Moving the "burn" pile

WhirldWorks · Oct 13, 2015

When we purchased our land there was an old burn pile that was pretty well consumed. We decided it was a pretty safe spot so over the following months we started it anew. As time passed we decided the place to build a house was pretty close to this pile, but surely the pile would be gone before we started building...HA!

Because of the drought and burn bans we have been unable to torch the sucker and now it looks like we are about two to three weeks away from the start of construction. So now it looks like we are going to have to move this behemoth safely away from the building site. Looks like the first real job for our "new to us" little tractor. I know only a few folks that live near us, but hopefully I can get a small crew together and make quicker work of this thing.

Definitely NOT one of the projects on my list

davesl708 · Oct 13, 2015

Bummer but a fun tractor job. The other option is to have the contractor move it when they clear for the house build.

WhirldWorks · Oct 13, 2015

Yeah, my wife said the same thing, but except for the burn pile there isn't much else to clear (it's a pretty open spot). I'm going to talk with the contractor this week and see how much cost is associated with that option. As with everything else I am trying to keep costs down.

mbohuntr · Oct 13, 2015

You might need a grapple!!!!

South NH · Oct 13, 2015

You may want to try a good set of forks, a little each day and you're done. Besides, it's good seat time.
Good luck!

tcartwri · Oct 13, 2015

My son and I moved ours this spring. What a pain in the butt. We were picking nails, glass, metal fragments, etc, etc,... for a week.

Deere Dude · Oct 13, 2015

You will be amazed at how big a pile a small tractor can move when you get forks or bucket in the pile. Hopefully you can just push it and not have to carry it far..

Utopia Texas · Oct 13, 2015

I had a similiar problem two years back with a burn pile the size of a one story 1200 sq. ft. House with thousands of Pecan limbs from a storm where we had to clean up the orchard. Really needed to move the pile to construct a new barn and tried to think up different ideas. Finally had my brother from next door and the neighbor down the road bring their tractors over and we used all three of our tractors with FEL's attached and pushed the pile all at one time in low gear. It moved as a whole unit and 15 minutes later we had it 200 feet over in its new location. It was amazing to see this huge pile slide along in one unit as smooth as glass over the grass without a hitch. Two 50 hp and my 75 hp tractor. Quite the sight!

k0ua · Oct 13, 2015

Utopia Texas said:
I had a similiar problem two years back with a burn pile the size of a one story 1200 sq. ft. House with thousands of Pecan limbs from a storm where we had to clean up the orchard. Really needed to move the pile to construct a new barn and tried to think up different ideas. Finally had my brother from next door and the neighbor down the road bring their tractors over and we used all three of our tractors with FEL's attached and pushed the pile all at one time in low gear. It moved as a whole unit and 15 minutes later we had it 200 feet over in its new location. It was amazing to see this huge pile slide along in one unit as smooth as glass over the grass without a hitch. Two 50 hp and my 75 hp tractor. Quite the sight!

Yep, I have moved a huge one, with "old Blue" years ago with my old Long 2360. It was a utility tractor, so a pretty fair sized tractor, but the brush pile was huge, and it moved really slick on flat grass land.

CobyRupert · Oct 13, 2015

Post pictures, so we can then say: "Aw, that's nothin!"

woodlandfarms · Oct 14, 2015

Totally agree it is a fun project for your machine, assuming you have a grapple. If not, wait until the contractor shows up, Saddly his dozer will do in 15 minutes what a long week of going back and forth on your machine would have taken.

As a side note, try and burn the pile as soon as you can. I have a pile I have been adding too that every winter I promise to burn and now the thing is freakishly large and I am at the point of almost being scared to start it. It is 6 foot high and at least 30X30. packed tight. No trees around... Going to torch it on a downpour day but don't wait, if you can burn get it gone.. Piles multiply like rabbits.

bcp · Oct 14, 2015

woodlandfarms said:
Piles multiply like rabbits.

And rabbits like to multiply in piles.

Bruce

WhirldWorks · Oct 14, 2015

Thanks for all the replies! Our pile is now about 15 feet around and about 7 feet tall. My little ol' MF 205 tractor doesn't have a loader/bucket. Most of it is small stuff, but I'd have to drag probably about a dozen "trunks." I do have a friend with a nice big green tractor with forks that actually built up much of the pile and I may be able to get his help in moving it...if what I hear from the contractor isn't satisfying.

As for critters, I was mowing around it a couple weekends ago and discovered about a 4 foot rat snake had taken up residence within the pile.

Cord · Oct 14, 2015

Just have the excavator move the pile when they dig the foundation. It'll take him a total of 5 minutes. Not even worth the cost of paperwork associated with the CO. That said, it might be worth a cold 6 pack on the truck fender at the end of a hot day...

k0ua · Oct 14, 2015

It has been many years but the big one I pushed across a field was at least 16 foot in diameter and maybe ,8 foot tall. It was moved easily in a couple of minutes by just pushing with a 2 WD tractor .

Ford850 · Oct 14, 2015

You might want to make more than one pile when you move it, so you can burn it safely in stages (once the ban is lifted). I think we can only burn a 5x5 pile here legally. AS long as you use common sense and do it safely, no one gets fined for large piles. But if you are burning a larger pile and it spreads, you'd better be prepared for a fine.

k0ua · Oct 14, 2015

I burned one once at about 100 foot by 30 by any 5 foot high. Never again. It was like the world was on fire. Too much fire all at once.

STx · Oct 14, 2015

We had a bulldozer come dig a hole and push a house down into it on our place (about 1400 sq/ft) that had been vandalized past the point of repair. I called the Sheriff's office to insure there was no burn ban, called the local FD to ask if it would be a problem and was given the Chief's cell number, so I called him and left him a message at noon that if I didn't hear back, I'd assume all was well and would light it off that evening. I lit it just at dusk and it LIT UP the night sky, neighbors came down, sheriff showed up and the the FD arrived. The burn was safe, well into the hole and I lit it in the evening because the wind always dies off then, we'd also cleared away a lot of dirt around the hole, there was no way for it to spread. The fire chief was pretty upset with me but after a discussion and him checking to see he did indeed have a message from me, he calmed down and told me I needed to spend the night there on fire watch, which I'd intended to do anyway, and was on his way.

It was an experience everyone should have at least once. Like k0ua says, it's a lot of fire all at once, you could get maybe as close as 60' to it but you couldn't stand that close for long. That think smoldered for 2 or 3 weeks, I turned it over with the tractor and it smoldered for another 2 or 3 weeks, turned it over one more time and it smoldered a little longer and then I filled in the hole. Can't even tell it ever happened anymore, that spot grows grass better than anywhere else on the property.