How much land could this thing clear in a day?

[airbiscuit]

I'm 62 years old and that's the first time I have ever seen wheels on the front of a 3 point hitch bush hog. Guess it's pretty good keeping it from scalping the ground but you must have to pick it up when you turn. Huh?

That little Shibaura had a short wheelbase, so the wheels helped keep the front of the cutter from digging in. They were guide wheels from a New Holland Baler, so very heavy duty. Turning was never a problem. It sure saved me a lot of up and down with the 3 point.

BTW, I bought that tractor for $2,500 and it was tough as nails. Plus it only sipped fuel. That 2 cylinder diesel kind of stuttered. I used it for a couple of years and sold it for what I paid for it.

 

[mcfarmall]

Speaking of the Tree of Heaven (#e//), I had some success killing a couple of trees that were 8" and 16" DBH with the hack and squirt method using a cocktail of 50/50 2,4,D and Glyphosate. I tried it out on some Box Elder and Mulberry last fall as the sap was returning to the roots in hopes that it would carry the herbicide into the roots and kill the tree. Stacking a brush pile around the base of box elder and keeping it well stoked has worked for me on several occasions. I tried treating some fresh cut stumps last fall also and we'll see how that worked this spring.

 

[roadhunter]

This might be true if you have a normal or "dirt work" SS. The newer larger machines (past 6-8 years) have an available forestry pkg. that covers all your concerns. Like any equipment, the attachment is sized to the carrier's power output and might only be taking a 60'' cut on a SS or CTL, but it WILL do it all day long. Mulchers can be a $120-130,000 skid steer variety up to almost a half million dollar machine. There are wheeled, tracked, and excavator based machines out there, of all sizes.

Nope. Still can't run during the summer as the hydraulics get hot. Even with the forestry package. Plus skid steers are not nearly as stable on challenging terrain. I"ve seen guys try to use them around here several times and every time I was disappointed.

I'm well aware of what logging equipment exists as I work in the woods quite a bit. I even changed hammers out on a Gyro down in Grand Island last summer. I keep the current Lumbermens next to the crapper as well.

 

[FTG-05]

The power companies around here use ASV skidsteers with a similar cutter. They do a great job - it looks like a golg course when they're done.

If the cost is too great, you can do some damage with your own tractor and a rotary cutter. I cut trails through 8' tall hazelnut brush with a 15hp Shibaura and a 4' Kingkutter rotary cutter. Just walk the area first to look for surprises, and use a chainsaw for stems over 1 1/2".
[snip]

My worry with using my L4330 and Bushhog 286 is damage TO my tractor. One busted radiator could buy a lot of clearing, never mind if I destroy the engine. Plus the area in the first pic is beyond what my rotary cutter could handle: 4-6" ToH and various other stuff.

Thanks for the suggestions: keep them coming!

 

[FTG-05]

I wouldn't even think of cutting or mulching tree of heaven unless you treat it beforehand or immediately after. It will come back with a vengeance if you do. There are various methods for treating this super invasive species depending on the size and stage of growth. Foliage spray, basil bark, hack and squirt, and cut stump. I would NOT recommend cut stump as it seems to produce the most regen suckering

There is no quick way to rid this species from your property as follow up treatments are usually required to treat suckering

The good news is that once the trees are killed they start falling down in a couple of years

Good Luck. You are not alone

All true. But once it's cut and mulched down I can then use my tractor and bushhog to keep it down. Right now I can't for the part that's mostly infest with ToH. If you keep cutting it, it eventually dies, at least according to what I've read on it. Thanks,

 

[1bush2hog]

All true. But once it's cut and mulched down I can then use my tractor and bushhog to keep it down. Right now I can't for the part that's mostly infest with ToH. If you keep cutting it, it eventually dies, at least according to what I've read on it. Thanks,

I haven't had any success in getting rid of it by just mowing but maybe I'm not mowing it short enough or often enough as I'm using a bush hog to mow my pastures. Sprouts always come back on me unless I hit them with Remedy or a mix of Remedy and diesel. Most of what I am battling now though is in wooded and/or steep areas where I can't mow at all

Not,sure what part of TN you are in but if you are close to Western NC mountains you can come over and see first hand the results of my war on TOH

I also hired mulchers to come in a mulch certain areas without treating and you can see the after effects of those areas too

An operator on a larger tracked skid steer cost me $150/hr 3 years ago. They did an awesome job and were very efficient operators.

Goats won't touch TOH either in case you are wondering

 

[STx]

Wait for some folks who have tried doing this type of operation. From my reading folks regret this after a few years when things grow back out of the same stumps. The longer term solution is to remove with roots, pile and burn or chip.....at least that's what I have read!

We had all our roads done with one of these about 3 years ago. I was very happy with the results then and still am now. No piles to burn or otherwise deal with and I've just had to keep the roads mowed like I do any other cleared land.

The machine we hired was $275/hr and was bigger than the one pictured. It took him about 6 hours to clear 1.5 miles of road 18' wide. We asked him to save the larger trees so he was more cautious than if he were just clearing land. They make very short work of brush.

 

[STx]

He called me back late last night after I sent an email from his website. We talked about 15 minutes or so. Price was exactly what you said: $1500/day. Don't know if that includes tax and/or transportation; I was too depressed to ask. He also estimated 2-3 acres per day. Since my back 10 acres that I want cleared is hilly, this becomes even worse.

Unfortunately, this looks like a non-starter.

ETA: I'll see if I can take some more pics of what I want cleared in case there are more suggestions on how I can get this land cleared economically. Here's one I already have:

This is one edge of my woodland. You can see the mature trees, which I want to keep, and all the little brush and TOH that totally clogs up the forest floor, pretty much making the land useless.

View attachment 496975

I would just start pecking away at that with the FEL and rotary cutter. I've cleared a lot of my place that way with mesquite trees up to about 6" in diameter (I push those over and dig out the stump). It'll take time but, you'll get it eventually.

 

[muddstopper]

I would just build a fence around it and turn loose a bunch of goats, followed by a pack of hogs. One season and there wouldnt be any underbrush left.

 

[FTG-05]

I would just build a fence around it and turn loose a bunch of goats, followed by a pack of hogs. One season and there wouldnt be any underbrush left.

Doesn't pass the laugh test:

- 10-14 acres = +3000 ft of fence; at $5/ft that's = $15,000
- Goats wont do crap for ToH much less trees that are +4" in diameter. I've seen goats in action, my neighbors have them, my BIL has them; not a panacea.

So I'd still be in for the fence, plus goats plus still have to clear it anyway. No bueno.



Complete waste of time and money.