Loosening/Removing Roots???

[EdwardB]

Does anyone have any suggestions for removing small roots from "saplings" 2 and less in diameter after they are bush hogged or DR all-terrained?

My mother-in-law is building a house across the street from us in NW Michigan and she has alot of this. I have seen this stuff removed with a bulldozer and\or the bigger stuff with a backhoe, but was looking for a less disruptive solution.

I have a JD 4410 and didn't know if there was an attachment or something that would be effective. I do have a slight concern about the terrain as it is rather hilly as well. A small dozer may be the best bet, but I'd like to save her some money if possible.

Any thoughts? /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[Youare]

I have used a heavy duty York rake which had a set of 5 or 6 scarifiers. The depth they penetrated the ground was adjustable. They worked great ripping small roots and stones out of the ground and the tine part of the rake was used later to collect everything and smooth the ground.

Randy

 

[RHughes]

I've never tried to remove roots like that after bush hogging so I'm a bit out on a limb.
You might try a box blade with ripper teeth installed. Try setting the teeth to extend a few inches below the level of the blade then run it so that only the teeth penetrate the ground and the blade rides on the surface.
We used to have similar root rakes on dozers. The teeth would cut below the surface, pulling up roots, etc the blade would pick up the trash up and carry it along.

 

[bcarter]

I did some work for some friends that had the same problem... We rented a mini-excavator for the weekend and I "had at it". Using just the teeth on the bucket I was able to easily "rake" the roots out of the ground. I'd guess that a quarter acre stretch took a little over half a day. It required a bit of a touch to keep the teeth at the correct depth and when I was done the area only needed a pass with a hand rake before they could plant grass seed.

 

[JerryG]

If they are that small, I usually just wrap a chain around them and pull them out.

 

[KiotiJohn]

If you have a loader, put a toothbar on it and dig em up. Works great. Otherwise, tie onto them and pull them out, or use a boxblade with rippers, but you still may have to cut off one end. I have even ripped them up, and then run the cutter over the pieces that didn't come all the way out. The loader with toothbar has worked the best for me though. John

 

[froggy]

You might want to look at the BrushBrute:
http://www.brushbrute.com/

 

[KiotiJohn]

Looks like a great attacment, but at those prices, I think I'd try the H&H EZ Lanscaper toothbar for a lot less. Here's a link:
Landscape toothbar John

 

[GregJ]

My toothbar has worked great for that type of work. Of course, it depends on the type of soil and the moisture content, but I would be tempted to go at it with a simple toothbar.

Just my .02 cents,
Greg

 

[KiotiJohn]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Of course, it depends on the type of soil and the moisture content, but I would be tempted to go at it with a simple toothbar.)</font>
The thing I like about the brushbrute that froggy's post was about is the ability to grab a tree by the trunk and pull it out. a regular toothbar would have to get it from the roots, and sometimes that takes a few tries. That said, I don't think theh price is reasonable. Seems the Landscaper bar would do almost as well for a lot less money. Like I said, I do it with a regular toothbar or my backhoe. John