Removing saplings up to 2" in diameter

[GRTkub]

I have hundreds to take out. No desire to bush hog them as I will be working around trees I want to keep, and the BH is too large. Plus I do not want little spikes left sticking up.

I am getting a grapple and see plenty of videos of grabbing brush and carrying it off. One video showed a guy digging under the saplings with a grapple and pulling them out. He seemed to be having a slow go of it.

I was wondering if it is possible to drive the grapple over the tress and curl the bucket so the grapple top lids engages the ground and pull the tress out.

What is the correct way to use a grapple for removing small trees?

Am I better off using a Piranha Bar to uproot the trees? I have a 72" bucket which is going to be a bit large to maneuver. I am thinking a 48" or 55" grapple will be easier to get between the trees I want to keep. Tractor is an LS4140 being delivered tomorrow

Thanks,

I've been dissed a bit in the past for mentioning this but I have a J. Dunn grapple that I bought for exactly this purpose. I use it for pulling alders and evergreen trees up to 3" in dia from the sides of my camp road. Cutting them off with my rotary cutter leaves "spikes". I can pull multiple trees if they are close enough together. I pile them up and then grab the pile with the grapple and move it to a dumping spot. I cleared about 100 yards of roadway in about an hour. I then go over the disturbed ground with my landscape rake to level it. My plan is to use my rotary cutter to keep the road trimmed once all the problem trees are gone. The ground is gravel, sand or a combination of both.

 

[bcp]

One of these.

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Bruce

 

[civilian]

Brush grubber works great on the 3-pt hitch or pulling from drawbar, but could get tiresome for hundreds of trees since you have to get off the tractor and hook it up each time.

That's where the helper comes in. I have done some this way, but it does take time. Jon

 

[shooterdon]

I have a brush grubber and it works well but I normally work alone. Getting on and off the tractor hundreds of times is what I am trying to avoid.

I need a grapple anyway, so will get one and try it. MTL has a tree puller for $900 but I will have little use for it once my clearing is done....but still worth it if it is the only viable option.

The Ratchet Rake video shows what I want to do and seems to do a decent job. Maybe putting it on a separate SSQA narrower than my 72 bucket is an option.

Thanks for the input so far guys.

 

[Tractor Seabee]

I have a digging tooth bar on my BX FEL. Up to 3-4" alders & firs I can just push them out. Set the teeth on a slight down angle right above the ground and drive forward. Rolls them right up pretty fast. Push them into a pile and set afire from both ends and the middle. W/FEL keep pushing them inward and adding more. i had a perpetual fire going for 3 days one time.

Ron

 

[Industrial Toys]

I have never ripped out a tree that didn't leave an ugly wound in the ground with a tangle of roots and around here, a bunch of rocks pulled out of the ground.

I too, hate stumps.

 

[shooterdon]

I've been dissed a bit in the past for mentioning this but I have a J. Dunn grapple that I bought for exactly this purpose. I use it for pulling alders and evergreen trees up to 3" in dia from the sides of my camp road. Cutting them off with my rotary cutter leaves "spikes". I can pull multiple trees if they are close enough together. I pile them up and then grab the pile with the grapple and move it to a dumping spot. I cleared about 100 yards of roadway in about an hour. I then go over the disturbed ground with my landscape rake to level it. My plan is to use my rotary cutter to keep the road trimmed once all the problem trees are gone. The ground is gravel, sand or a combination of both.

View attachment 600547View attachment 600544View attachment 600546View attachment 600548

That is a heck of a concept. Seems about perfect for what I need to do.

 

[Dan Lamb]

I did the same AS Pine I went to Harbour Freight got some 1/4’’ and 5/16 cable with ferrals and made up 8 or 10 chokers so they would choke down tight AS u pull them tighter , one trip off the tractor and you can pop 8or 10 out on one pull but dont CUT the saplings first pop them out whole roots and all , takes a little trial and error but very cheap once you Get the hang of IT ,I think I maybe spent 50 bucks . I didnt have 900 extra $ ,Nor Cal Dan

 

[jeff9366]

If you are not in a rush:

Cut down saplings with a chain saw. Treat fresh stumps with undiluted 2,4-D herbicide so stumps die, rather than regenerate. Crossroad herbicide, an enhanced 2,4-D herbicide marketed by Rural King, is particularly effective on stumps.

In two years, when feeder roots have decayed, most stumps come out whole, relatively easily, at least in Florida. I cut roots of stubborn residual stumps with a Subsoiler on the Three Point Hitch.

What about a rachet rake? They make it look easy in the videos. Been thinking about one myself.

Ratchet Rake is an excellent attachment if operator is prudent. FELs are not for heavy stress pushing and pulling. FEL is designed to lift. Heavy work is for the Three Point Hitch or rear/center Drawbar, not the FEL.

Ratchet Rake is much better than an unadorned bucket for modest diameter decayed stumps. Ratchet Rake grips when unadorned bucket will slip.

MORE: https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachments/375397-ratchet-rake-today.html?highlight=

 

[GRTkub]

That is a heck of a concept. Seems about perfect for what I need to do.

I originally saw this grapple when it was featured by a TBN user JOHNTHOMAS.
https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums...ot-small-tree-remover-grapple.html?highlight=

Because my situation was a bit unique, all of the other grapple and tree pulling options didn't solve my problem. I had tried clearing my camp lot with ATVs and a brush grubber. Took forever to clear a small spot. I bought a BX25 and I worked it hard to clear the driveway around my camp and to clear a couple of spots for a storage barn and parking. I tried clearing the sides of the road with my BX and a tooth bar but it took a long time and it left a mess of the roadside. I didn't want to leave it for like that for the other road users to look at. When I ordered my B2650 I saw the post above and contacted Jery via email.

I had lots of conversations with Jery and decided to order the grapple. I was a little scared of the price - at the time it was $1800 US. But I had a specific use in mind and it was my best option. I've had several knee surgeries over the years and a total knee replacement last year. Getting on and off the tractor frequently is out of the question. When the grapple was done, I drove to Jery's place in WI to pick it up. My wife and I made a weekend trip out of it. When I picked up the grapple Jery was very frank about it's limitations. He made me aware that JOHNTHOMAS had bent his grapple. My B2650 has a lot less power than John's so I felt safer. Even if I had a bigger tractor, I was made aware of how much force to use safely. Jery also made a couple of improvements to his design.

I also thought about what to do with it after clearing my road but other jobs keep popping up. Like clearing some trails on our deer hunting lot on Manitoulin Island. It's rocky ground with hundreds of small balsams popping up everywhere. A rotary cutter just won't work there. I also use it to move my propane tanks and barrels around. Some of my neighbours have asked me to help them out with some things too.

In the end, this grapple is not for everyone, and it is expensive. I am really happy with the way it works for me.

I do have a couple of videos showing the grapple pulling trees and brush but I don't have a way to post them here. I did send them to Jery so I suspect he can show them if you contact him.