What attachments should you use on a tractor to clear land.

[Joe Batt]

I'm clearing 25 years of growth with a generator/electric chainsaw (because 2 cycle engines hate me), a couple log chains, a 60" bushhog, bucket forks on the front end loader and a 33 hp Massey Fergison. It is slow, but that's working for me. I haven't hurt myself yet. Yesterday I got the saw stuck and had to use a long lever to free it up

 

[Blue hood]

That's the way to go around the farm with your garage/shop AC tools.
To replace using a gas or a PTO generator you can install between the ROPS a 4Kw portable hydraulic generator.
It works at 5 GPM, 3000 psi max. but could be dropped lowering the output a little. They quoted me some time ago about $1,500. It's not cheap.
Check it out.

https://secureservercdn.net/198.71.189.232/037.12f.myftpupload.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/HU04.0PMG-16G5-B-SP42-01-B-GENERATOR-ASSEMBLY-10-19-16.pdf

Product - PHD Portable Hydraulic Generator - Harrison Hydragen

The Portable Hydraulic Generator is a hydraulically driven, PORTABLE AC generator, that utilizes the Auxiliary Tool Circuit as the fuel source.

www.googleadservices.com

 

[Jrasband]

I like using a scape blade turned around backwards to clear brush. Makes a decent bulldozer out of a tractor. Chainsaw for big stuff. Cut stumps off at ground level if you are creating pasture. No need to dig them up.

 

[jjeff]

What worked for me with large maple/ birch stumps was cutting the main leaders with a cordless sawzall using a demo blade. Dig the stump out with the 3pt BH, then come back and rip the leaders out with a subsoiler. This worked pretty good for a few years and wasn't as hard on my l2850. Did this until I acquired a
skid steer.

 

[timbatrader]

All this talk of hiring a bulldozer why not buy one I am not sure of prices over in your neck of the woods but a brand new Chinese made 35 horse power bulldozer is probably cheaper than a "name brand" same horsepower tractor and is going to be much better for what you need check out Nortrac https://www.northerntool.com/images/downloads/brochures/nortrac.pdf

 

[jjeff]

All this talk of hiring a bulldozer why not buy one I am not sure of prices over in your neck of the woods but a brand new Chinese made 35 horse power bulldozer is probably cheaper than a "name brand" same horsepower tractor and is going to be much better for what you need check out Nortrac https://www.northerntool.com/images/downloads/brochures/nortrac.pdf

They stopped selling them. I've read a lot of bad stories about them fortunately no experience. You can always Buy the rebranded Chinese Mini x though thru northern might need two though using one for parts.

 

[timbatrader]

They stopped selling them. I've read a lot of bad stories about them fortunately no experience. You can always Buy the rebranded Chinese Mini x though thru northern might need two though using one for parts.

I have had the Australian version branded as a an East Wind for over ten years now I have broken it several times though no fault of the machine just pure abuse and worn out a set of tracks for the money I paid for it the machine has worked out well

 

[jjeff]

I have had the Australian version branded as a an East Wind for over ten years now I have broken it several times though no fault of the machine just pure abuse and worn out a set of tracks for the money I paid for it the machine has worked out wellView attachment 731666

I assumed a lot of what I heard was due to operating inexperience most folks don't talk about stuff positively only when they have problems with it. Still the negative comments stick with you. Northern stopped selling them about 2 years ago. For the price they were selling them at you could get a decent used skid steer with steel tracks over tires and probably more capable than a 6k lb dozer.

 

[Vigo327]

I dont know for sure but i got the feeling they were selling a lot of them to people who were new to machines and just didn't have any context of what was realistic.

"My brand new machine (with 200 hydraulic connections) has A (one) leak!!"

OK.

You're in for a ride..

 

[Blue hood]

I'm planing to assemble a 6 way dozer, (2 yes 4 no) using a lite blade (that I will reinforce) and a old iron crawler that comes with hydraulics, all at a fraction cost of a real one.
It should work to move tons of sandy soil, clear some land and pull a 6 ton dump trailer.

 

[hayden]

Well, here we are 70 posts into this thread and I still have no idea what the OP is trying to clear.

How many acres?

Brush?

Small trees? If so, what diameter?

Larger trees? Again, what diameter?

Do you want to end up with just soil? Mulch over soil? Short vegetation that is mowable with a brushhog?

Whatever material you remove, what are your options for disposing of it? Bury it? Burn it? Mulch it? Haul it away?

 

[jyoutz]

$800 per acre for mastication. Cost shared 50% by NRCS = $400/acre. Why all the discussion about spending tens of thousands on equipment, when this could be done cheaply and quickly by a professional forestry contractor. Then the tractor could be used for maintenance.

 

[Blue hood]

Reddogs, you mention something about "whatever the fires left behind" and a picture of a wildfire title (Naples Fire).

I checked out where the fires took place in Naples and they were near the city, along Alligator Alley where the plots of land are around 115 acres, and in semi developed areas smaller plots.

Being one plot right next to each other full of wild vegetation to invest clearing your plot it doesn't secure you that in the future will not happen the same thing and even a worst risk if it's developed. Could increase the probabilities, just check the heat map detected by a satellite, you can lose your livelihood.

I now respectfully decline to encourage you to go ahead with your plan specially on the kind of weather pattern we are having these recent years all around, and if you are thinking that isn't my business, you are correct, it's only an advice to looked from other angle.

Map for the 36th Ave. SE Fire, roduced by the Florida Forest Service, 3:47 a.m. EDT May 14, 2020. The circles represent heat detected by a satellite. The red line, which most likely is thought to be the fire perimeter, was drawn by a human.

 

[Gee Ray]

What are talking about? Clearing the fuel for a fire from near your house is not a good idea? You need to rethink that.

 

[Blue hood]

He don't said that he was living there, he said:
"to clear out the different acreage and lots we have to deal with"

Unless is a City mandate because is a semi develop area or clear the land to live there I agree with you Gee Ray.

 

[Reddogs]

How much is in your budget to repair your tractor???

Hire it done!!

SR

With this "boss" it tends to change depending on how happy I make her
...so it goes up and down like the stock market if you know what I mean...

 

[Reddogs]

NOT true, a stump grinder works just fine on a gear drive tractor with creep gears.

SR

I was looking to see if that would work. The videos showed a lot of vibration, is that issue less on some models?

 

[Reddogs]

What are talking about? Clearing the fuel for a fire from near your house is not a good idea? You need to rethink that.

Not sure what you mean.
.

 

[Reddogs]

For clearing brush typicaly il go though with a set of loppers and get the small stuff, or just mow it. 1in and bigger I would rather use a mini ex and pluck it out and set it aside to burn/chip.

With a front bucket your really just pushing and it's easy to leave stumps behind or just bend small trees over.

I have taken out some very large trees (30in white pine) with a 3,500lb micro ex. Yes it takes time. I also cleared a cabin site along with a 700ft driveway and had to remove some 10-20in maple trees along with stumps. That took roughly 3-4 days.

That's what I was doing with the JD 790, tore it up something fierce but it keeps on going. A tough tractor, but I am basically putting it back together after years of backwoods clearing...

 

[Sawyer Rob]

I was looking to see if that would work. The videos showed a lot of vibration, is that issue less on some models?

I run my stump grinder on a gear drive tractor with creep gears, I've ground a lot of stumps with that combo and it works just fine.

I ground 32 stumps in one day, and made back half of what I paid for my grinder...

SR