What attachments to use to...

[FreshAir]

Hi all,

I have just bought 5 acres of land, which was a 25 year old plum orchard until the trees were pulled out 2 years ago. The soil is clay/loam, and the guy who pulled out the trees said he might be able to rip out the roots (which was never done) to a depth of 12", but after that he thought he might start to pull up [more] rock. There is some rock already in the soil (basalt), the biggest I saw was maybe 20" diameter, but most is 3 - 6". There is maybe a 2 to 12 percent slope to the land.

I am thinking of "ripping" it myself, getting rid of as much rock as I can, cover cropping it for a couple of years to build up the soil, and after that putting in a vineyard (the land is in Oregon's wine country).

So, I think my first thing to decide is what implements I need (I finally got there!). I will be buying my first tractor soon, but it seems to me that the right place to start is with learning more about what implements I need, to do what I want to do...

Any advice would be appreciated!

David

 

[Argee]

Sounds like you need a tractor with loader first and foremost...after you get the tractor and start clearing the roots and stones out...what attachments you need will come to you.

 

[FreshAir]

OK - that does sound like the place to start!

Here is what I found in the archives that seems most relevant:

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( "I've used a box blade successfully to dig out basketball sized rocks. Anything bigger, I use my FEL. A toothbar on the FEL makes a HUGE difference. If you are going to be digging up many rocks, it's definitely worth the investment."

Essentially, this is the process I use. Drag the box scraper around with the teeth down, hit a big rock or lift it to the surface, get it with the bucket (toothbar highly recomended) and continue on.

Best of luck,
Mark )</font>

So, to get the big roots and rocks out, it seems my implement list is, so far:

box blade with teeth
FEL
FEL toothbar

Is that about right? Is a "box blade with teeth" the same as a box scraper with scarifier?

Else where, I ran across the concept of using a "subsoiler" to bring the rocks up, and then use the FEL as above. Any comments? Seems to be a cheaper way to go, to me...

So, next on my implement list would seem to be something to get the small rocks out? Or?

(My ignorence is amazing, but no less than my dream to have a vineyard!)

Best regards
David

 

[MarkV]

David, it sounds like you are on the right track. A box blade with “teeth” is the same as with scarifier. A sub-soiler will dig deeper with its single tooth but will require many passes to cover any area of size. The box blade is also the tool you will want to smooth out the ground after you pull the rocks and roots.

Another implement you may want to consider is a landscape rake. It will not dig down and pull roots or rocks but will help collect items on the surface and windrow them for collection. There are also some specialty tools for clearing rock but they can be rather expensive and not very practical to buy for a one time job. Some rental centers or tractor dealers rent specialty equipment so you could check and see what is available in your area.

MarkV

 

[DaMadman]

just a suggestion but be careful ripping out the roots. Depending on the size of the tractor and what implement you are using and how big the roots are you might find yourself coming to a screaching halt if you snag on a big enough root. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[Bowhunter]

Since you only plan on clearing the ground once, I'd rent the equipment for this project. I'd go with a larger tractor and a multi-shank V-ripper (for a picture, click on the Tufline V-ripper link at Sweet Tractor.) This would make short work of the project. After the land clearing is done, I would buy a smaller tractor for vineyard maintenance.

 

[FreshAir]

OK, I'll beware! The roots look to be up to about 4 -5" across, and although a little bit rotted, still have solid wood in them.

Speaking of what size of tractor/implement, I am assuming at this point that whatever pointy thing I end of getting to "rip" the rocks out, the tractor will have to pull it through up to 12" of clay loam that hasn't been worked in 25 years. Any ideas as to what the minimum diesel HP to do this is? Probably different depending on the implement...

(For the FEL, I guess I am assuming that as long as I can lift and/or move the largest rock (maybe 24"), that a larger FEL will only reduce the time. So, any idea of how much a 24" basalt rock weighs?

Best regards!
David

 

[FreshAir]

Bowhunter:

Good thought on renting instead of buying. After I started to add up implements to do what I want to do from start to finish, I started thinking the same thing myself! However, I am unemployed, so my time is free, and I am in need of physical labor and fresh air to clear my mind!

I did want to get people's ideas on how to reduce the total cost of doing this, by perhaps buying only implements that I can use for at least a couple of years. For example, I have been reading the recent thread on "Question on Plow size", and it has occurred to me that the "sharp pointy thing" I drag through the ground to rip the rocks out could as well be a plow as a scarifier or a subsoiler. The cover cropping could then be done by: plow-plow-disc.

Will a plow handle this "rock ripping"?
Best regards!

 

[FreshAir]

MarkV

Well, I looked at the archives on landscape rakes. People seem to really like the Harley, but I'm sure it would blow my equipment budget...

So, I guess a rake with teeth 1" or so apart. to get out as much of the rock as possible? Or, would that be too close together to be able to rake clay loam with old roots in it?

By the way, I borrowed my father-in-law's Allis-Chalmers (25 HP) tractor today, and pulled a roto-tiller. The soil seemd to be just right to roto-till, but whenever I hit one of those 3 - 6" basalt rocks, they were in there so tight that I ended up chipping it into a [slightly] smaller rock and a bunch of 1 - 3" chips! I may be slow, but I learned that is not the thing to do!

Best regards,
David