I've got constant trimming duties with over 3.5 miles of fence line, cutting back branches, brush, etc thats my bush hog won't reach. I've thought about renting a boom mulcher, but would have to do it every few years so don't really want to start that. I'm going to throw out my pole saws and other back breaking tools, I cant even begin to keep up.
Has anybody used a Lane Shark, or one of the similar items available from other brands, for tractor front end loader mowing both vertically and horizontally? I have a 100 hp News Holland tractor and front end loader with cab.
Any feedback is appreciated.
At first I thought you asked if anybody had used a "Loan Shark" and wondered what you were buying now. :D
Been there. I already sold my pole saw. I haven't solved my problem though. It's somewhat different than yours but the basics are the same. I'm curious about this lane shark, but I'd have to go to the loan shark to get into that.
Other places I've seen clear the other side of the fence completely making a 6-10 ft bush hoggable lane. Generally the spray right under the fence with a long lasting herbicide. Certainly a big project initially, more typically the fence was built leaving the cleared lane on the outside. But then the branches still need to be trimmed back every two or three years. None of that is simple easy or cheap. Especially 3.5 miles of it. The old school approach was to run a sickle more vertically and whack off the small stuff. Not very effective or comprehensive though.
I understand the problem you're facing and sympathize, and I hope to see a reply with a good solution.
The people that clear along power line ROW here use a saw on a long boom to do lot of that kind of work. Not cheap equipment, but I'm sure they can be hired - for a small fortune.
YouTube channel Arms Family Homestead made a 12 minute video April 18 , 2019 called . . The Lane Shark ! This might be the Best Front Loader Attachment Ever . . he was very impressed
Quote from: YellowHammer on August 11, 2021, 10:53:42 AMHas anybody used a Lane Shark
I heard of a Land Shark on SNL years ago??smiley_whacko
I've been dealing with this for years and keep putting off a real solution. Last year I did as Btulloh mentions and sprayed everywhere, including the overhanging branches. Hosed everything down. Tank after tank of spray. The leaves wilted but the branches didn't die and this year they came back with a vengeance, worse than ever. I talked to one of the road crews last year and they were doing a good job but were slow. They did the side of my driveway the power lines are on, but it took them a full day. I wouldn't want to pay them to do the whole property. We have cross fencing as well so I need to get both sides. The main issue is overhanging branches. I can't even drive some of my field roads anymore without branches scraping my tractor cab.
I've seen some of the Lane Shark videos and it looks effective but I distrust "sponsored" videos. There are about 3 different brands of this type of front end side mower and also a couple front end suitable mulchers. I've also looked at hydraulic tree shears and limb shears but they seem slow. Maybe good for trimming back a couple trees, but not a couple thousand.
I have looked at these before but have not bought one, things that I thought were interesting were you shouldn't need a loan shark to get one, light weight, requires little hyd power and flow, can fab a mount to extend reach.
https://www.cutthat.com (https://www.cutthat.com)
I have one farm that has an "old county road" long ago abandoned as its only access. Its now a deeded ROW but the landowner it crosses would prefer that it wasn't and won't allow spraying or bringing in a dozer to fix it. Fenced on both sides and eroded 10' deep into the hillside in places. Its a 1.5 miles and real pain to keep cut back. I looked real hard at the Lane Shark. I have used the brush mower on the front of a Cat tracked skid steer raised up which gets quite a bit but doesn't get to the sides unless you turn 90 to the direction of travel.
The Lane Shark is Hydro driven which is a plus. Your tractor has the weight to handle it.
The down sides I saw to Lane shark is that it operates in a vertical plane and doesn't have much side reach. Also not much in the way of guarding.
Something else I looked at was basically a circle saw attachment that works on the same principle. Cooks might even make a version it. I actually saw a Lane Shark mounted on small John Deere this week and was tempted to follow the guy into the gas station to ask about it.
Watching the power line ROW machines I think the circle saw version is the safer way to go. I am uncomfortable with a bush hog type mower over the top of my head with no guards.
Not that it will do you guys any good, but I clear the edges of roads for our trucks all the time with the forwarder, just snap the limbs with the grapple.
I've ripped some decent sized limb off trees by hooking them with my grapple and driving off, but wow, does it make a mess of the trees, sometimes ripping the whole side off.
I also welded a tooth to my grapple and it will shear through some nice sized limbs but it's pretty slow. My grapple has a pretty good bite force, it'll break concrete off fence posts, and I've been doing this for awhile. The typical scenario is that I'll be driving driving down a fence line and when a limb slaps my $600 side window, I get mad, turn back, rip the limb off with the loader bucket, or cut the limb off with the grapple tooth, or even just push the tree over. The pushing the tree over works best, but I've got one fenceline where I've now got a bunch of pushed over trees messing things up, with root balls sitting up out of the ground and it looks bad, like Godzilla had gone for a stroll.
Here's a picture of the tooth on my grapple.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/21488/IMG_0318.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1500002478)
I've looked at the Cook's brush saw, but its over $13K last I checked, and for that I'd start leaning torward a mini excavator and mulch head for about another $15 K more.
Saw this mini-ex with mulch head the other day.
Mulching Around The Farm - YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P62223rew9A)
Thought of your thread when I saw it.
A guy i did some land clearing for says his county barn use them in tight locations they cant get the boom mulcher/shredder in and it works great for them.
Saline county just uses their excavator to rip the limbs off trees. I would not mind having one for a time. Neighbor has a rubber tire excavator, Case, that looks tempting, but not so sure it would get around like one with tracks. Have a neighbor who has a big excavator, he just grabs trees and jerks them out of the ground. Can pull good sized trees, maybe not 36" diameter, but at least 24". He would be kind of expensive if you hired him for a week.
