Post logging trail cleanup/ forest management

[crowbuster]

The tree company that maintains the right of way for our electric utility has a machine like that and ran it across my propertym wow what a monster, he ate everything till he hit a down wove wire fence, cost him an hour and a half cutting it out. maybe you can call a few big tree guys in your area and hire them for the job and not have to lay out all the cash to buy one, good luck.

C.B.

 

[dingeryote]

HeadleyJ,

I yakked with the Local Woods dealer today and thought of your post and asked. Woods dosn't make a small Flail chopper anymore, just the 10' monsters...and they ain't cheap. You could buy a nice used tractor for what they sell for new.

So on the off chance I called the local Landini dealer and asked what he was getting for the 6' Nobli Flail choppers...
You sitting down? 6K. Nobli is an Italian outfit that manufactures for themselves and several "Big name outfits" that just paint 'em green and slap thier stickers on them. There's video on thier site.http://www.nobili.com/en/cat_serie.php?ID=186

I gotta run south to get Ford/New Holland parts this week, and they usually have a used/rebuilt Flail chopper on the board, and they usually run around 2-3K. If I find anything I'll holler at ya.

Most guys around here run 'em to chop up pruned Blueberry Canes so the hammers get worn out, but there's not much driveline/gearbox wear on them from the light load.

If ya do it, it would be smart to just use it, then turn around and sell it for about what ya got into it, and then just maintain with the Brush Mower/bush hog and pre-emerge herbicides.

Gotta admit though...backing up to a stump and making it dissapear is FUN..

Stay safe!
Dingeryote

 

[headleyj]

I would suggest that when you mark and make your trails try to keep them as straight as possible so that future logging/skidding can be done with minimal bumping of standing trees. Plan the roads a bit so they are on good solid dry ground. I use to use a straight line of site or a transit to keep the paths easy to skid logs on. Even if a path is looking really nice and straight through nice dry ground but there is one tree in the middle of it, then it can be well worth it in the long run to get rid of that tree and have a good road for later use. Just cut the stump down flush and drive over it for a few years.

Good paths make for less damage and easier logging in the future.

Very true and I must say the logger who previously owned my property has a history of not givin a flyin *&^% about the environment....his trails are just about everywhere. I certainly have no intentions of opening up all the trails, just the primary ones....and yes I do my best to make them straight.

After my grandfather passed away, his pastures started going to hell. Junipers and choke-cherries took over the property.

What we did was run the tractor with the brush-hog (46 horse, with a hog rated for a 4" limb)

We dropped the bucket on the tractor to start to break up stuff in front of us and lifted the brushhog as high as possible. It took a few years of going over it (Grandfathers land about an hour south so we couldnt get there every weekend) but now its a clear pasture. This was about 10 years ago.

Now my father is putting a new road in above the fields, and I am cutting the fields back to the stone walls around them. There is a section that is all small trees and I am doing the same thing, just running down it with the bucket dropped and tearing it all out and pushing it into a pile.

Just an idea, it may take a while, but you wont have to go out and buy new equipment...although Im always up for new equipment

I have done this in some places. For briars and such it works fine, but with small trees/ large saplings sometimes it's not so good. I'm not afraid to take the bushhog to a 1" tree - it's a beater bush-hog in the 1st place, but some of the larger stuff will make you cringe when you hit it. The flail shredder seems like the right tool for the job and I've found the right tool can make all the difference. Also I have piles of slash/ debris all over the place now - I'd like to avoid making more if possible. I do appreciate the advice.

The tree company that maintains the right of way for our electric utility has a machine like that and ran it across my propertym wow what a monster, he ate everything till he hit a down wove wire fence, cost him an hour and a half cutting it out. maybe you can call a few big tree guys in your area and hire them for the job and not have to lay out all the cash to buy one, good luck.

C.B.

Good point. My 2 BIL's both work in the electric field, 1 builds substations and1 is a lineman. I'll chat more with them this weekend and see if there's anything they could do....if not I could always contact the contractors that has that machine.

 

[headleyj]

HeadleyJ,

I yakked with the Local Woods dealer today and thought of your post and asked. Woods dosn't make a small Flail chopper anymore, just the 10' monsters...and they ain't cheap. You could buy a nice used tractor for what they sell for new.

So on the off chance I called the local Landini dealer and asked what he was getting for the 6' Nobli Flail choppers...
You sitting down? 6K. Nobli is an Italian outfit that manufactures for themselves and several "Big name outfits" that just paint 'em green and slap thier stickers on them. There's video on thier site.http://www.nobili.com/en/cat_serie.php?ID=186

I gotta run south to get Ford/New Holland parts this week, and they usually have a used/rebuilt Flail chopper on the board, and they usually run around 2-3K. If I find anything I'll holler at ya.

Most guys around here run 'em to chop up pruned Blueberry Canes so the hammers get worn out, but there's not much driveline/gearbox wear on them from the light load.

If ya do it, it would be smart to just use it, then turn around and sell it for about what ya got into it, and then just maintain with the Brush Mower/bush hog and pre-emerge herbicides.

