Mulcher for sagebrush on rocky ground?

[Sierraau]

View attachment 2105356
Rent one of these

I bet I'd have to drive at least 500 miles to find one of those to rent.

 

[Sierraau]

Depending on the acreage, a dozer with a brush rake blade can knock out the whole job in a day and hiring this out would be the best and probably cheapest approach. Then the land would be ready for maintenance with a tractor. Many loggers have small dozers with brush rake blades. They use them for piling slash. That equipment could remove both the brush and rocks.

The problem I face with a big rake like that is the area burned maybe 40 years ago, and the sagebrush grew back over. The fire burned so hot that all the organic material in the soil was scorched and in the summer here it is really dry, so if I tear up that area with a bulldozer, it will turn into a dust bowl forever. When I used my backhoe, I was able to tread lightly and keep what little "soil" there as undisturbed as possible.

 

[Sierraau]

Just like back home in PA!
Careful you don’t tweak your loader!

Good advice, I drive very cautiously, and should probably scout the brush before I go through it.

 

[ConawayFarms]

I’ve dealt with similar rocky terrain, and I’d recommend looking into a heavy-duty skid steer mulcher with carbide teeth. I’ve had better luck with those on rough ground—it helps protect the equipment from rocks and other debris. I know the pine needles can be a pain, but a good forestry mulcher should chew through them just fine, as long as it’s built for tougher jobs like clearing dense brush and trees. Definitely check for rock guard protection to keep things running smoothly. I used one on my property, and it really made a difference compared to regular mowers.

 

[jyoutz]

Perhaps a rock bucket can be used to make the first pass to get all the rocks? The sage is shallow and will most likely be pulled up by the bucket (but I will need to sort the sage from the rocks so I can run over the sage with the mower and chop it up)>

How large of an area? I would still seriously consider hiring a small dozer and operator. It could remove both the rocks and sage and the track indents in the soil is great preparation for grass seeding.

 

[jyoutz]

The problem I face with a big rake like that is the area burned maybe 40 years ago, and the sagebrush grew back over. The fire burned so hot that all the organic material in the soil was scorched and in the summer here it is really dry, so if I tear up that area with a bulldozer, it will turn into a dust bowl forever. When I used my backhoe, I was able to tread lightly and keep what little "soil" there as undisturbed as possible.

Grass seed after the brush is removed. You will be surprised that a tracked dozer will do less soil disturbance than a wheeled machine. The key is to use a brush rake so you don’t plow soil. Or if a brush rake isn’t available, have the operator hold the blade above the ground so it just breaks and pushes the sage and rocks and doesn’t dig into the ground.

Edit: I’ve been working with forestry site preparation for planting for over 4 decades. This is your best option for producing a clean site with less soil disturbance.

 

[Sierraau]

How large of an area? I would still seriously consider hiring a small dozer and operator. It could remove both the rocks and sage and the track indents in the soil is great preparation for grass seeding.

A few acres. My neighbor has about 100 acres and I may offer to help him clean his sagebrush.... for a fee of course.

 

[Sierraau]

Grass seed after the brush is removed. You will be surprised that a tracked dozer will do less soil disturbance than a wheeled machine. The key is to use a brush rake so you don’t plow soil. Or if a brush rake isn’t available, have the operator hold the blade above the ground so it just breaks and pushes the sage and rocks and doesn’t dig into the ground.

Edit: I’ve been working with forestry site preparation for planting for over 4 decades. This is your best option for producing a clean site with less soil disturbance.

Grass isn't ideal here as it pretty much stops raining after May and we have hot, dry summers with huge wildfire risk. However, I've worked on my 10 acres and after I pulled all the sage, I contacted all the local tree services and had them come by to dump their chips on my property; 2 summers ago I probably had 20,000 yards of chips dumped here. I covered my property maybe 10" deep. The local nurseryman told me that if chips overwinter under a snow pack, it promotes mycorrhiza to grow between the chips to make them fireproof. I don't know about that, but in the middle of August when the untreated soil is dry as dust, the stuff under the chips is still wet from last winter. It ought to expedite soil growth more than dusty soil.

 

[jyoutz]

Grass isn't ideal here as it pretty much stops raining after May and we have hot, dry summers with huge wildfire risk. However, I've worked on my 10 acres and after I pulled all the sage, I contacted all the local tree services and had them come by to dump their chips on my property; 2 summers ago I probably had 20,000 yards of chips dumped here. I covered my property maybe 10" deep. The local nurseryman told me that if chips overwinter under a snow pack, it promotes mycorrhiza to grow between the chips to make them fireproof. I don't know about that, but in the middle of August when the untreated soil is dry as dust, the stuff under the chips is still wet from last winter. It ought to expedite soil growth more than dusty soil.

Don’t get chips too deep. They don’t break down very fast if they’re deep. Once we had a project in a ponderosa pine forest where we thinned small trees by chipping. The chips were 10-12” thick after the thinning. After 6 years, there was nothing growing under the trees so we did a prescribed burn to reduce the fuels. The depth of the chips caused the fire to smolder, unlike how pine needles and coarse slash burn. The heat was driven deep into the soil and it cooked the roots of mature trees. A disastrous outcome because a low severity smoldering fire killed the mature stand. Once you get deep chips, it’s nearly impossible to get rid of them and you have to hope that the stand doesn’t experience any fire activity for decades.

 

[scootr]

I like that idea. My two head mower is literally brand new, and I hate to mess with it, but if the chain works in it, maybe it would be a good idea. Is the deck deep enough to keep the chain from hitting it in the vertical plane?

Attachments

• 
  MC2096.jpg

  153.7 KB · Views: 485

I don't hear the chains hitting the deck. I think the speed that they are spinning keeps them straight out