DIY Land Clearing

lead_dog · Aug 27, 2009

Hello all, another newbie here. We farm in Georgia and just acquired an additional 54 acres next to us. It's all scrub pine and sweet gum. I think the land was clearcut in 1995 and nothing was done, so the pictures show what grew back. Basically nothing more than 3 inches or so and most much smaller.

My goal is to convert it to pasture as quickly as I can. Any decent trees I find I'll keep, but the rest has to be cleared. I'd like to purchase a piece of used equipment and do this myself. I know that experienced professionals can do this far better, but it's an experience I'd like to have.

My question is what single piece of equipment is best for this? I have a 90HP Kubota tractor with loader that can help for some parts, but should I be looking for a track loader or a dozer...or what?

Below are pictures of the new...mess!

Thanks for your advice.

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kthompson · Aug 27, 2009

I have used box blade to push up trees that size with good success. Put blade right on the ground and backing up slowly lifting the box blade as it is pushing the tree. But much faster would be an excavator. I have a 5 ton one and it would pull that size tree right easy. With thumb on it easy to then turn and pile or load on trailer for hauling. There are the only methods I have really used. Dozer probably would do good but like the ability of excavator with thumb of piling or loading is nice. After you do the work, what would you then need the machine for? If you have ditches to keep cleaned out or need digging then the the excavator to me is even a better choice.

Cooter Brown · Aug 27, 2009

A dozer or a trackloader with a root rake will work best.

QwikDraw · Aug 27, 2009

Mulch it.

Root rake it to pop the stumps.

Mulch the rootballs.

Herbicide it.

Plant it.

Done.

So I would look at a used skidsteer with mulch head.

Or since you have a 90hp tractor you could look at getting a mulch attachment for it and a dozer for the raking....or....

Egon · Aug 27, 2009

Hire it out to someone with the proper equipment.

Getting equipment to do it yourself just may cost a Little more!

Cooter Brown · Aug 27, 2009

Here in Georgia there is a ton of good used heavy equipment available for good prices.
He will spend about 2500 an acre to get it turned into pasture land if he hires it out.
Mulching would be a big waste of time and money.Just push it all into piles and burn it.

lead_dog · Aug 27, 2009

I am seeing a lot of used equipment on the market which is part of what is prompting me. But regardless of whether it's a dozer or track loader, I'm sure there will be plenty of other work for us to do.

BTW, I should have mentioned that our farm is totally organic, so spraying herbicides, etc. is not an option. I'd like to just let the piles decompose once pushed up but to be honest, it's so think I think half the land would just be a big pile. So right now I'm thinking of just burning it, although I do have a forestry guy coming out next week for a sanity check.

It is seeming to me like a dozer is the way to go. True, a track loader could increase leverage by pushing higher on the tree, but the biggest tree I'll take down is 3-4 inches. Can't imagine a dozer can't handle that. The excavator/thumb sounds nice and would save topsoil, but seems to me like it would take longer and would also deprive me of the ability to smooth the land, which I expect I could do with a dozer.

LBrown59 · Aug 27, 2009

Do what you can with the tractor .
Hire some body to do do the rest then maintain with your tractor.

J35 · Aug 27, 2009

Excavator with a thumb you can pull them up like carrots, the drier the soil the cleaner the root ball will be and then use your tractor to push into piles and then more excavator to stack high let sit for 90 days then burn you will be left with white fine ash and no half burned stumps to bury.

You will end up with a lot cleaner job and less sweet gums in your pasture in the years to come.

Crawler would be my last choice.

good luck