Burn Time

[Highbeam]

I had some logging done over the summer and in these parts we pretty much have a burn ban from June to October. I was very happy to get the burn permit for a single pile up to, get this, 50' in any direction. I don't know how many of you can imagine a 50 foot pile but that is a five story building. With this big ol' JD 690 excavator the guy was only able to get about a 30 foot pile before the heat became too intense to stack it any higher. The material was from the summer logging plus the last couple years of me clearing with a small dozer. Some was very dry and the rest was dry, green, and clean. Quite a weanie roast. Notice the fire fan that we were required to use the whole time despite the very clean burning fire. The guy actually lit this with diesel, a match, and a rag. Funny that once it was going full steam ahead that you couldn't really make it any bigger since the heat would just melt away stumps and brush even if they were dirty.

I'll get some after pictures this weekend when I go out with my boxblade to smooth it out and seed the area to get it as green as possible as soon as possible.

 

[Highbeam]

Another...

 

[riptides]

I saw that from google earth the other day /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif. You missed a few trees.

Melting stumps? That's a new one on me. It really pays when you have the right equipment. Nice pics.

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

 

[PineRidge]

When we were clearing our property for building we had large trees burning on a daily basis. Figured at one point or another we would meet some resistance from the local police but it never happened.

To this day 6 years later we still burn (now cardboard) and no one has ever complained.

 

[EddieWalker]

That's a beautiful looking fire. How are you going to clean up the little branches, or are you? I'm doing the same thing, but after smoothing everything out for a pasture, I have all these little branches and roots sticking out or lying there. Picking them up by hand is a real pain. I'm thinking of gettng a landscape rake, but haven't decided yet.

Eddie

 

[Highbeam]

I have had great success with the boxblade and brush rake comination. First I go in with the box blade and fill in major holes to make the whole site driveable, then go in with the rippers all the way down (as always) and the box rolled forward to rake up the branches into little piles which I then push backwards into bigger piles for burning. Then I level the box and go around and around to smooth it out. It is then smooth but the root ends and buried branches stick up. Then I grab the brush hog and set it as low as I can without actually constantly mowing the soil. This takes a little bit of continuous adjustment to keep it low but I have found that anything in its way gets cut at ground level and/or minced up into chips.

The brush hog blades haven't been sharp for a long time as you can imagine since they do some work as a land leveler.

I am not sure if this method would be possible with rocks in the dirt but it seems to work well in this sandy clay stuff.

 

[Highbeam]

I ran google earth since I have been hearing good things and the picture is old and junky. Terraserver still is much better.

I was hoping to see some of my destruction!

 

[riptides]

Agree, I also am a follower of TerraServer. And YES, I did see the efforts of my labor as they updated their DB recently.

Good thing I downloaded the original BEFORE the update.

They are cool programs though. Google Earth has serious potential with those 3D views.

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

 

[DmansPadge]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( The brush hog blades haven't been sharp for a long time as you can imagine since they do some work as a land leveler.)</font>

Funny you say that. When I first got my land I only bought one lot (1/2 acre.. which later I bought more next to me) and it was cleared except one area about 20' in diameter that had small trees and brush growing in it. I had an L series Kubota to knock over the trees and clean it up. Once I had everything burned I had a mound of dirt and like you had said, a bunch of little sticks and roots still sticking up.

My brother-in-law has an old Snapper rear engine rider that has been used and abused. I used to bring it out there to mow the bad areas that I didn't want to use my new mower on. I got on top of the old burn pile... lowered the blade all the way down and went to work! Not only did I cut up the sticks and roots... I also leveled the high spot! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

The payback was a shower that evening. I think I washed myself about 3 times and it seemed like I still had dust and dirt on me!

BTW, the Snapper never missed a beat... and it's still being used for jobs that a mower like that was never intended to do. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[NSBound]

Thanks for the pics, Joe! I have a similar pile I've been building up thye nerve to burn. We have an open fire ban until October 1st up here, but it's OK after that. I called the Fire Dept and they just want to know when it goes up in case they get calls! I may wait until mid-winter to avoid problems with the brush - it looks close in this shot but's quite a ways back.