Cutting down Juniper, Cedar, brush along fence lines

[frogracer]

Looking for a little insight into how one might go about removing Juniper/Cedar/Brush along fence lines. Or in fact how to go about chopping it off at a hight just above the fence posts. We would like to keep most of it there for the quail but remove any and all of it above the height of the fence. Diameter of trucks could reach 2-3" or so. (We would remove the larger ones with a hand held chain saw as needed.)

Is there a saw like device on a boom device out there? Saw would need to be about 5' long or so.

Are there any attachments for a tractor? Hire a specialty contractor? Other?

Appreciate your help.
Not sure where to post this - feel free to move if needed...

 

[teg]

So the highway department basically has a bush hog mower (heavy duty) on an arm and it beats through 5" trunks... not pretty but does the job.

Google "Boom Mower", and look at Images. They are not cheap, used ones around hear will still be $4-5K There was a thread about a new company that has one that attaches to the Front End Loader... I think it was $3k (?)

This is a nice one for $7k... Land pride boom mower - farm & garden - by owner - sale

View attachment 538515

 

[JPRambo]

the limbinator.
Limbinator Hydraulic Saw, Model# LS8 | Northern Tool + Equipment

 

[RNeumann]

Hire a specialty contractor looks like your best option. It doesn’t sound like you want to do the manual labor needed and buying the automated equipment needed is too expensive.

 

[bcp]

If I was doing it:

Chainsaw all the large trunks to well below fencetop height. Buy a 3pt belt drive sickle bar mower. Rebuild the mounts so its operating height is above the fence height. Use it for the yearly topping.

Bruce

 

[Semper Paratus]

You could do what the local right of way clearer did on my father's property in North Mississippi. Run the cutter down the fence row basically destroying a bit over a 1/4 mile in fence and leave the trash/slash lay. My father was bed ridden at the time so by the time I got done with them the power company replaced the old fence (30 + years old) with new fence posts corners and intermediate stations, disked 10 feet off of the fence row, picked up the broken wire and steel posts and paid me for my time inspecting the work and getting them involved in the clean up. In the end my complaint, combined with a number of others got the right of way clearer fired and sued by the power company. Dad has since passed the property has been sold so I don't have that problem anymore. My fence lines....well that is soon to be another story.

 

[frogracer]

Thanks for all the replies-looks like there is no "easy" way to do on my own. I will talk with my neighbor and see if we can locate a professional to come in and do it.

Keep the options coming in the meantime.

 

[MossRoad]

How long are the fence lines and what is your budget? You have a large enough tractor to run many different types of attachments.

 

[frogracer]

How long are the fence lines and what is your budget? You have a large enough tractor to run many different types of attachments.

We have about 2 miles of fence we would like to clear with about half or a little more of that 2 miles we would like to chop off at fence height.

Budget has not been set - still researching what the cost will be. 10k no go, 5k maybe...I will be splitting the cost with neighbor.

 

[MossRoad]

Give these folks a call and tell them your situation. See if it can cut horizontal, or if they have any ideas.

The Limbhog Company, LLC – Tree Removal Tools | Pauls Valley, OK

I've seen orchard cutting equipment that will cut vertical and horizontal, but I have no idea how thick they will cut, or the prices.

You could also put a 2' high, by 4' wide, by 8' long wooden platform on 2 bike tires with wheelbarrow handles, and roll it along by hand and work a chainsaw at a comfortable height. Would take a while, but very inexpensive. Put some safety rails on both ends and one long side so you don't step off accidentally.

 

[kthompson]

Here a lot of farmers use boom mowers on tractor to keep the hedge rows clean. Those boom mowers could do this easy. I have one myself that could do this and it is not near as heavy as some made today. Now to find a farmer who is willing to do this for hire may be a different issue for the liability issue if near a road. Flail cutter would be probably be safer. Try craiglist or such services to find. There are companies who do such for power company right of ways and on the highways.

 

[teg]

Does it matter how the fence line "looks"? Can you just treat the trees with Garlon 4 to kill them and let them break down slowly?

 

[Xfaxman]

Thanks for all the replies-looks like there is no "easy" way to do on my own. I will talk with my neighbor and see if we can locate a professional to come in and do it.

Keep the options coming in the meantime.

This is an option: HyReach Tree Shear - Precision Manufacturing

And: Tree Shears - Long Reach Tree Shear - XLR12UN | Sidney Attachments

 

[frogracer]

Does it matter how the fence line "looks"? Can you just treat the trees with Garlon 4 to kill them and let them break down slowly?

It does matter - We will kill off some sections of just grass and vines but for the taller brush etc. we will want removed or alive but just shorter.

 

[frogracer]

This is an option:

This looks like an option we could use and looks to be a little safer than flying wood chips from a mower type cutting action. Will touch base with these folks...

 

[MossRoad]

How about a pole saw? $500 for a good one and you can do it from the ground. Lots of work, but again, a cheap option. But that just gets them to the height you want and doesn't maintain them at that height.

 

[Gary Fowler]

You dont need a bunch of high dollar equipment to clear a fenceling. Unless you are physically disabled, a lightweight chainsaw will do the trick. I am 68 years old and have no problem using my Stihl chainsaw along with a Poulan Pro polesaw to clear my fence lines. The work goes much faster than you think with cutting. THE PROBLEM is cleaning up the limbs when finished.

2 miles of fence line doesn't sound like an impossible job if you are just topping off the trees at fence height. Hire a couple of young boys to pull out the limbs from the fence line. Then they can be piled with your tractor's FEL easily. You should be able to clear 1/4 mile per day of heavily timbered fence doing the cutting only. My brother in law and I cleared 1/4 mile of trees in a fence line in about 3 hours using a chainsaw and pole saw. It took the rest of the day to trim the limbs/ trunks small enough to load on my RTV 900 and haul to a burn site. As I said, cutting is the easy part, clearing the rubbish takes a lot longer.

P.S. I find that the polesaw works great for cutting small trees and limbs when they are overgrown with saw briars and such. Rather than fighting the briars to get to the tree with the large chainsaw, just slip the polesaw up thru the vines and cut away. No bloodletting needed that way.

 

[countrybumpkin]

I’m with Gary, get a few people together, some chain saws, pole saw and loppers and start cutting. Just throw all the brush or tops a few feet away from the fence and either rent or hire a skid steer with grapple to gather and pile the brush after your finished.

 

[ovrszd]

I'm having a hard time grasping this. Maybe some pics before/after would help. Yeah,,,,, I'm slow.....

 

[frogracer]

I知 with Gary, get a few people together, some chain saws, pole saw and loppers and start cutting. Just throw all the brush or tops a few feet away from the fence and either rent or hire a skid steer with grapple to gather and pile the brush after your finished.

This may be the solution - in addition to renting a cutter/mower of some type and not purchasing. I do have a grapple which is a god send...