Rocky trail mowing options

[sportbikerider78]

Hey guys. I have a rather open ended question. Here is the situation.
I have a 265 acre wooded property that I use for recreation (atv, dirt biking ect) and fall hunting. It is a hilly and rocky property and I'm trying to keep about 10 miles of trails relatively clear of tall weeds. Without mowing, the weeds get over head tall. Outta control. I don't need a perfect mow at all. Just knock it all down.
There are large rocks and the occasional stump that hides in the trail. These are logging trails that I maintain.
Last year I used my 29hp Yanmar with a great 5' brush hog and it was difficult and very slow. The terrain is so wavy and rocky that I'm at a snails pace and constantly adjusting the 3point height to avoid destroying it on rocks. Because there are so many dips up and down, the ride height of the brush hog is in the air not doing anything 1 min and then buried the next second because of the ups and downs.
So there are 2 issues.
1. The length of the tractor and brush hog make constant, drastic height adjustments necessary.
2. The blades cranking on rocks and stumps.

To shorten the wheelbase, I was thinking flail mower. How are these in rocky terrain? What about instead of a hammer style blade using a chain that will just smack rocks and not lift them?
The cheapest option would be to just use a chain blade on the brush hog. I'm open to that if someone has some advice about these..or where to look for them.

I also have a rugged utility atv. I'm open to the idea of trail mowing using this, but I see it getting bogged down constantly without the ability for me to adjust height.

Tks for the input guys!

 

[scootr]

I had a similar need. Maybe not as rough as your terrain but lots of rocks on the surface. I mowed it once with a flail mower and it destroyed the hammer set.
Last yr a friend gave me an BH 5ft mower. It was 50 yrs old or more, built like a tank. We cut the blades short and put about a foot of hardened chain on each blade. This thing is a beast in any vegetation - just thrashes everything that's under it. That might be right for you?

 

[bcp]

An old tongue pull brush hog from before 3pt was common would allowing cutting independent of tractor motions.

Looks like some are still made,

pull type brush hog - Google Search

Bruce

 

[groundcover]

Sounds like a great reason to get a dozer and tune those trails up ! Just tell the Mrs we told you to so you didn't have a choice !

 

[sportbikerider78]

I had a similar need. Maybe not as rough as your terrain but lots of rocks on the surface. I mowed it once with a flail mower and it destroyed the hammer set.
Last yr a friend gave me an BH 5ft mower. It was 50 yrs old or more, built like a tank. We cut the blades short and put about a foot of hardened chain on each blade. This thing is a beast in any vegetation - just thrashes everything that's under it. That might be right for you?

That's pretty cool..
My brush hog is definitely a unit. Very sturdy. This might be my best and cheapest bet.

 

[sportbikerider78]

Sounds like a great reason to get a dozer and tune those trails up ! Just tell the Mrs we told you to so you didn't have a choice !

No doubt. I think my next purchase will be a mini-x to better move rocks, dig ditches and build trails.

 

[groundcover]

Can't do without a mini ! I think I was The only guy in town without one, solved that!

 

[sportbikerider78]

This is outta control at $4k, but the best atv solution I've seen.

Rammy ATV Flail Mower 120

About the Rammy ATV Flail Mower 120 General The Rammy Flail Mower 120 is a front mount mower for cutting grass, hay, and brush up to 3/4″ diameter. It attaches to almost any ATV using a center mounted snowplow mount bracket. To adjust the height of the Rammy, you move the rear roller and front...

www.foxforestry.com

 

[Thomas]

Also agree about using dozer.
Clear/clean up about blade wide.

 

[sportbikerider78]

Sadly there is so much granite, you're not clearing anything but getting down to more stone. Move a rock, see another rock. Little topsoil.
And I have a pickup..but nothing that will transport a dozer.

 

[leonz]

If this property is a long term investment you need to invest in a stone burrier
for your tractors horsepower. that is the only you are going to manage it.

 

[sportbikerider78]

That's not what's needed. More like this.
You're dealing with trails, roots, stumps and large rock. It's all 6"+. Nothing is getting buried by any machine.
When they did the logging, they moved some granite blocks that were the size of a VW bug.
Maybe I should turn it into a quarry instead of a wildlife refuge. Lol

 

[leonz]

You need to watch videos of a stone burrier working before
you make a decision, it will change your mind.

