Rotary Cutter Solution for Heavy/Dense Brush with 34 hp PTO tractor?

[metalbender]

Jusy saw the TTT video too. Looks like sweet attachment although probably expensive. With limited HP, not near as fast as regular shredder.

 

[Turkeyman]

Spend the money and get a wood brush bull either 600 or 720. And cut those trees in reverse. My first tractor was a new Holland TC 35 hydrostat and I did exactly what you were doing to sweet gums Pines and small oaks. My trees are probably not as hard as what you have. The tractor with only 29 pro hp did well. The thing that did not do well was the underneath of the tractor with grabbing hoses. I had a belly pan put on it and with the front end loader it would bend over the trees and I could just ride over with R 4 Tires. It is slow going and it makes a God awful noise as you might imagine. I wanted something with more speed so I moved up to a 4720 deer with 50 PTO horsepower or R 4 tires in a Hydro. I put a belly pan on that and it handled brush of what you're talking about fine. I switch to an M6 deere mower, which was terrible in reverse because I kept on ripping the rear wheels off. I also bought a brown tree cutter in the 5 foot model and could cut up to 8 inch sweet gums in reverse. I still have access to the TC 35 and it would run the brown tree cutter occasionally. The hardest part for a low PTO horsepower tractor was getting the brown spinning because the stump jumper alone weighs over 1000 pounds. The way around that is to just engage the PTO a little each time to start the stump jumper spinning unfortunately you have to do it fairly high speed because it just doesn't have the torque to overcome the initial resistance. But again once you get stump jumper spinning even at 20 or 30 RPMs it if fine. Here in the south you can find a used Brown tree cutters for two to $4000 just make sure you get a 540 RPM and not 1000. I know you do not want to use herbicides but if you cut these trees, they will resprout. You will have to go back over the resprouts with either Tordon on the cut stumps or a Garlon on regrowth. Even if you mulch you will have to use herbicides because mulching just cut the tree and does not prevent regrowth for the most part. Let me know if you have questions.

 

[kreyszig]

Tractor Time with Tim just posted a video where he is mowing brush pretty much like the one shown on the picture of the first post with a 38hp JD: UNLEASH THE FURY! Brush Mulcher in Action! - YouTube

I think he could go a bit slower to leave a better job but that comes with practice. It's an expensive attachment, specially when it would be used pretty much one time just to clear the bigger stuff.

On a personal note, I've dealt with stuff similar to that, just with green leaves on it, with my 35 HP tractor. Actually it was it's break in period. Using a conventional brush mower but fitted with high strength chains instead of blades. These chains can handle thicker brush and rocks or whatever it's thrown at it without getting damaged like the blades would. It would handle that stuff shown by the OP just fine and the mower only cost me $700 new that I can use for all kinds of brush.

Here is a clearing job I did some time ago. The brush is believe it's called gorse bush in English, it's about chest height and at least 15 years old. Took me slightly more time because it's a very steep hill even though it's does look like much in the picture. It was about one acre job.

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Thanks for the link, the Baumalight MP348 would be perfectly suited for my machine. In the video he basically cuts down exactly the same type of bushes I have to deal with. For the larger tress though I could cut them with a chainsaw. I just called a dealer, the MP348 costs $13,000 CAD though, so it is too expensive for the use I would make of it. Also I think a forestry mulcher with a FECON head at $300/hour is overkill for the bushes I have.

About your brush mower, I like the idea of the chains. It should be easier on the tractor. I guess what happens with chains is that, as it hits heavier stuff, the chains get closer to the center, and they become easier to spin because they require less torque due to the reduced radius. Also the chains must shatter the wood instead of cutting it, so it must be safer for the tires of the tractor.

So you think something similar to your mower could cut similar brush to what is shown in that video you linked?

Thanks!

 

[ptsg]

Wow, that's indeed crazy expensive. Specially when it's about a one time use. After you're done mowing that, you can easily maintain with a regular brush mower.

Yes, the mower I showed can do that. I've never found anyone selling those in the US or Canada though.

These things also eat more HP, so going slower is better to give time to shred all the brush in pieces. It's not a race anyways.

I'll share a couple videos so you can get a better idea on what these mowers can do. Bigger tractors are used in the video but that's all I could find of heavy and high brush. On the first video, I've mowed similar stuff to that, around hood height of my tractor.

Limpeza de Terreno em SIntra muitos carrascos - YouTube

New Holland TN 55.mp4 - YouTube

 

[kreyszig]

Wow, that's indeed crazy expensive. Specially when it's about a one time use. After you're done mowing that, you can easily maintain with a regular brush mower.

Yes, the mower I showed can do that. I've never found anyone selling those in the US or Canada though.