Guys in the neighborhood have tree saws, and some can be turned up vertical, made for skidsteers. A new neighbor has a prototype he said could be tried out, very heavy built. I have a Wichita shear, with a pivot so it will sideline trees, won't go real high up. I hate to drop big chunks of tree on my skidsteer. Nothing harder on a skid steer than tree work. Looked at that Lane Shark, it is a bush hog mower with hydraulic drive, if you get one, make sure you have a dump for the hydraulic hose oil return, running all that oil through your outlet will over heat your hydraulic fluid.
https://fb.watch/7lxiPhD-x3/ (https://fb.watch/7lxiPhD-x3/)
I talked to my dealer, he says New Holland has a case drain for the hydraulics to dump into the tank.
He says people have given him good reviews on the Lane Shark but he's never run one.
I like the helicopter method, but it might be a tad expensive.
I have a Saber samurai. Clamps on side of bucket and cuts vertical and horizontal. Cuts up to about inch and a half . Would work well on a hydro drive tractor. You have infinitely variable forward speed.
After the first trimming, cutting large and small branch's you will go faster just cutting smaller regrowth next passes.
After six years and miles of trimming mine is just due for new knives. About 1800$ Canadian. They have a US distributer I think.
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Is this what your looking for. 23 ft boom. The model 100 is standard and the 200 rotates
Riley is the name around 17k for the standard and 19k for angle
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Chopzilla is the unit it's made by Supertrak in Florida
Just noticed your price points. These ones I posted are definitely out of your budget
The Samuri, it looks nice, I'm surprised it'll cut 1.5 inches, thats most of what I have, some bigger some smaller. What happens if I get into a limb that it won't cut, will it bend if I don't stop the tractor fast enough? Thats one of the scenarios I'm really looking at, the sure to happen, "Oops that limb is too big" kind of thing.
My tractor is hydraulic clutch, shuttle shift, but its not a hydrostatic variable drive. So every time I have to go from forward to reverse, I have too clutch, although with the shuttle shift its not too bad. I just don't want to have to do it 10,000 times in a day.
I'm stay in the $5K range, because since I don't know if any of these contraptions work, I don't want to spend a lot of money on a waste of time. Also, with the mods to my tractor, that's probably another $500 to $1,000 itself. My tractor comes with every kind of hydraulic system known to man, except.....direct drain to the reservoir. I'll need two more hoses run to the loader, clips, clamps, fittings, disconnects, etc. That stuff adds up real fast.
I have also been looking at a "Limb Beaver." They seem pretty good, and I'm seeing some of them on auction sites, but they look kind of "stale" like they aren't a very active company and not a lot of products sold, so it may haver some issues.
Limb Beaver Ultimate Brush Cutter & Tree Trimmer (https://www.limbbeaver.com/limb-beaver-tree-and-brush-cutter/#prettyPhoto)[3525-Limb%20Beaver%20T1%20Tractor%20Model]/0/
There are some things about the Lane Shark I don't like, one is that it doesn't haver a stump jumper disk, its just got a piece of channel to hold the blades. Some of the copy cat models do have stump jumpers, but are also made extremely heavy, more for ground work than side trimming work. It also doesn't have hydraulic angle shift which would be very easy to do with my tractor, as I already haver third function plumbed in.
I haven't seen any under $5K smallish side mount mulching heads, I think that would be best for all sizes of vertical trimming and wouldn't throw debris as far.
I'm still looking and searching, but the Lane Shark seems to have both good and bad. I'm also trying to balance strength vs light weight.
I added a hydraulic dump valve to my JD 4450, had a plug you could remove and put a nipple and a hydraulic connector to it.
For encroaching limbs only; this deal looks pretty bullet proof
Stout Trail Blazer. Self contained gas running circle saw blades.
STOUT DESIGNS, LLC – TRAILBLAZER TB-2021 – OVERHANGING LIMB AND BRUSH CUTTER (stoutdesignsllc.com) (https://stoutdesignsllc.com/)
YellowHammer,
A buddy of mine just had to reclaim 3 old hay field / pastures. He was able to rent a small Bobcat excavator for a long weekend that had a small cutter head on it. he used it to get both sides of his fence line. It wasn't cheap, BUT, he did a neighbors long driveway while he had the unit and that paid for half the rental!!!
Another video of the Stout..
TRAILBLAZER SXS 2021 - YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvBDqSWIG40)
Probably not the answer here. I mow old fields with an IH 100 series [110] side mounted balanced sickle bar [7'] that will mow vertical and cut 1" branches without damage. This mower was available with a 9' bar also.
Yellowhammer: The samurai will cut 1 1/2 inch or slightly bigger but I have to stop and chew through it. My tractor has a clutch so just stop while it's chewing. The first cut on a hedge is the slowest as there are more big branch's. Following years are just regrowth so much faster.
Does the samurai have a "break away" on the mount or spring back in some way to prevent bending it?
@YellowHammer (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=11488)
BeaverTechUSA
Looks nice
@Bruno of NH (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=26349)
I had not seen that one, it looks cool. I called them today, interestingly enough, it's a 4 knife planer head mounted on a frame. Its about $10K delivered. The drawback is that the sales guy said it didn't cut grass, and long flexible grass, such as Johnson grass and briers may wrap and clog the head. It apparently works well on brush.
I'm going to be in the market for something like this next year.
I'm buying my uncle's kubota next year when he moves full time to Nevada.
I want to do the same as you , cut grasses, brush and limbs
Hilltop 336
The samurai doesn't have a breakaway. Not been an issue as you can see what is being cut and slow down or stop and whittle through.
