Box scrapper

[BB_TX]

A few things to keep in mind; few tractors other than industrial tractors provide down force on the 3 point, a box tends to float on top of hard ground, your ability to pull stumps with the box depends a lot on the power and traction of your tractor.
The teeth on the scarifiers are angled down and forward so they tend to pull the box blade down helping to cut into the ground and whatever is on it. That plus the weight of the box may be enough force to catch the roots and small stumps and pull them out. On hard ground, the teeth will dig in 3" or 4". You should have 4 to 7 scarifiers depending on your box. You can make multiple passes over the area and probably rip out most all surface roots that your tractor can handle. Then you can lift your scarifiers and go back and use the box to level the ground over that area.

 

[Buck]

TAB,

I couldn't say it any better than BB_TX, but I think a key to what he is saying is that he wouldn't rely on the scraper taking the stump out.

Buck

 

[MikeNC]

A warning about using the scraper teeth to pull stumps... you can do it, but they just weren't designed for that.

I hired out the clearing and rough grade on 3 acres. Then I came back with my boxblade, teeth all the way down, to remove leftover and buried debris. I found about a dozen missed stumps, most only in the 3"-4" range, and some other big debris. By the time I was two-thirds done, I started to see some serious damage to the tooth bar.

Had some 3/8" steel angle iron welded to the tooth bar to repair it. Now I go slow, and as soon as I find a stump I turn around and dig it out with the bucket. When the tooth hits a stump that won't move, a 3000# tractor can put ALOT of force on the toothbar. And you'd be suprised how a 3" stump can stop you in your tracks.

Roots are OK, branches OK, stumps are BAD.

 

[normde2001]

I just recently finished clearing a patch of ground that is about like you describe, with 20 year growth in what used to be yard. I have a 24 hp, 1700# Yanmar, and using a rotary cutter and boxblade, I still had to revert to an axe to cut a lot of 1" to 2" stumps (stobs) below ground level. I'm not sure there is a better way.

 

[TAB]

Thanks BB, Buck, Mike and Norm. I may end up just mowing alot down and then try to keep it sprayed with some thing to keep the willow down. The ground is in CRP so I do several small areas and don't want to bring in big equipment. Specs say I can pull a 6' box, but I was concerned about tearing it up. If I can at least prep it to broadcast or no-till drill new ground cover I'll be all set, it will never be yard.

 

[John_Mc]

BB TX -

Yes, the tree getter is exactly what I was talking about. I found some pictures I had saved of another version, but have been unable to remove the pictures from the Microsoft Word document I pasted them into (at least I've not been able to remove them and get them into JPEG format).

I would attatch the Word document (which has some brief details on the construction of the unit along with 2 pictures), but TBN will not accept Word files (.doc).

John Mc