How good r our little Ym's for clearing fence rows & pulling trees ?

[bobidy]

I'm planning on using my tractor to aid me in repairing & clearing some fence rows that have been neglected for several yrs. There is a 2 to 4 ft band of saplings and brush between the fence rows and mostly open meadows they enclose. ranging in size from 1/4 to 3 1/2" in dia. a very few Up to 4" Haw,persimmon,plum,blackjack pecan/hickory,sumac native holly.

I have taken down & removed several larger trees & stumps on my property in the past, using my 4wd jeep or a buddy's 1 ton w/jin poles & winch, but I have no experience using a tractor for this kind of thing. Much less, one that has the hp & weight limitations my 1610d w/fel has.

I ran a few searches of the archives on grubbing & brush/tree clearing.
I found some good info + ideas on some implements that might complement the the tractor and be fairly easy & cheap to fabricate. (good sources of oil field pipe & scrap) however, a lot of the implement & technique successes described, were with much larger tractors than my yanmar. Figured I would just go out and see what I could do with what i've got, & go from there. In the mean time we have had about 10 days of rain & mist here in N.E. Oklahoma.

So I thought while waiting for things to dry out I would ask you folks what techniques or implements you use to clear your property, & what I might realisticly expect to accomplish with my 1610d. Below are pics of some implements I thought might compliment and best utilize what the 1610 has to offer. (keep in mind this is my first tractor & I have no realtime experience to base my judgements on.)

A bolt on tooth bar based on pics 1&2 would seem to be useful for grubbing out the smaller stuff and easy to fabricate. The 3 pt puller/grubbers in 2&3 also should be fairly easy to fabricate & should give good traction by pulling down on the back wheels while pulling up w/hydraulics & fwd with the tractor. I'm thinking the weight of the fell + filled tires on the frt end will help to keep all 4's on the ground. Your experience, advice & suggestions Will be greatly appreciated.

Bob.

 

[California]

I think it's kinda small for what you are talking about.

Do you have a ROPS? Hitching to an immovable object then letting the clutch out is a good way to get killed flipping over backward. A friend explained to me that's how his father became disabled.

This isn't quite the same application, but I spent a lot of time last winter pulling blackberry vines, up to an inch diameter, out of some abandoned apple trees down in the back of my orchard. My small backhoe had just the right combination of reach and power for this.
Here's a picture.

 

[deepNdirt]

I'm not sure about the 3rd picture tool, if you have a FEL I'd think pushing up to 3" tree's over, then scoop them up by the roots with bucket would work better, but that just MO!
I would be interested in seeing the 4th picture tool at work
as for testimony of the compact Yanmar's ability to perform? so far so good with my 1700
but I've only had mine for a few months

 

[bobidy]

I think it's kinda small for what you are talking about.

Do you have a ROPS? Hitching to an immovable object then letting the clutch out is a good way to get killed flipping over backward. A friend explained to me that's how his father became disabled.

California;

my gut feeling is that it 'is' probably too small for some of the trees/brush in those rows. I am hoping it can handle most of the smaller stuff using the fel. 1/4-1". If I can dig out around the roots of the 2 to 3 " stuff with the fel & cut with a chainsaw where needed & pull them, I will be happy & deal with the larger in another way.

Safety and fear of a mishap are Prominent in my thoughts! No clutch popping from me! As a mater of fact, any input on gear/range selection & throttle use from any of you would be great.

As far as a rops,I'm working on it. Gathering the pipe ect. haven't quite settled on the design/attachment. But will have that b4 I get serious about this. My BIG problem is money. I am retired and on a fixed and modest income. I get to do a lot of things the slow & hard way. But I wont let that contribute to me getting hurt.

Bob

 

[SailorBob]

Once I tried pulling up a small holly stump with my YM1700. It was probably about 3 inches in diameter. One wheel started spinning so, i hit the wheel lock. The front end immediately left the ground. I thought sure it was going over backwards. Fortunately, i hit the clutch and the front end went back down. I have never tried to pull a stump again.

I had hooked a tow chain to the front bumper and ran it under the tractor with the other end around the stump. I had heard that the tractor would not back flip if you hooked to to the bumper. That is total BS. I have the shorts to prove it.

If you can dig them out with the FEL that would be your best bet. I expect that your tractor is of similar size and weight to mine.

 

[HoyeTractor]

The front end immediately left the ground.

You are lucky to be able to clutch it in time. Typically the "flip" is so fast that the operator does not even realize what is happening.

I personally think the 1610 is too small to pull trees & a ROPS is a first priority on any tractor.

Aaron
Hoye Tractor Parts
Contact Us
(940)592-0181

 

[rhett]

hi Bob

I've been tackling a similar issue with my YM1600. Alone, it try's, but just lacks bulk for going after larger root systems. Being patient I'm slowly clearing things up and still have a long ways to go. I tried the 3pt Grubbers but not enough tractor to do much good. So, devising attachments that give my CUT an advantage is necessary.

"Eagle Dude" has an excellent post on how he made some easy modifications for a "Shop Crane" allowing it to be used on the 3pt lift, and be easily converted back for shop use.
Engine lift for field use


I took a permanent modification approach increasing lift capacity and widening the crows feet. It is still a work-in-progress for me ($$$), mostly wanting to add Auxiliary Hydraulics to operate attachments.

It takes Allot of force to uproot even the small trees. I think curling the FEL bucket might perform the best, but think it will not be enough. I've bent and broken parts of my Field Crane, just needing to reinforce it during repair so I can continue. At present, the 8ton jack is used to its limits and the lift and pivot points ratio is yielding the 8ton lifting force. I want more though... and I'm tired of the hand operated jack

When cash becomes available for Aux Hydraulics, a "Tree Shear" is #1 priority to be built.

Oh, you did ask what gear range to use. I suggest starting with "LOW Range - First Gear" when working with anything Heavy. Not fast, but your best Safety Margin.

 

[normde2001]

Once I tried pulling up a small holly stump with my YM1700. It was probably about 3 inches in diameter. One wheel started spinning so, i hit the wheel lock. The front end immediately left the ground. I thought sure it was going over backwards. Fortunately, i hit the clutch and the front end went back down. I have never tried to pull a stump again.

I had hooked a tow chain to the front bumper and ran it under the tractor with the other end around the stump. I had heard that the tractor would not back flip if you hooked to to the bumper. That is total BS. I have the shorts to prove it.

If you can dig them out with the FEL that would be your best bet. I expect that your tractor is of similar size and weight to mine.

I believe the intent of hooking to the front bumper is to pull in reverse. That way the torque forces attempt to force the front end down, not up.

 

[6thgpSF]

bob,I've got a 1610d and use the front end loader to knock down 1-11/2 samll trees and mostly buck brush with pretty good success,i've eaven used my finish mower to cut some of the smaller trees/saplings after knocking them down with the fel.if i just have to I,ll always pull from the front like norm said.lot safer.if allelse fails i break out the axe or chainsaw. I've thought about using tooth bars but don't know if they would work that well on my size tractor.russ

 

[deepNdirt]

bob,I've got a 1610d and use the front end loader to knock down 1-11/2 samll trees and mostly buck brush with pretty good I've thought about using tooth bars but don't know if they would work that well on my size tractor.russ

I'm think about the tooth bar myself, it certainly could take a FEL to the next level, from what little I have used my FEL it has been very impressive with just the cutting blade I can only imagine if had teeth it would work that much better, especially while digging up small trees by their roots etc,