cedar stumps

[Anonymous Poster]

I have a JD 4710 with 460 loader.
I am trying to figure out the most effective way of reclaiming 5 acres. the big problem is the cedar trees. Most are 3-6 inches wide, a few bigger. I do not have a count yet but there are at least 30-40 of them. I will leave a few but most have to go.
I intend to use the land for horses.
What is the best method to clear,
1. Is there a market for cedars (fence posts?)
2. Chainsaw and grinder
3. Chainsaw and Backhoe
4. Bulldozer
5. etc.
Friendly advise wil be appreciated.
Mike

 

[DVerbarg]

Don't have any experience with cedar tree removal but have been pleasantly surprised at how well some "scrubby" trees have come out for us.

The trees I have been removing have been in the 4" and smaller size.

Just to set the stage we have a NH TC40D with 17LA loader with a toothbar. The lift capacity is roughly 2000lbs and the bucket curl is around 3200lbs.

To remove the trees I worked with my wife, she was on the tractor and I was on the ground. She would pull up to the tree centered with the loader about 1 ft off the ground and the bucket level. Starting with the center of the chain I would wrap the chain around the tree, one wrap using the chain that was to the left of the tree and then 1 wrap with the chain that was on the right. Would do about 3 or 4 wraps this way. This would make the chain bite on itself and not slide off the tree on the next step.

Then took any remaining chain and would loop it over the teeth on the toothbar and then use the end hooks to hook to itself. My wife would then raise the bucket and put tension on the tree. If the chain was installed properly the bucket should not raise more then 8" to 12" before it starts pulling the tree. If the loader was not centered on the tree the loader will only be lifting on one side, not a good thing. Once the loader won't lift any more (assuming the tree is still in the ground, although some small ones will pop out just using this force) my wife would use the bucket curl to apply more lift. This can cause the rear wheels to come off the ground, not a good thing. If the tree did not want to come out we would then drive forward a foot or two and then backward the same amount or more, all the time still having the upward force on the tree. This motion would tend to break/loosen roots and then tree would usually come out. A couple trees were tough enough that we had to take the chain off the bucket and come at the tree from a different direction, reconnect the chain and then use the forward/reverse motion to break adjacent root systems.

Once we got the hang of it, the total time to drive to the tree, chain and remove it was only a couple minutes (unless we had to switch angle of attach to work tougher root systems). My wife was actually having fun and is now looking forward to removing the couple hundred more undergrowth trees we need to take care of. I can see that I will be competing for seat time this year. /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

There was also another thread here on TBN that discussed a rather simple device you can make to pull tree stumps. <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.tractorbynet.com/cgi-bin/compact/showflat.pl?Cat=&Board=buildit&Number=149903&page=&view=&sb=&o=&vc=1>Pulling Stumps</A>

 

[centex]

Cedars do not have tap roots, just a lot of surface feeder roots that spread out and suck up all the water that falls on the surface. This makes them pretty easy to take down. I did not have too many of them on my place and since I had a new backhoe to play with I used it. It was a simple matter of putting the bucket next to the tree and using the bucket curl to pick it out of the ground. I could pull up to a bunch of cedars and swing the bucket around to get all within a 10' radius (170 degrees to either side of course). Large cedars are a different story. They still don't have tap roots but the feeder roots get large and you have to go around the tree or stump and cut them before you can knock it over. One of my friends has a small JD tractor I think it is a 790. He said he would use his bucket to dig down in front of the tree to cut the roots on that side. Then he would raise the bucket to a 5 or 6 feet and push the tree over then go back with the bucket and finish the job. He cleared 15 acres this way. I have a JD 4700 with the 460 loader and 6' bucket.

Since you do not have profile I don't know where you are located but in some areas there is a market for cedar posts so you might check this out in your area. There are lots of guys who clear cedar and cut posts for a living. They usually cut the trees and use a stump grinder to get the stump below the ground. They work by the acre or by the hour depending on how much land you want cleared. I had a guy stop by my place last week and leave a card. If you are like me you want to use your tractor and save money but I can tell you that cedar is not fun to work with and some people are highly alergic to it in any form. Unfortunately in my area we are already under a burn ban so this is not a good time to be clearing brush here.

 

[BBearden]

I live on Canyon Lake, between Austin and San Antonio. My property is chock full of cedars (really Ashe Junipers) and limestone rock. I spend lots of time clearing cedars. I usually end up running the chain saw when there are only a few that I want to clear. I tried pushing them over, but the large branches break off about a foot or two above the ground. I did push a few smaller (<4") trees over after a good rain once. I have not tried pulling them up with the bucket yet. Sounds like it might work. I'll give it a try soon. When I have a lot to clear, I go and rent a skid steer with a hydraulic shear. This is by far the easiest for me. It has a cage, so that you're protected from the limbs as you "run" into the tree to position the shears. It shears them within a couple of inches of the ground. On larger or very "bushy" trees I have to make multiple cuts. It sure beats running that chain saw all day. To pile the cut trees, I have a grapple on my tractor. I can grap whole trees and take them to the burn pile. That way I don't have burn pile littered around the property. Also the grapple is great for moving large rocks which are in abundance to say the least.

 

[dmccarty]

jerseyhorse,

I have a 4700/460 with a 4n1 bucket. I usually just cut the cedars
with a chainsaw and then pick up the stump with the 4n1 or if I'm
in major stump removal mode I'll use my backhoe. Eastern Red
Cedars are very easy to get out of the ground.

I think it might be a bit harder to get the stump out with just
a regular bucket instead of a 4n1 but I think you could do it.

On the other hand two weeks ago I just pushed over two dead
cedars about 5-6 inches in diameter. Normally I don't push over
trees I just cut them with the chainsaw. But I know the cedars,
even dead ones aren't going to break back on me so I went and
pushed them over.

I cut up the cedars and stack them up for future use. I have some
12 inch monsters piled up here and there. Don't have a real clue
what I'm going to do with them though. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Later...
Dan McCarty

 

[Woody1]

let them dry out and use them for fence posts?

 

[dummy]

Cedar blanket chests, hope box, jewelry boxes etc. Nice winter project time users.

 

[JohnNJ]

Mike I used your method "3" last week on an Eastern Red Cedar that was about 18-20" in diameter and 30 feet high. I had to cut the tree off first at about 3 feet above ground, since I was afraid that it would fall in an unwanted direction if I just dug it out.

Used the BX22 to dig around the base of the tree until I got below the depth of the main radial roots. Some of these the backhoe could not rip, so I jumped in the hole and used an axe on them.

I still could not pull the stump over with cables and my truck, so I jumped back in the hole and used a mattock and the axe to undermine the root ball and cut off any exposed roots. Once this was done, the stump pulled right out.

This was my first job with the new tractor and I used it to figure out how to use the hoe - I'm sure I didn't do this very efficiently but in the end reached the desired goal.

Good luck with your project!