ideas for clearing grown in trails

[musselmark]

I found this at a local farm equipment dealer for 300. would it be capable of cutting branches up to 3/4" . I would mount it on the fel the same as the samurai.

 

[Coyote machine]

I found this at a local farm equipment dealer for 300. would it be capable of cutting branches up to 3/4" . I would mount it on the fel the same as the samurai.
View attachment 386080

That looks like a PTO driven sickle bar. The Samuri is driven by FEL aux hydraulics, and only weighs 70#s. What you bought isn't meant to run off a FEL.:confused3:

 

[musselmark]

I realize that, that is why I am posting in the "build it yourself" forum. I didn't buy it yet but am wondering how the teeth/cutters would stand up to small branches. If suitable I would mount it on the fel and run a hydraulic motor to it.

 

[Rio_Grande]

I think 3/4 might be a bit much for that system. Not saying you couldn't. Do it, but repeated 3/4 inch cuts may not go so well, we dull those on a cutter cutting fescue and alfalfa,

 

[musselmark]

I found another manufacturer, anyone have any experience with these guys. Looks to be more heavy duty, 375 lbs vs 70 for the samurai.

Cutter Bar TR 13 & TR 22 | Ferri-America

 

[Coyote machine]

I found another manufacturer, anyone have any experience with these guys. Looks to be more heavy duty, 375 lbs vs 70 for the samurai.

Cutter Bar TR 13 & TR 22 | Ferri-America

That's some serious equipment, for likely some serious money. Unlikely for use by individual tractor owners. Looks like the cutter bar would have to be powered by a 3PT boom arm with aux hydraulic reservoir.

 

[Coyote machine]

BTW, I ordered a Samuri yesterday; will be getting it relatively soon depending on my upcoming trip back to Europe for about a month.

 

[BukitCase]

You do realize that the Ferri unit is designed for THEIR boom mowers, that you'd be lucky to get everything you need to run it for probably at least $25,000, and you'd STILL need a tractor that'd need a ROAD (rather than a trail) to run on, so (unless you already have that big a tractor) it'd add ANOTHER $100,000 to the cost?

Not saying that setup wouldn't be cool, just that it'd likely cost you about $124,000 MORE than the Samurai... Steve

 

[BukitCase]

Wow, Coyote - while I was checking out that Ferri unit you snuck TWO posts in - Just proves I'm getting old AND slow

I bought a Samurai last year, too many other projects to get to it yet but I have a couple small cylinders and intend to build a "tinker toy set" of 2" receiver parts in order to articulate it with remote hydraulics.

Before that'll do any good, I need to finish a QA setup for my Case 580 and run remote hyd's front and rear, so (hopefully) I'll get to those items this winter.

I searched CL and other sites for nearly a year looking for an older sickle-bar to convert, finally found the Samurai and realized someone else had done most of the work for me for LESS than it would have cost to assemble the needed parts, not to mention the actual fab work

From my experience, your cutter will beat you home... Steve

 

[Coyote machine]

Wow, Coyote - while I was checking out that Ferri unit you snuck TWO posts in - Just proves I'm getting old AND slow

I bought a Samurai last year, too many other projects to get to it yet but I have a couple small cylinders and intend to build a "tinker toy set" of 2" receiver parts in order to articulate it with remote hydraulics.

Before that'll do any good, I need to finish a QA setup for my Case 580 and run remote hyd's front and rear, so (hopefully) I'll get to those items this winter.

I searched CL and other sites for nearly a year looking for an older sickle-bar to convert, finally found the Samurai and realized someone else had done most of the work for me for LESS than it would have cost to assemble the needed parts, not to mention the actual fab work

From my experience, your cutter will beat you home... Steve

So I want to do what the vineyard guy did on Samuri's web site. He demos a QA plate with a hydraulic cylinder that moves the Samuri cutter in or out from the plate toward the fence posts or vines or whatever. If you're looking to accomplish the same type of thing let's put our collective brain power on it. I asked the company owner to contact the vineyard farmer to inquire about what he used. I'm hoping he will get back to me on it. What say you?:confused3:

 

[Capricious]

How about this?


Helicopter chainsaw clears trees near North Georgia lines | Times Free Press

 

[Capricious]

On a more serious note:

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/hydraulics/317751-need-expert-hydraulic-opinion.html#post3840389

 

[musselmark]

That helicopter cutter idea seems simple enough. How about this, mount a circular saw blade on a 5/8" bolt, then put through a 5/8"flange bearing on the "cutter"bar attached to fel. Then a sprocket on a 5/8" weld on hub. Have several of these in a row on the bar and have a chain weaving around the sprockets so each blade is rotating opposite to the one next to it and then the chain is driven by a hydraulic motor.

 

[Piston]

Similar to the samarai, but probably cheaper, simpler, and work much better.....

Why not just build a hydraulic chainsaw bar like you see on firewood processors? You could have it whatever length you want, use standard saw chain, be unlimited in what you could cut, and just mount it in the bucket?

Seems simple enough.

