Power-Tracs are not cheaper in my opinion

[IslandTractor]

Is it safe, not completely, but safer than the way the boom mower seems to work.

Still seems a bit too risky. If you are cutting amongst trees then fragments could bounce off nearby trees at eye level and bounce at you. Why not just keep the mower deck at ground level and push the trees over? Looks like you have plenty of weight and traction to do that.

 

[SnowRidge]

It is a simple mod and undoable in under a minute.. RegL has a much better and quicker system than me, and I swear PT designed there brush mowers to do this as the holes seem to line up magically. Here is a link to RegL mod in the unhooked mode

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachments/power-trac/81330d1184543081-couple-more-video-clips-rod-locking-brush-hog.jpg

Because I am way more abusive on my equipment, I just used two bolts to hold it in place. The rod proved a little bendy by my standards of abuse.

Is it safe, not completely, but safer than the way the boom mower seems to work.

OK, now I see. You are removing the rear stop bolts, and bolting the mower so that it can not swing. That pinned rod in the photo is an adaptation to speed the process up.

Yes, I agree it is safer than using the boom mower. The boom mower is for places you can't safely reach with any other mower.

 

[woodlandfarms]

I will not argue the inherent danger with you, but what we have to mow through is not possible by keeping the mower on deck. Blackberries are an odd beast and will tangle your tractor up and make it impassable. Think of a hundred strings, each one easy to break, but you get it onto a roll and it is tougher than a 10" tree... But now I am working different for the most part. I either grapple into the grove of bushes, or I use the back hoe and drag it out. Seems to work so far...

Carl

 

[IslandTractor]

I will not argue the inherent danger with you, but what we have to mow through is not possible by keeping the mower on deck. Blackberries are an odd beast and will tangle your tractor up and make it impassable. Think of a hundred strings, each one easy to break, but you get it onto a roll and it is tougher than a 10" tree... But now I am working different for the most part. I either grapple into the grove of bushes, or I use the back hoe and drag it out. Seems to work so far...

Carl

I understand. I use my grapple to push them back then turn around and back in with my flail mower. I'd just never seen the top down approach used like in your video. It didn't look like blackberrys from the distance in your video so I thought you were using that technique for saplings too. It seemed you could just push those over from lower down.

 

[woodlandfarms]

Its a jungle. Blackberries, Alders, Firs, dead bodies, large holes in the ground. I love it...

Carl

 

[SnowRidge]

Its a jungle. Blackberries, Alders, Firs, dead bodies, large holes in the ground. I love it...

Carl

Where in SW Washington?

 

[woodlandfarms]

Woodland, just outside of Vancouver, just outside of Portland.... 2 miles off the 5 freeway...

 

[SnowRidge]

OK, hence the screen name.

I used to live over in Clark County right on the East Fork of the Lewis. Vertical waterfront.

 

[J_J]

Its a jungle. Blackberries, Alders, Firs, dead bodies, large holes in the ground. I love it...

Carl

Carl, Have you considered spraying that mess with something like Roundup, and go back several weeks later and cutting things down. You should be able to cut that stuff with no problem with that machine of yours. There are several reasons for using chemical products. Roundup kills right down to the roots. So this is not usually a repeat operation. You can replant something/anything in about three weeks.

 

[J_J]

Carl, Here is a useful tool that would help get rid of those small trees, say up to 2 or 3 inches.