The samurai has no breakaway. But any branch that is cuttable will also bend. You have lots of time to stop and chew, no need to back up usually
@dogone (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=36220) Will the samurai knaw through bigger branches, or will it just not feed them into the teeth? I have lots of 2" and 3" also, mostly 2" I would guess.
Apparently, Lane Shark is now being distributed by John Deere, so I called up my local Deere dealer and they quoted a price maybe $1500 dollars more than advertised, they said it was the installed cost.
When I talked to dealer however, he was very hesitant to say this was the product I needed. In fact, he said these are better suited to smaller compact tractors, and are fairly lightweight and wasn't sure they could handle more than "occasional" or "light use." His words, not mine. He said he would sell me one, but wasn't sure it was what I should be buying. Honesty is the best policy.
Robert, with that Stout-Trailblazer thing, wait till you hit a big guinea wasp nest :D :D :D.
Quote from: Hilltop366 on August 13, 2021, 11:52:20 PM
Does the samurai have a "break away" on the mount or spring back in some way to prevent bending it?
@Hilltop366 (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=8975) From the Samurai website it appears the "deluxe" mount now offered for $100 more has a breakaway feature. After looking at all the options I am going to order a Samurai to try out on my little NH T1520 35hp Hydro. For the money it will be worth it as a bank/ditch mower even it won't handle all the branches I might like to cut.
@stavebuyer (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=15189)
That is great. I can't wait to find out how it works out. Will you need to plumb in the case drain or make other mods to your hydraulic system? I wish Samuri made the "Big Dog" version, cutting 2 to 3 inch.
When I was asking the John Deere dealer about any kind of warranty with the Laneshark, he said, yeah, Laneshark comes with a warranty. When I asked him if I broke it somehow cutting into too large a limb, would that be covered? He said, no, that would not be covered, it would be under the abuse clause. :(
So I asked him how I would know if a limb was too big?? He said, and I quote "When you tear something up." :D :D
So I want to avoid that.
@WDH (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=4370)
I have hit some doozies, but yeah, that doesn't sound fun. I've had some yellowjackets pop and bounce off the cab glass, but none have ever gotten in.
The samurai will not do 3 inch at all. Just plug hoses right in to take outs. Using it on side of bucket will work but obscures the view. I built a bracket to set about two feet off side of bucket. Mine is first generation, break away is new option but I think if you need it you are moving to fast.
YH, think you need a tree saw. Douglas welding and machine has some. You can google them. There are several others, a neighbor has a heavy duty one he is going to let neighbors demo, but don't think my Case 60xt will handle one. Need about the biggest model skidsteer you can buy to operate a big saw. Maybe someone sells a saw for a small tractor.
Moodna, I have a International 1100 sickle mower, just bought it to clean up around the yard, but also have a Rowse double 9, Rowse bought the rights from International after they quit building the sickle mower, and they produce new single and double mowers, and you can get one with a New Holland as well. They build both. Amazing how much hay you can lay down with a double 9 sickle mower, but helps if the grass is dry. I can mow as fast as a self propelled disc mower when conditions are right, and Rowse is a lot less expensive. It does keep the small trees from taking over your hay field.
I have a similar situation to @Yellowhammer, but it's four to five miles of old logging trails now used to get to our lake cabin.
The "pole saw, chainsaw and clearance saw" dance has been getting old for a few years now and so am I.
At the mention of CAT and the Samurai, the design and price tag seemed darned attractive. I was also surprised to see them located in Winnipeg. Time to make a phone call . . . .
Long story short, I'm meeting the owner later this week and if the cards work in my favour, I might be prototyping a new 'blade'.
I'd like to be able to trim the trails back enough to keep the North Woods from tearing the mirrors off my truck and if I can do that from the cab on my Ford loader, so much the better.
I'll report back on what see and hear, and will keep my eyes open for some Big Dog Samurai blades. ;D
Forax equipment. Ca
Has some stuff
This is an interesting unit, a TB Flex. It seems more heavy duty than the Lane Shark, and seems to be a good balance of offset mower for my pond, banks, and ditches, as well as a vertical limb trimmer. Its rated for branches up to 4" and is $1,000 cheaper, at $3,400, than the Lane Shark.
2019 Titan Implement TB Flex - YouTube (https://youtu.be/TfnuBV3bHX0)
So I've been reading reviews of this particular machine, they have not been good.
I just got an email that my Samurai shipped and to expect it to arrive this Friday. I hope the product is as awesome as the service.
That is impressive.
Quote from: YellowHammer on August 18, 2021, 08:34:07 AM
This is an interesting unit, a TB Flex. It seems more heavy duty than the Lane Shark, and seems to be a good balance of offset mower for my pond, banks, and ditches, as well as a vertical limb trimmer. Its rated for branches up to 4" and is $1,000 cheaper, at $3,400, than the Lane Shark.
2019 Titan Implement TB Flex - YouTube (https://youtu.be/TfnuBV3bHX0)
Messiscks did a demo on the Titan unit .
The kid was honest about what he liked and didn't
Bumped into a company called Spartan that makes a tool for trimming branches as well as other capabilities.
https://www.spartanequipment.com/tractor-attachments/articulating-brush-cutter/ (https://www.spartanequipment.com/tractor-attachments/articulating-brush-cutter/)
They also make a lot of other specialized attachments.
https://www.spartanequipment.com/tractor-attachments/ (https://www.spartanequipment.com/tractor-attachments/)
I got my Samurai Sabre mounted and made a quick test run. Had a leaking fitting and made a few adjustments but overall I am pleased and expect with a little fine tuning and operator head space adjustments it will do what I bought it to do.