(I've never done this, so I have no idea if it's actually doable or not )

 

[BukitCase]

"If you're looking to accomplish the same type of thing let's put our collective brain power on it" -

Coyote, I wouldn't mind having the "telescoping" function, but I'm more headed toward being able to trim several hedges on my property lines (privacy - I hate gawkers and tend to shoot trespassers after losing over $6k in tools to meth heads a few years ago)

Anyway, I'm planning on a few different hookups for my Samurai, one would be two 10 foot long 2" square tube sections, each with its own cylinder that would give nearly 180 deg. swing - object being to be able to drive down ONE side of a hedge, first pass cuts near side, second pass cuts top, third pass cuts the FAR side (no room to drive back there)

First pass would be cut and (hopefully) as it's cut, fall into the brush bucket I built for the BH



Since that pic was taken, I've "upgraded" the attachment points on the loader bucket



And finally realized that several of the attachments I either WILL or HAVE made suffer from my lack of "X-ray vision) - so I'm now working on a QA system for brush bucket, brush forks, grapple, hydraulic driven 6' flail, Samurai, pallet forks, hot tub (kidding about the hot tub :laughing: - So anyway, I'm in the middle of a herky version of this

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...verboard-quick.html?highlight=QA+quick+attach

Back to the Samurai - one of its several positions will be at the leading edge of that brush bucket with the teeth pointed UP - come in low, raise the bucket and stuff falls in - bounce the bucket a few times to shift the pile away from the cutter, when that doesn't work anymore drive to the burn pile and dump - repeat as necessary. Top of hedge cuttings will get "combed" out with the forks - shown here in process, they're actually done



but I'll need to change the mounts once I get the loader converted to QA.

There's a lot more, but this is already looking like a thread hi-jack (even tho I DID talk about the Samurai)

As to the telescoping mount, I would figure out just how much movement you need first, then check out Surplus Center for any candidates - you shouldn't need more than about a 1-1/2" dia. cylinder with maybe a 3/4" rod, 'specially if you have access to some UHMW scraps to let your square tubing slide easy. I'd also put a flow restrictor on the cylinder, didja see in the video how quick the vineyard guy's unit moved when the throttle was up?

Well, gotta go for now, the newest toy won't give me any peace til it gets fondled a bit more before bed



It'll get quite a bit of use bushing/boring 8 1-1/2" holes thru 1/2" plate for each implement I mentioned... Steve

 

[Chain Bender]

I haven't read all 47 pages of replies so I'll blindly throw this out there. Why don't you wrap a small chain around them if they are only 3/4" diameter and pull them out of the ground? Then there's no stub to run over with a 4 wheeler of stumble over walking/jogging the trail. I bought some sort of "tree grabber" from Northern to do basically the same thing. Dang....I'm 6'1", 235 and better than average strong and there was no way I could open the jaws of this thing. The closing spring was a SOB. I had to replace the spring. Work will go 3-4 times faster if you have some one driving the 4 wheeler and some one manning the grabber. I've got a Suzuki Vinson 500 and I have successfully pulled up 3" gum trees in NW FL. Or attach it to your FEL or 3 point hitch. No maintenance, chain to sharpen or jump off and gas and oil can to tote around.

Good luck with what ever you decide(d) on.

CB

 

[musselmark]

the ground is clear, it is the branches that grow in from the trees that are outside the trail

 

[rd_macgregor]

I mostly walk my trails, mowing with the tractor only once or so per year. Most of the time, I lop off overhanging/encroaching branches with extension-handle bypass loppers (like these: Premium Grade Pruning Loppers: Professional Pruning Loppers, Tree Loppers) as I walk. Sometimes I will just bend saplings back into the other brush and wedge them there, rather than cutting them. I occasionally will haul out the brush cutter and hack off trail invaders at ground level, or bring out the tractor with tooth bar or grapple rake to really rip things up...but most of the time, I clear invading foliage along my trails by hand.
Bob

 

[NCMau]

Here is my two cents. The Samurai is a good idea for 1/2 in. or smaller twigs, anything bigger would probably damage the knives. After looking at the Samurai, I built one by using a 4 ft Walk-behind Gravely sickle bar. It uses basically the same hydraulic HP. The Samurai is a nice little machine but little bit overpriced for my once or twice yearly use. Also, it will not cut stuff bigger than 1/2 in.
I am planning to make another attachment, with the same concept, using either a small lawnmower deck or a standard saw blade. I do know yet, I am still playing with the idea.
Here are pics of my attachment, the only difference is that now I install the bar to the bucket. It is a simpler move without dismounting the bucket.

 

[Coyote machine]

Here is my two cents. The Samurai is a good idea for 1/2 in. or smaller twigs, anything bigger would probably damage the knives. After looking at the Samurai, I built one by using a 4 ft Walk-behind Gravely sickle bar. It uses basically the same hydraulic HP. The Samurai is a nice little machine but little bit overpriced for my once or twice yearly use. Also, it will not cut stuff bigger than 1/2 in.
I am planning to make another attachment, with the same concept, using either a small lawnmower deck or a standard saw blade. I do know yet, I am still playing with the idea.
Here are pics of my attachment, the only difference is that now I install the bar to the bucket. It is a simpler move without dismounting the bucket.

That's inaccurate info on the Samurai. It cuts up to 1 1/2" NOT to 1/2". See the details on their website,Cutthat.com | Sabre Samurai