Gotta admit though...backing up to a stump and making it dissapear is FUN..

Stay safe!
Dingeryote

6k?....gulp. yeah I went on tractorhouse and saw 20 footers, 10 footers and the like, but not too many 5-6 footers......seems to be a difference b/t a flail mower adn a flail shredder too

Hey thanks a ton for thinking of me at the Woods dealer man- yeah absolutely if you come across anything down south holler at me, I'll PM ya my cell. I'll certainly rep ya again after I spread it around some more. Sincerely, Thank you very much.

 

[dingeryote]

No sweat!

Just a question for ya though..

What Tractor ya running?
Flail choppers are great but need some power.

Ya might be better off running a HEAVY Brush Bull with a stump Jumper.

Not the Cheapo Land pride estate farm stuff or the TSC crap, but a 3/8" decked Old school, overbuilt, commercial/industrial model.

LOL!!
6" sassafrass and maples ain't a problem for the better brush choppers out there, IF your tractor has the ass and the PTO grunt. Just back into the bigger ones with the RPMs up and set the deck down on 'em.
The stump jumper keeps the spindle safe, while the blades hammer things to shreds.

Stay safe!
Dingeryote

 

[headleyj]

No sweat!

Just a question for ya though..

What Tractor ya running?
Flail choppers are great but need some power.

Ya might be better off running a HEAVY Brush Bull with a stump Jumper.

Not the Cheapo Land pride estate farm stuff or the TSC crap, but a 3/8" decked Old school, overbuilt, commercial/industrial model.

LOL!!
6" sassafrass and maples ain't a problem for the better brush choppers out there, IF your tractor has the ass and the PTO grunt. Just back into the bigger ones with the RPMs up and set the deck down on 'em.
The stump jumper keeps the spindle safe, while the blades hammer things to shreds.

Stay safe!
Dingeryote

hey NP - I'm running an L3830 - bout 32hp @ the PTO according to tractordata.com

I thought about that, but with my limited success with the Woods bushhog (heavy sucker) I didn't figure it was worth looking into any further - I'll have to reinvestigate

 

[pinesfarm]

gravely self propelled mower things are real bears and will easily take out 3 inch trees

http://images.google.com/imgres?img...ravely+walk+behind&um=1&hl=en&sa=N&tbs=isch:1

http://www.msprotege.com/members/THEGOLDPRO/gravely2.jpg

 

[dancan]

They use the larger flail units around here to clear the trees and brush on the sides of the main highways .
Check and see if your department of highways or larger tree service use a similar service and see if you can get a quote .
In our area after a flail has passed through it will be a few years before you see any woody stocks taller than a foot .
If your real ambitious , take a pto snowblower , remove the auger and screws , make a shaft , weld some short chain with angle iron cutters welded on the other end and run like heck when you engage the pto .

 

[redprospector]

I've got one of the skidsteer mounted mulchers (flail mower, masticator, whatever you want to call it), and in my opinion that is the ticket for trails. You can have a trail half way cut before you can think about getting started with a "brush cutter" or chainsaw. Even with a cat you need to cut most of it first, and then you still have to do something with the slash. Once you have it under control you can maintain it with the brush hog.
The down side is that they are expensive. Your best bet would be to hire someone that has one. Mine is a 105 horse power ASV, with a gyro trac head. I charge $125 and hour, but on jobs like you have I can cover a lot of ground in an hour. I don't know what they would charge where you're at.

Andy

 

[385XP]

when you say "cat" I assume you mean a dozer? just want to be sure

yes i mean dozer when i say cat.Id say if ya only have the trails on 20 acres to do it would be most cost effective to do it this way . Id say it would probly take about 4 hours to open the trails with a cat and chainsaw.

 

[385XP]

I guess great minds must think alike !!!!:agree2:.

It just requires a little sweat ... .
. The Roto Mill that DanCan posted a pic of will do what you need real quik . But NOT IN ROCKS .. Changing ( TRIMMER) teeth isn,t bad , but you need to ease it into the hard stuff ... We use Trimmers , = Roto Mills in Prudhoe Bay alot ...

yes im a cat man they are the swiss army knife of logging equipment. you can use them to build your trails to get in use em to get the logs out clean up your mess. If it wasnt for track wear i think skidders wouldnt be so popular. A 650j deere with a winch and arch makes a nice logging machine around here if ya dont have to skid far.We dont get trees much over a 1000 bdft around here so 540 deeres are the norm around here for skidders. Not to mention the cats and feller bunchers are made in my home town and the skidders are made just down the high way .

 

[headleyj]

yes i mean dozer when i say cat.Id say if ya only have the trails on 20 acres to do it would be most cost effective to do it this way . Id say it would probly take about 4 hours to open the trails with a cat and chainsaw.

gotcha, thanks. Yeah a buddy of mine brought out a Case 450C and was pulling trees at a helluva rate - wife even said WOW, maybe we should bought a dozer

 

[headleyj]

well to sum it up;
- I've got a few people keeping eyes out for used flail shredders
- there's always the Woods Extreme Duty brush bull
- I can always hire my buddy to come out and clean the trails up with the dozer


I'll let ya'll know how the flail search goes!! THanks to all for your advice and help here - I always wondered what the hell a "flail mower" was - found out yesterday

Thanks again!!

