what do I need now

[kacole]

I'm having some land cleared right now I've had about 4.5 acres pushed up. What attachments do I need to get the job finished. There are roots that need to be removed. And ground that needs to be smoothed out. I have a Kubota mx5100 and no attachments. I assume a good box scrape is a must. I've been looking at the everything attachments 60" wicked grapple But don't know if I need it or if it all can be done with the box scrape? It's hard to pull the trigger on a 2k grapple if it won't do much more than a box scrape. If a grapple is the best way to go that's fine. Is my tractor big enough to take care of this job?

 

[newbury]

Are you going to clean what is cleared and burn the piles?

I have not yet been able to afford a grapple :drool:, but a root rake should also be on your list.

What are your plans for the acreage? Golf course? Raising beef? Turtle Farm?

Both implements, and a root rake would be good but the final plans may dictate different tools.

 

[vtsnowedin]

Can you burn the piles where you are safely and legally? If not I'd get the ETA root grapple and start consolidating the piles and combing the open ground to pull out any remaining roots or rocks if you have them. Then seed a over crop to hold your soil from eroding away. Depending on your goals a good disk harrow might be all you need after that.

 

[farmer2009]

If you're going to burn the piles a good box blade and front bucket will work. A grapple would be nice.
Are you going to turn this into grass? Then a box blade to level it out. A disk to prepare the seedbed then a broadcast spreader to sow grass seed. Maybe a roller to press seeds into ground and firm up to help erosion.

 

[jeff9366]

I would buy a root rake/grapple first.

By the time you clean up 4.5 acres you will have a pretty good idea if a Box Blade is what you want next. The blunt, stubby rippers on a Box Blade will de-root after a fashion but they are angled/designed to tear up road aggregates to the bottom of pot holes, not to de-root. De-rooting with Box Blade rippers is a brute force exercise.

Be aware that you will need 900 - 1,200 pounds counterbalance mounted on your Three Point Hitch in order to lift capacity loads with a grapple.

If you do not get a grapple, consider a Ratchet Rake attachment for your FEL bucket. I was using mine to tear out brush then minor grade newly open bit this morning.

You could also consider a Field Cultivator for cleaning out roots. ETA sells the Fred Cain brand; watch the video: Fred Cain Tractor 7 Shank 3 Point Field Cultivator, Ripper, Tillage Tool, Jitterbug, Field plow, Bermuda grass plow

Dirt Dog, in Georgia, also makes a Field Cultivator, which Dirt Dog calls an All Purpose Plow.

Ratchet Rake FRONT/Field Cultivator REAR would be an interesting, relatively cheap combination @ $1,400. My instinct is always to have high draft force tasks accomplished by an implement mounted on the Three Point Hitch.

MX5100 is ample tractor for your task.

Have fun.

Ratchet Rake LINK:http://www.ratchetrake.com/images/ratchet_rake_brochure.pdf

 

[leonz]

I'm having some land cleared right now I've had about 4.5 acres pushed up. What attachments do I need to get the job finished. There are roots that need to be removed. And ground that needs to be smoothed out. I have a Kubota mx5100 and no attachments. I assume a good box scrape is a must. I've been looking at the everything attachments 60" wicked grapple But don't know if I need it or if it all can be done with the box scrape? It's hard to pull the trigger on a 2k grapple if it won't do much more than a box scrape. If a grapple is the best way to go that's fine. Is my tractor big enough to take care of this job?

===============================================================================


couple of questions:

Are your rear tires loaded?????

Have you dug down a few inches to see if there is any ash from the area being burned off to
clear the old growth trees and brush?? it looks like you have a second or third growth of old trees
and brush in the understory there.


How much more land are you going to clear???? you should have it cleared
in total for the amount you want to have as open land then decide if you want to
plow it under yourself or have someone else do it with a deep plow.

A deep plow will break everything up and bury the trash for you and any big or
small rocks will be brought to the surface.


A three point york rake would pull everything up on the surface after plowing
and then you can either bury it or burn it i suppose.

You will have to make multiple trips at ninety degree angles to get it all; that is why I suggested
hiring to have the land plowed and seeded with rye or having good grass seeded with a sure stand grass seeder.

You need the rears loaded if you expect to do any ground engaging work
especially with a rake or box blade as the tractor will simply stop moving
when you have enough junk stuck in front of the rake(been there done that).

No the four wheel drive will not save you or help you unless you have ballast in the rears!!!!!!!

So much depends on you and what your end use is going to be. A duragrade rock picker is designed to work behind ATV's
and small mules/tractors but they are over $4,000.00 But there is nothing saying you cannot make money doing custom work picking rock for landscapers to pay for it if you have spare time to do it.

If you have a front loader with a quick attach bucket system you can hook up the
york rake to that with an adapter plate.

Not trying to spend your money, but you have a mess on your hands unless you have
someone come in and deep plow or run through it with a rototiller before you do
anything else as it will run away from you quickly and then you will not even be able to
clear it with a riding mower(been there done that)

===========================================================


it will save you aggravation to have the brush buried by a back hoe if you also want to have drainage
tile installed which will add value to your cleared property.

if you can have it plowed quickly you can sew a heavy cover crop of drilled rye to reduce weeds and
invasives like poison ivy etc.


