Brush grabber type - which one?

[dstig1]

I have ongoing needs to pull garbage trees around the property to keep things neat and have been slacking off on this to the point where I really need to start attacking this. We're talking about small trees up to maybe 2-3" max and clumps of small stuff mainly, buckthorn, poplars, basswood, and other misc junk/weeds. I haven't used one of these before and it looks like 2 main styles: 1. the Pincher style, and the Chain loop style, like the pics below

This is homeowner use, not commercial. I will be doing most or all of this solo as wife is not terribly useful for stuff like this. Equipment is my Kubota L5240 with loader (and a rear blade on pretty much always). I have chain hooks on my bucket, forks and a grapple available as FEL attachments to help out. Plus several lengths of heavy logging chain. And before you all say it, I have tried using the grapple for stuff like this and it tends to make a huge mess and not work great for this task, IME. It is great for hauling/moving/picking up brush and logs, but not so much at pulling smaller brush by itself. I also need to do this where junk trees are growing right next to good trees, so need to be a bit surgical at times.

It seems that the chain loop style might be easier to deal with solo, but not sure if it is sturdy enough for trees in the 2-3" range or not. What say you, oh Glorious Collective? Which one would be best for this circumstance, or do I need both styles? Or is there another option I am missing?

 

[bcp]

If you need to pull clumps, get the chain.

Bruce

 

[oldnslo]

What type of trees and brush in what type of soil? If deep tap roots in hard soil will the pincher type grip good enough to pull a 3” tree? I have one for my 2400H which is smaller tractor and some times just peels the bark off and other times pulls them right out. For brush clumps the puncher type is worthless.

Typical weed tree in fence lines around here is silver maple and mulberry.

 

[dstig1]

Like I said - buckthorn, poplar, basswood, stuff like that. Soil has a lot of sand in it (we sit on a deposit of frac sand around here, so it is everywhere) but it can get hard when dry as there is topsoil that is more mixed organic too.

 

[oosik]

To start off - I would not be pulling with my FEL. Good chance you will run into a "tough bunch" and bend/tweak your FEL.

Attach any chain/strap to your drawbar. FEL is not designed for heavy pulling.

 

[LittleBill21]

I have the chain and the other device, the chain is not strong enough for tree's and i would step up the other unit, I use a much larger version of it

this is what I use, be aware they are very heavy and the job sometimes is a lot easier with 2 people. only pull from the draw bar, your going to be shocked how fast a tiny bush stops you dead in your tracks.

Amazon.com

 

[2manyrocks]

Pipe and chain will grab brush very effectively. Front-End Loader - Danuser Intimdator

 

[dstig1]

Is the chain useful at all or is it just too little to do any real work? I have this feeling I am going to end up with both as the pincher won't grab small stuff and the chain won't be heavy enough to do anything significant.

Draw bar pulling was definitely on my radar. I am well aware of how one can abuse a FEL...

 

[jyoutz]

I would just do multiple stem wraps with a grade 70 transport chain and pull from the drawbar, not the loader like oosik said.

 

[LittleBill21]

Is the chain useful at all or is it just too little to do any real work? I have this feeling I am going to end up with both as the pincher won't grab small stuff and the chain won't be heavy enough to do anything significant.

Draw bar pulling was definitely on my radar. I am well aware of how one can abuse a FEL...

chain works generally ok on bushes, pincher is useless on anything that doesn't have a trunk

 

[WM75Guy]

I have one of the chain pullers that I attach to the drawbar with a short G70 chain. It works great solo. I have also used it for pulling old chain link fence posts and t-posts with the FEL.

 

[jeff9366]

1) Wait for a soaking rain before pulling young trees.

2) Buy a relatively cheap BUCKET SPADE attachment no longer than 30" or so for your FEL for dealing with difficult tree specimens.

Quick Spade Combo - Digging Spade Bucket Attachment for skid steer & tractor | eBay

Also can be placed onto standard forks or buckets. : 35 x 20 x 3, Material: Steel, Product Type: Spades/brooms, Compatible With: Standard forks or buckets. Easy digging maneuverablily compared to using standard bucket.

www.ebay.com

Google Search

 

[Xfaxman]

I have this feeling I am going to end up with both as the pincher won't grab small stuff

The pincher does grab the small stuff. Here is the BG-20 pulling some tree roots:

 

[jyoutz]

Or you can buy a simple logging cable choker.

WoodlandPRO FSE 3/8

Wire rope logging chokers from WoodlandPRO. FSE logging chokers are commonly called cat chokers, because they are often used in the logging industry with a

www.baileysonline.com

 

[WranglerX]

You can buy all the fancy grabbers and such you want...... I simply have a 1/4 inch chain (1200LBS proof) about 30 feet long (actually 2) and a couple of hooks on it, also a couple of clevises and a steel ring about 3 inches in diameter.... This is all simple stuff.....Probably $75 invested.... Always pull from drawbar so as not to distort FEL, also have clevis and 2 inch ring for front of chassis to pull with so I can watch what action is happening......... What I have come to conclusion is if tree/brush does not want to come out, you can spin wheels (yes in 4WD) and all you will do is dig holes and get tractor stuck....

Fast chain shortener....

Front chassis "draw bar"....

 

[homedad]

I believe that it's all about soil. My home property is all clay and in the summer nothing comes out without digging. Moist spring weather makes it so much easier. My other property is right next to Lake Michigan and 3" down it's beach sand forever. I've pushed over 12" diameter oaks root ball and all.

 

[nybirdman]

Problem with that is you have to hook up every time.I have a similar tractor and problem.
I have a tooth-bar and Greeen's machine thumb on a HD bucket.I works well for this.
Dig out with tooth-bar and grab and go;smooth out hole with bucket.

 

[JohnnyMX]

Lots of good information in this thread. I have the grabber you listed and it works well for what it will get ahold of. I use it for stuff that I can't get to with other attachments (tooth bar / tree-puller / stump bucket ). The pipe/chain combo looks like a great idea and you already have the chain. You can always just try wrapping it and see what happens based on your soil/conditions as well. Always a good idea to start with what you have and go from there to see if you have the right tool or can deal with close enough to not spend any more money.

Hands
gabber + slip chain choker combo
chainsaw/saw
tooth bar
tree/post puller
Tree spade or stump bucket
excavator
dynamite

 

[jeff9366]

Problem with that is you have to hook up every time.I have a similar tractor and problem.
I have a tooth-bar and Greeen's machine thumb on a HD bucket.I works well for this.
Dig out with tooth-bar and grab and go;smooth out hole with bucket.

How about a link for Green's machine thumb?

 

[dstig1]

I do like the pipe idea posted earlier as a simple one. Might be worth exploring first...