Clearing Brush- What do you use?

[Jesse11]

The state I call home is on fire. A lot of it is due to uncleared brush. It leads me to ask how do you take care of you brush and with what regularity?

 

[TripleR]

Mostly this.

 

[RobertN]

I use the tractor. Some brush I pull, some I cut, and some I "mow" over with the brush-hog/rotary mower. When I pull or cut brush, my wife like it chipped for use in the garden; most gets chipped, but some gets burned(on permissive burn days).

I have most of my property around the house and granny flat cut back; mostly a spring cut with the roatary mower has it under control.

http://www.fire.ca.gov/communications/downloads/fact_sheets/DefensibleSpaceFlyer.pdf

CAL FIRE - Why 100 Feet?

http://www.fire.ca.gov/cdfbofdb/pdfs/4291finalguidelines2_23_06.pdf

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPRJeUQByRk]CAL FIRE Inspects for Defensible Space - YouTube[/ame]

 

[BrianDT]

2 years ago I purchased a Stihl FS-550 to clean the weeds up between trees. I have quickly found that it works excellent on that nasty brush that covers trees and tries to climb them.

 

[rekees4300]

The state I call hoe is on fire. A lot of it is due to uncleared brush. It leads me to ask how do you take care of you brush and with what regularity?

Much depends on the type and size of the brush. I do brushogging, chainsawing, weedwacking mostly annually. If you have a tractor with FEL then check out a ratchet rake. There are many posts at TBN recommending them.

Ratchet Rake, LLC - Tractor attachment, Bucket attachment, Loader, Skid loader, Kubota, Skid steer, Landscape rake, Brush remover, York Rake, Harley Rake, Rock Rake, Tractor rake attachment, Construction attachment, New Holland, Bobcat, Fire safety,

 

[creekbend]

I use the Bush Hog. The fallen limbs and debris that I pick up goes to my neighbor's outside burn stove or my burn pile. On my way from town this morning, crews were doing prescribed burning on the Game Lands areas.

 

[Hollow]

 

[TripleR]

Pretty darn neat, yeah I said neat.

 

[RDrancher]

Pretty darn neat, yeah I said neat.

Yep, I like it!

 

[ultrarunner]

I've had rugged terrain up the canyon sides loaded with poison oak... for me, the ideal solution turned out to be a backpack sprayer with Brush Killer...

I could be 15' away and hit my targets...

A couple of sprayings and the plants died and 5 years later... the brush is gone!

 

[plowindeeper]

I use a ditch bank blade(jo blade), axe. and a sling blade.

then I go get 2 guys standing outside home depo and a case of beer.

 

[Brokermike]

That is an awesome brush hog. My welder is gonna get some exercise this weekend!

 

[jdtractor]

I use heavy duty Bush Hog or Dozer, Chainsaw and brush saw. The least amt of labor I can use, the dozer and bush hog are my first choices

 

[rsewill]

A 16 bottom plow can make quick work of a grass fire.

 

[Pete Judd]

All of the above. Have to spray the blackberrys with crossbow where I can't mow them with the brushhog.

 

[Jstpssng]

This is what I had clearing my property last summer.

 

[Jstpssng]

Before...


During...


And now.
All taken from the same spot.

 

[boongard]

hey Jstpssng when you done with your property, would you give me a price to clear 20 acres. i am in Ellsworth area.

Before...


During...


And now.
All taken from the same spot.

 

[Countryboy1217]

How did you build this? How big of trees and brush will it cut before sheering a pin?

 

[ericm979]

Looks like it's got a slip clutch (with no safety shield). I wonder how well it works and how much power it needs. It looks like it could throw objects quite a ways. Commercial models like the Baumalight CP560 have side shields that extend farther forwards. (they also have four blades and claim to cut up to 4").

I'd really like a forestry mulcher on the front of a track loader but that's kind of expensive. Even a mulcher for the back of my tractor would be expensive and my tractor can drive only the smallest ones that would choke on our large brush.

We can't burn here and brush left in piles just sits there for years. I'm using chain saws and 8" pto chipper for the larger brush. Stihl FS240 brush cutter and a rotary cutter on the tractor for smaller brush. it's slow but I've cleared a good fire safety buffer around the house.