clearing trees and roots with a grapple

[Lowcountry Rebel]

I have probably 20 acres of overgrown cutover that I want to clear, lots of brush and smaller trees less than 4" diameter.
I would like to push over, pull out and root rake clean with my 4x4 tractor(60 hp) and was wondering how good a short lower tine grapple rake would remove the roots. Trying to completely remove so it won't re-grow. These areas will be plowed and planted.
The larger trees will get pulled up with my excavator with hydraulic thumb.

Good idea? Input is welcomed.

Lowcountry SC- dirt with no rocks

 

[big bubba]

i suggest hiring it out. even a 3" diameter tree can be a bear to remove roots, etc with a FEL. hard on equip, too much time. maybe a high priced grapple.
i'd hire, do it once, then it's done

 

[atsah]

Any chance of renting a dozer?

 

[Lowcountry Rebel]

Any chance of renting a dozer?

I have pond guy coming to clear and dig a 10 acre pond- probably get him to clear/rake it also- just trying to do it myself if possible a few acres at a time

 

[nyone]

You have all the equipment to clear the lot your self and your cosidering hireing out? Why even own a tractor then.

Personaly i would use the mini with a thumb. Start in small sections cutting the bigger trees down to about waist high. Then use the mini to pull the stums out. Pile everything to burn. Then come back in with the tractor for the brush. It may take you a while but you will be a better operator and save thosands in the process.

 

[jeff9366]

I have 20 acres of overgrown cutover that I want to clear, lots of brush and smaller trees less than 4" diameter.

The larger trees will get pulled up with my excavator with hydraulic thumb.

Have the excavator pull all the trees you do not want. It will not take much more time as otherwise the excavator will be working around some trees, removing others. Simpler just to remove all the trees you do not want. Tag all the trees you want out with fluorescent stretch tape you buy at a hardware store.

Taking out 3" trees is not a good job for a tractor neophyte. High probability of rolling the tractor or injuring yourself. A wheeled vehicle is much less stable than a tracked vehicle. After 300 engine hours tractor experience OK.

An excavator is the right tool.

 

[jeff9366]

I have probably 20 acres of overgrown cutover that I want to clear. Lowcountry SC- dirt with no rocks.

I would like to root rake clean with my 4x4 tractor(60 hp) and was wondering how good a short lower tine grapple rake would remove the roots. Trying to completely remove so it won't re-grow. These areas will be plowed and planted.

Loaders are not designed to push. Rake from the Three Point Hitch. I use a spring-protected Field Cultivator, also known as an All Purpose Plow. You can rake out a lot of roots and corms but you will never get your land 100% clean.

No surprise: Moist soil essential.

A multi-tine subsoiler is another possibility but it is hard to beat automatic spring protection on a Field Cultivator.

After you rake, let some time pass then spray sprouts with Crossbow, Rural King's Crossroad (exactly the same formula) or Gordon's Brush Killer. All three are enhanced 2.4-D based herbicides. Bathe and change clothes after application.

ARCHIVE LINK: https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachments/339095-dirt-dog-all-purpose-plow.html?highlight=

VIDEO: tractor field cultivator - YouTube

VENDER: Fred Cain 9 Shank 3 Point Field Cultivator

 

[atsah]

I guess I must have missed the part about you having an excavator.. Use that to pull your stumps and hopefully most of the roots with come out with them.. It's going to take a while but you can get it done with both machines..

 

[ddbackhoe]

I have probably 20 acres of overgrown cutover that I want to clear, lots of brush and smaller trees less than 4" diameter.
I would like to push over, pull out and root rake clean with my 4x4 tractor(60 hp) and was wondering how good a short lower tine grapple rake would remove the roots. Trying to completely remove so it won't re-grow. These areas will be plowed and planted.
The larger trees will get pulled up with my excavator with hydraulic thumb.

Good idea? Input is welcomed.

Lowcountry SC- dirt with no rocks

Build or buy a root ripper/scarifier in addition to the grapple. I like a ripper to cut, then use the grapple to “sift” the dirt and remove the trash. Ready to disc (with roller basket) and reseed.

Couple of places make them Everything attachments, land pride, etc.....or LD1 and a couple others made up some pretty nice ones. https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/build-yourself/346775-3ph-root-ripper-build.html.

 

[Birdhunter1]

I don't know how big your excavator is but anything 10,000 lbs machine will be very productive to in removing overgrowth like this in the 3-4" range. I would start walking the machine through plucking the bigger stuff you want to remove and clearing paths then IF you have a root grapple go in with the tractor and pick it up and transport it to your burn area. You will be surprised how much you can get done in a short time doing this and if you have a blade on the back of your tractor starting pushing stuff around. Eventually you have it cleared and opened with several small burn piles.

