Removing saplings up to 2" in diameter

Smokeydog · Apr 17, 2019

Did a little clearing today with a piranha bar. I’m amazed how much this simple tool can increase the performance of the tractor. Can clear trees faster than a grapple. Grapple does a better job carrying trees.

cathy liebchen · Apr 17, 2019

to clear woods with saplings 2"-6", we used a skidder with a forestry mulcher head on the front- took everything down to ground level and ground up everything on the ground. Clears several acres a day. It would have taken weeks to do with a tractor . For the occasional tree needing removal, we wait for a good rain then pull them out with a chain and the drawbar. For smaller brush, the Piranha Bar rips that out like butter

4570Man · Apr 17, 2019

A backhoe thumb works good for pulling saplings.

Freep · Apr 17, 2019

bcp said:
One of these.

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Bruce

Rethinking it all though the day while I was supposed to be working... it occurs to me that this would be very efficient if you had a partner to manage the device off tractor and one to pull. Could be a kid, even, as it's pretty simple and not dangerous. The only minor inefficiency here is getting off the tractor for each sapling. With an assistant you could be very productive.

shooterdon · Apr 18, 2019

cathy liebchen said:
to clear woods with saplings 2"-6", we used a skidder with a forestry mulcher head on the front- took everything down to ground level and ground up everything on the ground. Clears several acres a day. It would have taken weeks to do with a tractor . For the occasional tree needing removal, we wait for a good rain then pull them out with a chain and the drawbar. For smaller brush, the Piranha Bar rips that out like butter

I have decided to try the Piranha bar as a first step. I know it is not a "surgical" tool but I have quite a few areas where it will be OK. It is not expensive plus I would want one for the bucket anyway to help with digging operations. Once I clear out the areas I can get to with the PB, I can access the next step in the process.

The Ratchet Rake looks like it would do a better job of clearing the small stuff and would also assist in working food plots so it has pluses. The minuses are the need to put it on and off and it does not augment the digging ability of the bucket. Still an option if the PB does not meet expectations.

With the excellent feedback from you guys, I now realize a grapple is not going to work well for pulling stuff out the ground. I still need something move to brush and longer term for processing firewood. There are so many variations of grapples that I am having a challenge figuring out the best choice. The other option is to use pallet forks with a thumb.

Sometimes, I feel like I am spending more time figuring what to buy than doing actual work. LOL Wish I had some hands on experience but then that is why you folks are so helpful to people like me starting out.

Thanks again!!

Freep · Apr 18, 2019

shooterdon said:
Sometimes, I feel like I am spending more time figuring what to buy than doing actual work.

Strongly agreed.

The piranha should have significant utility beyond this particular project. Even if it doesn't work perfectly for this application, it will at least work well, and you'll be able to use it for all sorts of other stuff. Enjoy! And let us know how you fared with it, so others can use your experience to inform their own choices.

the old grind · Apr 18, 2019

I used brush grubber for years, but going was always slow even with a helper/driver while I rigged. My T1520 came with SSQA, and MIE added added front remotes for my Hound Dog 48" grapple (side clearance and weight advantage) 3-4 trees/hr wasn't cutting it, and getting on and off the tractor would be easier with sound knees.

I'm done climbing out of the seat for saplings so small they slip throught BG's teeth, or too wide to get a good purchase on a >2 1/2" trunk or stump.

I can pull and pile all sizes w/o leaving the seat, and have been yanking willow and autumn olive with fury. I can pull & pile more trees/brush in an hour (w/o leaving the seat) than what used to take a long afternoon. I make a half dozen piles, then switch to the other grapple. Last week I pulled these on one afternoon and piled them the next.

There's a trunk dangling from a tree in the pics where it snapped about waist-high while trying too work it loose. Loader lift capacity by itself is rarely enough with tangle-rooted or well anchored trees/shrubs. Method is to grab on, tip the grapple forward, and push to loosen the near roots. Then roll it back and pull back. Going forward a second time usually gets 'em loose. This works well despite my NH's FEL 800lb gross lift capacity. 25' tall and w/3 1/2" trunk not a prob in my sandy soil, and now I only leave the seat to switch grapples every few days.

Buxus · Apr 18, 2019

jeff9366 said:
If you are not in a rush:

Cut down saplings with a chain saw. Treat fresh stumps with undiluted 2,4-D herbicide so stumps die, rather than regenerate. Crossroad herbicide, an enhanced 2,4-D herbicide marketed by Rural King, is particularly effective on stumps.

In two years, when feeder roots have decayed, most stumps come out whole, relatively easily, at least in Florida. I cut roots of stubborn residual stumps with a Subsoiler on the Three Point Hitch.

I do it the way Jeff9366 does it. Haven't popped a tire yet when I go back over the area.

SilveradoBrian · Apr 21, 2019

I should have DDS after my name after pulling this little walnut! I tried a couple of weeks ago and gave up. We got a good rain so I thought I'd try again. It still took some back and forth but finally!