Powering it through the bucket tilt circuit I am at the low end(3.5gpm of its flow requirement) but with a little practice it will cut 1" diameter Osage Orange limbs. With the deluxe bracket it gives a pretty good horizontal reach for ditch and pond banks in the horizontal position. With slick paint and a fresh film of hydraulic oil from the fitting I didn't have all the way tight I had some trouble keeping the cutter bar in position. They provide 2 bolts with it but it will be easy to add a third bolt and/or make a plate with some positive stop pins.
While its not made to take on neglected utility ROW work, its handy especially for a small tractor or SS that doesn't have the weight to handle any thing heavy hanging off the side. The whole unit is in the 100# range and with loaded tires my little tractor is about 3000#. I could feel the Samurai when its was in the horizontal position especially on a side hill. I hung it several times in larger limbs but it was no trouble to reverse the blades and move the bucket or back up to free it. Learning how to feed it does allow it "saw" through some slightly large material and I am sure a tractor with more flow and or higher pressure would also help.
The deluxe mounting bracket. There is a spring adjustment inside the square tube that controls the amount of tension before the mount trips(tripped position shown)
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I had to chip away and make a few passes and adjustments but I moved this Osage Orange brush line back about 6ft
and that is exactly the type of stuff I need to keep clipped. Any thing bigger and you would probably need more tractor and more cutter.
Stavebuyer: to keep it stable I welded two pieces of metal on bucket. Wide enough for bracket to slip between before tightening bolts. Happy you like it.
That looks pretty cool. I like the beak away mount. So about a 1" limb was doable? No way to do a 2"?
Quote from: YellowHammer on August 24, 2021, 10:14:51 PM
That looks pretty cool. I like the beak away mount. So about a 1" limb was doable? No way to do a 2"?
I don't think its the right tool for larger limbs. Its a handy tool that would classify as a "hedge trimmer" rather than a "brush cutter". Pliable new limb growth, briars and vines like bittersweet. The kind of stuff that will throw the chain off a chainsaw is where the thing is ideal. Woody material that a saw will "cut" rather than "grab" not so much. 2" limbs and 100hp tractor would not be a good pairing.
Thanks, thats good info. I really need to be able to get to some bigger stuff. I need to be able to clear enough out to drive my tractor down the left side of the fenceline like this, and I have miles of this. Mostly hardwood. There is about 10 feet of overgrown path on the left side of the fence line, and I used to be able to drive down it. No more. I agree that once this is cut back initially, it won't be so bad next time, but I would like something that can clean this and keep it clean.
Most of the mulcher heads I'm seeing are designed for high flow skid steers, over 20 GPM. I've also looked at some heads that go on mini excavators, but I really don't went to buy a new skid steer or excavator.
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I've seen some offset flail mowers that will munch up to 4" material, but they are driven off the PTO and I don't want to spend days or weeks looking backward over my shoulder.
I still believe I'm looking for something flail mower/mulcher/rotary cutter like that goes on the front end loader and uses less than 12.5 GPM flow rate. I looked at every video I can find of front blades mowers similar to the Lane Shark, but many people have said if they get driven against a heavy stump or limb, the steel frame will bend, which I would surely do the first day. That seem to be a common issue.
I need something that will trim high, low, and strong enough to last for years.
Ugh. I don't think you're going to win that war without clearing it all back 4 feet or so. The stuff I see there could be handled by a mulcher. Still would require some limb trimming every few years.
I had similar issues around the edges of fields. Got a guy with a buncher to work all the way around then skid it up into piles. There was no fence though, so he had room to lay it down.
The amount of stuff growing along your fence line will certainly be a constant battle without wholesale clearing. A guy with a pole saw could put a lot of that stuff on the ground, especially if you put him in a man lift on your forks. (A cage for a 275 gal tote makes a good cheap man lift btw.). Problem I get from limbing is that eventually limbs 30 feet up will grow out and down and then it's a more difficult trim job.
I feel your pain.
Does the 3 bladed saw head cutter that Cooks makes need high flow?
YellowHammer, that's exactly the fence row stuff my buddy rented the mini with the fancy head to do. If anyone near you has one for rent, see if you can get it for a week, get as much done as possible then you just have maintenance after that? You could evaluate the rental and see if it's worth continuing and getting the rest of your fields done or if you need to go to plan B, or C
I have recently purchased a new 100hp JD for mowing work at the ski area I am employed at. We had it equipped with a front PTO and TPH for the Alamo flail mower we use. We also purchased a front end loader for this tractor for bucket and forklift work when not mowing. We have struggled for the last couple of years finding enough quality labor to work at cutting brush on the trail sides and cross country trails. I looked into the Lane Shark after seeing the original post. It looks to be the perfect attachment for what we need to do here at the ski area. Found one available at a in state farm tractor dealer. Planning to go on Monday to see a demo from a customer that has had one for a year or so. He says it works great and has been a good investment for clearing trails and brush at his shooting range. I mostly would like to see where it has mowed before making the decision to purchase. I am hoping it will make few employees we have feel a little better about all the trail clearing there is to get done.
I will report on my experiences. Thanks again YH for the original post.
I'm looking forward to your feedback. Hopefully, you'll be able to give it a test drive.
I'm kind of conflicted on the shark. It had some issues originally, but I think they have been corrected. Maybe. For example, the blades are held on with hardened bolts, not true mower bolts, like in a rotary cutter, so Laneshark had some (maybe still does) issues with blades being thrown. They still say to check the bolts every hour of use to make sure they don't come loose or break. What???. That's why my local New Holland dealership will not sell them, they are worried about potential liability issues. I would really hate to throw a blade form a cutter 8 feet off the ground.
The Laneshark also uses a piece of steel channel as a blade carrier for the stub blades to attach. Some of the other systems use with a stump jumper, or a carrier with sharpened edges. The issue is that although the stub blades will cut brush, the carrier won't, so it makes it hard to just drop the cutter head on a sapling and grind it to the ground because the carrier won't cut anything, being a piece of channel. The Spartan skid steer cutter has a sharpened carrier, and it will does this. The carrier of the Shark just kind of beats the saplings to pieces, but doesn't cut them.
