We have to clear about 20 acres of saplings. Just wanted to see what you guys think is the fasest way to do this we do have to get all the roots out.It seems faster to clear out the bigger trees than all those little sukers. Any tips thanks alot
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clearing 20 acres of saplings
- Thread starter JDecker
- Start date
petersfamilytru
Well-Known Member
How Big?
How big are the saplings? I am currently on a clearing job where I use my excavator (JD 490E) with a hydraulic grapple (Shamrock 38") for about 90% of the work and my D6D with a U-blade and pin on brush rake for the rest.
Go to www.petersfamilytrucking.com and click on the "current projects" tab for pictures.
How big are the saplings? I am currently on a clearing job where I use my excavator (JD 490E) with a hydraulic grapple (Shamrock 38") for about 90% of the work and my D6D with a U-blade and pin on brush rake for the rest.
Go to www.petersfamilytrucking.com and click on the "current projects" tab for pictures.
The trees are about 1" to 4" and are seeded in like grass have a thumb on a 220-kom and 311-cat but that seems like it takes for ever. we do not have a brush rake for any of our dozer thinking about getting one. with a dozer blade you have to use just the coner of the blade or you end up running them over. Just wanted to see if brush rake was the way to go or if you could do another way. What do you guys think would be the best dozer to put a brush rake on we have a p-68 kom d-41 kom d-5c cat and 750 deere
Willis Bushogin
Senior Member
clearing
If you cant burn, I would get a Mulching machine and mow all the sapplings and then get a root rake on your D5 and push the stumps out and do what you have to do with the stumps. I have a Fecon FTX90L and I can clear an acre of sapplings in about 4 hrs +-just leaving mulch that can be left, or mixed with the topsoil. Every job is different, but I normally get $130 per hr.
I bought this, about 3 months ago and it cuts my hauling and disposal over 50%, sometimes 75% depends on the size of the trees.
Good Luck
If you cant burn, I would get a Mulching machine and mow all the sapplings and then get a root rake on your D5 and push the stumps out and do what you have to do with the stumps. I have a Fecon FTX90L and I can clear an acre of sapplings in about 4 hrs +-just leaving mulch that can be left, or mixed with the topsoil. Every job is different, but I normally get $130 per hr.
I bought this, about 3 months ago and it cuts my hauling and disposal over 50%, sometimes 75% depends on the size of the trees.
Good Luck
biggixxerjim
Senior Member
Sure sounds like fun!!
A 953 with a 4 in 1 is all I would want. Tub grind the trees and such
A 953 with a 4 in 1 is all I would want. Tub grind the trees and such
petersfamilytru
Well-Known Member
Wow, there is never a shortage of great ideas on this website... Very cool stuff!
On the brush rake issue, I use my rake a lot. Since it is a pin-on version, I can easily attach it or take it off by myself with the use of my excavator. Or, if need be, I use a tree to prop it against and remove or install it from there. The cost for a quality rake is very low and the uses are plentiful.
The "mulching" idea is interesting... Unless, of course, you are like me and don't have those capabilities. I recently sold a D7G to a dealership that carried a Gyro-Trac mulchers. For the $330,000 investment, I decided I would keep doing my projects the old-fashioned way!
If you buy a pin-on rake, you can make it fit multiple dozers, by welding the mounts on the different blades. I have mounts on both my blades, so I can use the brush rake with either.
Good luck!!!
www.petersfamilytrucking.com
On the brush rake issue, I use my rake a lot. Since it is a pin-on version, I can easily attach it or take it off by myself with the use of my excavator. Or, if need be, I use a tree to prop it against and remove or install it from there. The cost for a quality rake is very low and the uses are plentiful.
The "mulching" idea is interesting... Unless, of course, you are like me and don't have those capabilities. I recently sold a D7G to a dealership that carried a Gyro-Trac mulchers. For the $330,000 investment, I decided I would keep doing my projects the old-fashioned way!
If you buy a pin-on rake, you can make it fit multiple dozers, by welding the mounts on the different blades. I have mounts on both my blades, so I can use the brush rake with either.
Good luck!!!
www.petersfamilytrucking.com
EZ TRBO
Senior Member
I've never ran a mulcher but have seen them in action. Seemed to work pretty well on the smaller trees(size you have), and then we came in with the dozer(semi-U) and got the bigger ones out. I did watch a crew clear about 2 acres of the small stuff with 2 chainsaws and a skid loader(just a pallet forks). Looked like it made for a LONG day for them, and had all these lil stumps sticking up. My uncle(whom is very good on a dozer), went in afterwards and undercut the entire area(in sections), uprooting all the lil stumps and then leveled everything off. The lil stumps just blended in and all it is is a hunting preserve. I was out there late last fall and you couldn't tell there were ever any trees there, but took some time to clear em out. I'd try the mulcher first.
