trail brush maintenance - Samurai Cutter - Sicklebar or similar option?

[airbiscuit]

 

[farmeratheart]

The OP says that he would consider spending $2k on a sickle bar mower. IMHO a sickle bar is not the right tool for the task. You will likely be spending more time replacing broken knife sections than cutting brush . If your tractor will support it, the Laneshark seems to be the perfect tool made for the job. Factor in the money given away to the guy with the mulcher and the convenience of doing the task yourself ... Look at me- spending your money .

Good luck.

Frank

 

[ededic]

I would look at DR.

Tow-Behind Trimmer Mowers (string trimmer) | DR Power Equipment

 

[Carl_NH]

As others have said use your current rotary mower/brush hog on angle - back into the brush sections - would take a while but better than by hand.

Or you could consider offsetting your rotary mower by a foot or so - here is an article https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/build-yourself/224439-adaptor-offset-3pt-hitch-bushhog-2.html

Other than these options, the lane shark looks like one of the better options if you want to make the investment.

 

[Captain Dirty]

. . . We have those trails, then about a 20 foot thick privacy buffer of shrubs, and the middle is clear, but wooded . . . View attachment 681717

You are trying to cultivate a "privacy hedgerow" and want to preserve the 20' depth (thickness) you already have. Given 2 miles (inside and outside) a polesaw variant is the least expensive tool I would consider. As farmeratheart suggested, IF your tractor will support it, you could probably rationalize the Laneshark. A boom-mounted flail mower or rotary deck such as public highway departments use and the French call an "epareuse" requires a bigger, heavier tractor and probably a counterweight that would break the budget Environnement routier et Valorisation.

To continue pipe dreams, check out Home | Jarraff Industries and Trimming trees by power line with helicopter - YouTube. On a smaller (and cheaper) scale Gravely and some Italian 2-wheel tractors used to make partially shrouded (or unshrouded) saw-blade brush cutters. 63 L8 gravely and buzz saw attachment - YouTube

Perhaps a local "gyro-gearloose" fabricator could adapt such a cutter to mount vertically on your tractor.

 

[JCoastie]

thanks all, I appreciate the insight.

 

[leonz]

All you need to do is rent a self propelled FECON forestry mulcher once a year

 

[smittydog]

The samurai has it痴 place, but I don稚 think it痴 for you. I had one on a BX and wanged it on a ridge trail (couldn稚 stop the forward motion in time). We flattened it out and it works, but I gave it to my cousin. Not the tool for my job.

Also got a titan TB-1 flex mower for front of my MX5200. Big mistake. It has good theory but isn稚 built for anything other than soft grass in front of you. The steel on that this is flimsy. Only got about a month out of it till I took it off. Got a bucket of parts they have replaced already, still waiting on one more though. Again, it痴 weak.

I would not purchase either given another chance. 7K of mistakes. Live and learn.

Thanks,
Steve

 

[airbiscuit]

 

[JCoastie]

If I increase my budget to 3k, the Stout Trailblazer (pallet fork mount) falls into the mix.
I searched here and on google and have not found much on the device other than what the manufacturer posted.
TRAILBLAZER-HD for TB-22 – STOUT DESIGNS, LLC
stock photo on a tractor larger than mine:


The size brush they show is easily within the size around my property, so if it works as advertised, it should be fine for me on first appearances. While seemingly not heavy duty, it does seem heavier duty than the Samurai Cutter and does not require additional hydraulics. It would also be much lighter than the LaneShark type attachments for my CUT.

TRAILBLAZER - HD - Fork Skid Mount - Customer Video from LA - YouTube

thoughts, comments?