clearing trees
John Shade
Join Date: Posts: 1 |
2000-07-05 17756
I'm starting to clear 2 acres of my 5 total acres of wooded land. First, I'm trying to clear up & pile up brush & downed small trees. I will also get into some larger trees later in the summer. I have a NH TC33 w/loader & 7' blade to work with. Any hints on pushing trees & brush around? Are there forks for the NH 5' heavy duty bucket? I'm trying to cut down my time while maintaining safety. I already smashed in my grill screen a little on my new tractor! Any help would be appreciated...
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clearing trees
Anthony M. Parente
Join Date: Posts: 1 |
2000-07-06 17758
John,
I designed and built an attachment which bolts on to the FEL similar to a tooth bar. The teeth are wedge shaped which enables easy removal of thorn bushes and small trees. I use this brush bar attachment on my JD755/FEL/BH. send me an email and I will send you a picture of the brush bar as installed. I small C.U.T. can do a lot of work. However, Time and patience are required.
Tony
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clearing trees
Eric Edwards
Join Date: Posts: 1 |
2000-07-06 17798
John, a grill guard is worth the expense if your in the woods. It does't take long to dent the heck out of an otherwise perfect front end. I have been clearing trees and logging too. Since you are working in one large area you might be able to get away with a fork attachment to move stumpage around but I suspect you'd be better off starting simple. Buy an extra draw bar for your rockshaft. On it, secure a pair of logging tongs using a large c-ring as close as possible or connect a chain hook directly to the bar. If you go the chain route purchase a 5 ft choker chain with a slip type hook. This will grab your log better then a regular link grabbing chain hook. Your tractor supply will have everything but the tongs probably. I like the tongs because they are so easy to use and if the log hangs up, they will usually slip off. I used to use the tongs a lot before I had a fork attachment. I had a chain hook welded to my bucket and would lift logs out of snags with my FEL. When I used a small 20 HP tractor I would back up to the log (small end if possible). Drop the rockshaft. Get off the tractor and drop on the tongs. Get back on the machine and lift the log and skid in low gear to a place to be stacked. This happens pretty fast but it's important to only fell a few trees at once or you'll have a tangled mess. Keep brush in line by piling it up with branches going in the same direction or else it takes up to much space. If you are going to chip it, this will save you considerable time and energy in the long run. ....
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clearing trees
Kim Hartshorn
Join Date: Posts: 1 |
2000-07-07 17810
A 3pt logging winch is real nice to have but also pricey. For much less money you should look to get about 100' of 7/16 or better steel cable and a snatch block and logging chain. Cut access roads straight into the area you want to clear. As you fall trees off the roads use the snatch block and cable so that by driving your tractor down the cleared road you are pulling the logs out of the woods and into the road. Once in the road back the tractor to the log..chain to your drawbar and pull out to your landing. The idea is to keep the tractor on the prepared road as much as possible. The distance between your logging roads is dependent on your cable. Remember you want to place your snatch block on the opposite side of the road from the log so that when the chain gets to the snatch block the log is in the road.
Good Luck
Kim Hartshorn ....
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clearing trees
TomG
Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 5406 Upper Ottawa Valley |
2000-07-08 17816
With larger trees, safety becomes a big issue. There have been some lengthy discussions about tractor logging safety here and on tractorbynet. Good idea to check the archives if you haven't already. One of the main safety ideas is that a sizable log weighs more than the tractor. If the log slides down a hill, the tractor and operator go alone for the ride. ....
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clearing trees
Kim Hartshorn
Join Date: Posts: 1 |
2000-07-10 17859
I was recalling that two of the sources I found very useful when I started to clear trees was our NY DEC. They have many pamphlets and free information and are there to keep the environment healthy and the people safe. The other was a book called "Professional Timber Falling" that I got from baileys. www.baileys.com
good luck
Kim Hartshorn
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