Am I being unrealistic (brush hogging)

shadowsbane

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flYNqF9
So been trying to clear a seriously overgrown field. Given that it is winter and I may have a chance in hell of pulling it off.

So far it has gone well enough Started with this

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and turned it into this.

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So far so good. But most of that was all briars and evil honeysuckle. Now I am getting into massive stands of sweetgum, walnut, cedar, and other assorted saplings. most of it is a good 10-15 feet tall, ranges from 1/2 inch all the way up to 3".

Rifle is for scale.

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So progress has been made, but now I am not sure my tractor/hog combo can handle this.

It is an older ford 1510 that is turning a mostly held together my plywood and baling twine 5 foot bush hog. engine HP is rated at 22. PTO is I believe 19

So far I have cut one or two paths into some of the thick, but I am going on range 1, gear 2 most of the time, and each patch is taking out on average 1 to 2 shear bolts. That is with overlapping somewhat with the previous pass.

Slow going is better than no going of course, but I also don't want to end up tearing something important apart, if I am way overworking my tractor. I know shear bolts do a good job of preventing that, but just wanted to see what others are thinking.

If this is overworking my tractor, what would be some other options to clearing that out myself? I have a blade on a weedeater, but not sure if that would be any better.

Total land I need to hog, is right near 14 acres. This field is about 3.5 of it give or take. The rest are not quite as bad as far as the saplings go though.

Thanks again.
 
My old boss had a hydraulicly operated bush hog of the front of a tracked skid steer. He could take out up to 10" diameter trees with that thing, and brush like you've pictured wouldn't even slow it down......If you could find someone with a similar setup it would probably be less than 2 days work, or if you're close enough to Charlotte I might could get you a quote.
 
I think you are fine with the current setup. If the saplings get much over 3" then you may need to find something a little more heavy duty.
 
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My old boss had a hydraulicly operated bush hog of the front of a tracked skid steer. He could take out up to 10" diameter trees with that thing, and brush like you've pictured wouldn't even slow it down......If you could find someone with a similar setup it would probably be less than 2 days work, or if you're close enough to Charlotte I might could get you a quote.
Id bring in a mulching unit like this.

Don’t know the guy but have seen his work and it’s nice and fast.


Check out the before and after section in this link

http://www.timberwolfpropertysolutions.com/#2700


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Those would be what I would call the smart way to go about it. But you see I have stubbornness issues. Also the ground has a severe plow pan, that heavy equipment will make worse, and I am on a very strict budget if I want to get anything else done this year.

Might end up making another thread about my homesteading adventures, but this isn't too bad. Last year I cleared a bunch of honeysuckle away with a small scythe and a pitchfork.
 
I just have a 1720 and a 5 foot bush hog and have cut land that looked about like that and larger. Stay the course with the shear bolts. Keep them grade 2. I know it is a hassle to keep changing them, but on my old bush hog that I use for stuff like that, I just grabbed a bolt out of the bin in the basement. It was great, did not shear and was tearing stuff up till I destroyed the yoke and the universal. Found out through Agricultural supply I could replace the whole drive shaft cheaper then I could the yoke through tractor supply, but it was still an $80 lesson. If you have a bucket on the front, keeping it low and pushing the stuff over first helps.
 
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Bush hog will do most of what you have there. You may have to avoid a few of the bigger trees and come back with a saw but progress is progress.

You know how to eat an elephant, right?
 
And besides all the awesome noise and the chucks of trees and root balls slinging out the sides keep it entertaining. I always carry a cooler when I do work like that so I won't die sober!
 
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Bush hog will do most of what you have there. You may have to avoid a few of the bigger trees and come back with a saw but progress is progress.

You know how to eat an elephant, right?

Yeah not too worried about the speed. Biggest concern was getting it done this year though cause next year things will probably be too dense for my tractor. Hell they were too dense 6 months ago.

Here is a pass I did in July. Wife and child for scale.

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Ever thought about goats? They will take down 90% of the stuff and clear stuff most all the time they are awake. You’d have to finish up the larger stuff but they could make your work mucho bettero.
 
I bought a property that had been let go for more than ten years and cleared nearly 5 acres by hand that was that thick and worse. I hired a guy with a bush hog and he made two paths through the yard and quit. I kept plugging away and now I am loved by the neighbors who were afraid of the dragons that might have been living under the thicket that was my yard.
 
Ever thought about goats? They will take down 90% of the stuff and clear stuff most all the time they are awake. You’d have to finish up the larger stuff but they could make your work mucho bettero.

If I lived at this property absolutely. I have miles of barbed wire fencing just waiting for animals. But as it is I live almost 2 hours away from here. Wouldn't be fair to the goats. Not with all the coyotes and the like around. And their joy of escaping.
 
You know how to eat an elephant, right?

He has an elephant living in there? Better make sure you don't turn it into burger meat.
 
If I lived at this property absolutely. I have miles of barbed wire fencing just waiting for animals. But as it is I live almost 2 hours away from here. Wouldn't be fair to the goats. Not with all the coyotes and the like around. And their joy of escaping.
As to this goat escaping business. I learned as a small lad that any where you see a goat, it is because he wants to be there. The second he decides differently, he will disappear. I have seen a regular old farm goat walk a 1x4 board fence! Remember, when you see one...he's there because he likes it there.
 
Nope, but I usually feel like it after working with the chainsaw and machete for a day. :D

I have a pretty good system in place for that. I beat the hell out of myself on Mondays, and Tuesdays I visit the chiropractor to put me back together just in time for work on Wednesdays.
 
I think he is an ass. I looked for that damn rifle in the first pic for 2 minutes before scrolling down a bit and seeing another pic.

Thats some tough stuff. Thats gonna wear out a bush hog. but….it is what it is. You said it was a POS bush hog to begin with….so no harm.
 
3” stuff I would say is pushing it for a small light duty bush hog with sheer bolt. Some heavier bush hogs can handle it but they usually have a slip clutch for doing it much and its still hard on them. It may work but not ideal and may trash a gear box or tractor pto. Skid steer rental with a brush cutter would make it much quicker and fun. Just fyi that stuff mowed off is rough on tires next year once it gets hard and starts to rot and will resprout. If you mow it down now be sure to grind it up good and low while its still green or else you have a good chance of busting a tractor tire later.

One advantage of going the rental method is if its rented they get to fix it and you still have yours to maintain it later on without all the abuse.
 
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Another thing to be careful of is making punji sticks out of the saplings with hogging. Without walking it ... I’d grid it out and work a big section straight up the middle then spread out as you clear. Get a good handy bucking chainsaw and knock the saplings down at the ground and drag them into a big brush pile ... do what you want to “get rid off” the pile every so often. Clearing that much acreage alone isn’t going to be easy with a small tractor and old hog ... rush it and you will tear up something or hurt yourself.
 
If your gonna hunt that property,,,,,,,,don't cut to much!!!!
Oh I hunt but that particular field is popular with a poacher. Dude shot a deer draped it over the fence in front of my stand and cut off the backstraps letting the rest rot. Other fields are going to have more deer friendly habitat and tons of cameras
 
For the stumps I just cut lower and lower on the other passes. Did ok last year. Probably going to run a turn plow after the mowing anyway. Big stumps I will just pull
 
Find a local that advertises land clearing and hire them out. Their large tractors make easy work of your problem, be sure to get them to cut low enough for easy follow ups by your bushhog. Cheap money in the long run.
 
Bush hogging thick saplings and brush is awfully hard on tractors and equipment. Very costly repairs are in store for those who rush the job or don't take precautions in how they operate the equipment during this type of work. I do admire your efforts to reclaim your open land @shadowsbane even if you do it a little at a time.

It would be awesome if one of the private contractor roadside mowing crews would give you a really good deal on sliding across your property one weekend with their equipment and get it down to a point that you could handle it from there.

I'm looking forward to seeing pics of your property once it's cleared and back in a manageable state. Hang in there bro.
 
I had a 40hp Ford NewHolland w/a 6' brush hog. In the thick stuff I raised it up @ 30 degrees and backed over it, dropped the deck & drove forward. It seemed to eat everything.
 
No way I would run my tractor or bush hog through that. I would try to rent a skid steer with a brush cutter, and finish with the bush hog or hire it out. Where is the property located, might could get some guys together to help with clearing one weekend.
 
Did you think to burn it? Time it right and a nice fire would likely kill some of the saplings. At a minimum it would clear out all the undergrowth and allow you to get in there and see what you are working with.


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80+ hp turbo diesel track machine with 18” wide tracks and a forestry mulcher. Can be had for less than a grand for a day. Rent it on Friday, they pick up on Monday.
Last year, I rented one up in Charlottesville and turned a 12 acre tower site that was grown up WAY worse than that into walkable, mulched up flatland in two days.


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Yeah if it were in the budget, and wouldn't hurt the soil more than it already is, I would of gone the big equipment rental route and be done. but it isn't. Budget is too tight, and the soil is already terribly compacted.

I would burn parts if I had water out there, but having problems finding an to get power going. Plus I am going to need all the mulch I can get to compost and help amend the soil.


Looks like it is 50/50 on if my tractor can handle it if I go slow. Guess I should go back to using a scythe and a bush axe for a bit. Maybe cut some smaller paths to make the tractor work less.
 
Looks like it is 50/50 on if my tractor can handle it if I go slow. Guess I should go back to using a scythe and a bush axe for a bit. Maybe cut some smaller paths to make the tractor work less.

I would say if you can mow some of it and not break the shear bolt it would be fine but if your constantly breaking shear bolts your pushing the limits. The Shear bolt is really there for a once and a while safety not constant replacement.
 
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