Clearing Land? Tips Tricks Anything?

[burmjohn]

We have a good chunk of land, two small 1 acre plots exist now. I'd love to start clearing out more plots (my goal is a nice 5-10 acre one), yet have never done that kind of work myself other then clearing out a small area of tree's. We have a nice little Kubota that can dig, thinking of trying a small area first for some apple tree's then moving on to a nice sanctuary hay plot for the deer and birds. Ideally I'd like to beg the neighbor to borrow (rent) his monster backhoe / dozer, I just don't know him well enough to ask that. I'm just dreading trying to get the stumps out without some major equipment. Even if it takes me a few years whatever, I just want to get it done.

[tj1187]

Sounds like it might be time toget to know your neighbor a little better.He might have some ideas for you to think about.

[nyslowhand]

Sign a blank check & forward it to an excavator with a dozer... LOL

My property was an abandonded farm that wasn't worked for probably 50 years.

A thorny, multiflora rose infested, thicket or jungle would be an understatement.

You don't want to hear this, but all my ATV paths, open grassy areas, stand sites, etc - done by hand.

Cut trees & left stumps cut off as flush to the ground as possible.

Piled brush & either left as-is or burned in winter.

All 1.5 miles of ATV paths are mowed by hand.

Sure, been at it for 7 years, but anything short of a magic wand requires either money or sweat.

A good chainsaw, HD weedwhacker with a blade, leather gloves & plenty of cool drinks.

This is where a large family with 2-3 teenage sons comes in handy.

[burmjohn]

Hah, well hiring someone is out of the question. I have no problem lettings the stumps rot if need be. I'd like to try to cut a tree off about 5 feet up and seeing if I can push it over with the kubota. The soil here is so rocky the roots don't go down to far.

[Doc]

Good point!! leave those stumps good and high even if you do eventually rely on a dozer. It's so much easier to get them out roots and all if you leave some good leverage height on the stumps. Of course a lot of what kind of equipment you need to use depends on the diameter and variety of the trees.

Here's something I have heard of people doing that sounds like a good idea. They buy an old dozer, do their work and then sell it for just about what they paid for it. Of course that means that you would have to learn how to operate the thing ...... probably not a bad thing to know for future projects anyway. It's probably not something I would be getting involved with, but if you're an adventure some sort, it could save a pile of money and get an awful lot of work done for you.

[SplitG2]

I bought a dozer less than what contractors wanted to put in my driveway. Now I have a dozer and I love having it on my property.

[burmjohn]

I bought a dozer less than what contractors wanted to put in my driveway. Now I have a dozer and I love having it on my property.

Wanna come over for then next few weekends?

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

[growalot]

Well all those plots you see on our place...done with our midsized JD/backhoe....the best tool I own being the DR mower with beaver blade and the tiller....Oh lets not forget my trusty Sthil pruning saw.....Just takes time...some stumps I dug out others I cut at 4ft and worked around...I like when they re-sprout for a few years....the deer come in and eat the leafs and in early bow that keeps them from looking up...yet I still have a great long distance view all around me...the bigger ones and any I don't want to root sucker...I cut close to soil...the drill holes and fill with concentrated weed killer or stump killer...what ever is on hand...then nail a thin piece of wood over holes don't need sick critters....I start by doing sections...one new section every year

Funny how I got started....trying to smooth out the furrows the farmer left when he plowed the property...then quit...it was never disced and most reverted back to woods ...but one son mowed a couple of areas ever year...I called it Kidney busting time..when mowing...hell on decks/blades as well...almost all smoothed out now 7 yrs later

[wdswtr]

John I have done all mine with a semi larger compact tractor. No backhoe just a loader and attachments. It was a long term commitment I will say that. I attacked it this way with keeping in mind that this was going to take a few years. I had at the time (now all plots) a couple areas with less work involved, brushy, some small saplings etc but for the most part an overgrown area. Then the area that had the potential for the largest plot in that special area I wanted was a bit more tasking. I will call that the wooded plot for reference, some larger trees largest being about 10" DBH. Thats the plot I attacked first. The largest trees I cut off about 4 feet up. High enough for leverage but low enough so I was not using a chainsaw over my head. I cut those up for firewood and cleared the debree. I then went after the smaller ones with a choker and chain and pulled them out roots and all. Next I brush hogged as best I could around the larger stumps. Then I turned my focus on one of the less daughnting plots. Pulled up the saplings, brush hogged, herbacide later on. Took a soil sample and sent it out. Turned the soil over and dragged the heck out of it. Waited for soil test, did any additional weed kill that was needed. Disked the heck out of it next and applied lime and fertilizer as recommended. Was able to let that work its way into the soil for atleast 6 weeks and did a fall annual planting. Following year re- attacked the wooded plot again with brush hog and an additional weed kill later. Then moved on quickly to that second plot in late spring. Killed any additional weeds, turned the soil over and dragged again. Re-planted another annual there. Then moved on to the third plot. By the 3rd spring I had 2 seasons of planting in the second plot, 2 seasons of working the ground in the wooded plot and 1 season of planting in the 3rd plot. By that 4 season I was able to get after the stumps in the wooded plot. After 4 years of being dead they pulled out easier than I thought. A few stumps not so much. But the roots were weak enough that I was able to plow around the stumps with decent succes. After a bit they all ended up getting pulled up and now its a nice clean field. The biggest task during this whole process was rocks, they seem to appear out of nowhere and get larger and larger every time I plow. lol. Yep It was alot of work, and still are alot of work. But the end result was worth it for me. Takes several years but attacking it the way I did I was busy getting the 2 other plots in and working well while making small leaps on the wooded plot.