If you have the ground fitted by deep plowing then harrowed and sewn with drilled rye the ground will be
flat with few if any roots left on the ground to deal with. what ever you do do not have any seed broadcast as you
will have poor germination and much wasted seed as it will be blown away.

 

[kacole]

Ok I'm gonna try to answer all the questions so if I miss one just let me know. I plan on burning the piles where they are, I do have a loader on my tractor, my tires are loaded, I'm gonna plant pecan trees (about 20 or so) plant a dove field and a food plot for deer I'm also gonna have enough cleared to build a house later down the road. Probably gonna end up with around 15 acres cleared

 

[Ed of all trades]

Why try picking up all of those little sticks, that does not make sense to me. I would buy a heavy disc and disc it 3 or 4 times. That will bury a lot of it and make a seed bed at the same time. In a few years when you are ready to build you should have mos of the sticks rotted and a mostly clean yard. the trees and food plots will work well the first year with just the disc and you will want it to plant the food plots. :2cents:

 

[jeff9366]

A new Tandem Disc Harrow suitable for this task and MX5100 capability would need 20" diameter pans, preferably 22" diameter pans, 1,000 pounds to 1,500 pounds implement weight, depending on pan thickness.

New cost would be $2,500 - $4,000.

Good tool. Good for start of smoothing/leveling work, good for food plots but perhaps a lot of money for 15 acres, perhaps not.

Not to say a heavy Tandem Disc Harrow cannot be found used.

Everything Attachments XTreme Duty Large Deluxe Box Frame Disc Harrow

DH25 Series Disc Harrows | Land Pride

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachments/332493-tandem-lift-disc-harow-monroe.html?highlight=

 

[kebo]

After you get all the brush piles cleared away, I can only add that you might want to consider getting a subsoiler and rip through the areas where you will be discing for food plots or dove fields. A subsoiler will help break up the deeper root structures and the hard compated soil, and allow the rain water to penetrate deeper. Then you can go back over that with a disc or a root rake to help level it up and clean it off. Good luck.

 

[Ed of all trades]

If you use a subsoiler or root rake you have to deal with what you pull up. Why not just leave them there. They will rot and leave natural water channels in the soil, and add more humus to the soil. My Idea is start watching tempest and other for a good used disc.

 

[KYDan]

It will be a big job, particularly if you have no experience with it. I have been doing the same thing on the 41 acre parcel we now live on. I started out with an old Ford 4000 & a 2000 both were 2WD. The 4000 had a loader, but was pretty much useless with 2WD. I sold them and bought a Kubota L2900 with bucket and backhoe attachment. It was great all around tractor that I could afford and I had a brush hog and LP finishing mower with it as well. I sold it when I bought the MX5100. I didn't buy another backhoe as I felt it would be more bang for the buck to rent one if I needed it (small trackhoe type) or contract with a commercial operator. I have accumulated a lot of attachments over the years and like some and others not so much. I have the EA 20 harrows and wish I had bought the ones with the scalloped edges although they are good heavy harrows and you can add weight and they have served me well. I have a 66" DLA rock and debris bucket and it is a brute and works well. I do have a 3rd function remote from LP and I could add a thumb to the bucket, but it would put way too much weight on the front end. I have R4's that are filled and I am considering some cast iron wheel weights, but most likely will not get them. I have an old set of Ford DB 12" plows that are handy, a little small for the tractor, but I don't use them a lot. The loader has the HD round back bucket and it was well worth the additional expense. I have 2 tooth bars for it one is a flat one for finish work because I can back drag with it, but it is too light and easy to break for heavy work. The other toothbar is the one I use most often and it is a brute and take a licking. We have a lot of big rocks or small boulders and the rock bucket is great for picking them up and leaving the dirt behind, but I use the round back bucket with the toothbar for popping out most rocks. The MX with these attachments is remarkably efficient as it has enough power to do the job and the HST is great for loader work, not so much for the plowing, but I don't do much of that. I have the EP10 Danseur loader mount hydraulic auger system with the 10" cast dirt and rock auger and the SSQA right hand mount. I also have a Shaver PTO auger with a 12" auger for large corner posts. I am just learning how to use the Danseur and there is a learning curve and I have not had the weather to practice with it, it's so wet here it's like digging in thick soup. The 5100 is a great all around tractor and there is a plethora of attachments that will work with it. If you have an abundance of large subterranean roots and big rocks you will probably be better off hiring someone with a track machine and a rear rip system to do the work for you. You can clean it up easily enough with the 5100. I forgot to mention earlier in this tome that I have the Dirt Dog 72" rollover box blade. It is the manual unit, but if you have rear remotes I suggest you get the hydraulic unit. The rollover is heavy (I think it is 800 lbs. or so), but with down pressure from the hydraulics you can do more with it. You have already received a lot of good information from the prior posts, but thought I would chime in from my similar experiences with the same tractor.

 

[Poopdeck Pappy]

grapple or box blade? To me, that's like going backpacking and asking "Do I need a knife or a canteen?" They perform different functions. You need both of them, and the box blade will provide ballast for the grapple.

 

[kacole]

Thanks for all the good advice I still haven't made up my mind what to do

 

[jeff9366]

Good advice can be as confusing as no advice.

No need to rush.

Undoubtedly you will get more responces.

I'll bet you have read options you would never have considered without T-B-N.