Blackberring clearing

[Gordon Gould]

I did a similar black berry job, but much smaller, earlier this spring. My wife wanted to push back our black berry jungle a little to give her more room around her blue berries. I have a small dozer. I ran the dozer back and forth thru the berries to chop them up with the dozer tracks. Didn't use the dozer blade at all. Then I ran my tractor and land plane thru the area to even things a little and get some of the roots out and also to collect up the debris w/o collecting to much dirt. It is tough to get all the roots out so they don't grow back so I don't even try. I have found that if you just keep mowing the area when you mow the lawn the black berries will disappear and it will fill in with grass. I should put some grass seed on this to make it grass in quicker but haven't got around to it yet. This is how it looks now after about 6 weeks and you can see my debris pile is pretty clean.
Maybe this wiil help.

 

[mudcat47537]

We rented our goat herd out a couple years ago to clear a old home place like that out. Let them eat for a few weeks and came back in and bush hogged the rest. They got it so we could see through it easy enough by eating the leaves and small branches off. We just backed the bush hog into the remaining thicket until it was gone. No flat tires but lots of scratches. Good luck I don't envy you unless you are getting paid good.

 

[compact]

Since I own one (5 ton) I'm biased, but a mini-excavator with a thumb works well. Rip the ground and shallow roots with the bucket teeth, get rough level. If you hit a stump pull it, big rock, old car axle, etc. drop into piles. Final level with front blade (ground should be pretty loose by then). When you're done dig a hole(s), bury the debris, cut big trees into 2-3 foot chunks, add dirt and pack down as you go, cover with a couple feet of dirt, spread the excess dirt where you need it. It might settle a little over a couple decades but not much.

In the photo There'a a 500lb rock and a 100' 5/8" poly rope grown into the grass in an area I was preparing to mow.

 

[sam5570]

We rented our goat herd out a couple years ago to clear a old home place like that out. Let them eat for a few weeks and came back in and bush hogged the rest. They got it so we could see through it easy enough by eating the leaves and small branches off. We just backed the bush hog into the remaining thicket until it was gone. No flat tires but lots of scratches. Good luck I don't envy you unless you are getting paid good.

thats the ticket if you leave the goats there long enough they will deatory them bushes and fertlize your ground as they do it. we cleaned off around 20 acres with goats they eat the stuff down to where you could walk up to the big stuff and cut it. worked well for us

 

[BraveheartGN]

So nobody thinks one of the fail type brush mowers (that can take down small trees) on a excavator would be a good fit for this job? I first thought a dozer would be the key but wonder if chopping it up with a mower would be better and easier to clean up.

Thanks for everyone thoughts!

Tim

I've been using a Mott 74" flail mower to clear some very substantial multiflora bushes out here on the east coast at my neighbors pretty successfully. About a 5 acre field that had not been mowed in quite some time, the bushes are very stalky and invasive around here, trunks up to about 2" thick and full of prickers, nasty stuff. Biggest issue is the hidden stuff you can't see, like felled trees. I put the FEL down low to do a little "exploratory surgery" before I proceed and I go slow. I've been very impressed - have not yet lost a blade.

 

[BraveheartGN]

Also, using finish blades, too

 

[MESSMAKER]

Just hang in there. Drop your loader and make a pass. mow what you can then see. You can get it if you take your time. Just keep working on it until you get some paths. It gets easier after that. A dozier for blackberry briars is overkill. The building in the middle may be a different story.

 

[sikboater]

Thanks all for the replies and ideas! I also discussed this with a friend of mine who owns some larger equipment.. He recommended the Dozer route.. The one aspect I did not think of was that with the Dozer and a brush rake you can push all the vines and other stuff into a pile and get the ground clear of that stuff.. (that would make him happy) I will recommend to him that we need to plant some field grass to help keep the weeds at bay (along with keeping it mowed a couple of times a summer). The small excavator would work but with the unknowns in the bushes the Dozer would be less likely to damage... :^)

I checked on rentals around here and can get a Dozer and rake for about $305 plus delivery and fuel for a day, 8 hours of run time. Plus I will charge the operators (me) expense.

I will try to take pictures and post them when I get it done for everyone. Probably will not get to it until July...


Tim

 

[jerrybob]

Sorry should have told ya all that..... In Bellingham WA area... North of Seattle.

Those blackberries are a problem out here......if I didn't cut them back.......you wouldn't see my house or shop in 2 or 3 years. Between my toothbar and DR.......they cry when they see me coming!

 

[vabiker23518]

Wish I was closer, I'd come pick those tasty berries first!