Brush Hogging Basics...

[Alan L.]

Re: Brush Hogging...

That place looks a lot like my place, and what I went through the first time I brush hogged it after 15 years of neglect. Do I detect cedar elm leaves under there (those small rounded ones)? I have about 100 cedar elms 40' and taller.

Alan L., TX

 

[bgott]

Re: Brush Hogging...

Two questions...
Did you find that creek the easy way or the hard way?

Any tire problems?

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Re: Brush Hogging...

Hi Brag,

Which creek? /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif We've got over a half dozen creeks running throughout the property...being former farm land, last fully farmed in the early fifties... now some parts are like a jungle...

On the virgin/unknown area's to us, I always do a walk-through first or use an ATV as my scout, this way the brush/mother nature beats you up, then you can go back with the brush hog later and try to get even... /w3tcompact/icons/blush.gif

Every once in awhile, a nasty black locust giant thorn attacks... but so far only my front tires {6 ply}... so, I'm glad God invented tire plugs... /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Re: Brush Hogging...

<font color=blue>...Do you do demo jobs? ...</font color=blue>

Absolutely Robert...

We start out at $175. min. for the first hour + transportation + fuel... /w3tcompact/icons/tongue.gif/w3tcompact/icons/blush.gif

But, it will be free, as soon as I get all our 157 acres cut... but for some reason, that seems to be a perpetual thing... Mother nature somehow finds a way to keep it growing and growing and growing... {I think powered by Eveready...} /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Re: Brush Hogging...

Alan,

I think God gave us some of everything... mostly hardwoods...

The bulk of it is White/Red Oak and Maple... about 10 years ago, my inexperience/trust cost us many thousands of dollars with a logger {another long story}...

 

[glennmac]

Re: Brush Hogging...

John,

Very informative post and good advice. My tractor is in the hospital after 4 days of heavy brushhogging.

Noticed that you cut away your rear skirt. I've been thinking of doing that. The flared skirts are such an absurd design for those who cut heavy woody brush. Mine are bent inward and underneath so far that they almost hit the blades. The rounded plumb skirt with top rear bumper tube on the Woods Brush Bull is a significantly better design.

How do your ROPS lights and bucket level indicator survive the brush. I see a sort of "guard" on the front of the indicator--is that homebrew?--but you certainly have to be careful going backwards.

I'm also surprised you have no grill guard.

 

[beenthere]

Re: Brush Hogging...

Deere has some armor treatments that will help protect the hyd. lines, hood, underbelly, and grill. I don't know if the armor is packaged for all their loaders and tractors. Very protective, but takes away from the good looks - just before the torn lines and dents and scratches.
Sometimes I back into the brush just far enough that I can see the stumps under the front of the deck, then I lower the 3pt and drive forward. Keeps the tractor from riding over the brush, but is slower going and a lot of looking back. Your pics are great.

 

[rdln]

Re: Brush Hogging...

nice pics, I am wondering why cut brush? are you going to farm again? otherwise I would keep the hunting habitat.
I'll second the "no reverse rule" lost a grill to a stump that slid between my weight bracket and grille. 90percent of
my self-inflicted tractor damage came from brush hogging.
I wish I spent a weekend at the welder when my 970 was as new as your 5205 looks knowing what can happen during normal use.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Re: Brush Hogging...

Hi Glenn,

<font color=blue>…Noticed that you cut away your rear skirt….</font color=blue>
No, it’s factory as is from KingKutter.

<font color=blue>…How do your ROPS lights and bucket level indicator survive the brush…</font color=blue>
Look at the grille pictures closely and you’ll see my bent indicator. Branches are constantly hitting the rops, lights, and mostly my vertical exhaust…you have to stay aware and know the limitations, but most of all understand the amount of energy stored in these poor little saplings and brush and how that energy turns into fearful & destructive forces in an instant…

<font color=blue>…no grill guard…</font color=blue>
Never had a need for one… I don’t load trucks…and the name is misleading to newbies…

<font color=blue>… you certainly have to be careful going backwards…</font color=blue>
Absolutely. Rule of thumb…never never never backup with debris under the tractor carriage. You lose control of the movement going backwards, and it goes up {it's that energy thing}…The only time I back up, is to back over some brush and lower the rotary cutter onto it…

I’m sorry to hear about your unit in the shop…

 

[JohnMiller3]

Brush higher than the tractor ROPS and exhaust...

Who said you can't have too much PTO HP?
On a smaller compact tractor, an extra 4 to 7 PTO HP can make a day and night difference...

"You are what you eat, drink, think, say and do..."