trail clearing technique and tools

kenmbz · Apr 8, 2022

For heavy brush with thick and thorny vines and bushes in wet areas I use boots and a Stihl FS110 with handlebars (brushcutter) with circular blades.
Have cleared about and acre this way.

ArlyA · Apr 8, 2022

Suppose I should add why you commonly see our mutts in the "trail clearing photos" we post. That's because they are always in the field with us.

They are socialized and listen to our commands.

In all of there photos, the dogs were told to be in them. The black one, we had to put down this winter when she was 14 and her arthritis got to bad.

Rockbadchild · Apr 8, 2022

cool thread … i have been clearing trails as long as i can remember ether at my uncle trap line, for hunting, fishing or to go get fire wood …this winter i have been making some trails at my new property for the only purpose of having trails to walk or bike on and while being able to enjoying the property to its full extent. I simply use chain saws and axes, lately I bought a machete I really like using it, it is dangerous tho ….

I really like your pole saws how powerful do they feel ? do they chew down a tree pretty quickly ? because i’ve notice you are cutting pretty big trees with them it’s pretty impressive.

my dad customise a skills saw blade for it to fit his weed waker they work really well the rpm on it it’s crazy you actually have to watch to not over rev but i understand with your rocks situation you can’t use such thing …

ArlyA · Apr 8, 2022

rockmalenfant said:
cool thread … i have been clearing trails as long as i can remember ether at my uncle trap line, for hunting, fishing or to go get fire wood …this winter i have been making some trails at my new property for the only purpose of having trails to walk or bike on and while being able to enjoying the property to its full extent. I simply use chain saws and axes, lately I bought a machete I really like using it, it is dangerous tho ….

I really like your pole saws how powerful do they feel ? do they chew down a tree pretty quickly ? because i’ve notice you are cutting pretty big trees with them it’s pretty impressive.

my dad customise a skills saw blade for it to fit his weed waker they work really well the rpm on it it’s crazy you actually have to watch to not over rev but i understand with your rocks situation you can’t use such thing …

Pole-saws have pretty small bars, like 10"? Which doesn't take very many CC's to power. Where the power head does need HP is running those .155 or larger string heads. There extra HP was one of the reasons we got a Stihl kombi KM 131 R.

Another reason we don't run steel brush cutting heads anymore is there cutting radius is just so, so small. Seems they took forever to get three feet. A large string head cutting radius is something like 16". Ask if you'd like to go out and actually measure it.

DieselBound · Apr 8, 2022

kenmbz said:
For heavy brush with thick and thorny vines and bushes in wet areas I use boots and a Stihl FS110 with handlebars (brushcutter) with circular blades.
Have cleared about and acre this way.

I've got hundreds of hours doing clearing work (early years I used a machete- was VERY effective): most is clearing invasive blackberries (they suffocate everything)- I figure that I'm doing a net good, so any folks worried about whether I'm running afoul of the law can relax- I've got it handled

Because I'm working around a lot of saplings and native stuff I wish to be real selective, something that's a bit hard to do with power tools/trimmers. Believe it or not I'm currently using some small, short-handled loppers (Fiskars): also have been using some hand pruners (diving into woodsy areas to battle blackberries and not for path creation). Right now It's the stuff that's laying on the ground that I am concerned with (for this path). Just wondering if there's something other than a chainsaw that can be used to cut chunks out in which to create a pathway* (sounds like not). My boot of preference: Muck Boot "Wetlands."

* Path is for maintenance, for getting through areas to maintain my future trees [saplings]. Native trees vs invasive species- I think I'm OK with that. Besides, absolutely no one else (other than myself or my dog is going to use these paths), it's not somewhere where anyone is going to "discover" them.

airbiscuit · Apr 8, 2022

Is it dry enough to use a hand operated rotary cutter? If so, cut the big stuff and clear the downed stuff, and mow away. Your chainsaw can take a lot of abuse if you (mostly) keep it out of the dirt. Cut the stumps off nearly flush to the ground.

Rockbadchild · Apr 9, 2022

DieselBound said:
I've got hundreds of hours doing clearing work (early years I used a machete- was VERY effective): most is clearing invasive blackberries (they suffocate everything)- I figure that I'm doing a net good, so any folks worried about whether I'm running afoul of the law can relax- I've got it handled Because I'm working around a lot of saplings and native stuff I wish to be real selective, something that's a bit hard to do with power tools/trimmers. Believe it or not I'm currently using some small, short-handled loppers (Fiskars): also have been using some hand pruners (diving into woodsy areas to battle blackberries and not for path creation). Right now It's the stuff that's laying on the ground that I am concerned with (for this path). Just wondering if there's something other than a chainsaw that can be used to cut chunks out in which to create a pathway* (sounds like not). My boot of preference: Muck Boot "Wetlands."

* Path is for maintenance, for getting through areas to maintain my future trees [saplings]. Native trees vs invasive species- I think I'm OK with that. Besides, absolutely no one else (other than myself or my dog is going to use these paths), it's not somewhere where anyone is going to "discover" them.

i wouldn’t think there is something else … chainsaw is the way to go

kenmbz · Apr 9, 2022

I use a pole saw.
I found an interesting use for my machete. When I see poison ivy vines on trees, I use it to cut a small (2") chunk out of the base. Seems to kill the vine pretty quick.

Did that on about 30-40 trees and so far did not get any of the oils on me.

Just have to be careful to cut at angle away from yourself.

Then I take the machete, cover it with some Palmolive soap and wash with hot water at a trickle so it doesn't splash. Dry it out and ready to go for some more vines.

ArlyA · Apr 9, 2022

airbiscuit said:
Is it dry enough to use a hand operated rotary cutter? If so, cut the big stuff and clear the downed stuff, and mow away. Your chainsaw can take a lot of abuse if you (mostly) keep it out of the dirt. Cut the stumps off nearly flush to the ground.

We are not advocates of walk behind mowers and the reasons for that follows.

These don't not cut against the ground and leave little stumps for walkers to trip on or pop the tire on your atv. They are also hard to operate on rough, uneven ground. We know folks who tried one and later said, "I'll new run one of those again". If you use one, then come back later to cut the grass or brush lower, the little stumps are terrible to deal with.