There isn't an anti scalp roller on the Shark, so when mowing its real easy to drag the edge of mower on the ground, and stick it into the earth and bend the frame. There is no spring loaded break away system. That's when a compact tractor may give forgiveness, but a bigger, heavier tractor won't. Drag the mower into the ground, and bend the frame. Glance the mower into a tree truck, bend the frame. etc.
On the other hand, our local John Deere deal does sell them, so that's impressive and maybe means the Shark is a really good unit. However, it was my local Deere dealer who told me that they considered it more for "light duty or occasional" use implement. I haven't been able to talk to anyone, or seen any videos, where someone actually used one for cutting more than honeysuckle and hedge material. I'm also going to try to find someone who has one in stock so I can eyeball one. The Deere dealer says they sell them for about $7K including installation, which means installing the hydraulics with the case drain.
I've looked at renting minis and skid steer with mulcher heds for the initial pass, its about $1400 per week. The problem is I can't take off a week from the business to run the fence lines. I'd like to have my own machine or implement so I can do it an afternoon or day at a time, like my bushogging.
I've ben looking at this one, also. But its flow requirements are more than my tractor can supply.
Skid Steer Articulating Brush Cutter Attachment From Spartan Equipment - YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FG89hKbXLQ)
One thing that makes me nervous about the off set bush hog on a front end loader up in the air is it goes against all loader safety advise ever given, I can imagine there would be a significant pucker factor on uneven ground.
It may be advantages to look at more than one solution for the problem, a lighter attachment for the tree trimming and a bush mower for the ground. I suppose somewhere in the process the branches will either have to be mulched or removed.
Reading his thread, I can't help but think how Red Green might handle this dilemma?? ;D
I was able to get an in-person demo of a Lane Shark today from a person who purchased a new unit last fall. He has used it quite a bit on his 40 hp Kioti tractor. He put it on the tractor and hooked it up in about 5 minutes. It looked quite easy to adjust to the different positions. I could see the channel type steel that the blades attached to and did notice the blades had huge "Bush Hog" type bolts holding the knives. They looked to be what every other mower of that type might use. I also noticed that the sides of the mower housing extend down enough so that when set flat on the ground the blades will still be 2-3" off the ground. I asked if he has trouble gouging into the ground when mowing flat like a brush hog. He said that you tend to go pretty slow when mowing with this unit and unlike a TPH brush hog this unit is right in front/ or off to the right front where you have great visibility to see what the mower is doing. He adjusted the unit to horizontal operated the mower down a woods trail that was pretty much grown in and had trees with branches encroaching in over the trail. He had the unit off to the right front corner and lifted up about a foot. This was because he could see some large rocks poking through the weeds and brush. He went about 200' and backed out. He said that now he could go back over it and steer around the rocks and mow closer. He put it up vertical and trimmed back some scrub apple trees loaded with vines on the edge of a field. It just cut the limbs off and dropped them to the ground. If you want to grind them up some you would have to put the mower horizontal and go over them again like a regular mower. I asked if he thought the mower would have an issue setting down over a tree in regards to the center blade holder not having sharp edges. He said that he has never tried that but didn't think it would be too much of an issue as you will need to back up as the loader comes down to continue to mow the same area where the tree is.
One issue he did have with his tractor powering this mower is that when you raise the loader or use the curl function, it reduces the amount of hydraulic flow to the motor. You could hear the speed of the mower slowing down when he performed those functions. Probably a larger tractor might have higher flow and not have that issue.
Overall I was impressed at the capability of this unit. It is not hammer knife mulcher by any means, but if you want to trim brush back and have the time to make several passes to work it down, I think it might be a good investment. He was very happy with his purchase. One important feature it doesn't come with is "common sense". That makes a big difference at the end of the day in most equipment operations.
I am in hopes to purchase one of these mowers for the company I work for. If it happens, I will share some photos and opinions of the machine. I give the demo a 3 thumbs up. I hope this helps YH.
Very informative. Thank you. What thickness was it able to cut routinely? Did it ever choke on one too big? What size?
Did it seem pretty well built?
Again, thanks all for the info.
This unit was on a 40hp tractor that seemed to be lacking some in hydraulic flow and ability to maintain operating pressure. It would spin the mower up to speed pretty well and didn't struggle mowing even the two-three inch pine and apple tree limbs he was mowing. The issue he has with his tractor is that when he used the loader to lift or run the bucket curl feature, it would slow the hydraulic motor significantly. You could hear the motor change. Once the loader valves were released, everything came right back. It doesn't actually mulch or chip up anything when mowing vertical. Everything just drops to the ground. The operator said he often will go over leafy hardwood brush once it is on the ground and chew/grind it up to make it lay flatter on the ground. He did say that it didn't seem to grind up pine branches for some reason.
As far as ruggedness, I think the frame work is well built. The weakest area of the unit is the lower part of the deck. I could see where he had caught it on a low stump or something and bent the bottom edge opposite the discharge side. I suspect a little reinforcement to the bottom edge might be needed to prevent that. The rest of the unit seems sufficiently rugged enough. I think if I purchase one, I might attempt to come up with a solid type wheel or wheels to put on the sides of the deck or possibly some wear shoes to serve as a depth gauge to better control deck level when mowing horizontally. I suspect it has the capability of cutting most any type of brush or limbs up to 3 or 4" in vertical mode. I am sure it will take some finesse to start at the top of a tree and follow it down to the stump without stalling the mower.