These things also eat more HP, so going slower is better to give time to shred all the brush in pieces. It's not a race anyways.

I'll share a couple videos so you can get a better idea on what these mowers can do. Bigger tractors are used in the video but that's all I could find of heavy and high brush. On the first video, I've mowed similar stuff to that, around hood height of my tractor.

Limpeza de Terreno em SIntra muitos carrascos - YouTube

New Holland TN 55.mp4 - YouTube

Ok yes that works great! And a hydraulic top link seems quite useful. I wish I could find a rotary mower in good condition like yours for $700. What is the width of your mower? Do you know what was the recommended PTO power for it? The used equipment I see for sale in my area is really beaten up. A new Woods cutter that is sturdy enough for the job like the BB60.50 is about $4,500 CAD. It is not $13,000, but I prefer $700

The only drawback with this kind of equipment is that the roots stay there and I would still need to deal with the roots, especially if I want to grow something else. I was wondering how a rotary mower would compare to using the scarifiers of a box blade (tilted using a hydraulic top link) to pull the brush by its roots. It would be nice if a box blade worked well, since these are very versatile attachments.

 

[shaeff]

Me and my father cleared my 2.5 acre field with his Kubota L2850 (34hp, 27PTO) using a beat to snot Bush Hog Squealer. We basically destroyed that poor hog. It looked very similar to your issue. Just bite out a little at a time, he would lift the brush hog a bit, back over the thick stuff, and lower it down on top, drive forward. It took us a few weekends, me and my brother on our hands and knees with chainsaws for the larger stuff, but it's clear. The brush was so thick and tall that if I were 5' away from you I wouldn't see you. The entire first year the field was shredded stick and stalks up to about 2" thick just littering the ground. There was zero vegetation, it was just dirt and sticks.

The first summer, natural grasses started to take hold. By the end of that year, the field was just about covered. The beginning of the third year I hit it with my flail mower and it almost looked like a lawn. I've still got small trees to pull out, (3"+) that we just worked around, but eventually I'll plant some fruit trees out there in an easy-to-mow fashion. Maybe some Black caps at the field's edge.

 

[LouNY]

There have been people who modified standard brush hogs to chain;
Chains Convert Bush Hog To Heavy-Duty "String Trimmer"

And a video, I haven't watched it so no idea how it comes out;
Will a chain work as a blade on a brush cutter? - YouTube

As far as the roots as long as you keep the tops clipped back the roots will die off and rot away after a few years,
as dense as that brush is the root mass would be a mess trying to tear it out, it could be disked and seeded.

 

[shaeff]

Something else for you to think about on that brush,
one of the side benefits to using a brush hog with well worn and rounded over blades is that they tend to break and shatter the bases of the brush so that they are not nice sharp spear points sticking up in the air looking for expensive tires.
Anything with sharp blades that shears that brush off nice and neat also makes tire spears. :thumbsup:

Also this ^^^

My father used to sharpen his blades dependent upon the job he'd be doing. Grassy field, sharp blades. Clearing job, he'd dull the blades down for these exact reasons.

 

[skipperbrown]

As noted above, make sure you protect your tractor from thorns and sticks that always, Always, ALWAYS find their way into your radiator, front axle boots, oil filters, anything that will tear, and anything that will puncture. A belly skid plate and ROPS mounted protection for the operator are good ideas too. Ask me how I know that. Hmmm, don't.

 

[kreyszig]

Me and my father cleared my 2.5 acre field with his Kubota L2850 (34hp, 27PTO) using a beat to snot Bush Hog Squealer. We basically destroyed that poor hog. It looked very similar to your issue. Just bite out a little at a time, he would lift the brush hog a bit, back over the thick stuff, and lower it down on top, drive forward. It took us a few weekends, me and my brother on our hands and knees with chainsaws for the larger stuff, but it's clear. The brush was so thick and tall that if I were 5' away from you I wouldn't see you. The entire first year the field was shredded stick and stalks up to about 2" thick just littering the ground. There was zero vegetation, it was just dirt and sticks.

The first summer, natural grasses started to take hold. By the end of that year, the field was just about covered. The beginning of the third year I hit it with my flail mower and it almost looked like a lawn. I've still got small trees to pull out, (3"+) that we just worked around, but eventually I'll plant some fruit trees out there in an easy-to-mow fashion. Maybe some Black caps at the field's edge.

This is what is nice with a rotary cutter, you end up with mulch that eventually turns into compost. Maybe I should try finding a beaten up sacrificial rotary cutter for cheap to cut down the brush and get a nice box blade to work the surface as needed.

P.S. Sorry for not necessarily replying to all the message. I read and appreciate them all. This forum has been very helpful so far!