What's your technique for removing trees/brush with your grapple? Here's mine....

[94BULLITT]

I had to try pushing some trees out since Piston showed us some pics of him doing it. I tried a few oaks this evening. It took some work since I could not go all the way around the tree with the grapple.

Here is what I started with





I dug around the trees as much as I could with the grapple to try to loosen them up. All the trees were alive.

A little technique I picked upon at the end was to use a tooth to push against the tree so the grapple does not slide up the trees.

After that I pushed up high on them.



And of dug around them more with the grapple.

I found that since the trees were not dead they were very flexible and if I pushed real high on the they would bend a lot. It helped to loosen them up. I ended up getting them all out by pushing lower on them, like 3'-4' high.

Here is pic of the one going over.


2 of the trees came completely out and 2 of them the stump busted so I have some clean up for tomorrow.

I sawed the one off after it was pretty much over. I had the whole tree in the grapple, it was not a real big tree.







Here is a root ball from one of the trees



I have to split and stack the wood, load the brush and then I will get those last pieces of the stumps out. It got dark so I did not get any pictures of what it looks like now.
I need a better ballast than my blade. I want to make a counterweight, it would help a lot.

 

[Piston]

Roger,
I"m glad you were inspired That's great you posted the pics, let us know how you make out today after cleaning up a bit.

Also, I'm glad you (and Don) mentioned the teeth. I meant to say something about that in my original post. I've pushed a lot of trees over with my full sized loader/backhoe as well, using the loader bucket with NO teeth on it, I've had the bucket slip/shift on me many times, and I notice that using the teeth on the grapple helps immensely with keeping a solid, fixed 'grip' vs having the smooth bucket slide around. Not that it doesn't work well with the bucket itself, but it's just not as "grippy". (that's a technical term)

 

[stuckmotor]

I spent part of yesterday trying to straighten my loader bucker. It looks like the previous owner tried to push over a tree and the tree pushed back. Once I get the dent in the top straight, I'll work on the smile in the bottom.
Stuck

 

[94BULLITT]

Roger,
I"m glad you were inspired That's great you posted the pics, let us know how you make out today after cleaning up a bit.

Also, I'm glad you (and Don) mentioned the teeth. I meant to say something about that in my original post. I've pushed a lot of trees over with my full sized loader/backhoe as well, using the loader bucket with NO teeth on it, I've had the bucket slip/shift on me many times, and I notice that using the teeth on the grapple helps immensely with keeping a solid, fixed 'grip' vs having the smooth bucket slide around. Not that it doesn't work well with the bucket itself, but it's just not as "grippy". (that's a technical term)

I forgot to say earlier but you did a nice job with the pictures/ write up. I wish more people would interact on these threads. I am glad you started this thread. It got me to thinking about these trees and made me wonder if I could get them out.

I got 1 full skid of wood and one partial. I have a about a wheel barrow load that needs to be put on the skid.



Here are some better pictures of the stumps.








The 4th stump just kept breaking off. I think it will be okay. I hooked onto the one stump with a chain and pulled it out. I had enough traction that the front wheels came off the ground

I was able to clean all the brush up in 2 loads with the grapple. I got the area roughly graded, it is nice and muddy.

 

[Piston]

I wish more people would interact on these threads. I am glad you started this thread. It got me to thinking about these trees and made me wonder if I could get them out.

Thanks for the comments. I hope more people post some pics and experience like you did.:thumbsup: It's always nice to see the other ways people do things, and get ideas from. You can also learn a lot of what NOT to do from some people's experience as well. I used to never post about things I did, I would just read about every one else but then realized how much I enjoy reading about these types of things. I figured I'd get involved and if people didn't want to read or look at my pics, they didn't have to. :laughing:

The 4th stump just kept breaking off. I think it will be okay. I hooked onto the one stump with a chain and pulled it out. I had enough traction that the front wheels came off the ground

I was able to clean all the brush up in 2 loads with the grapple. I got the area roughly graded, it is nice and muddy.

