Varmintmist
Platinum Member
I wouldnt worry about it. If you are going to be in there tearing out vines and limbs, hauling limbs/firewood out, then brush hogging it, you are going to be running over everything. It will come back. I dont see a location, but if you are in the north, then wait until the ground is frozen if it is of that much concern. Or kill the vines, and leave it alone. The limbs and trunks will rot and give cover for critters and food for the understory that will grow since it is thinned out.If you don't want to read my long post, the basic question is this. What tears up wooded property the least, as far as soil compaction and rutting. A lightweight tracked skid steer with 3psi of ground pressure or something like a 1025R that probably has higher ground pressure.
I have 4 acres of woods that have been attacked by vines for an extremely long time. They have killed a lot of trees, leaving the woods less dense with an unusually large amount of fallen dead trees and branches.
I would like to clean it up and hit the whole area with a brush mower. My brother has a T770 skid that I have had in my possession for a few months. I avoid the woods with it, as it just ruts the soft ground up. It's ground pressure is just over 4psi, which doesn't sound bad. My Kubota B7610 probably has higher ground pressure due to less contact area, but seems to compact the woods less. I havnt spend much time in the the woods with either machine.
I have a few options. Use the skid and tear the crap out of the place. It's a 10.5k machine + and 1.5k grapple.
I could rent an RSV RC30 for a week. That machine has 3psi of ground pressure and is 1/3 the size and weight, but I don't know if it will make that much difference.
The last option and one I have been thinking the hardest about, is replacing my Kubota with 2 tractors. A good old farm tractor for pulling driveway implements and a Deere 1025R with turf tires for property chores and grapple work.
To kill the vines, in the fall walk through with a handsaw and a spray bottle 50/50 roundup to water. Cut the vine at least 2 feet off the ground, then spray BOTH ends.