Clean Up after Mulching

[CTL75]

Hello All,

Recently acquired some about 10 acres that has been neglected for the last 10-15 years (an old farm/apple orchard). I have a kubota SVL and a b3800 tractor with a land pride brush cutter.

about 5 of the acres needs clearing as the buckthorn here has just taken over. I used my buddies Cat 262 with a cat 312 mulching head and came away unimpressed with the results (either a combination of flow or dull tips). I have a couple questions and was wondering if you could weigh in.

I have the opportunity to use a PT110 with a fecon head in couple weeks and wondering if I will get better results (finer mulch) with the higher flow and a better head?

What attachment should I use to clean up all the small material left over from the cat head? Any suggestions there?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Carykong]

do you still have stumps protruding? what's your timetable and use for the property? If time is not an issue, I would just manage your property with your brush cutter and the grasses will eventually take over.

 

[yellowdogsvc]

Hello All,

Recently acquired some about 10 acres that has been neglected for the last 10-15 years (an old farm/apple orchard). I have a kubota SVL and a b3800 tractor with a land pride brush cutter.

about 5 of the acres needs clearing as the buckthorn here has just taken over. I used my buddies Cat 262 with a cat 312 mulching head and came away unimpressed with the results (either a combination of flow or dull tips). I have a couple questions and was wondering if you could weigh in.

I have the opportunity to use a PT110 with a fecon head in couple weeks and wondering if I will get better results (finer mulch) with the higher flow and a better head?

What attachment should I use to clean up all the small material left over from the cat head? Any suggestions there?

Thanks in advance.

Not sure of the specs on the 262 you borrowed but right off the bat, a Fecon head will NOT mulch as fine as an FAE (makes CAT HM 312). A fecon's counter teeth don't have the same tolerances as FAE. With that said, the FAE style might bind up more.. see below on high flow;

It could be lack of experience with the head. It takes awhile to get used to mulching. Dull teeth don't have too much to do with particle size unless they are completely worn down past the point of being useful or something other than the carbide teeth are on that head. Is the trap door operational and are all the teeth in place and in have all their carbide?
The 312 has a rows of counter combs on the back wall of the head and on the inside of the door and will mulch material very fine with enough going back and forth. It should look like "old hay" on soft woods. Oak or other hard wood that's dried out can and does turn out chunkier even with the door closed because it will eject hard chunks before they have a chance to be crushed. It takes some time to get used to mulching and to get the desired look.. maybe try going over it again.

As far as clean-up of shreds, you can try a landscape rake behind a tractor but will probably get hung up on little stumps and ball up the shreds very quickly. I'd get a skid steer or CTL with a grapple and backdrag, make piles, and carry and dump them somewhere. They make great erosion control or the start of a composting mix.

If you feel that you didn't go over the material enough, try mulching it again, going backwards with the door closed. Hopefully the 262 is a high flow xps machine or you are just wasting your time trying to run the head on low flow.

Hope that helps.