Just caught this video of a sickle bar for trails, demo'd by Camarata. He puts stuff to the test, and does a pretty decent job of filming on some snowmobile trails.
Sickle bar mowing trails - YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYLk91GThJo)
For what it's worth, did pretty well on good diam. brush.
That's pretty cool. I had not seen that one and have been doing a lot of surfing. Thanks.
Jeff's "Reclaiming a woodland pond" has an interesting piece of equipment on a track skidsteer.
Yes, we have been looking at both rotary and disk munchers, as well as 100 hp class tracked skidsteers. I sat in a full forestry package ready one the other day, with a rotary mulching head like used in Jeff's topic, for only a measly $140,000. :o
That's slightly over our budget, but am looking hard at either a Kubota or Deere model with a mulcher head for about $100,000. I can use it for the mill and also for the farm.
A disk mulcher is a true tree eating beast, the idea is to cut the tree, up to 12 inches diameter (some do 18 inch diameter) then balance the length of it on the disk mulcher head and when it's sitting just right, like balancing a broomstick on you finger, the entire tree will be sucked in and spit out in pieces in about a quarter second. Then the head is used to grind the stump into the ground. It's so fast it's hard to see it happen. Here's a video of one in action, and I laugh every time a tree gets vaporized. It is SO cool!
https://youtu.be/XMWuYcNSLmU (https://youtu.be/XMWuYcNSLmU)
If your serious about getting one. ASV is the only one and the best that is a true Forestry mulcher in that class.... Best and most power, cooling and the list goes on. The next best would be either Takeuchi or CAT. The CATs are notorious for cooling issues and starting on fire 🔥 . Same with Kubota and Deere
. Now if your looking at a small excavator for mulching the CAT 309 is a Beast with the twin pumps. Or a Yanmar 100 SV (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/59695/073E40BB-E06B-404C-9CF3-3A2CCDCA3D29.jpeg?easyrotate_cache=1631432120)
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Disc mulchers are fast and productive but don't mulch the material as fine as a drum mulcher and are more demanding on your machine. They are good for wide open areas. They are dangerous. They will throw debris and chunks like a grenade a long ways. The two best disc mulchers are the Diamond and the Vail X
In watching that video Robert, you are going to want to make sure you catch that tree on the side of the mower that has the blades going away from you. Otherwise it will be throwing it back at you.
@Walnut Beast (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=49695)
Those are some pretty graphic pictures. Is the fire issue from flammable debris falling into hot spaces and igniting? Or the engine overheating? Or?
I haven't looked at the Yanmar yet, I've been to the Cat, Deere, and Kubota dealer, learning stuff every visit.
I'm weighing the options of a disk mulcher (bigger debris and harder on the machine), a drum mulcher (way more expensive) and a brush cutter like the Bradco with small blades for cutting trees up to 8" and with carbides on the disk for mulching.
Most of my mulching and clean up will be in the middle of nowhere.
@customsawyer (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=1861)
I agree, but it sure looks cool!
Check out the Baumalight mulchers disc and drumb.
The local bobcat dealer rents machines and attachments over the weekend. Think before I bought an expensive machine like that, would want to rent it and get familiar with it. A buddy rented a mini excavator and dug his sewer line out and repaired it over the weekend. Another neighbor rented a trencher attachment and laid a bunch of tile in a couple fields same way. Looked the other day and water was still running out the tile, after several days.
Quote from: YellowHammer on September 12, 2021, 10:02:36 AM
@Walnut Beast (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=49695)
Those are some pretty graphic pictures. Is the fire issue from flammable debris falling into hot spaces and igniting? Or the engine overheating? Or?
I haven't looked at the Yanmar yet, I've been to the Cat, Deere, and Kubota dealer, learning stuff every visit.
I'm weighing the options of a disk mulcher (bigger debris and harder on the machine), a drum mulcher (way more expensive) and a brush cutter like the Bradco with small blades for cutting trees up to 8" and with carbides on the disk for mulching.
Most of my mulching and clean up will be in the middle of nowhere.
@customsawyer (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=1861)
I agree, but it sure looks cool!
Usually it's from debris like twigs and leaves getting down in the engine area. When the machine is running wide open things get pretty hot. Preventative maintenance is huge! Like blowing the machine and coolers out. I don't want to scare you away from the other machines but I've got friends and I'm a member of Mulcher Mafia on FB that I see and here the problems of everything that's run day in and day out from all makes from skid to large dedicated. Your not going to be running it day in and day out 10 hrs a day I doubt so the other makes would probably do you just fine if you keep things clean. In your situation a four blade Brush Wolf would do you fantastic. It will take small to bigger trees, brush and grass fantastic. If your taking bigger stuff down most of the time and you don't care about a good finish or need to mow grass then a disc would be good. Now a drum with knives will take small to big stuff, give you a really nice mulch and can mow grass with sharp knives. Don't let all this talk of rubber tracks can't be in the woods scare you as some people think. Guys are running these day in and day out in the woods all the time... When you have a machine that has some hydraulic hi flow that could run those attachments and various other things that could be used on your place for various other things you would love it.
Quote from: farmfromkansas on September 12, 2021, 07:48:31 PM
The local bobcat dealer rents machines and attachments over the weekend. Think before I bought an expensive machine like that, would want to rent it and get familiar with it. A buddy rented a mini excavator and dug his sewer line out and repaired it over the weekend. Another neighbor rented a trencher attachment and laid a bunch of tile in a couple fields same way. Looked the other day and water was still running out the tile, after several days.
