Building fire breaks with CTL

[HRPServicesTX]

Bidding a job for 16 miles of fire breaks, was going to use dozer but don't think I can pull that off. I wanted to use the CTL or 2 of them to build the breaks, just curious to see how you'd go about doing that and what attachment would be best. Breaks have been built before, so the ground is just sparse grass. Not much clearing needed. Thanks for the input!

 

[Muellermarine]

Harley rake maybe? Otherwise they make a dozer blade attachment for large frame ctls

 

[North Texan]

It is really a job more suited for a dozer or motor grader. If you don't have one, is rental an option?

If you have a blade you can angle on the CTL, it might work. I've never used one, but any blade that can take the ground can be used. To me, the potential downside would be trying to make the fire break wide enough and how many passes that would take?

 

[HRPServicesTX]

Yeah, JNB said maybe a Harley take too...I'm not familiar with them, would it still work if there's a little rock occasionally? Or how about if there's grass?...Does the grass need to be sparse?

Would need only 1 more pass with skid steer vs dozer. Downside is I'm not familiar enough with running a dozer or grader to be efficient enough on it. And rental cost could kill the profit. I wanted to use a dozer, but the guy I was gonna hire for it can't do it the timeframe needed.

 

[Hysert]

Your SVL90 is a dozer! Just a tiny bit smaller.. I was working along side my buddy in his JD450 and all the material he was pushing towards me I was moving to the pile with our svl90.. he was actually really impressed.. lol.. I don't see why you can't with your skid..

 

[HRPServicesTX]

Oh I know I can with the 90, just curious what attachment might be best for this application, and be efficient. I was looking at maybe landplanes with a scarifier? Seems to do good with and grass.

 

[Mark13]

Are the fire breaks just bare strips of ground X feet wide or is there more to them then that? Where I'm at we don't really have to worry about wild fires so I'm trying to picture what you are trying to do.

 

[HRPServicesTX]

Yes they'll be bare strips of ground 15-20' wide, following roads or fences inside a ranch. They can either be stripped smooth, or tilled 2" or so on the surface. Currently, some rock, sparse grass on it etc.

 

[Scrub Puller]

Yair . . .

In open grass land an offset disk set up with a bit of excessive angle and pulled fast is the most effective tool I've ever used. I found them more effective than the purpose built serrated edge V shaped fire plows . . . a couple of fast passes was best.

In the open downs country we used to plough two strips about fifty feet apart and then go back at night and burn the strip of grass between.

Cheers.

 

[murfdog]

I agree with Scrub on this. If you get the bid, spray it with roundup of ahead of time then disc it.

 

[Scrub Puller]

Yair . . .

In open grass land (no rocks an offset disk set up with a bit of excessive angle and pulled fast is the most effective tool I've ever used. I found them more effective than the purpose built serrated edge V shaped fire plows . . . a couple of fast passes was best.

Cheers.

 

[Scrub Puller]

Yair . . .
Oops! Gremlins, double post.

Cheers.

 

[KSSS]

Your Kubota is not the most efficient way to do this. You can either bid it to get it, or mess around with the Kubota and if you get it you will be running for way less than the machine should earn an hour or you will get blown out of the water by those bidding more efficient methods. A Harley is not going to go deep enough to really turn the dirt, the quality of the job will not make any one happy. Rent a Ag tractor use an Offset disk or seed prep type attachment. It will be faster, and do a much better job than a Harley rake.

 

[HRPServicesTX]

These breaks usually either get a dozer scraping across the ground or a maintainer. I've seen other places use offset discs. I can use whatever I need to do a good efficient job. You think an offset will be better than the dozer?

 

[hvy 1ton]

With the lines already cleared in the past and assuming there is more dirt than rock an offset would be my go to. I have an 11' that is heavy enough to break green sod as long as it's been mowed recently. Burying that disk in sod will make a 100 HP tractor grunt.

 

[245dlc]

How about a grader attachment for your CTL? Might be easier to use than a dozer blade and probably wouldn't take long to get the hand of since your probably just scraping the vegetation off. Plus less chance of gouging.

 

[HRPServicesTX]

That might work on most of it but there's some light to heavy brush areas that need to be pushed as well.

 

[KSSS]

You could use the CTL to push over anything that an offset disk could handle. An ag tractor would be cheaper to run and be able to run faster ground speeds.

 

[colson04]

 

[Todd v.]

I own a soil conditioner and it takes a bit to churn up decent growth to the point that it would be a good fire break, if it's real rooty it takes more than one pass. It will go deep enough and the rocks may not agree with it if they are large. The offset disk is what the forestry service uses over here (SC), they will come cut fire breaks and manage the burn pretty cheaply to help prevent people who are ill equipped from making a mess of things.