grinding brush piles

[murphy4trees]

I AM thinking of using the rayco super 50 to grind a few old brush piles.. It handled a bunch of dug out stumps better than I thought it would and cause these piles are many years old and settled, I Am thinking they will hold together pretty well...
Its not what the machine was designed for, but I think its worth a try..
Anyone ever do something like that?

 

[MasterBlaster]

Beware of what you might find in that brush pile!

 

[Lumberjack]

Hey, thats a question for ME!!


Yeah, I do it fairly often, but with the 50's big brother. AS long as it is brush (ie no logs over a foot) it is really quick and somewhat painless.

If there is logs in the pile then you could grind them, but I save that for last normally, if it is possible.

After you get it all down to about a foot or so, I stick the wheel into the ground, and grind the stuff into the ground, reducing it even more.


It is best to grind your own piles as others tend to have an old import in the middle of it.

 

[ROLLACOSTA]

i bet the cutter wheel will jam up with all the loose debris..ishould think grinding a brush heap would be like grinding out a rottern stump like we had this week large peices got stuck between the wheel and wheel gaurd very annoying

 

[Lumberjack]

Originally posted by ROLLACOSTA
i bet the cutter wheel will jam up with all the loose debris..ishould think grinding a brush heap would be like grinding out a rottern stump like we had this week large peices got stuck between the wheel and wheel gaurd very annoying

About the only time we get something caught up on our machine is when doing large uprooted stumps.

Rotten stumps fall apart when they see the 85 commin at them.

Clearing the jam isnt normally hard, hang a tooth on the stump and pick up the machine by pushing down. Using an outside tooth (one at 3 o clock) has worked almost every time. But when that doesnt work we get out the sledge and that takes forever.

 

[ROLLACOSTA]

what made you get a 85 as aposed too a 60 hp carlton 0r 50 hp tracked vermeer..im thinking about getting a 60 hp carlton or a 352 vermeer i think the 352will be more too my budget
but.....will 35 hp be enough ..desions desions

 

[Lumberjack]

Originally posted by ROLLACOSTA
what made you get a 85 as aposed too a 60 hp carlton 0r 50 hp tracked vermeer..im thinking about getting a 60 hp carlton or a 352 vermeer i think the 352will be more too my budget
but.....will 35 hp be enough ..desions desions

Tracked=tearing up any yard

We got that grinder 3? years ago. We also have an RG50 that is 5 years old.

When it comes to grinders get the next size up from what you can afford, if you can. IMO self propelled is the only way to go, tracks look cool but kill yards!

 

[NickfromWI]

Huh... I woulda thought the tracks would be easier on the lawn.

Go figure

 

[Lumberjack]

Originally posted by NickfromWI
Huh... I woulda thought the tracks would be easier on the lawn.

Go figure

Rubber tires are much easier on it. There is no real good way to turn with the tracks to keep it from eating the turf. Tires are much nicer, plus alot more common.

If you could drive staight to the stump and then back straight out then tracks would be better, but there are few jobs that are like that. You can take shallow (very) turns without much damage to the turf, but once again that aint practical.

 

[Dadatwins]

Used my 1625 to grind a 15" x 20' hollow maple that had fallen in a customer yard. Worked better than carrying it out about 200 feet to street . I was back there grinding stumps anyway. Tried to grind some old brush piles at another location had all kinds of furry creatures running all over the yard, dust and leaves everywhere, and twigs flying all around my feet. Not for me again. Maybe the bigger machine will do better.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Originally posted by MasterBlaster
Beware of what you might find in that brush pile!

Its no fun at all.

 

[Menchhofer]

Originally posted by ROLLACOSTA
[B
but.....will 35 hp be enough ..desions desions [/B]

I have used my Carlton 3500-4 35 hp for over 3 years now and as long as the cutters are sharp you should not have any problems.

 

[murphy4trees]

I got over there just before quitting today to see how the machine did... Looks like it will work well... Hopefully take less than half of a day... Certainly a lot more fun than bustin' those old piles by hand... though I may have slightly underbid the job...

 

[Lumberjack]

Originally posted by murphy4trees
I got over there just before quitting today to see how the machine did... Looks like it will work well... Hopefully take less than half of a day... Certainly a lot more fun than bustin' those old piles by hand... though I may have slightly underbid the job...

How big is the pile? Got a pic? Half a day (6hrs?) is a long time.

 

[murphy4trees]

There are three big ones and an old woodpile and some limbs and logs spread out around the woods..
$800 worth.... Mabe have it done in 2 or 3 hours, but hopefully not more than 4..

 

[Greg]

Am I getting this? You are using a portable stump grinder to chip up a brush pile, and whole trees?
Greg

 

[Lumberjack]

Originally posted by Greg
Am I getting this? You are using a portable stump grinder to chip up a brush pile, and whole trees?
Greg

Arent all stump grinder portable? I am just ribbin ya, I know you meant self propelled.

That is what I have done, and do.