[burmjohn]

Yeah thats another issue, the rocks here are crazy. I'm going to do the take it slow method, there is no rush anyways. I do have a potential area that is majority saplings that could work out well too.

[catskillkid]

A D8 dozer with a big ripper can do a lot of work. You might want to work a little over- time at work to pay for the machine and operator for 1 or 2 days. You will enjoy your big food plot 10 years sooner and save on the back pain, blisters and cold drinks. Spend your time on timber stand improvement.

[Culvercreek hunt club]

dozers tend to pick up the soil when using for clearing. I like using one this a root rake on it. grabs brush and roots in one pass while leaving most of the soil. Works good on saplings and brush. if you are planning on planting the more root mass you can get remo0ved the better. Pines will some out much nicer than hardwoods. some of those may need to be dug around to cut the roots if the machine you have is small. I have taken out some pretty big trees with an excavator in a 10,000# class.

I have a brush grabber and that works pretty well with a good wheeler or a small tractor.

[catskillkid]

Culver,

I agree about a dozer disturbing too much good soil, I had a big Cat loader with huge teeth on the bucket clear a 2 acre plot in 1/2 day. The teeth acted like root rakes and left the top soil in place. Then back dragged to level it all out. There were some roots left in the ground but were rotted away in a couple of years

The entire job only cost me a few hundred dollars.

Edited July 30, 2012 by catskillkid

[Culvercreek hunt club]

I have used a track loader just like you said....works great.

[Cabin Fever]

Dynamite?

[Culvercreek hunt club]

_{Agent Orange}

[SplitG2]

John, if you were my neighbor I would do it for you. If you get a dozer I will operate it for ya.

[G-Man]

Make a fence/ wall out of the stumps/ brush on down wind side of plot causes deer to go around end of wall to ge to plot and gives you good stand locations, leave stumps tall 5' or as high as your loader or bucket or yourself can reach so you can push/pull over. stubborn stumps are easily removed with quart bags filled with fertalizer mixed with diesel fuel, and a cannon fuze, and common scence to get far enough away when it goes off! i cleared a two acre plot this way in 2 weekends with a 35 hp tractor. You can rent a dozer fairly inexpensive, and do a lot more in a short time even if you've never run one before.

[burmjohn]

John, if you were my neighbor I would do it for you. If you get a dozer I will operate it for ya.

We have the Kubota L39, fuel pump issues right now, but that should do some damage. Hoping to test it out next time I go up after we fix the fuel delivery problem. Traced it back to the mechanical pump, seems odd but thats what I think it is. When you crank it over it is coming out real slow, so when you step on the gas it basically does nothing. I checked the gravity flow from the tank to after the fuel filter and its flowing great.

[Meat Hunter]

Hey John, I know of a small but hardly use backhoe that is on a kubota of that size for sale and I know of a monster JD backhoe for sale in the area not much $$.

How big are the trees?

[Fantail]

My tiller and I, are familiar with the rocks.

I was scouting a back 1/4 of the property just the other day and couldn't help but realise the potential of a new spot or two along with good stand trees. And acre or two. What about having some logging done for clearing?

[hb270deermanager]

I manage 32 acres of land small but effective I started by clear

cutting about 4 or 5 acres right through the middle.it was trees

and heavy brush.I brush hogged the brush cut and rented a stump

grinder for the trees.I cleared a 20 ft path around the pond on

the property.Then went about setting up my food plots.I put

more sweat then money in it at first.this took about 3 yrs to get

it the way i wanted it.Just remember come up with a plan first,

don't compromise on how you want it,take your time and your

reward is the saticfaction when your done of knowing that this was

your plan and your sweat,time and money.Then enjoy it to its fullest.

[Dom]

We have a good chunk of land, two small 1 acre plots exist now. I'd love to start clearing out more plots (my goal is a nice 5-10 acre one), yet have never done that kind of work myself other then clearing out a small area of tree's. We have a nice little Kubota that can dig, thinking of trying a small area first for some apple tree's then moving on to a nice sanctuary hay plot for the deer and birds. Ideally I'd like to beg the neighbor to borrow (rent) his monster backhoe / dozer, I just don't know him well enough to ask that. I'm just dreading trying to get the stumps out without some major equipment. Even if it takes me a few years whatever, I just want to get it done.

I seem to have had the same question's about the stump's.Wher I am going to be planting in the spring I have already removed the tree's and ground into mulch,but was wondering what is the best way to remove the stump's.My thaught was to split them and burn them off/out.Would'nt the ash be good for the soil.

[Gthphtm]

Like catskillkid said have some one come in with a big Cat loader to pull every thing out.Then the hard part is done.Always could use a small bucket loader after to put the junk where you want it.Or have them dig a big hole

while they are there and you can bury most of it.

[sampotter]

I just cut them flush with the ground