If your only going to use something not very often then renting is ok. But when you start renting often it adds up in a hurry. Most outfits don't rent mulchers out and the ones that do are charging big 💰💰 with sub par stuff
This is the Brush Wolf four blade
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The Brush Wolf Alpha is the four blade trees to 10" and can do bigger. The best brush cutter. If you go to a disc then either Diamond,Vail or AFE. Drum with knives is Prinoth , Dennis Cimaf, Shearex or FAE. For your information the CAT branded brush cutter is a Brush Wolf Alpha with a few changes. CAT branded FAE mulchers with some differences
If you want to see a good example of how efficient knives are on a good head here it is https://youtu.be/hKQC43lxt1Y (https://youtu.be/hKQC43lxt1Y)
I noticed the brush wolf doesn't have the rows of carbide teeth on the disk, to aid in mulching, where some of the ones my dealer showed me had rows of carbides mounted to the disk. Supposedly a hybrid between a disk mulcher and a blades cutter.
What are your thoughts on the value of the carbides on the disk of a bladed brush cutter?
The drum mulcher is sweet, but wow they are expensive.
Yes there is a difference between the brush cutter and the disc mulchers. The brush wolf is technically a brush cutter but unique with the four blades. Diamond has brush cutters and the disc mulchers. The disc mulchers have various teeth cutters and carbides. You can run both You can put some real big trees on the ground quick with a disc mulcher also. Definitely need a polycarbonate door when using one
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This was a Kubota cutter that had 4 double sided blades and a bunch of carbides on the disk. Kind of a hybrid. Bradco makes one similar but I didn't get a picture. It has much bigger carbides on the disk and the swinging blades were bigger.
Here is my wife sitting in a rigged Forestry Kubota with the drum Mulcher. It had quite a bit of leg room. But it wasn't cheap. I have an excellent Kubota dealer, I've known him for decades.
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I also sat in a Deere and it may have been an older model but it had zero footroom and had a side opening door that could only be opened if the loader arms were down. Looking at the pictures of fire burning these up, I may stay away from that kind of side opening door so I can't get trapped and cooked.
My "justification" for this is to take over duties from my 100 hp tractor for duty around the mill as well as periodic cleanup and maintenance around the farm. All my tractor implements are universal skid steer mounts so I already have a good bit of implements.
A neighbor had a nearly new New Holland that burned, think if I were getting a new skidsteer would want to keep the fire insurance paid up.
With these pictures of burning skid steers, :o the only one I would want is a Volvo or JCB so I can just open the side door and jump out before my britch's caught fire. Forget that crawlin out over the loader arms if you can get the door open. think_not
I bet Brush Wolf makes that brush cutter for Kubota. It's got the same push bar on top and disc with the blades sandwiched between them. Here is what they can do 😂
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Quote from: Gere Flewelling on September 13, 2021, 04:13:03 PM
With these pictures of burning skid steers, :o the only one I would want is a Volvo or JCB so I can just open the side door and jump out before my britch's caught fire. Forget that crawlin out over the loader arms if you can get the door open. think_not
Most have safety latches on the front door to kick out if problems and a rear quick ones on rear of cab. Ask anybody that's had a JCB one and mulched with it. It's neat but absolutely horrible mulching ( no power), door blew off hauling down the highway and problems with the boom lifting from the one side twisting
This has sure shifted from a Lane Shark!
When you move into sawmill/lumber yard chores you ought to test drive some compact wheel loaders with high flow.
You will miss the visibility and reach of your tractor loader with anything skid steer based. You might clean your fencerows 1 week a year; the rest of the year you are in and out of your loader 20 times a day at the sawmill.
The power line people use telescopic saws for encroaching branches followed with a mulcher for the ground work. I don't see a CTL mulcher as an ideal match for limbs encroaching over a fence.
Forget about the brush cutter and rent a CTL with forks to use around the mill for a weekend. If you are happy with it there then think about the fence line. The sawmill is most likely paying for the upkeep of the fence.
I'm looking at getting one of these brush cutters also and was wondering if anyone with experience would recommend open front of closed?
Yeah, I feel like I'm spinning my wheels here, going in circles, pun intended.
My New Holland tractor loader is a beast, easy to get in to, easy to operate, strong as an ox. However, it has a limited front hydraulic flow rate are 12.5 GPM, and the last thing I want to do is put undo stress on it, its a fine machine and I treat it like gold.
My farm has 3.5 miles of fenceline, and many more miles of "used to be open" cross and hunting trails that I can't even drive a 4 wheeler down anymore, springs and creeks are getting overgrown, etc. All hardwood, oak and hickory. I spent nearly 2 full days over the Labor Day weekend trying to make a dent with my big 8 foot rotary cutter and didn't realize how bad things had gotten. My cutter is a heavy duty model that will cut down and grind saplings 4 inches into powder, and it was out of its league. So then I used my big dog tractor with a bucket and started bulldozing trees over by the dozen, but actually made things worse, because now I'm starting to have big piles of trees and brush that look like an eyesore, piles of nasty root balls, so I stated thinking big burn piles, and been there done that, and sometimes that's a bigger mess. The burn piles stay for months of not years to dry out and burn completely, and some of the ones I did 20 years ago were so big, they could see them form the Space Shuttle. So thats where I started thinking mulcher, where I could just grind stuff up as it fell. Do a limited area, even push back the trees and brush another 20 feet, call it done, and move on.
Meanwhile, after calling many of the implement maker's dealers, including Lane Shark dealers, about what I was originally trying to do, a common theme kept coming up. This is out of their league, and I kept getting responses such as "Uh, they can't take that" or "You'll tear it up by the end of the day." or "These were really built for smaller 40hp tractors, a hundred horse tractor will burn it up." Oh boy, wrong turn.
