Looking for some advice

mjharless · Apr 25, 2012

I've been reading here off and on for a while. Everyone seems much more helpful than the usual forums, so I though I would register and ask for help.

I have 2 acres of wooded property with heavy undergrowth that I would like to clear. Much of it is on a slope that is about 30-40%. I made a video but I am not allowed to post a link so you'll have to copy and paste it.
http://youtu.be/-n-d8jwvDAY
Most of the growth is less than 3" diameter. I have a shindaiwa brush trimmer that slices it fairly easily, but it is slow going.

My question is: Do you think I can do any good with a 30-40hp tractor and 4-5ft bush hog?

If not, what would you do?(keeping in mind that my equipment budget is $2500 or less)

oldtanker · Apr 25, 2012

With a 30-40% slope I think for your own safety you have 2 options, by hand and a dozer. I would not want to do much on a wheeled tractor on those kind of slopes.

Rick

mjharless · Apr 25, 2012

Thank you. The slope is definitely a consideration. It is steep enough to make moving horizontally in mini excavator uncomfortable. I think much of the work can be done ascending and descending instead of side to side. Do you still think that would be dangerous?

mjharless · Apr 25, 2012

Anyone have any thoughts on using a dr brush mower or similar on this?

blunosr · Apr 25, 2012

Looks quite tropical, where are you located?

I assume you want to clear that out for a view? I think you should leave the ground surface undisturbed to prevent erosion. Maybe just use a small chainsaw, and some back breaking labour, and clear it out by hand. I wouldn't put a machine on a slope like that.

That said, I've done some work on oil wells in the Rocky Mountains, and I've seen bull dozer operators do things that made me hide my eyes in fear.

I'd still just do it by hand...

Just my two cents,

Troy

mjharless · Apr 25, 2012

Only tropical in the summertime. It is east Tennessee. Erosion is really not much of an issue as I am leaving most of the canopy intact.

I am as much interested in saving time as my back.

oldtanker · Apr 25, 2012

Going up hill at those grades with a wheeled tractor could easily cause to tractor to flip if the brush mower would hook on something. And it could be a wild and fatal ride should you need to stop going downhill and the brakes fail or the tranny pops out of gear. Wouldn't even suggest going side to side with a dozer......

Rick

Anonymous-0 · Apr 26, 2012

I could see any equipment on it just tearing up the ground and leaving it nicely cultivated for weeds and rose....... Does your plans include it looking nice? Do you live there? What's the likelyhood of getting the local fire dept to do some training there? Just go in and cut a good margin around trees you want to save and let them burn it. May not take care og the 3" stuff but will make it easier to get at. Aside from the safety and puckerfactor of running a tractor over it, I see a lot of flat tires in your future... Good Luck.
Maybe you can hire it done then just stay on top of it??

mjharless · Apr 26, 2012

Thanks for the thoughts. It is tough going, I was just hoping to use something to make it easier. I may hire it done with a dozer. That was what I thought it would take anyway.

I am not really looking to plant grass or anything, just cut down on the mosquitos. It would look nicer just cleared out though. Neighbors are too close for burning(large scale anyway)

Thanks again

El Toro · Apr 26, 2012

A 40% slope is a 40 foot rise in a 100 feet. WE had test slopes for testing military vehicles from 10% to 60%. It would be rough just walking
and standing on a 40% slope. Unless all the roots are removed from all that brush it will just keep growing. You may be liable if someone is injured. I don't think that sicklebar would be safe with a steep incline. Hal

Eric in IL · Apr 26, 2012

My dad cleared 2 acres for a pond in the mid 70's using a
Gravely walk-behind tractor. It was similar to the DR brush
cutter. It had an unguarded circular saw blade that was about
18-20 inches in diameter.

He would position the blade beside the tree, start the blade
spinning, and feed the blade into the tree by pushing the
handlebars sideways. It was a fairly dangerous and still a labor
intensive task, but he survived and thought it was easier than
kneeling with a chain saw to cut the trees flush with the
ground.

