Using a tree spade

[livemusic]

Does anyone know if this is possible to use -- tree spade -- and what size tractor you'd need? I would think even a smaller PT could handle 1-2" saplings. Of course, you can limit the size of the sapling you want to dig up and transport but the weight of the sapling would be negligible, just the rootball size/weight is the concern. Heck, that wouldn't weigh as much as, say, an 8-ft oak log! These have 3-4 scoop blades that dig into the soil around the sapling via hydraulics and you extract it like pulling a tooth and then drive the whole thing to a hole your previously dug with it and put it in the ground in the new spot. I suppose PT does not have one, so, an after market unit would be necessary.

 

[m5040]

I could never understand how those things work and why they don't just raise the front of the tractor up.
But I would think the larger the tractor the better. The PT tractors do not have a lot of weight on the front (unlike farm tractors with the engine).
With your calculations, I would cut the lift capacity of the machine by 1/2 due to the distance of the attachment away from the quick attach plate.

 

[MossRoad]

Since the weight of the implement and the root ball together could easily be more than the lift capacity, I'd be more inclined to get a tree spade that is portable and supports its own weight on its own tires.

I've seen them before.

 

[scotts562]

A 2" tree is typically dug with a minimum 28" wide root ball. Approximate weight 500-600 lbs. 30-32" wide root ball gives increased transplant success for a 2" tree. Approximate weight 700-850 lbs. Add the weight of the spade and distance from the machine and the smaller PTs will probably struggle.

Smaller trees with smaller root balls would be fine weight wise. Running a spade off the QA circuit 2500psi 1/4" hose will be slow but should work.

 

[2manyrocks]

This link is to PT attachments which include a hydraulic tree auger, but no tree spade that I see. Attachments

 

[scotts562]

I could never understand how those things work and why they don't just raise the front of the tractor up.
But I would think the larger the tractor the better. The PT tractors do not have a lot of weight on the front (unlike farm tractors with the engine).
With your calculations, I would cut the lift capacity of the machine by 1/2 due to the distance of the attachment away from the quick attach

A nursery I buy from used to (maybe still does?) dig their trees with a Bobcat 743. Those machines are rather light in the front end. I too would expect a spade to just lift the machine up, but it seemed to work just fine for them.

 

[scotts562]

Does anyone know if this is possible to use -- tree spade -- and what size tractor you'd need? I would think even a smaller PT could handle 1-2" saplings. Of course, you can limit the size of the sapling you want to dig up and transport but the weight of the sapling would be negligible, just the rootball size/weight is the concern. Heck, that wouldn't weigh as much as, say, an 8-ft oak log! These have 3-4 scoop blades that dig into the soil around the sapling via hydraulics and you extract it like pulling a tooth and then drive the whole thing to a hole your previously dug with it and put it in the ground in the new spot. I suppose PT does not have one, so, an after market unit would be necessary.

If you do decide to fit an after market tree spade to a Power Trac, I can provide the following information based off 25 years experience landscaping and a landscape horticulture degree.

Using a PT 425 with forks, I cannot install a 4" B&B tree. 3" to 3 1/2" B&B trees are do-able but max out the machine thus increasing the probability of damaging the tree. 2" and under no problem. Again, this is using forks only. A tree spade will be much heavier.

There are different styles of tree spade (Clegg 15, Truncated 22, Vemeer 25, etc) A spade that digs wider, but shallower, such as a Clegg, would probably work best for a PT. Trees grown from seed often grow a tap root. Trees grown from cuttings rarely form a tap root. Transplanted trees rarely have a tap root even if they had one when dug. The tap root is severed when dug and rarely re-grows. The plant redirects root growth to the shallower lateral roots to compensate for the disturbance. As a result of this, it is not worth carrying around extra dirt/weight at the bottom of a deeply dug tree. The shallower roots/dirt is more likely to help a tree survive transplanting.

I hope something in this is helpful. Let us know how it turns out.

 

[mikester]

You will need a heavier machine with lots of lift capacity to run a hydraulic spade. I'm running an 1800lbs 36" spade and a 4" caliper tree with root ball can easily weigh up to 1,000lbs. My tractor lifts 4,000lbs at the pins and weighs about 10,000lbs with cab and BH attached. I need the BH stabilizers to dig as the hydraulic spades each push close to 10 tons.

Consider renting a CTL and spade.

 

[MossRoad]

IF I was going to use a tree spade with my PT, I think I'd look into something like this.

TR330 - 30" Tree Spade for Skid Steer Loaders with trailer

Baumalight's TR330 tree spade is designed to quickly and efficiently move trees up to 3 in diameter. Perfect for landscapers and nurseries.

baumalight.com

They have several different sizes. Maybe a deal could be worked out with the company to get one without the engine and hydraulic pumps and just power it off of the PT's hydraulics. All the weight is supported by the trailer. The PT just moves it around.