How to tackle this new project. Clearing land. Any opinions???

[davesl708]

I am completing a similar project at my home. I use a BX2200, 5' tiller and a small chipper(3"). I chipped what I needed for mulch and burned the rest.
If you need a lot of chipping you can rent a 6" chipper for a little money. It cost me $175 day for a 6" chipper. Have the brush ready and you can run a considerable amount through in one day. Mulch tilled into the soil will also benefit the new grass.

The BX ripped most everything <3" out with the root ball.

The larger trees I offered to people for firewood. They come and get it. I cut the wood to 8' lengths and loaded there trailers with the BX.
Worked out pretty well.

 

[Creamer]

About three years ago I had some overgrowth that I tackled. i went in with a chainsaw on anything larger than three inches and knocked it down very close to the ground. Everything else I just drove over with the tractor and loader and let the bushhog go to it. I put the scoop down to about 2' to push things over and then drove very slow. That was in the fall one year. I left it over winter and the next spring I went back over it with the bushhog lowered down and then went over twice more over the summer. That fall I carefully mowed the area with my lawnmower at 3.5" setting. Remember I started with a lot of saplings and small trees - many were over 15' high. I did pick up some of the bigger sticks which had not rotted before I used the lawnmower. I also put Tordon on the stumps I chainsawed. I still can find the remnants of a few of the larger stumps that I had chainsawed but other than that you would never know this was that overgrown.
Bushhogs are amazing things and 3" is not out of line. Nature does a wonderful job of getting rid of biomass if you get it on the ground. A lot of ideas here that will work but are way to much work for me!
The last two years I have mowed hay in this area.

 

[Cord]

Actually Fleets carries a fenceline brush killer that's even more effective than Roundup and it won't kill the grass either. Let's just say that this in the only product that I've found which will KILL buckthorn. You just have to be sure to get every leaf. For this reason a big tree will take two applications. Works great on Boxelder suckers too.

 

[Creamer]

Cord - What is the name of this brush killer?

 

[Cord]

Looks like it's "Gordon's Pasture Pro", a 2,4-D herbicide. I believe I mixed it to a 15% concentration with a dash of Dawn soap. I use a ATV 5.5gpm tree sprayer from Northern Tool to apply the stuff because I can cover a massive area much faster than with a hand sprayer. NorthStar ATV Tree Sprayer — 26 Gallon, 5.5 GPM, 12 Volt | Broadcast Spot Sprayers| Northern Tool + Equipment Plus with a stream you can reach over the front row of brush so there are fewer applications required. Just wear gloves and goggles because the spray gets everywhere. Typically takes two applications to kill a 15' buckthorn just because you have to go back and hit the leaves you missed the first time. I'll hammer the little stuff in fall when the leaves drop because buckthorn holds it's leaves so you can see the plant more easily. Just be careful with this stuff. It'll kill anything with a broad leaf and can kill through the bark as well. Stuff works great on Boxelder too.

Gordon's Pasture Pro Weed & Brush Killer - 1 Gal. - Mills Fleet Farm
http://www.kellysolutions.com/erene...STURE_PRO_HERBICIDE_11_10_2005_2_32_12_PM.pdf

 

[Creamer]

thanks Cord! I will look it up and see what I can get locally. I hate buckthorn but it sure likes my fence row.

 

[aginn]

Beautiful job. What an accomplishment you must feel.

 

[LouieJunior]

I am not sure this will work on all trees, but I have good luck just grubbing small trees on my place -- don't even have to get off the tractor (except to take pictures)!

The product is actually called a buckthorn puller, although I haven't any buckthorn.

 

[gixxergary]

Started the project. The tooth bar is great, thanks for the tip!!! It really makes quick work of most of the trees. Had a few that took an hour plus, to dig out with the back hoe. Need to get that steel cable choke though, Ive broken 4 straps pulling trees around. I will try to snap some pics tomorrow, before it rains the project out. Still not sure about chipping or burning. The pile is growing out of control, and its never going to burn right now. I may have to chip just to keep moving forward.

 

[ishiboo]

For anything too big for the tooth bar, I like the Grubber:



Brush Grubber Brush Grubber Xtreme, Model# BG-11 | Weed Control Brush Removal| Northern Tool + Equipment

For volume work, it's good to have someone with you to place it on the trees.