trail clearing technique and tools

[2manyrocks]

Cooled off a bit in Middle Tennessee enough that I decided to cut some thick stemmed brush on the hillside. First picture is the material after being laid down by a chainsaw blade style cutter.

Second picture is the material after being mulched by the Oregon two tooth mulching head (295505-0).

Sorry I didn't make before/after pictures of the briar patch I also cut, but the mulching head flew through the briars and also mulched them up very effectively. IMO, this is where it excels over all other cutting heads I've used. It mulches briars so well that I'm not having to wade through a pile of cut briar stems like I did with the other cutters I've used.

There seems to be a certain size of sapling and grape vine where the mulching head tended to throw chunks of material back at me. I would not recommend it for cutting through larger saplings or larger grapevine because of this. Definitely recommend wearing face protection, gloves, boots, and leg protection.

 

[MossRoad]

This morning we dug a 3/4" walled pipe out of an asphalt debris pile for use as a culvert on our trail. What a job getting that out! The help installing it was much more fun. View attachment 834106View attachment 834107View attachment 834108View attachment 834109View attachment 834110View attachment 834111

Wow! Getting it out looked like more work than putting it in.

 

[ArlyA]

Wow! Getting it out looked like more work than putting it in.

It took about 3 hours to get 2-+ more feet of it exposed.

 

[MossRoad]

Kind of like digging for buried treasure.

 

[kenmbz]

I walked part of the trail yesterday to see how much work to re-open.
Some areas still unsafe due to large dead Ash which refuse to fall, even with strong winds and an Earthquake!
This smaller one is mostly down and safe to remove.

Some areas where I put down wood chips still look ok.

 

[Rockbadchild]

Early this year I did a trail in a young aspen forest, my tool of choice is a chainsaw, my second is a chainsaw, my third is a machete, for while I clean up in order to cut the twigs that I have miss... I usually cut a bunch for like 50 yards or so, drop the chainsaw, remove what I have cut back to the quad and advance the quad and repeat.

 

[Shenandoah MF1760]

I have a number of those "widow makers" at my place. I'm seriously considering Tannerite to knock them down. I've got one that's been standing right next to the trail since I bought the place 5 years ago. I have no idea what's keeping that thing vertical.

 

[CADplans]

When timber was cut in 2018,, this trail was cut to access some large poplars,,
I did not use it since then, because of some large trees left across the trail,,
I did not have the right equipment to move the trees.

i now have a grapple, so I moved the trees, then,, I used the Gravely to clear the one inch and under trees that had popped up.

The Gravely went through the small trees almost like mowing grass.

 

[ArlyA]

The problem with horizontal type mower is the 3" high* stumps they leave. Folks trip on them or poke a hole in a machines tire.

* some height. The three-point mower i used last summer left 6" ones.

 

[airbiscuit]

After the 2nd or 3rd year of mowing those mini stumps are gone and it's just grass.

Mowed through the middle of 8' brush with a 15hp Shibaura. Pure grass after 2 years - no stubs.