 

[swnoel]

Excavator all the way! All you'll do is to beat up your 60... as someone suggested use the grapple to haul it away.

 

[DieselBound]

OP didn't mentioned having an excavator.

I totally sign on to the "use an excavator" bandwagon. Depending on root structure you can just push over small diameter trees: of course, SAFETY is paramount- I've got a fair amount of hours operating tractors and excavators. I believe that I'd used a 9k lb machine to knock over some easily 4" diameter Alders: I also rent a 19k lb machine, so it's possible that it was that machine, but I cannot recall). But...

One way to properly assess the amount of work it might take to do a job one is best to seek out some bids from professionals. I had a huge cottonwood tree that I needed taken down (too close to the house- I was not going to attempt it myself). One guy beat around the bush and told me that he'd taken down a similar-sized cottonwood and hauled it away for something like $3k. No idea how much more the disposal cost, but I did not require such. He talked about bringing in a crew and climbing and cutting: I suspect that he'd had an "insurance event" and wasn't going to risk dropping from the ground. This guy never got back with a real quote. Another guy that I had come by and quote did the job for $500; he (and a helper who was mostly just watching) dropped the tree w/o even putting a guide rope in it- in a mater of a few minutes he had it down, perfectly set; he even felled another tree for me (right next to the cottonwood- was all in the way of my proposed fence line). I did the cleanup and in the process I killed my chainsaw (stupid me- I overworked it, high ambient temps and was running non-stop cutting into the massive trunk).

Anyway, look to get a quote from a professional as it'll give you a better understanding of how much work it really is likely going to be; you also might get some insights into how you might go about doing it (I've gotten excellent pointers from good professionals, folks that knew I'm a DIY-er).

 

[oosik]

I thin at least 12 to 15 stands of small ( 1" to 6" ) Ponderosa pines every spring ( ~ 950 small trees ). Its not so difficult to pull - think pluck - pines from 1" to 3" - - my M6040 weight 10,100 pounds with a very HD grapple. Much above 3" and its a PITA. Half the time I just skin the tree of all bark and limbs with the skinned trunk still standing straight and tall. Besides when I thin its not in great cleared swaths - its one here, three over there and two just behind me. Can't do that with the big 'ol M6040. For me - thinning is with a small Stihl.

Thinning is - - identify, cut, drag to pile, come by in a couple days and chip all the piles. Dragging to pile is a PITA - chipping is the fun part.

 

[ddbackhoe]

I thin at least 12 to 15 stands of small ( 1" to 6" ) Ponderosa pines every spring ( ~ 950 small trees ). Its not so difficult to pull - think pluck - pines from 1" to 3" - - my M6040 weight 10,100 pounds with a very HD grapple. Much above 3" and its a PITA. Half the time I just skin the tree of all bark and limbs with the skinned trunk still standing straight and tall. Besides when I thin its not in great cleared swaths - its one here, three over there and two just behind me. Can't do that with the big 'ol M6040. For me - thinning is with a small Stihl.

Thinning is - - identify, cut, drag to pile, come by in a couple days and chip all the piles. Dragging to pile is a PITA - chipping is the fun part.

You just need different equipment...
Extreme Tractor Tree Ploughing | #Forest Field #Root Plow | Brush Clearing - YouTube

Rock N Root Rake Video - YouTube

 

[LukeDuke30]

Save your tractor, rent an excavator or hire it out. I started down this path with my tractor. We had 11 acres overgrown with bradford pears, thorn trees, and generally thickets everywhere. I did what I could with the tractor, but then realized there are better machines for this work. I rented a John Deere 35d excavator with a thumb for $300 for an entire weekend. What took 15 mintues each tree with a stump bucket or pulling, took less than a minute with the excavator. I could grab the roots with the thumb and pull them out. I used the little dozer blade on the excavator to fill in the hole.

When I was done, I put the scarifiers down on the box blade to pull small roots out, and remove debris, then level with the blade. Below is before, and after:

 

[oosik]

ddbackhoe - First - I would have to use any of that equipment just to widen the driveway. Some of those boys must have felt like Rommel - coming over the dunes when he retook Tobruk. I didn't watch it all but I was surprised to see so many that just knocked the trees down. I expected to see more of the "forrest mulcher" type operation. Those lands with all the trees lying down flat - pretty hard to immediately plow into producing fields.

 

[4570Man]

Tractors aren’t meant for that work. A 100 hp skid steer sure, but the tractor will tear up. Use the excavator and use the tractor for the cleanup.