Newbie Q on tree clearing

[Rolando]

I would appreciate some comments and advice. I'm going to be doing some selective tree clearing (read about 60%) on a 5 acre parcel. As I mention above, I am totally new to doing this on this scale.

I will probably be getting an L3130 or L3830 with LA723 FEL. I was thinking I would push over the 4" to 6" trees with the FEL. On the 8" to 10", dig up roots with FEL then push over. I don't think there is anything much bigger than that on the lot, although I would be interested in hearing if I could do any bigger trees with this equipment. If I'm wrong about this, please let me know.

The next part I'm even more unsure about: what to do with the felled trees. Do I then cut them up with a chainsaw and move them to stockpile with a grapple bucket? They're mostly hardwoods so I didn't think that I would want to make a big bonfire. Save a few for the fireplace (not much need for firewood in Florida), then get someone to come get the rest to sell for firewood. Is there a more "tractor-centric" way to deal with the trees after they're down?

Thanks for the input.

 

[texbaylea]

Anything smaller than about 5" you can run through a PTO driven chipper shredder. You might find that hard wood mulch is easier to sell than selling the trunks for firewood where you are. The power company cleared a 10' easement across the part of my property that was about 15 years growth of trees and brush and the chippings were a pile about 30' diameter and about 8-10 foot high.

Vernon

 

[grandad]

Don't know your specific 5 acres, of course, but that could end up being A LOT of trees, so you may need to think about how efficiently you can get things done.

I don't know if any of our experience carries over to your needs, but here's what we've done. We need to selectively remove junk pine trees and deadfall from about 5 acres of our place, which is further complicated with some ravines and hillsides to deal with.

I've pushed over trees up to 10" or so with the FEL on my L4610, but seat-of-pants opinion was telling me it put a lot of strain on the FEL bucket and loader arms doing it that way, so if I had acres to clear, I'd be looking for another approach.
Also, it's not always possible to position the tractor so you can push the tree so it will fall where you want it, at least on our property.

We ended up adding a backhoe, and now there's really nothing on the property we can't deal with one way or the other. We use a couple of main methods:

1. Fell tree with chainsaw, then use FEL, pallet forks, log chains or log grapple to remove debris, then backhoe the stump.
2. 140 ft. of 3/8" Sch 70 log chain, hook to tree about 15 ft. up, rock back and forth a little, then pull over whole tree, stump pops out of ground when the tree topples. You're not going to do this with any giant redwoods, but for 10" and under, this can work, because the weight of the tree works with the pull of the tractor. You do need plenty of open space, though, and make sure you don't hook up a 75' chain to a 100' tree!

Debris goes to a burn pile. We've removed more than a hundred trees this way, and have many more to go. This is slow work, and dangerous. But we figure it's better than having a logger come through and tear out everything.

You may have to use something other than the FEL for stumps, particularly if your hardwoods have deep tap roots.

 

[TORQUIN]

First of all, if you have hard wood, call a lumber company, or two, and have them look at what you want removed. I know several people who have done this, and some went to the point of marking the trees they wanted removed, while other just said, "take all of the Pine." Yes, they may leave a bit of a mess, but your pocket may be fatter, fat enough to pay for your time to clean it up, since you want to play with your new tractor anyway.

Barring that:
The size of the tractor you are thinking about will not push over a 6" hardwood. I doubt it would do a 6" pine. I have one and have been there. I have been quite surprised how how weak my tractor seems when going head to head with a tree. You will find the tractor a great thing, but do not over-estimate what it can do with brute force.

The first thing I had to learn is how to work smarter with it, rather than trying to use brute force on everything. Since I got a back hoe, and love to use it, if I cannot push it over with the FEL I just dig around it a little and then push it over with the BH (up to 9"). Larger trees, which I must rip a lot of roots out for, and don't know if I can control it, get cut with the chain saw, then I dig the stump later (10" and larger). I moved all felled trees with the 4 in 1 bucket on my 723 loader.

You will find digging roots with the FEL very slow going. While it can dig just fine, the roots stop it easily and will cause you to make slower progress than with a BH. What I'm trying to say is it will be worth the money in the time you save to rent a BH or a stump grinder. If you do opt to rent a large backhoe, you will find it can push over many trees the 3830 cannot.
See my web site for trees I have moved:
http://www.Stamey.Info/Tractor/AtWork1.htm

Chris