Trbo
Trbo
ya i am like you not going out and buying a $330,000 machine. But i bet that would work pretty slick. Thanks alot
oldhousehugger
Well-Known Member
I've had good luck on small sappling growth just brushhogging it and then moldboard and bog harrow it. Leave the trash in the ground and it will rot. A sharp moldboard 4 to 8 bottom plow on a good size tractor will cut off tap roots 12 inches below the surface and handle up to about a 3 inch sappling. Bog harrow smooths it all out.
Good luck
Good luck
Construct'O
Senior Member
Depending on how fast and at what cost your looking at.But another idea is to get a tree shear for a skid and shear off the small trees.
Buy shear, rent or buy skid or other ideas depending again what you have to spend and if you have a use for the skid, shear or other machines used.
The other ideas above are good also,but depends again on cost,availabity of machines and cost.Good luck.:usa
Buy shear, rent or buy skid or other ideas depending again what you have to spend and if you have a use for the skid, shear or other machines used.
The other ideas above are good also,but depends again on cost,availabity of machines and cost.Good luck.:usa
He says he has to get the roots out. Shearing them off or bushhogging them will just make them come back worse. I would go with a loader cat with a 4 in 1 bucket also. Should be able to grub most of them out, the ones you can't, clamp on them and pull em out. Then you can rake the roots and debris up with the teeth. This past winter I cleared about 4 acres of willow saplings with a 325 excavator. It was in a marshy area that was too soft to support a 953. I was able to wrap a couple at a time around the teeth and pull them out then throw them out to the 953. He grabbed them and hauled them to the fire. It was a slow process but the only way without tearing it all to heck. It was all under water 1 day after we finished.
Dirt Dogg
Well-Known Member
Try one of these!!!
I found this on youtube. I bet it is caaassshhhyyy!!!:OMG
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hI1KeLF7f20&feature=related
I found this on youtube. I bet it is caaassshhhyyy!!!:OMG
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hI1KeLF7f20&feature=related
we specialize in mulching and i can attest to the way the machines work..there is nothing better for what they are made for...I cleared 3 acres of bamboo with ours then went through with our grapple/root rake and got all the roots out...it was a great job when done....we are buying a gyro track gt25...nothing...and i do mean nothing...compares www.gyrotrac.com
CM1995
Administrator
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- Jan 21, 2007
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- 13,463
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- Alabama
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- Running what I brung and taking what I win
OK - I am assuming this is a "run what ya' brung" operation.
JDecker - You posted that you have at your disposal 2 hoes with thumbs and a couple of dozers. I would suggest, as the others have, to get a rake for one of your dozers. If you need to remove the roots, run a dozer without the rake and doze the sapplings in a windrow. Then take the dozer with the rake and run throught the windrows to sift the dirt out and into a pile. The track hoes with thumbs take it from there to either the burn pile, tub grinder or truck - whatever method of disposal you are doing.
This lets you have 3 dozers pushing saplings, 1 dozer raking and 2 track hoes stacking/disposing.
A mulcher is an excellent idea - if money were no issue, but it looks like you have a job to do with the equipment you have available and I am more than familiar with this scenario.
Good luck.
JDecker - You posted that you have at your disposal 2 hoes with thumbs and a couple of dozers. I would suggest, as the others have, to get a rake for one of your dozers. If you need to remove the roots, run a dozer without the rake and doze the sapplings in a windrow. Then take the dozer with the rake and run throught the windrows to sift the dirt out and into a pile. The track hoes with thumbs take it from there to either the burn pile, tub grinder or truck - whatever method of disposal you are doing.
This lets you have 3 dozers pushing saplings, 1 dozer raking and 2 track hoes stacking/disposing.
A mulcher is an excellent idea - if money were no issue, but it looks like you have a job to do with the equipment you have available and I am more than familiar with this scenario.
Good luck.
stumpjumper83
Senior Member
Depending on the species of the saplings, quality, and location you might be able to sell them to a nursrey or a sapling buyer. They would come in with a tree digger and all you would have to do is chase them with the d-5 and fill holes. Or maybe you have already thought of that, I dunno.
Dozer575
Banned
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- Mar 2, 2007
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- 274
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- Seattle, wa
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- Machinist and occasional pt Dozer oper
I cleared a bunch of scrub alder years ago using a D6D and disks, I got so I could back them up in 3rd gear, same as you it was growing in grass as well. The disks laid them over nicely and up rooted them pretty good then I would go cross wise and rake em out.
Thanks for your inpunt we finished up today clearing that 20 acres. we ended up using a shovel for alot of it pulling them out and making piles and pushing with dozer went perry good and the customer was happy and paid us today so that all the matters. The best part it was a low fuel buring job. now we are onto clearing 63 acres of apple tress. That will be a hole lot nicer to do. Thanks again