Will a Forestry Mulcher Work Here?

[blkbird305]

I have about 50 acres of hilly/mountainous land that I would like to clear off for grass/pasture. It was logged at some point in the past so it is mostly trees 4" in size with a few up to 8" in size. All hardwood and very thick/brushy in the summer.

My question has more to do with the rocks on the surface. Under the leaf layer there isn't much topsoil, but a lot of dolstone (I think. I am not a geologist). There is still enough dirt there to grow grass in most spots, but I'm worried it wouldn't be healthy for the mulcher head or it's teeth. Could I just run it a few inches off the ground and not mix the mulch with the soil?

I plan to buy a Kubota SVL95 with a Fecon head since I figure renting or hiring it out will cost an arm and a leg anyway, and there is a dealer nearby. Plus I can use the CTL for other chores on the land.

Here is a picture of part of the land with the leaves out of the way. This is one of the worse spots. Most of the rest of the land has more dirt mixed in.

 

[nybirdman]

You are going to spend $300,000 to do some clearing?I had 15 acres cleared two years ago for $7,000.BobCat with a Fecon head;they broke a window,blew a hydraulic hose,threw a track off and ruined most of the teeth on the FECON.

 

[TSO]

I've done these jobs in the past, renting units for large clearing jobs.

A few points to consider...

The upfront cost to purchase these units is very expensive, renting may be better...

The maintenance on a forestry mulcher can be very expensive and labor-intensive, renting maybe better...

This type of work puts a lot of abuse on the power unit, meaning your machine is going to be taking a lot of abuse running a mulcher head. You will get mulch and dust and dirt material in every nook and cranny on that machine... At the end of your clearing job, your machine is going to already have earned some very hard hours but you'll be making payments on for the next few years, renting may be better...

You will be breaking something during the job. I have each time I've done these jobs. I've used different machines from different Equipment companies. You will damage a hose at some point, maybe two. You will break a fitting. You may break some other things that are more expensive even. Even while being extremely careful, your chances for breaking something are very very high during these kinds of jobs. Renting may be better...

And finally, I don't know if I would be expecting to plant grass on an area that I just mulched. You are going to be leaving all of the stumps and all of the mulched material. it's going to take a lot of time for the material to decompose into the ground, and in the meantime you are going to have stumps with developed root systems trying to regrow their tops.

you may be better off renting a dozer to push the trees over and out of the ground, roots and all. Make a bunch of piles and burn them down. Then put a rough grade back on it and let the dirt settle for a few months, grade it one more time and you'll be ready to plant grass.

I have no qualms with your plans on buying a Kubota track loader for future use, they are very nice machines and are very handy to have, especially for future grading and lot-maintenance activities. I just would not want to put that kind of abuse on my personal machine. I have come across a few good deals for used mulching heads and have considered buying them to run on my machine which has high flow at 30 GPM. But, then I wise up and call my connection at the rental yards again... Better their machines than mine!

Best of luck.

 

[blkbird305]

renting may be better...

So, let me get this straight. You're saying renting might be better?

I figure you are right.

The main reason I liked the idea of forestry mulching versus dozer/burn/grade is I hoped the forestry mulching would help the topsoil situation a little. I'm afraid the dozer would make the soil situation worse.

What do yall think?

The ground grows grass pretty good on the smaller sections I have clear with the chain saw.

 

[blkbird305]

Thanks for the replies so far.

 

[nybirdman]

We have thin top soil in my area of NYS;tried a dozer for clearing and it was a huge mistake.With a dozer you still have to deal with brush piles filled with dirt.Rent a skid steer with a Fecon head and clean up with the tractor.
After clearing I cleaned up with a York rake and bucket/grapple and burned the piles.I now have nice food plots growing.

 

[Bill Stecik]

I do this all the time . Find someone with a seppi multiforest or supersoil forestry tiller . It will handle the rock just fine and turn it into a mineral rich topsoil. They are used in volcanic vineyards to make the soil for great wine grapes

 

[mar5690]

what is your location?