Field cleaning thoughts...

[hunt4570]

I just had 2 fields cleared out of my woods, one about 7 acres for my deer hunting field, and another a bit over 1/2 acre for my shooting range. It was all a pine "plantation". Had the timber company come in and take the trees, then a guy with a dozer and a track hoe to get the stumps out and clean up "most" of the mess.









So now I'm left with a fairly rough field, very undulating with dozer tracks, and LOTS of roots everywhere I need to clean up and make level to plant. I do have the benifit of having a little money left over from the timber harvest to buy a couple attachments..so my question is what to get.

Here is what I have to deal with.. looks worse in person than these pics.





Right now I have a 7' landscape rake, which does kinda ok, but after going 100 feet its all tangled up with roots so I have to clean it out by one of the burn piles.

I'm thinking about a disc, box blade, and then a seeder for when I'm done cleaning up. Its mostly soft sandy soil(more sand than soil), will the disc cut these roots up you think or no? And smooth discs or the ones with cuts in them? Or is there a better tool for the job? disc first , or box blade first to smooth things out first?

Thoughts and advice are appreciated!

And oh, a nice surprise.. we found another spring in one end of the large field so Ihave an additional watering hole now.(click on pic for video)

 

[gwdixon]

A box blade with scarifiers will do an amazing job of working the soil. It will load up a lot less than a landscape rake and will almost "disc" the land similar to a chisel plow.

If you set the scaifiers right and the tilt is right then the box blade will do a fair job of leveling, also. With the box blade tilted way back so it won't dig (or barely dig) is best for smoothing. It can be done at a reasonable speed since the box won't load up.

A hydraulic top link is very handy for the job you want to do as well. After the shaping is done, disking will be very effective.



If you can find a dedicated land leveller like this it would help.



A simple 3 PT disc should do the job at the end.

 

[jeff9366]

I recommend:

1. FEL grapple/root rake. Most expensive option. "All in One" tool(s) for your task.

2. Field Cultivator. <$900. Will penetrate 6" to 12" depending on conditions.

We use the same tractor model. Five shank Field Cultivator is a good match to tractor.

3. Ratchet Rake attachment for your FEL bucket. $400.
Ratchet Rake is more effective at collecting and piling tree debris than a Landscape Rake but only penetrates
into soil to extract roots 2" or so. Ratchet Rake does not "load up" with debris. Pretty good at grading.

You can buy a Ratchet Rake with FedEx delivery from the T-B-N store.


FIELD CULTIVATOR LINKS (2):

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachments/339095-dirt-dog-all-purpose-plow.html?highlight=

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...ement-vine-root-removal-woods.html?highlight=


A Disc Harrow is one form of soil tiller. You can pull a Disc Harrow with 20" diameter pans with your tractor, max, but that is not heavy enough to yield results you seek. (Fine after roots extracted.) $2,400 new.

(You would want a Disc Harrow with notched pans, front and rear, spaced 9" apart, not 7". Smooth pans would roll over debris in your photos.)

 

[tonyoz]

OP, your job photos are the best I've seen as to why a forestry mulcher should have been used from the get go.

 

[hunt4570]

OP, your job photos are the best I've seen as to why a forestry mulcher should have been used from the get go.

You are going to have to explain this one to me............ Why would you think that?

 

[hunt4570]

A box blade with scarifiers will do an amazing job of working the soil. It will load up a lot less than a landscape rake and will almost "disc" the land similar to a chisel plow.

If you set the scaifiers right and the tilt is right then the box blade will do a fair job of leveling, also. With the box blade tilted way back so it won't dig (or barely dig) is best for smoothing. It can be done at a reasonable speed since the box won't load up.

A hydraulic top link is very handy for the job you want to do as well. After the shaping is done, disking will be very effective.

View attachment 433329

If you can find a dedicated land leveller like this it would help.

View attachment 433330

A simple 3 PT disc should do the job at the end.

View attachment 433331

Thanks, that was kind of along the same lines I was thinking.

I have a line on one of those "rolling" box blades.. I know its not the right name..

 

[hunt4570]

I recommend:

1. FEL grapple/root rake. Most expensive option. "All in One" tool(s) for your task.

2. Field Cultivator. <$900. Will penetrate 6" to 12" depending on conditions.

We use the same tractor model. Five shank Field Cultivator is a good match to tractor.

3. Ratchet Rake attachment for your FEL bucket. $400.
Ratchet Rake is more effective at collecting and piling tree debris than a Landscape Rake but only penetrates
into soil to extract roots 2" or so. Ratchet Rake does not "load up" with debris. Pretty good at grading.

You can buy a Ratchet Rake with FedEx delivery from the T-B-N store.


FIELD CULTIVATOR LINKS (2):

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachments/339095-dirt-dog-all-purpose-plow.html?highlight=

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...ement-vine-root-removal-woods.html?highlight=


A Disc Harrow is one form of soil tiller. You can pull a Disc Harrow with 20" diameter pans with your tractor, max, but that is not heavy enough to yield results you seek. (Fine after roots extracted.) $2,400 new.

(You would want a Disc Harrow with notched pans, front and rear, spaced 9" apart, not 7". Smooth pans would roll over debris in your photos.)

I have a FEL root grapple already, which is good for picking up the big stuff, (all those stumps in the pics are already piled up so I dont need to do that)

Also , the ground is already pretty loose from all the activity, dont need to penetrate, just smooth things up and collect or bury /chop the roots left over.

