Pictures from a skid steer mowing contractor

[workinonit]

They are similar to a Live Oak. Most of the oaks we have in the Pee Dee area of SC are water oaks. I use the wood from them to BBQ hogs.

 

[2manyrocks]

I used a pickaxe to dig out about 100' of field fence and barb wire from the 1930s yesterday in a location I couldn't reach with power equipment. Not so fun. How does that wire even stay solid after all this time?

 

[Lineman North Florida]

What happens if you get into some of that wire while chopping things up?

My forestry mower has some wire protection studs welded to the bottom of the deck to help prevent wire from wrapping around the spindle, but nothing is foolproof and I have had wire wrap up and spent about an hour pulling and cutting it out on a couple of different occasions. I used my grapple for this job but wouldn't hesitate putting the forestry cutter in there now that I have removed the fence, but this customer is kind of a tree and bush lover, I have to work around all sorts of little trees and bushes to the point of aggravation but he likes for me to come for a half a day every week and he pays good, so I try to as he wishes.

 

[Lineman North Florida]

Is a water oak a bad tree? I never heard of it

Like Workinonit said they are in the hardwood oak family but they are not as hearty as a live oak as they usually have a much shallower root system and are very susceptible to mistle toe and other diseases, I also use a lot of it in my smoker firebox to cook with and use it in my woodstove to heat with during the winter.

 

[EddieWalker]

Thanks. I was wondering if it was like a Bradford Pear or a Sweet Gum. Both are considered junk trees here because of all the issues with them.

 

[Lineman North Florida]

I used a pickaxe to dig out about 100' of field fence and barb wire from the 1930s yesterday in a location I couldn't reach with power equipment. Not so fun. How does that wire even stay solid after all this time?

Lots of it didn't but I just went slow and would keep taking bites at it with the grapple and some of it I just had to cut and pull out by hand because it had grown into the trees and bushes so bad, the job would have been a piece of cake if he hadn't been so particular about those little bushes and shrubs as I would have grubbed everything out with the grapple in about an hour or so.

 

[workinonit]

Thanks. I was wondering if it was like a Bradford Pear or a Sweet Gum. Both are considered junk trees here because of all the issues with them.

No. They are nothing like those two woods. The wood burns hot and generates a ton of coals. They will get pretty large but like Lineman says they have shallow roots so when they get big usually wet and a good wind will blow them over. That's when they turn into pork.

 

[Lineman North Florida]

Today's work, customer had some leftover storm debris and tree's, the grapple and skid steer makes short work when you don't have to cut the logs in short pieces. Also a little tree cleanup and fence repair, I didn't have to remove and pile this one, just get it off the downed fence and make repairs.

 

[EddieWalker]

How tippy is your track loader with a lot of weight on the front like that?

 

[4570Man]

How tippy is your track loader with a lot of weight on the front like that?

They’re surprisingly stable for such a short machine. The skid steer tracks don’t pivot unlike a tractor axel which makes a substantial difference.