Josh

 

[tramp bushler]

I,m finding there are many peole who post on here that are not into the work of running a saw ... They ought to be able to find someone around there. They could hire that shows some signs of life . Put a bunch of kevlar gear on them and a hard hat , screen ear muff combo on their head , a 260 stihl or 346 Husky and some sharp chains , Gatoraid , gas and oil , and have them work in front of the tractor cutting the stuff too big for the bush hog ... You will be suprised at how fast it goes ............... Pay the guy $ 250 .00 a day so he will have a good reason to work his ass off for 7 hours ... Make sure he knows you expect him to work like a professional , not some lazy mutt ........
.
. And don,t anyone waste their time saying that won,t work ..............There are hungry guys any where ya go ..... I just usually am hungrier and will out work my competition ........ But I,m not ,,, Down South ......

 

[headleyj]

I,m finding there are many peole who post on here that are not into the work of running a saw ... They ought to be able to find someone around there. They could hire that shows some signs of life . Put a bunch of kevlar gear on them and a hard hat , screen ear muff combo on their head , a 260 stihl or 346 Husky and some sharp chains , Gatoraid , gas and oil , and have them work in front of the tractor cutting the stuff too big for the bush hog ... You will be suprised at how fast it goes ............... Pay the guy $ 250 .00 a day so he will have a good reason to work his ass off for 7 hours ... Make sure he knows you expect him to work like a professional , not some lazy mutt ........
.
. And don,t anyone waste their time saying that won,t work ..............There are hungry guys any where ya go ..... I just usually am hungrier and will out work my competition ........ But I,m not ,,, Down South ......

yeah getting 1 person on the tractor or dozer and another on the ground would be a helluva lot faster for sure. If I go the dozer route I was gonna tell my buddy I can be on teh ground running the saw.

 

[headleyj]

Here's a few pics I took last night from the deck....there's trees down everywhere, it's just getting to them before they're too far gone.

If you look between the "V" of the two trees there to the right...off in the distance you can see one of the main trails...next pic is zoomed up on it.

 

[Curlycherry1]

Looking at those pics and based on the time you said it was logged that looks pretty much like just new growth that has jumped up. It is not all that hard to whack down with a bush hog. Sure more expensive stuff will be more fun and do it faster, but if you get the 2" and bigger stuff down with a saw the bush hog can handle stuff smaller than that.

My dad had 23 acres of fallow field where there were poplars up to 10" in diameter. I cut everything down that was over 4" the first year, and then the next year I took everything that was left that was ~2" and bigger. The third year I went in with my whimpy Ford 9N and a 6' hog and ground the whole place down to look like a lawn. And I did it in the middle of the summer when I had ~3-4' goldenrod and weeds to cut along with the remaining trees.

I think you can clean that up with a bush hog. Those tops are losing life fast. You will want to get them out and processed quickly.

 

[headleyj]

Looking at those pics and based on the time you said it was logged that looks pretty much like just new growth that has jumped up. It is not all that hard to whack down with a bush hog. Sure more expensive stuff will be more fun and do it faster, but if you get the 2" and bigger stuff down with a saw the bush hog can handle stuff smaller than that.

My dad had 23 acres of fallow field where there were poplars up to 10" in diameter. I cut everything down that was over 4" the first year, and then the next year I took everything that was left that was ~2" and bigger. The third year I went in with my whimpy Ford 9N and a 6' hog and ground the whole place down to look like a lawn. And I did it in the middle of the summer when I had ~3-4' goldenrod and weeds to cut along with the remaining trees.

I think you can clean that up with a bush hog. Those tops are losing life fast. You will want to get them out and processed quickly.

Yeah I'll prolly keep using what I've got for now and pray I don't pop a tire

 

[Curlycherry1]

Yeah I'll prolly keep using what I've got for now and pray I don't pop a tire

I went back and reread your first post. 3 Years for tops is approaching the end of their usefullness. Locust is fine even after 20 (BTDT) but maple, ash, birch is going to get punky after 3 years.

Your tires will be fine. In all the years I spent in the woods, I never poked a stick in my rear tires. I popped tubless tires on my trailer off the rims many, many times, but the rears on my tractor took a sticking and kept on ticking.

 

[headleyj]

I went back and reread your first post. 3 Years for tops is approaching the end of their usefullness. Locust is fine even after 20 (BTDT) but maple, ash, birch is going to get punky after 3 years.

Your tires will be fine. In all the years I spent in the woods, I never poked a stick in my rear tires. I popped tubless tires on my trailer off the rims many, many times, but the rears on my tractor took a sticking and kept on ticking.

that's my main worry - poking through a tire - yeah the good tops/ trees are getting harder and harder to find for sure - hence my sense of urgency.