Implement of Choice vs. Blackberry Bushes

[silez]

Hello:

One of the projects I have in mind for my future tractor (B2630) is the removal of some aggressive blackberry bushes that are established and range in height from 8 - 10 feet. Anyone have a suggestion on the best tool for this job?

 

[Skidmark25]

Kerosene & a torch /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Or a toothbar on your FEL

 

[SCB]

Silez
I think the toothbar is the choice implement for me on the briars. You are the first on I have seen post from Goldbar. I've got a camping lot there. Get a toothbar to rip it all out and the if you are going to have a boxblade, go over it with the teeth all the way down to get all the roots ripped up. Or just hit it with a rotary mower once you have then ripped out.

 

[theboman]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Hello:

One of the projects I have in mind for my future tractor (B2630) is the removal of some aggressive blackberry bushes that are established and range in height from 8 - 10 feet. Anyone have a suggestion on the best tool for this job? )</font>

Rotary cutter.... Back over, back over and back over. Keep yer head covered if they are that tall.

After backing over, run over, run over run over. Grind the suckers up..... Now, I'm not sure what happens next year.

I hogged out briars up to 2" in diameter last year... It wasn't easy, and not always fun but got 95% down.... It got to wet to get the last patch.

 

[Bowhunter]

Chop them up with a rotary cutter (brush hog), then spray the new shoots with brush killer. Problem solved. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Gatorboy]

Rotary Cutter. Quick and Easy.

 

[GregJ]

I have had great success with my toothbar. A lot depends on the soil. If the roots are in hard clay, they might be difficult to get out, but in sandy loam they come out very easily. The nice thing about using your toothbar is that you can squash the canopy of vines before you go in.

Greg

 

[Bob_Skurka]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Kerosene & a torch /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Or a toothbar on your FEL )</font>


DITTO. Fire works great. Instead of the toothbar, give a Landscape rake a try. Its much faster and does a great job, if set aggressively it will snag the crowns and yank many of them right out of the ground.

 

[Knute]

Do you drive through them when using the landscape rake Bob, or back in lower the rake and drive out?

I haven't cleared any blackberries yet, but there is a lot of those tasks in my near future.

John

 

[Bob_Skurka]

I have some old fence rows that are overpopulated with blackberries that I have burnt out and then I just drive over them with the LR dragging behing the tractor. In areas along the woods and other places that can't be burnt I just back up the rake over them and drive forward. A hydraulic top link really helps to adjust the rake to be most effective for the given situation if your ground is not flat. My property is full of everything with thorns, multiflora rose, blackberry, hawthorn and some locust too. After you burn/slash/rip at them, I find that one key to keeping them under contol is to mow, mow and mow some more. The problems are in the margin areas, they grow into great thorny thickets.