Has anyone here used an excavator to remove branches hanging over a field? I have a few customers asking for this service. I know obviously know I could just track around the field and reach up and bat the branches off using my bucket as I have done that many times in the past. How ever I am thinking of making a frost tooth with a curve and sharp edge to "shear" the branches off between that and my thumb. Also obviously the frost ripper could them be a 2 in 1 machine. Also might be helpful as a stump removal tool. Anybody have any inside or advise for me as I consider options. I just feel some sort of shear will leave a cleaner more professional looking job then batting the branches off with a bucket. Thanks in advance
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tree limb removal?
- Thread starter wrc
- Start date
Anytime you shear something off, you don't have control of the limb once its sheared, no farmer will be very happy with you dropping limbs and brush on their fences, nor you when they come down on your machine.
I have no idea what machines you have to work with, but if I had a lot to do, I'd use the bucket and thumb to hold the limb and rig up a skid steer with a long limb saw, custom build it to saw the limbs off and then use the excavator to pile the stuff up. Anything smaller in size, just rip them off with the excavator, as for a professional job, that depends on the customer and his likes, not yours.
I have no idea what machines you have to work with, but if I had a lot to do, I'd use the bucket and thumb to hold the limb and rig up a skid steer with a long limb saw, custom build it to saw the limbs off and then use the excavator to pile the stuff up. Anything smaller in size, just rip them off with the excavator, as for a professional job, that depends on the customer and his likes, not yours.
lumberjack
Senior Member
Although I rarely do it, I use a felling grapple saw on my mini excavator to do that.
lumberjack
Senior Member
A shear could produce a decent cut, but the grapple saw is the best thing I know of aside from doing it manually.
lumberjack
Senior Member
https://youtube.com/watch?v=n7GWS1OC4g4
No limb trimming here to speak of, but you can get an idea of the versatility.
No limb trimming here to speak of, but you can get an idea of the versatility.
I have always just tore them off with the hoe/thumb or wheel loader with the grapple. Yea it may not be as clean as a saw or shear cut but it works. I think you are going to find you spend alot more time sawing them off then breaking them. Shear would go pretty fast but who knows what would happen after its cut. With a loader you would somewhat protected not so much with a hoe.
still learn'n
Senior Member
Just for interest sake a guy around here has a big boom on the front of a loader with a saw blade on front and has a separate power unit to run it that he does lots and lots of side trimming for farmers and townships with! The boom goes right of the bucket and then forward pry 30-40'
Scrub Puller
Senior Member
Yair . . . Every one thinks different but for delimbing trees in existing row crop country (because the client has gone to a bigger/different tractor combine or whatever) I would have though dropping then directly into the back of a dump truck with a decent polesaw would be hard to beat . . . you need the truck anyway unless you take them down with a mulching head.
Its hard to comment though without knowing the scope of the work.
I have noticed a tendency around here lately to overthink things and make mountains out of molehills by using all sorts of fancy gear on very basic jobs . . . no neighbour you do not have to drive seventy miles into town and hire a laser thingy and a mini-digger to put in one hundred and fifty feet of eighteen inch deep by four inch wide trench, you have sandy soil, it has just rained and I have a trench shovel and an axe to cut the odd root and you have an eighteen year old son . . . very simple. (Big Grin)
Cheers.
Its hard to comment though without knowing the scope of the work.
I have noticed a tendency around here lately to overthink things and make mountains out of molehills by using all sorts of fancy gear on very basic jobs . . . no neighbour you do not have to drive seventy miles into town and hire a laser thingy and a mini-digger to put in one hundred and fifty feet of eighteen inch deep by four inch wide trench, you have sandy soil, it has just rained and I have a trench shovel and an axe to cut the odd root and you have an eighteen year old son . . . very simple. (Big Grin)
Cheers.
Ashley52
Member
Once the tree limbs have hit the ground in your back or front yard, your job is done. Whether you cut them done yourself, or they have fallen from a storm, just call the Stand Up Guys. We will come out and do whatever is necessary to get rid of them for you. We can load them into our trucks from where ever they have fallen (you don’t even have to stack them in a pile). Also, if the tree limbs are too big to be carried or to big to fit in our trucks, we can chop them up as well. When you are in need of some tree limb removal, look no further than The Stand Up Guys Junk Removal Crew.
Well!! Boys like toys!
Well guys, I kinda forgot this thread after the initial idea but it showed up again on my feed today. I did modify a skidsteer tree shear to fit my excavator. It was an amazing idea. Had about 2000 dollars invested of actual cash money and a full weekend in the shop of fab time. I ran this little bugger for about 2 months straight last winter. It really did pay for it's self. I have since sold the attachment to a local contractor that seen how profitable it was for me. He ran it for about 1 week before he created such a mess of several fields and fences no one would hire him out. I have offered to buy the attachment back for $2500 even tho I sold it for $7500 He said he can't take that much of a loss. Guess I need to start looking for another cheap used shear as I do get the occasional call still for these services but if last year's work is any indication of how it will work once I'm out there chopping trees every neighbor in a 5 mile radius will be pulling in asking to get scheduled.
Marina Orlova
New Member
I'm not sure if you currently operate any heavy equipment, but there is one machine in particular called Sennebogen 718, that has low ground pressure, good reach (about 45 ft) and a grapple saw attachment that can cut, hold and control the wood down to a desired location. Whether that be a neat stack on the ground or loaded into a truck or directly fed into a chipper for processing, etc. Check out their site.
https://sennebogen-na.com/industries/arborists-arboriculture/
However, this is not a cheap machine. It is definitely an investment but if you regularly do tree removals in difficult places that require precision & control, then this is a great choice. Especially if you need it done fast, as this equipment does not require set up time and can cut down a tree in minutes. Hope that helped and good luck!
https://sennebogen-na.com/industries/arborists-arboriculture/
However, this is not a cheap machine. It is definitely an investment but if you regularly do tree removals in difficult places that require precision & control, then this is a great choice. Especially if you need it done fast, as this equipment does not require set up time and can cut down a tree in minutes. Hope that helped and good luck!