Brush Piles, Ice Cream, and Tractors

[JCA]

Hi folks. A while back I asked what people did to move brush piles. I got a wide range of responses, all of 'em interesting. One thing I didn't realize at the time is that "brush piles" means different things to different people. Up here where I am, in Maine--at least in my part--it tends to be fallen branches, branches trimmed from thinned-out trees, and quite a few smaller trees from thinning.

This weekend I took my new B7510 down the hill. laid down a towing strap. piled the butt-ends of a bunch of limbs, small hemlocks, etc. on top of it, wrapped it as tight as I could, hooked the strap up to the drawbar, put 'er in low and hauled the pile whole up the hill. Half a day's exhausting work in about 45 seconds. A little unnerving the first time; there's a lip at the top of the hill, just before I get to my driveway, where the angle is, I'd say, about 25 degrees. Anyway it worked perfectly. I've got a bunch more of those piles down in the woods; now I'm looking forward to dragging them all up the hill.

Took the family out for ice cream after that. Driving home I saw my neighbor out in his yard with a brand-new Kubota BX23. I've had my B7510 now for about a week.

We share a driveway--I own it--so come winter we'll probably be having contests to see who can get up earliest in the morning to clear the snow. Should be interesting.

 

[RedRocker]

I have some pretty big brush piles, I'm looking to use a grapple rake on a FEL. I own neither at this point, so I'll have brush piles for a while.

 

[riptides]

Just be extra carefull on the slopes with the piles. They shift really easily.

I have piles all over the place. I need a better pile management strategy. I don't need to spend money on implements so I need to get creative. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Hmmmm, nope, maybe in the am. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

-Mike Z. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[SteveH_CT]

To get you going for less $$ you might want to consider adding a toothbar to your as yet non-existent FEL. I cleared a LOT of my brush piles on Saturday just using the loader with the new toothbar. I got a deal on a used bucket and added the teeth to it. So now I have one for loading with the cutting edge, and one for brush and clearing with the toothbar. Depending on what size bucket you get you'll probably end up spending $250 to $300 for the toothbar... well worth it for clearing small trees and piles of debris.

 

[Henro]

<font color="blue"> We share a driveway--I own it--so come winter we'll probably be having contests to see who can get up earliest in the morning to clear the snow. Should be interesting. </font>

Before I got my tractor, I used to hope for my neighbor to come down my driveway with his tractor and blow or push (depending if he had a blade or snow blower on) the snow. Saved me from the hand labor of doing it myself... /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Then two winters ago, after getting my tractor, I saw him outside plowing and had to rush out in a panic to get my tractor and protect my turf...err...I mean my snow! /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

How times change...so you may on target when you wonder who will be up first when the snow falls... /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[rozett]

JCA..... if your neighbor beats you out there in the morning, you are welcome to come over to my place and plow out my driveway and barn drive. That way, I can sleep in. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif