BigJim
New member
This past weekend's seat time was spent removing unwanted trees from what used to be an orchard (50 years ago). All the apple trees are long gone, replaced by nasty Locust, Mulberry, Cedar and Elm. Restoring the orchard is going to be a long project, but the first step is to get all the trash trees off the land (I'm keeping the Ash, Oak and Walnut, since there aren't very many of them and they are decent trees).
In the attached photos, we see Mr. Backhoe after he has given Mr. Thorn Tree a proper introduction. We also see what Mr. Backhoe looks like from Mr. Thorn Tree's perspective. Finally, we see the victor, eyeing his prize, ready to chomp.
When I got this rig (5425), I didn't know anything about backhoes, but from seeing all the backhoe-related tree removal threads on here, I knew I had to have one. In particular, my hat is off to Eddie Walker; it seems like he's the man who taught a lot of folks here (myself included) how to take out trees using a hoe. I've got to admit, his technique is easy to master and works like a champ.
I don't recall how many trees I took out this weekend; probably at least a dozen or so. I've probably got about twice that many left to go. All I can say is, this method sure beats the pants off doing it with a chainsaw. I tried that last summer and it darned near killed me just taking out six large mulberry trees, not to mention that it took the entire summer to do. I also destroyed a rented stump grinder trying to take out the stumps (which I have since used the hoe to dig out).
Maybe I'll get some better pictures next weekend. The light was bad yesterday, so I apologize for the flat-looking photos. I might also post some before and after shots of the land, so you can get a feel for what this project is all about. See ya next time...
In the attached photos, we see Mr. Backhoe after he has given Mr. Thorn Tree a proper introduction. We also see what Mr. Backhoe looks like from Mr. Thorn Tree's perspective. Finally, we see the victor, eyeing his prize, ready to chomp.
When I got this rig (5425), I didn't know anything about backhoes, but from seeing all the backhoe-related tree removal threads on here, I knew I had to have one. In particular, my hat is off to Eddie Walker; it seems like he's the man who taught a lot of folks here (myself included) how to take out trees using a hoe. I've got to admit, his technique is easy to master and works like a champ.
I don't recall how many trees I took out this weekend; probably at least a dozen or so. I've probably got about twice that many left to go. All I can say is, this method sure beats the pants off doing it with a chainsaw. I tried that last summer and it darned near killed me just taking out six large mulberry trees, not to mention that it took the entire summer to do. I also destroyed a rented stump grinder trying to take out the stumps (which I have since used the hoe to dig out).
Maybe I'll get some better pictures next weekend. The light was bad yesterday, so I apologize for the flat-looking photos. I might also post some before and after shots of the land, so you can get a feel for what this project is all about. See ya next time...