It's funny how sometimes the smallest stumps that seem so easy to get out, end up fighting with you the most! I've had a couple trees that were only 6" or so in diameter, but started off as shoots from a formerly cut tree, and already had a huge root system established, it took me so long to dig around that stump, I ended up cutting it flush with the ground and dumping more dirt on top of it. :laughing: it's still there, that was before I got my stumpgrinder, I might go back and find it just to "win" that fight :laughing:

I like the palletized firewood idea. That makes it nice and easy to move around, and handle it so many less times :thumbsup:


Speaking of rough grading the area, do you use your grapple for that? A lot of times I use the grapple for grading, not fine grading or anything, but for smoothing out areas that I just tore up, even when I have the box blade on the back. It works surprisingly well. I level the bottom tines with the ground, and drive foward and backward with it. I graded this entire area with nothing more than my grapple...

 

[Xfaxman]

............

I got 1 full skid of wood and one partial. I have a about a wheel barrow load that needs to be put on the skid.

I was able to clean all the brush up in 2 loads with the grapple. I got the area roughly graded, it is nice and muddy.

Speaking of giving people ideas, you can borrow my wheel-less barrow to move the rest of the wood!

 

[94BULLITT]

Thanks for the comments. I hope more people post some pics and experience like you did.:thumbsup: It's always nice to see the other ways people do things, and get ideas from. You can also learn a lot of what NOT to do from some people's experience as well. I used to never post about things I did, I would just read about every one else but then realized how much I enjoy reading about these types of things. I figured I'd get involved and if people didn't want to read or look at my pics, they didn't have to. :laughing:

Your right you can learn a lot from other peoples experiences. I wish more people would comment. Sometimes is discouraging when you start a thread.

It's funny how sometimes the smallest stumps that seem so easy to get out, end up fighting with you the most! I've had a couple trees that were only 6" or so in diameter, but started off as shoots from a formerly cut tree, and already had a huge root system established, it took me so long to dig around that stump, I ended up cutting it flush with the ground and dumping more dirt on top of it. :laughing: it's still there, that was before I got my stumpgrinder, I might go back and find it just to "win" that fight :laughing:

It does not take much of a tree to put a fight.

I like the palletized firewood idea. That makes it nice and easy to move around, and handle it so many less times :thumbsup:

Thanks. Where ever I cut the tree down I cut it into firewood length, split it and palatalize there. It also helps it dry since it is not on the ground. I have some strips of a old conveyor belt that I cover a few pallets with. I think I have about 40-50 pallets of firewood now. 1 pallet is approximately 1/4 of a cord. The little BX will lift one on the 3PH. I pull up to the house and carry it in the basement. I am afraid to put the whole pallet in, I don't want any critters in the house:laughing:

Speaking of rough grading the area, do you use your grapple for that? A lot of times I use the grapple for grading, not fine grading or anything, but for smoothing out areas that I just tore up, even when I have the box blade on the back. It works surprisingly well. I level the bottom tines with the ground, and drive foward and backward with it. I graded this entire area with nothing more than my grapple...
View attachment 322689

I had the scraper blade on the back for a ballast so I used it. I'll try using the grapple to grade. That area you did turned out nice.

 

[94BULLITT]

Speaking of giving people ideas, you can borrow my wheel-less barrow to move the rest of the wood!
View attachment 322690 View attachment 322691 View attachment 322692

Thanks, I'll pick it up tomorrow. You need a bath tub trailer to go with that.

 

[Xfaxman]

Thanks, I'll pick it up tomorrow. You need a bath tub trailer to go with that.

Okay, just filled it with diesel, it is good to go! Been there, done that, with the bath tub trailer!

 

[stuckmotor]

I was about to saw down a tree today when I remembered this thread. I followed Piston's advise as best I could pushing with the bucket. It's wet here and the tree went over easy. Thanks Piston!