Turn timber land into pasture land

[BrokenTrack]

Have 31 acres of which approx half or more is timberland that was cut, cultivated and left unplanted....

What would you do?

Park my tractor and rent a bulldozer.

I am really being serious here. I do a lot with my tractor too, but land clearing is not really anything it can do. Instead, rent the biggest bulldozer you can get, as much for the work that can be done, as for its wide blade. That wide blade will make your field as flat as possible.

In a very short amount of time, you can get your field roughed in, by moving those windows and moving big rocks, etc, and then clean up with your tractor. I like to take a log 16-24 feet wide, and drag it sideways after the bulldozer has done its thing, which will level the ground, and push rocks DOWNWARD into the soil instead of popping them upwards which is what a disc harrow will do. The wide log also means you can cover a lot of ground in a hurry.

I have cleared a few hundred acres from forest into field, and have 70 more to do, and that is how I do it.

 

[Jagsare1]

Not in a rush so that is a positive for me. Some good information here. It's funny, because of where the land is, I really thought I would be able to find a little better deal with professional land clearing companies but that isn't the case. Although I will still get the right disc, depending on the cost, the dozer may be the way to go.

 

[Pilot]

Don't be too quick to hire or buy a dozer, check into an excavator first. Won't tear up the ground as much and in my experience in the woods here an excavator is cheaper and faster. Excavator can do a better job of piling, too.

 

[BrokenTrack]

Don't be too quick to hire or buy a dozer, check into an excavator first. Won't tear up the ground as much and in my experience in the woods here an excavator is cheaper and faster. Excavator can do a better job of piling, too.

You really need both, however it can get expensive fast. My rental agency charges $120 per hour to move the equipment back and forth, so being an hour away from the shop, it would be $500 just moving (2) pieces of equipment to and fro to my place.

With an excavator you can dig and pile, but are unable to move the stumps any appreciable amount of distance. Its not such a big deal if a person can burn the stumps, but a big problem if a person is pushing them to the edge of the field. Burning is the better option, however it is also means a lot of liability...stumps burn forever, and if a couple shooting off a bottle rocket for a gender-reveal party for their baby can start a California wildfire, imagine thousands of stumps burning for a year or more? It is kind of scary to think about, not to mention a year of your home smelling like smoke, neighbor complaints, etc...

Forget about burying stumps though because it takes too long, requires deep soil, and when they rot down eventually, it will leave a rough surface full of holes that can snap the legs of livestock.

That is why I mentioned the bulldozer. With one piece of equipment a person can remove stumps, push them long distances, and grade the area when done. It means only renting and paying to move one piece of equipment.

You can also dig somewhat with a bulldozer. For instance, a person can cut a slot with a bulldozer and bury rocks that way. This is the trick I use for getting rid of rock walls, which is incredibly trying for a person clearing land. I just get on one side of the rock wall, cut a slot, then push the rock wall into the slot, and regrade with the loam removed to make the slot. It takes time, but saves pushing the rock wall to the edge of the field...

But if a person has unlimited money, the best option is to take an excavator first, remove the stumps from the ground, then let the stump sit over the winter. The frost will knock the dirt off the root ball so when you come back the following summer with a bulldozer, and push the stump to the end of the field, the dirt has fallen off.

 

[redman135]

What breed of tree are we talking about? Specifically what is the root type? ie shallow/surface roots or deep tap type roots?
If deep or tap roots, best practice would be to run a large bulldozer and deep rip the tree rows to break up the root holes. This will drasticaly reduce the number of holes that will appear as the roots rot down, elliminating anlmals breaking their legs.

A large (20 - 30 ton) digger with a 3 ft pick will do the same job, and remove the last few stumps.

Also check for local and state regulations on sediment control so you don't get a nasty surprise.
THEN you will be ready to cultivate.

 

[Diggin It]

Renting large machines like dozers and diggers is not for the novice. If you don't know what you're doing, you can do more damage than good. At the very least, it might take considerable time to learn how to use them. With rental rates often being hundreds of dollars a day, learning how to use them effectively can add up fast. A good operator can have it done in far less time than a novice can learn the controls.

I had an experienced dozer operator dig out and grade a 150' long curved driveway, digging down through a hillside about 20' and grading it off to be usable. He was done in less than a day including arrival, work, spreading and grading the spoils and loading up to leave.

 

[Egon]

Dozer with root rake blade. The combination has been in use for Successfully for years.

 

[Egon]

Disk痴 with small spacing have a tendency to plug up with mud in certain type soil/moisture conditions.

 

[TractorGuy]

Don't be too quick to hire or buy a dozer, check into an excavator first. Won't tear up the ground as much and in my experience in the woods here an excavator is cheaper and faster. Excavator can do a better job of piling, too.

99.9% of the stumps are gone. I have found a couple. It is so muddy right now with the excessive rain that I am not sure I could pull a disc but at least it sounds like maybe I am on the right path?

Doesn't sound like the OP needs an excavator.

Watch some videos on tillers. It's pretty amazing the stuff they will mulch up and smooth out. Most of these video guys like to hear themselves talk so I usually jump ahead to the action.

66HP TRACTOR TILLER FIELD TEST! TILLER NEEDS TO EAT! ??????? - YouTube

Did I just destroy another tiller? Tractor tilling rough, new food plot, & deer strategy! - YouTube

 

[Jagsare1]

I don't have that many rocks so that is good news. Trees are not an issue here. The area I am working with is open with heavy brush. There are some trees that are just a little big for a bush hog but still small. I can use the ratchet rake on the bucket and get those out if I need to. There is very compacted root base that would seem to tell me not to use a tiller, yet. Funny, if I ask this locally, the answers I am getting are specific to the equipment people own meaning no one has the same answer. If they have a skid steer mulcher, that is the right tool. If they have a dozer, then that is the right tool. Hard to get real answers. A lot of good info here though.