blade steel for tree grubber knife edge?

[Renze]

A small hydraulic clamp finger would help better than a sharpened cutting edge.

 

[Nat]

I have made and used tree grubbers for years and I have always cut the V notch with an act torch. I never wore the sharp edge off and I cleares 3 acres at one time with a homemade grubber that had a piece of 1/2" X 12' X 12" with a V notch torch cut in it. Yours looks nicer that any I ever made, so I can see why you don't want to use a torch on it so I would just grind an edge. You don't need to go all the way into the V, so it shouldn't be too bad. later, Nat

 

[SPIKER]

I would probably use work harding rod o it myself and grind in a slight taper so that it digs in when raising. using a cutting wheel on a small angle grinder... you could also make teeth in that V notch to bite better too... biggest problem you can never say it will grab 100% of time... only other way would be to put in a pivoting edge so that as you raise UP it pivots INTO the V grabbing the tree tighter as it goes UP. to release simply drop DOWN and it opens back up while driving out... I LIKE the idea of an upper V to keep the tree from coming at you .

hope that helps

mark M

 

[BTDT]

Could you add something like this to give you some teeth on the backside of the "v"? It would be spring loaded, as you back up to the tree, it would spread apart and close back on the tree, then ripp'er out. Bolt in place and your good to go. Might have to add a lever to spread teeth apart when you get ready to release though, since your trying to make it so you don't have to get off of tractor. Good luck. Nice looking attatchment.

 

[DocHeb]

Nothing beats a chain wrapped around the tree base about 2 or 3 times.

on...off...on...off...on...off...on...off...on...off...on...off...

You've now pulled three trees. I think the grubber is easier.

 

[oscer]

You mentioned lawnmower blades,were you thinkin of bolting them to what you already made? If so that seems feasable to me,except maybe the drilling part, you may be able to drill them with cobalt bit run slowly in a drill press.BTW nice job.

 

[kossetx]

Guys, thanks for the replies.

Renze, Yes it would, tremendously. I wish I had a remote.

Chris, My sentiments exactly.

Mike, Your drawing is a good idea and I was thinking along those lines, but the teeth for the backside need to somehow be infinatly adjustable. If they were like 2 more spring loaded wedges for the backside...

Oscer, Yes, To be bolted on the top edge and to become the leading edge. I didn't know it would be that hard to make a hole in it though. BTW, I didn't know there were any steel workers left in PA. I grew up outside Pittsburgh and still go back once and a while to fish those pa streams.

MP

 

[jmcalli]

I used to use a material called "Quick Hard" to case harden mild steel. It works pretty well. You would fabricate the mild steel blade by any method you wish, then heat and add the Quick Hard powder to the cutting edge. There are also other brands of case hardening compound.

Centaur Forge-Quick-Hard Powder

 

[BobG_in_VA]

on...off...on...off...on...off...on...off...on...off...on...off...

You've now pulled three trees. I think the grubber is easier.

Based on what I read in the original post, you have pulled 3 trees, the poster only got one.....I rest my case. By the way, who said you had to do it alone? One guy on the ground, one on the tractor. goes really fast....

 

[Casey1]

Thanks for the re[lies. I would rather try a cutting edge rather than bevel the existing edge for several reasons.

1. A bolt on edge would be easy to sharpen and also to replace if ever needed.

2. If I bevel the existing edge and don't like it I'm still stuck with it. It would be easier to do that way but much harder to sharpen.



Why would it would it be harder to sharpen? What would it take, 5 min with a mini grinder?

Even if you decided to go with lawnmower blades couldn't you add them even with the bevel in place? You never said how you would attach the lawnmower blades or if you would bevel the top or bottom side.