should I worry about this thorny problem?

[2manyrocks]

I'd like to clear an area that has about 15 honey locust trees with 11" long thorns all over them. Ordinarily, I'd chainsaw the trees into manageable sections and move them with my tractor grapple, but I'm not going to operate my tractor in this area with these thorns.

My first thought is to rent one of the rubber tracked mini skid loaders like a Vermeer with a small grapple, but I'm wondering if these thorns will damage the tracks which I understand to be very expensive to replace?

Another question I have is whether I could run a hydraulic winch off the Vermeer hydraulics to pull some of the tree trunks off into the woods to leave to rot. I have some areas where I could drag trees with a cable, but I would not want to run a loader because of the terrain. However, I could set a winch cable and pull the trunks where I'd like them to end up if I had the appropriate winch system.

I don't know of a winch that could be rented for one of these loaders. I was thinking perhaps I could fabricate an attachment to go on the front of the loader and then connect something like this to the loader's hydraulic system?

Amazon.com

 

[Cataclysm]

Use an excavator. Take root and all. Pile them in the same area that they are currently in so you don't spread those thorns. Burn them soon as they dry out enough.

Been cutting/burning them for years. I have hundreds if not thousands of those thorns in my tractor tires.

 

[M59]

I have never seen 11" long thorns on a Locust tree. Please post a pic of these amazing thorns.

 

[oosik]

And I thought the thorns on my two Russian Olives were bad...........

 

[MossRoad]

I have never seen 11" long thorns on a Locust tree. Please post a pic of these amazing thorns.

While the individual thorns aren't 11", I'd say this one is close enough...

How'd you like that in your keister?

 

[M59]

While the individual thorns aren't 11", I'd say this one is close enough...

How'd you like that in your keister?

View attachment 788306

Is that from a Locust? I have locust in NC and thorns might get 2-3" long.

What kind of diabolical plant makes that thorn?

 

[MossRoad]

Locust

 

[MossRoad]

Read this story and check out the 5 pictures you can scroll through at the first picture. Some are as long as her forearm.

Kansas City sculptor uses tree thorns to represent 'fractious nature' of American democracy

Sculptor Susan White creates large works of art using thousands of thorns from the honey locust tree. She finds inspiration in the beauty of nature with a sharp point.

www.kcur.org

 

[M59]

Locust

Must be all that nuclear waste someone's dumping in Indiana to make thorns like that.

If anything like what you have in your hand showed up on my property, I would get out the flame thrower and burn it in place after calling the fire dept.

 

[MossRoad]

Must be all that nuclear waste someone's dumping in Indiana to make thorns like that.

If anything like what you have in your hand showed up on my property, I would get out the flame thrower and burn it in place after calling the fire dept.

That's not my hand. It's just one of many you can find with a google search.

I have black locust on my property. About 10-20 thousand in just a 10 acre swath. Very small thorns on the smaller branches.

Honey locust is thorny on the trunks. You wouldn't want to fall on one. I've heard references to 20+ inch thorns.