I think it was a model "L" Gravely. I don't know if they offer
anything similar today. Probably not, as you had to think about
what you where doing in order to avoid injury. Good luck !

Allan in NE · Apr 26, 2012

Leave it alone. Erosion and all that.

Allan

JRSutton · Apr 26, 2012

I may sound like I'm joking but -

Buy goats

Not only will they clear it, but they'll keep it clear forever.

Larger stuff you can hack out with a chainsaw as you see fit, but all that undergrowth would be gone.

And they make great pets.

Half a dozen should do it. A cheap electric fence around the area, a cheap house for them to sleep in. You could do it all within your budget. Problem solved.

flambeauone · Apr 26, 2012

Where are you located in East Tennessee? Im in the Bristol-
Kingsport area. I vote for the goats much easier.

buickanddeere · Apr 26, 2012

How can there be stagnent ponds of water to bred skeeters
on a slope that steep?

Anonymous-0 · Apr 26, 2012

Just saw the picture.... If you can get along with goats and your neighbors, that's your ticket.... Hang a couple bat houses and some bird houses to take care of the mosquitos.....

mjharless · Apr 26, 2012

(quoted from post at 08:39:40 04/26/12) How can there be stagnent ponds of water to bred skeeters
on a slope that steep?

We have a breed of mosquitoes called Asian tiger that lay eggs in any hole and the eggs hatch when it rains. The are like killer bees, very aggressive and they kill all the native mosquitoes.

As to the goats, it is a great idea and I had seriously considered it, but we are thinking of selling and I doubt a herd of goats would be a great sales point.

ray_woods · Apr 26, 2012

I use a walk behind Billy Goat Brush cutter often enough. It won"t cut down your 3" diameter saplings but it will cut must stuff.
The powered version of the DR brush cutter should do the job as well. If you have an equipment rental place nearby rent one. Plant something that"ll cling to the hill afterwards. You"ll get erosion on a 40degree slope.

Leroy · Apr 26, 2012

Chances are if you tried that you would slip and fall under the mower and if they would find you, you would be so cut up they would be carring you out in small pieces and not finding all of you. Do the goats or leave it alone.

ss55 · Apr 26, 2012

What will you do with the sloped ground once it is cleared? 30% slope is too steep for most wheeled farm equipment. Will you terrace the ground for some flatter slopes or build a walkout basement house?

mjharless · Apr 26, 2012

the walkout basement house is already built. I was standing on the back deck when I took that video. Who ever built the house only cleared enough land for the house that is it. It is not all 40 percent slope. There's flat and rolling and 20 percent but the steepest is 40 percent

mjharless · Apr 26, 2012

I think I am going to try a walk behind brush mower on the easier grades and go back to cutting the steeper areas and thicker trees by hand with the brush blade on the shindaiwa.

Thanks for talking me out of the tractor. I would probably have hurt myself.

JerryS · Apr 26, 2012

I cleared, or maybe more correctly "opened up" 12 acres so dense with brush and vines that at first I literally could not walk through it. I carved it into small sections I could control, opening up firelanes, raking them clean and, with the judicious use of an accelerant, burned it out just to be able to move through it. In some cases I was able to blast through with my old Sidewinder bushhog (it's really amazing what that thing can eat up).

The small trees I didn't want I either pulled up with my 8N or I cut them down with a chain saw, as close to ground as possible so I could maintain the area with the Sidewinder. I treated the stumps of the ones I sawed down with a product called Pathway---paint the cambium ring of the freshly-cut stump and they want sprout back out.

I learned that if you're not in a big hurry you can burn an area, wait about a year and a half, and you can walk through and push over trees up to about four inches. They just break off even with the ground.

It took about six years of weekends to finish this (actually I'm still cutting trees). I estimate I've burned more than 400 big brush piles.

Looking for some advice

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