Tree Shear advice anyone?

[RTSmith]

I have several acres of hilly and very rocky ground that is eaten up with 1-3" cedar trees. Trying to run them out with a dozer pops up the 30-50# rocks along with the tree. Anyone here used a tree shear on their skid?

YouTube - 5 shear video

In speaking to the rep, whom I originally called about a tree puller, he seems much more promoting of the shear. Says cleaner, faster, and no hole in the ground. Would love to hear from someone with some first hand experience.

BTW- This is from the Grace Mfg., one of their Tree Terminator models

 

[Digdeep]

I used to sell a few from Dymax every year. Been in the business a long time and they offer a couple different models depending on the size of trees that you want to remove and the size of your machine. They are built in Kansas.

 

[hvy 1ton]

http://www.dymaxinc.com/attachments/7960/

I run a dymax on my 260 skid. It is the model before they started building the timberwolves. For dealing with trees that small i would get a timberwolf with an accumulator arm. That way you can cut and carry several trees back to your pile. The cedars shouldn't be a problem, but if you're trying to control any tress that have a tendency to grow back they have a kit to apply chemicals after cutting. If it wasn't for all the rock i would say go after them with mower on your skid.

 

[sawmilleng]

I've had good luck with pulling small trees, although with different equipment for different needs. You might want to consider what you will be left with if you shear the trees off...

I have a bunch of land that was logged about 10 years ago and has regrown with small pines that are in the same size range as you have... 1"-4". I want to re-clear the area and get it into hay production, so, in my case I want to get rid of the tree AND stump. I considered cutting off the tree and getting the stumps by plowing but since there are thousands of the little critters the idea of doubling the number of pieces to handle by separating the tree and stump didn't compute well.

So I'm pulling them with a grapple on a forwarder. I've attached a couple of photos.

It doesn't sound like you will be tilling your soil but I'm wondering if you might not be impressed with all the little stumps that will be left. They can be hard on tires of you machinery, even years later, and be kind of ornery when just trying to walk around. And don't fall on them! Admittedly, with a shear you can cut pretty close to the ground, but every one won't be like that, and with all the rocks, you might just want to shear above the ground a bit to save your equipment!

Thats why I'd favor pulling.

Just my $0.02,

Jon.

 

[stumpjumper83]

thats what I was going to suggest, except with a thumb on a mini hoe. Think of it as weeding the garden... lol

 

[RTSmith]

This is all some great feedback guys. Thanks much! I am going to try and snap a pic of the terrain this weekend to see if it will help with any advice.

I have been told that if you shear cedars they don't re-sprout like a hardwood. Also- the tree terminator folks say that their machine can operate about 1" under the surface, so no stump. Howver, in my rocks I'm not sure how practical that'll be in real life.

That is the same reason I don't want to just mow them down. That 4-5" stob just loves to eat tractor and skid steer tires...

A mulcher is ideal, just not enough dough in the budget for it. And boy- I'd love to have a mini how with a hydraulic thumb. But my homeowner/operator account is all busted.

 

[murphy777]

With 1-3 inch cedars you could wrap a chain around them and yank them with a tractor/skidsteer or 4x4 truck if the terrain allows it... it is a little bit more handwork, but it is cheap and you get the roots as well. If your soils are sandy/rocky and loose the trees should yank pretty easy...I ve yanked a few large trees/shrubs with my skidsteer and truck in Vermont clay and had pretty good luck.
Cheers

 

[sawmilleng]

Here's another suggestion...

Here's another idea as a variation on the suggestion from Murphy777...

It's a toothed grabber that I spotted in Princess Auto, which is a Canadian chain store that sells hydraulics and tools--kind of like Northern Hydraulics in the US. It's about $100, but it's something that could be cobbled up with a welder and torch and a little scrap iron. They call it a "brush grubber".

Here's a link:

http://www.princessauto.com/all-seasons/outdoor/logging/tools/list-all

It still isn't a one man operation, though.

