fence clearing

[Drstrangeglove]

I have bought 60 acres of mostly fields. I started with a kx080 with a tree/brush cutter just above the fence cutting the hedge brush. That was messy. Winter rain stopped me from doing the other fence till next year.
Now there are two cow lots that I want gone. It's grown up in trees and very large hedge. How do I deal with the barb wire? I can't roll it up since the small trees and brush has grown around it. It also is all but invisible from the seat. I started cutting the wire at every post, but that is putting wire everywhere for the tractor tire and bush hog to get into.
I know that a dozer would be better, but I and using what I have. How do you farmers deal with such stuff?

 

[Lineman North Florida]

I use my skid steer and grapple to push old fence lines, works pretty good, I have cleaned quite a few for folks.

 

[Drstrangeglove]

While I am thinking about it, how much debris can a round bailer handle? My rut tree cutter can chip small or dig depending on how fast I feed it. It will sling that stuff about 50 yards. I am trying to keep it clean for a local farmer to cut for hay.

 

[oldnslo]

You don’t want any pieces of barb wire in a hay bale. Animals may eat it and puncture there stomach.

 

[2manyrocks]

I think most would get a dozer to push it in a pile and then burn the brush off the wire.

 

[Drstrangeglove]

You don’t want any pieces of barb wire in a hay bale. Animals may eat it and puncture there stomach.

He can't cut that part. It is my new dove field. The other field where I cut about the wire is his. I plan on herbicide for what comes back. Crossbow, I think, is the name.

 

[Drstrangeglove]

The old man that owned it, left me about 60 bails of old half rotten hay. The string is like brand new stuff. I pile it up on the dump trailer and have 100ft dragging behind me. That poly sting is everywhere, I am surprised it has not rapped my bushog up.

 

[mikester]

Excavator with thumb and root rake or skeleton bucket. Forestry mulcher attachment on CTL or excavator.

If you have barbed wire your best bet is to go in with snips and remove the wire by hand before going at it with machinery. Early spring before stuff starts turning green is the best time for this work in my area. Winter snows packs down the dead weeds making it easier to see what's hiding in the fence lines.

 

[riptides]

....
If you have barbed wire your best bet is to go in with snips and remove the wire by hand before going at it with machinery. ....

This is the way.

Best to deal with it by hand. Time consuming for sure. Be safe, for you and your machinery at some point in the future if you do it.

 

[Sportsman762]

Now there are two cow lots that I want gone. It's grown up in trees and very large hedge. How do I deal with the barb wire? I can't roll it up since the small trees and brush has grown around it. It also is all but invisible from the seat. I started cutting the wire at every post, but that is putting wire everywhere for the tractor tire and bush hog to get into.

Your onto a good start. I would pull the staples holding the wire to the post, then coil the wire the best I can. You do not want the wire on the ground. You need to take it from fence to UTV / Truck bed then to scrap. One idea might be to hook on with a wire puller and hook it to an utv and see how much of a strand you can pull off at once, then coil it up.

Amazon.com

To reiterate I would not let the wire lay on the ground, it will go through boots, dog paws, atv tires, or wrap up in the brush hog. Wire is like a hidden snake and it will bite you. (ask me how I know)

I would do this now during your wet season, this is mostly manual labor, so the mud has much less impact. Then i would pull the posts with the kx080, then mulch the fence rows down once the ground dries up.