How does one remove tree rows of hedge apple

[jeepcj7]

I need suggestions on good ways to remove hedge apple (osage orange) trees. The smaller ones out in the open are easy enough to cut down, but the ones in the headge row are a different story. They are 2 - 3 ft in diameter, easily 40 - 50 ft tall and very closely spaced (intertwined). Just ta make it extra fun, they are also very thorny. Any helpful tips on removing these beasts is greatly apprecitaed.

 

[js5020]

I'm thinking one of those BIG yellow thingys,,,last one I saw had CAT D8 on the side of it. Just playing, I couldn't resist!

 

[Bird]

I've trimmed enough thorny branches to get in to the trunk on a couple of them that I wanted out of the hedge row. But, as you know, those things are frequently, if not usually, right in the fence row, so it's not unusual to find that someone 30, 40, or 50 years ago stapled barbed wire to them and now that barbed wire is embedded 4" to 6" inches into the trunk of the tree, which was exactly the situation I had with the last one I removed.

 

[sellercreek]

The big yellow thingy can have the job done in the time it would take you to make a trip or two to the emergency room. js5020 hit the nail squarely on the head.

 

[jeffinsgf]

The bigger the yellow thingy the better!

 

[Trainer]

Go to some of the archery sites and post that you have these osage orange trees you want to get rid of. There are a lot of folks that make bows out of them.

 

[Western]

Go to some of the archery sites and post that you have these osage orange trees you want to get rid of. There are a lot of folks that make bows out of them.

Good advice, you could also sell some for post, I bet you could almost make enough to pay for one of those "Yellow thing's" but I'm not sure how a "banana" is going to help you..LOL..sorry guy's new brand of coffee this morning

 

[czechsonofagun]

American boys in Normandy had to deal with the same problem; here is your inspiration

 

[BX2230Dude]

I'm betting this turns into a "What can a BX do" thread.

 

[dieselalles]

Osage Orange, Bois d'arc, Bodock Tree, Horse Apple, Hedge Apple...

Those trees make some dandy fence posts. They just refuse to rot. It's one of the most dense, hardest woods known. Very difficult to drive a nail into the wood. The Indians made their bows from the wood because it was so strong. My ag teacher had a Bois d'arc plank that he made into a paddle. It was three inches wide, a half inch think, and three feet long, and the biggest kid in the class couldn't break it standing on it between two cinder blocks. Man, he could light you up with that thing. Settlers used the tree as a barrier for livestock before barbed wire came one the scene. Dense growth, hardy with long thorns, created a pretty sturdy fencerow. And the fruit strategically placed around a basement helps to repel roaches and spiders.

Watch the thorns cause they are death on tractor tires.

On second thought, 2 to 3 feet thick, closely spaced, maybe you better find you a D9!