Jon.

 

[Taylortractornu]

I dont have a pic of it now but I built a small one legged shear to cut and fall small pines and cedars. I had a customer that wanted one and I wanted to build mine a bit different. Hid worked good but some of the gums e was in were resprouting. He wanted to pull them up. He was using the shear to pull them but it cut some of them when pulling. He asked about modifying it so I took the shear to the shop and took one of my thumb patterns for a smaller thumb I make for small 3 point backhoes.

I took off the blade and put the serrated jaws on it. Talk about fine for pulling small trees and posts.

 

[willie59]

A cheaper alternative to hyd powered attachments to pluck the cedars would be using a stump bucket on your skid, folks in and around Texas grub up mesquite bushes all the time with a stump bucket, those things sprout like weeds in that area.

 

[gmd1984]

i had the fecon shear on my bobcat t-300 and i was awesome

 

[franklinute]

A friend of mine has a tree shear for sale that works on a skid steer. He is located in the mid TN area. Just reply to this post and I can give you his contact information.

 

[RTSmith]

I sent you an email franklin.

Have been meaning to get the pic like I promised, but the weather and schedule haven't been cooperative. Guess that's normal for winter...

There have been several good ideas here. Too many trees/ too much area for the chain idea. Grubbing them out- same issue as the dozer. Basically- if you can imagine a mountain made of 12-20" dia square rocks with trees growing out of them, you'd have my prediciament.

By the way- I tried one of those brush grubbers- bought the one on a handle for my wife (not such a good idea, but that's a whole other story...:beatsme. On larger stuff that it would grab- their factory handle just folded over. On stuff it could handle- the teeth wouldn't grab it. So I ended up with the "it looks like a good idea, but its going to take a lot more work to make it work".

But one of my issues with several of these ideas is I work alone- so I'm trying to limit my getting in and out of the machine trips..... So hydraulics are going to cost more, but it keeps my lazy tail in the seat. And the brush grubber has to be held while tension is put on it.... Meaning good communication for safety reasons.

Thanks guys- and keep any suggestions coming forth!

 

[ddivinia]

I had 50 acres of large cedars to clear. I was going to buy a bobcat t320 with a mulching head and I decided it was too much. I had a guy come in with a 180hp Fecon and knock it out in a week.

The trees were rather large so the mulch covered the stumps. Now that the much os breaking down I have a stump problem.

I recently used a M&W engineer hydraclip on mesquites and I am sold. If I had to do the cedar job again I would shear them. Now I would either have to burn or much up the trees but I more than likely would be figuring out a stump grinder now.

D.


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[RTSmith]

DD- interesting point. Having never been around an operating mulcher, I just assumed (dangerously so maybe) that they would hit to ground level anyway.

Much appreciate the additional info.

The M & W looks like a pretty nice unit. One of the issues I've seen on several is the fact that they look to cut above ground. The M&W looks to have that issue under control. What was a typical cycle time with a standard flow machine?

 

[ddivinia]

If there is a lot of mulch or it is on a hill, it can be hard to get the stumps.

M&M is hard to beat. I have been renting them, I am in the process of shopping to buy one.

D.

 

[Lindsey97]

i have a 70xt case skid steer and use a midwestern attachments 4180 "4 in 1" combo bucket. i simply lift the bucket up, open, and then fit the bucket around the cedar, elm, or boisdarc tree, and pull it up roots and all. very effective on cleaning out fencerows too.

i would think long and hard about a shear, they look really cool and i want one but, i dont think i would use it on my own land, just for hire to make the public happy. cedars are like the plague here in oklahoma, and bulldoze them or use the skidsteer. if you leave a cedar stump, it never rots and goes away. this is why cedar furniture is so popular, it last 100 years and some insects simply wont eat it.

the only reason i would buy a shear personally, is to compete as a business or i would like to have one that rotates horizontally to trim limbs with.

www.sandhilldozer.com