Removing invasives/pulling up by roots

[ATH]

I am seeing "Triclopyr 4" as being an alternative to "Garlon 4". Any objections?

Good to go. That is what I use unless Garlon is close to the same price. If I were going to the store to by "Advil", pretty good odds, I'm coming home with store brand ibuprofen. Same idea.

 

[TRTermite]

Thanks for the Piece of Mind.. Something that is some times threatened with to much THINKING.

 

[Rand Nelson]

Following this thread with great interest - we have some similar plans (minus the funding). Not meaning to highjack, but a related question - thoughts from the group on winter dormant stem treatments on multiflora rose? Some of the clumps we have are just too big to get close enough to the main stems for good basal bark coverage. Is this a good alternative now when we have snow cover at the stump? Is triclopyr a good choice? We've got some Pathfinder RTU.

Thanks-

 

[ATH]

Yes, Triclopyr now is good.

However, how can you not get close enough to spray it with a 30-in long wand, but you can get in there to cut it? Clearing saw?

 

[ShermanC]

Your desired end result should be the guide for how you clear the site. A skid steer with a forestry mulcher will make mince meat of all vegetation. OTOH if you want to use the tractor, have a helper on the ground. You could use your N9 tractor, swing chain and a welded metal hoop over there hitchball on the loader and both sizes of Brush Grubber from Northern Tool. Warning: it is a messy slow process. NMHYDI, spray with herbicide after it's cleared or you'll be back on site singing the same old song in a few years. I did two intense property makeovers in 2020 where there were established homes. I didn't charge enough for our work. A skid steer would have ruined the sod so we had to take the less-damaging method with a Kubota tractor.

 

[ShermanC]

I like to spray with Crossroad in the summer to kill the entire plant then chainsaw and burn in the winter. Never ending prociess

Even if you mow clean and spray herbicide, the process to convert wild forest to a lawn takes many hours and equipment applications.

 

[CacaoBoy]

I'm late to seeing this thread. To pull out weed trees by the roots I use a 3/8" tow chain with a 3/8" clevis slip hook on one end.

Normally I put 2 wraps of the chain around the trunk at ground level, then hook to the chain, and it tightens when pulled with my tractor. There is a limited range of size trees this works with -- too small and the trunk just breaks -- and I am pulling trees with root structures that are limited. This also works for pulling clumps of guinea grass. The chain with slip hook is handy for many purposes so basically the equipment is free. To kill standing trees I use Milestone -- a few chops with a hatchet around the trunk, then squirt a bit into each slash with a syringe, then wait.

 

[Rand Nelson]

Yes, Triclopyr now is good.

However, how can you not get close enough to spray it with a 30-in long wand, but you can get in there to cut it? Clearing saw?

Thanks for the confirmation.
Wish I had a clearing saw.... Nah, I'm not figuring on cutting it - that's why we were hoping the dormant-stem treatment would work. If we can kill it over the winter with the Pathfinder, then we can just crunch it down with the bucket on the tractor this summer when it's dry & brittle, where we need to. The rest we'll just leave - maybe it'll provide some deer protection to the [hopeful] regeneration we're expecting once the MFR is gone?

 

[ElevatorGuy]

I use a bush grubber bg-08. It works great! I don’t bother cutting small stuff.

 

[kenmbz]

I have a tractor with a toothbar.
Some straps for pulling.
A pole saw to allow overhead clearance.
A Stihl FS110 with brushcutter blade for initial clearing.
Once I have used the BC and Polesaw, I take the tractor through and lift out the small stuff 1-4" with the toothbar, get under and pop up.

Does take time though.

Once I have it all down, I do a walk to take out the rocks and then use a flail on the back of the tractor for where I want trails.

The BC can take out 100-200' of honey suckle and wild berry thorns in a few hours.

Even without the tractor I can get the areas pretty clean.

Before:

After, and ready for any rip out of roots with the bucket/toothbar.

 

[Mad Professor]

I'm not sure what you meant by "weld a nut onto the outside of the pipe to secure the other end". While most likely on your hands and knees you have the chain going through the pipe once, then you wrap it around the tree/shrub, then pass it back through the pipe and secure it to the outside of the pipe. Then cinch it snug. When I'm in that situation I prefer to just hook something and get out. Your description does give me some ideas on how to attach that end without having to pass something bigger than the chain back through the pipe.

I have a few MC shops nearby. I'll stop by and try my luck getting a decommissioned chain. For this limited work would a punch and hammer suffice for removing the pins?

I think the pull end should have a clevis-chain swivel connector because I assume the MC chain is designed for its full capacity based a straight away pull. So there should not be any twisting when it's under tension.
View attachment 940616

I screwed up my arm last winter so project was on hold. Sorry I didn't get back to the thread sooner.

Those connecters look ideal if they are close to pin size of a large MC chain. Where do you source them?

To get chain pins out just take a cut off grinder and take the pins down to the side links, give them a few wacks with a hammer and punch.

What I meant by "Weld a nut" to outside of pipe was, weld one of the flats to the pipe so it sticks out, then you'd have an eye to put a pin/bolt through to connect the end of the chain. I'm thinking easier to have that end removable, than having to thread the chain through the pipe over and over with each new pull.

 

[TheJollyLogger]

I remember this thread. Honestly, for that much acreage I would just rent a mini ex and just grub them out. Done in a day.

 

[AKoz]

I screwed up my arm last winter so project was on hold. Sorry I didn't get back to the thread sooner.

Those connecters look ideal if they are close to pin size of a large MC chain. Where do you source them?

To get chain pins out just take a cut off grinder and take the pins down to the side links, give them a few wacks with a hammer and punch.

...

I found those connectors by searching for "clevis swivel connector".

I went to two motorcycle dealers, Harley and Indian, and they say they don't use chains anymore but use belts instead. I'll keep my eyes open but it sounds like ATVs and other newer stuff has gone that way as well.

 

[Bill G]

I remember this thread. Honestly, for that much acreage I would just rent a mini ex and just grub them out. Done in a day.

A tacked skid loader with brush puller is by far the fastest as most effective way of doing the job with the least ground disturbance. Pull stack, pull stack the push the stacks to a pile and burn