 

[Bill Guenthner]

Hey guys. I have a rather open ended question. Here is the situation.
I have a 265 acre wooded property that I use for recreation (atv, dirt biking ect) and fall hunting. It is a hilly and rocky property and I'm trying to keep about 10 miles of trails relatively clear of tall weeds. Without mowing, the weeds get over head tall. Outta control. I don't need a perfect mow at all. Just knock it all down.
There are large rocks and the occasional stump that hides in the trail. These are logging trails that I maintain.
Last year I used my 29hp Yanmar with a great 5' brush hog and it was difficult and very slow. The terrain is so wavy and rocky that I'm at a snails pace and constantly adjusting the 3point height to avoid destroying it on rocks. Because there are so many dips up and down, the ride height of the brush hog is in the air not doing anything 1 min and then buried the next second because of the ups and downs.
So there are 2 issues.
1. The length of the tractor and brush hog make constant, drastic height adjustments necessary.
2. The blades cranking on rocks and stumps.

To shorten the wheelbase, I was thinking flail mower. How are these in rocky terrain? What about instead of a hammer style blade using a chain that will just smack rocks and not lift them?
The cheapest option would be to just use a chain blade on the brush hog. I'm open to that if someone has some advice about these..or where to look for them.

I also have a rugged utility atv. I'm open to the idea of trail mowing using this, but I see it getting bogged down constantly without the ability for me to adjust height.

Tks for the input guys!

Ride it, repeatedly, with an ATV. You will clear a path. Then spot treat it with a mixture of glyphosate and 2,4-d with a surfactant added. If your water has a high mineral content add some Ammonium Thiosulfate to the tank before you add the glyphosate.

 

[nyone]

You could spray it once at spring green up then plant winter rye. In the fall all the seed heads should be empty and you can roll crimp it, or just drive over it with your quad. It will lay down any standing stalks.

 

[sportbikerider78]

Ride it, repeatedly, with an ATV. You will clear a path. Then spot treat it with a mixture of glyphosate and 2,4-d with a surfactant added. If your water has a high mineral content add some Ammonium Thiosulfate to the tank before you add the glyphosate.

I thought about hitting it with roundup. Atv sprayers aren't too much money. At the same time, I want to attract deer and then eat them. Not sure roundup is best for that.

 

[Fixastuff]

I thought about hitting it with roundup. Atv sprayers aren't too much money. At the same time, I want to attract deer and then eat them. Not sure roundup is best for that.

If you have crops near by they are probably already exposed. I hear people call deer organic and I’m not so sure. At least with how we farm around here.

 

[nyone]

I thought about hitting it with roundup. Atv sprayers aren't too much money. At the same time, I want to attract deer and then eat them. Not sure roundup is best for that.

Cerial rye is just about they cheapest smother crop you can plant and attract deer. If you dont want to use chemicals mow the best you can once spring green up happens and plant cereal/winter rye. Dont touch it until the seed pods are empty, then mow again and plant more rye. By hunting season you should have a nice young rye crop and seeds in the ground ready for spring.

 

[oosik]

I think scootr has the best idea - if you don't want to remove the rocks and clean up the trails. HD chains on the ends of bush whacker blades.

Otherwise a dozer to permanently fix the trails and the rocks.

 

[Gordon Gould]

That's not what's needed. More like this.
You're dealing with trails, roots, stumps and large rock. It's all 6"+. Nothing is getting buried by any machine.
When they did the logging, they moved some granite blocks that were the size of a VW bug.
Maybe I should turn it into a quarry instead of a wildlife refuge. Lol

I have a similar situation - a large piece of rough, rocky, and hilly property with miles of old skid trails on it. At first none of the trails could be used by an atv, mostly because of thick raspberries, downed logs, and tons of slash. A tractor was out of the question because of stumps, rocks, logs and side hill terrain. I started building usable atv trails using my 4 wheeler and chain saw, moving stuff by hand. Of course berries, weeds, and ferns grow back. I bought a self powered heavy duty Fuerst (no longer in business) bush hog and pulled it with the wheeler. I ran the blade about 7" off the ground to keep it mowed. Any trail I wanted to turn into a tractor road I used my dozer, But like you said it is an excise in burying rocks. I cant just drop the blade and push out a level swarth. It is slow work but doable. I've been at it 25 years and there is plenty more to do.

gg