brush or thickets, I always back in with my rotary cutter. I never take the chance of driving over something and pushing it down with the tractor first. I think that actually makes it harder on the rotary cutter to cut material that's already laying down. With a hydrostatic transmission, this is a little easier than a geared tractor, but I used to use the same method with my old Ford Jubilee and it worked well too. It was just more work.

With the material you describe, you may end up popping a few shear bolts, so make sure you have a pocket full when you start cutting. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[RoyJackson]

If it's clumped together, you might want to clear the area around it first, then drop that taller stuff with your chain saw.

As Jim said, I back over that kind of heavier brush too. But backing into stuff that's 1½" thick might cause your cutter to climb rather then knock down. I'll let my cutter climb a few inches...any more then that I consider unsafe.

Of course, neither of us really know your circumstances, other then how you've described it. The task might require knocking the tall stuff down (if you can't push it over with your Loader, your cutter won't knock it down either...it'll climb) or dropping it with a chainsaw, or a combination of methods.

First thing is to be safe...for yourself and anyone that may be within a few hundred feet.

 

[JerryG]

I know that this is not exactly the answer you are asking for but, for that size of bushes, I push them out with the loader.

 

[Bird]

Like Jim & Roy, I usually just backed over them. Of course you can drive the tractor over them and let the rotary cutter then get them and that usually works just fine. The one thing to remember if you do that and you decide to stop and back up without having gone all the way through, is that some of those limbs that sprung back up under the tractor may snag something like electrical wiring and/or hydraulic hoses on the bottom of the tractor.

 

[frank_f15]

i usually back in to the bad stuff, just go slow and let the cutter do its work.

 

[bebster]

I echo the concern about driving over them. I did that a lot and eventually one of the saplings caught a wire under the tractor and it happened to be a wire that had something to do with the PTO, because it stopped dead. Unfortunately it was a couple of wires and I couldn't figure out what went with what end and didn't want to guess. (see attached photo I took to show the maintenance folks at the dealer). I'm now a fan of either backing over them or trying to dig them out with the toothbar on the FEL (much easier after a rain).

 

[Phred]

I agree that its probably better to back over rather than drive forward over.

But if you have a lot to cut then drive over it. Backing up over a couple of acers worth of 10 foot tall briars will do more harm to your neck than driving over it would do to the tractor.

I have cut some really big stuff 2" plus, 10 ft tall, by just driving over it with the loader low to the ground. The good thing about this is all the hidden stumps, old pto shafts /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif, etc.. will be found by the loader not the cutter.



If its to big of a task, maybe rent a dozer to get the big stuff cleaned up.

Fred

 

[BB_TX]

I am with the other guys here. I have had to cut down a lot of cedars (junipers actually I think). If they are no more than 4' tall or so I just lower the FEL and mow forward. I they are 4' or taller, I raise the cutter several inches, slowly back over them, slowly lower the cutter, then pull forward. Other than a lot of banging and clanging, works well.

 

[have_blue]

I won't repeat all the good advice already given here, but will say that sumac bushes are very easy to cut. Just go slowly and keep the blade sharp.

I once had a small chicken tree thicket to cut, and was afraid of hitting old stumps, so I lowered my FEL to about 3" and went slowly. My idea was to use the FEL as a guard, lay down the brush and cut the tops in 1 pass, then run over them again and get them to 5-6". Well, I was looking back and saw a lot of very clean stumps about 3" high.

I took a look at my FEL, and it was shearing most of the chicken trees off clean! I checked it, and it was very, very sharp. Well, I had sharpened it to a 1/32" edge, and I guess back-dragging in dirt must have honed it to a dangerously sharp edge. I could easily cut 1" to 1-1/2" chicken trees cleanly, and badly split the 2" ones. Chicken trees are very soft wood, much like sumac.