And I'd love a hydraulic top link but I have no remote back there.

 

[jeff9366]

You are going to have to explain this one to me............ Why would you think that?

Check out his avatar. TONYOZ is in the forestry mulching business.

 

[hunt4570]

Check out his avatar. TONYOZ is in the forestry mulching business.

Just not sure what that would have done better.. but I'd like to know.

 

[gwdixon]

And I'd love a hydraulic top link but I have no remote back there.

If you have the money, a remote can be added. Contact MtViewRanch (http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/members/mtnviewranch.html), a member here on TBN. He is in the business, an advertiser, and an expert.

You will NEVER regret a hydraulic top link. A Top & Tilt is even better.

 

[tonyoz]

You are going to have to explain this one to me............ Why would you think that?

When I see a mess like you had in the first photos I also see topsoil that is going to be lost forever unless it's mulched. As you stated "you have sandy soil with more sand than soil" and no doubt very little organic matter. Mulching your site would put some orgainic matter into what soil you have for the betterment of your land.Now for your own reasons you have elected to clear this land using the methods you which is fair enough but I don't belive it's the best method.
Yes I am a contractor and you look a bit further at my advitar you will notice my location, about 20,000 miles from you so I have nothing to gain financialy from my comment

 

[hunt4570]

When I see a mess like you had in the first photos I also see topsoil that is going to be lost forever unless it's mulched. As you stated "you have sandy soil with more sand than soil" and now dought very little organic matter. Mulching your site would put some orgainic matter into what soil you have for the betterment of your land.Now for your own reasons you have elected to clear this land using the methods you which is fair enough but I don't belive it's the best method.
Yes I am a contractor and you look a bit further at my advitar you will notice my location, about 20,000 miles from you so I have nothing to gain financialy from my comment

Interesting ,and not something I really knew existed, and maybe its not here. Upon talking to local timber guys and clearing guys, this type of thing was never mentioned.

 

[hunt4570]

A box blade with scarifiers will do an amazing job of working the soil. It will load up a lot less than a landscape rake and will almost "disc" the land similar to a chisel plow.

If you set the scaifiers right and the tilt is right then the box blade will do a fair job of leveling, also. With the box blade tilted way back so it won't dig (or barely dig) is best for smoothing. It can be done at a reasonable speed since the box won't load up.


If you can find a dedicated land leveller like this it would help.

View attachment 433330

Well I did find these... what do you think about them? Also tracked down a 66" roll over box blade I'm thinking about.

New Land Levelers

 

[gwdixon]

Well I did find these... what do you think about them? Also tracked down a 66" roll over box blade I'm thinking about.

New Land Levelers

Those look nice. Very similar to road graders so they should work fine. It would need to be properly adjusted to work well. But once it is used to level your land it will likely just sit. Or you might choose to sell it. If you could rent one for your project, that would seem the best solution

The only comment I'd make is that a box blade with scarifiers is similar and would be of more use in the future for other projects. Wide trenching for drainage, moving large amount of soil, pushing burn piles while burning (backwards!) come immediately to mind.

A hydraulic top link would be a perfect upgrade (I know...not in the plans) to make small adjustments that make a big difference. Getting on and off the tractor to turn the top link one way or the other gets old fast. Different areas of your property may require different settings due to soil conditions, moisture, or other factors.

I'm not experienced with rollover box blades so am not much help. I think that more of them would be sold if they are that superior to a box blade that has a blade on the rear for shaping soil when backing up. Does the one you are looking at have scarifiers?

EDIT: Whoops, I see you started another thread and already are looking for answers.

 

[hunt4570]

Those look nice. Very similar to road graders so they should work fine. It would need to be properly adjusted to work well. But once it is used to level your land it will likely just sit. Or you might choose to sell it. If you could rent one for your project, that would seem the best solution

The only comment I'd make is that a box blade with scarifiers is similar and would be of more use in the future for other projects. Wide trenching for drainage, moving large amount of soil, pushing burn piles while burning (backwards!) come immediately to mind.

A hydraulic top link would be a perfect upgrade (I know...not in the plans) to make small adjustments that make a big difference. Getting on and off the tractor to turn the top link one way or the other gets old fast. Different areas of your property may require different settings due to soil conditions, moisture, or other factors.

I'm not experienced with rollover box blades so am not much help. I think that more of them would be sold if they are that superior to a box blade that has a blade on the rear for shaping soil when backing up. Does the one you are looking at have scarifiers?

EDIT: Whoops, I see you started another thread and already are looking for answers.

Yes but thanks for replying. And yes, everything I am looking at has the scarifiers. And yes, you hit the nail on the head as far as the usage of the land leveler after I'm done.

 

[jeff9366]

Rollover Box Blades work well WITHOUT hydraulic support. They are less finicky about adjustment. They are an ingenious design.

Generally speaking ROBBs are heavily built and somewhat more complex than standard Box Blades so they cost more.

I have never encountered, nor seen pictures, nor read of a ROBB without scarifiers.

 

[tonyoz]

Interesting ,and not something I really knew existed, and maybe its not here. Upon talking to local timber guys and clearing guys, this type of thing was never mentioned.

If you had posted this thread in the landclearing forum on this site you would have plenty of contractors wanting to help and are local to you.

Here is a before and after of how I work. This job was in soils very similar to your land. What we do is go through and rough cut it then the client seeds the site, then I do a finish cut which covers the seed, nothing more to but watch the grass grow