I then went to my nearest dream dealership of all machines cool stuff and started walking around, and ended up looking at mini excavators, and saw one with a nice mulching head, but then after discussions with the dealership guy, we decided its use would be pretty limited other than digging holes and mulching fence lines, which it would do an excellent job. Unless I stepped up to a full size 200 or so that I could use for other stuff. I'm not going to do that. Scratch that. Back to square one.
Also, when visiting another shop (I have been doing a lot of driving around, as I said, spinning my wheels) I talked to a guy who had access to all his dealership toys and he told me his favorite way to clean his property is with a 100 hp CTL and a disk and blade brush cutter rig like the Bradco/Brush Wolf style with multiple blades and grinding carbides. He said since the cutter is about 8 feet long, and the reach of the CTL is about 9 feet high, he could drive front end into a treeline, set the head at about 45 degrees, putting the top edge of the cutter at about 10 to 12 feet high, and simply swipe down to the ground, cutting limbs, small trees, everything. It all gets vaporized, 8 feet at a cut. Or drive down the tree line at a slight angle, disk up at 45 degrees, side swiping and destroying everything in the way and hanging over the trail.
Pretty much like this video where even at 2 minutes in, bigger trees are being taken down and everything is mulched to the ground.
https://youtu.be/Yx2AwVjTt_0 (https://youtu.be/Yx2AwVjTt_0)
About this time, always in the back of my head, I'm thinking rental (my rental experiences generally turn out bad due to garbage equipment, snotty rental people, and breakdowns where I generally end up just getting mad and vowing I'll never do it again) and as luck would have it, the owner of a wooded lot about a quarter of a mile away hired a mulcher guy to clean up the edges of his place, open the interior a little, cut back the treeline, just get it neat and ready to sell. So I'm thinking now I get to see how it's really done, and maybe even hire the guy. Well, after a full day of grinding and cleaning up, the place looked great, but at $1,000 per day, I was hit with a reality that there is no way I could afford that for my place with the amount I needed done. Another, "Endless money pit solution."
In the back of my mind, I keep thinking that when the power line company came out to cut back the trees off our driveway, they spent two full days, with 4 guys, a bucket truck, a mini track loader and only got our quarter mile driveway done, both sides. Two days. I'm glad I wasn't paying them, especially since that was 2 years ago, and its already growing back in, needing another trim back, already.
So if I'm going to take on this task, clean up my place, not have burn piles everywhere, I need to be get a piece of equipment that I can use off and on, days at a time, because I have years of work ahead of me if I want to do this right. I can't dedicate myself to it full time because I have a business to run. I don't want to rent a piece of equipment because of the bad experience I've had, and the endless expense, but if I did rent something, I would go big and get a D6 or better and just push everything over.
I am looking at smaller wheel loaders, also, but they make CTL's look inexpensive, horsepower to horsepower (need a minimum of 70hp to run a mulch head, 100hp is better) and their lift capacities and heights are about the same as a 100hp CTL.
Plus the fact that nobody except the Kubota dealer even has a machine in stock that I can sit in, to check out for foot room, entrance/egress etc. Both Cat and Deere lots are empty, even the Kubota dealer only had the one I sat it, and its long gone.
Or give up, and let it all grow up. As I said, I'm just spinning my wheels. Where did I put that pole saw?? It's around here somewhere.....
Don't suppose there is a market for the wood if it was gathered up and chipped or ground up?
I didn't have near the CTL and cutter you are considering. Mine was Cat 289D with a standard Cat brush cutter. Old field growth it worked great. Trying to keep the limbs out of my overgrown road way sucked. Yeah you can put the cutter 16' in the air and when you do its directly over your head raining down whatever you are cutting on a machine that is only rainproof and not guarded. All the leaves, bark, and chips pile up on top of the engine cover and between the cab. The cutter blocks your view and with the cutter up the sky the machine is not very stable if you hang a big branch or crooked tree. Unless your driving into the limb they tend to just bend without being cut if you are working parallel to the fence.
I also think its easy to underestimate how much it actually costs to run a mulcher. Wheel loader you might figure 10K hours without a major component failure(used as a loader). I don't know the expected life of CTL mulcher but I would think its relatively short. Take a $140K outfit and wear it out in few thousand hours and the $1000 a day to hire might not look quite so high.
Many many guys running skid mulchers along side their dedicated mulchers. Some guys I know are running 4 to 8 + skid mulchers day in and day out. Many different ways to look at things. I know what dedicated mulchers cost. The two I'm looking at. If your looking to step up from a skid to a tracked 175hp CMI or Prime Tech it's 300k. Supertrak SK 190 RTL wheel loader is 290k. Then you better have a semi low boy or heavy duty Gooseneck. Everybody thinks steel tracks are so great. Go talk to the guys that have to replace stuff at 1000 hrs 💰. It's very true if your mulching day in and day out with a skid that around 2500 hrs you probably better trade. The dedicated stuff depends on what it is or how many hrs. Should be able to get many more hrs. But they have plenty of different problems 💰
Here is a good example of what you do or don't know. Ask a knowledge CAT guy or go to various mulching sites of what unit mulches better. It's the 299 skid hands down. The steel track unit looks cool but this unit is a flop for mulching. Way under powered. It's just best for dirt work
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Quote from: customsawyer on September 14, 2021, 05:56:53 AM
I'm looking at getting one of these brush cutters also and was wondering if anyone with experience would recommend open front of closed?
Do you mean disc or drum?
With the tractor that you have I would revisit the heavy duty side booms and run a self contained hydro pump from your PTO like the highway crews use.
It's all about hydraulic flow, cooling and power. Same with carbides vs knives on the head. Ask a guy running a 700hp mulcher the difference between knives and carbides. You can have a 175 hp mulcher running carbides and then run knives and it's like running a 300hp machine. The downside to knives are if you are running in rocky terrain and you have to sharpen .
Quote from: Walnut Beast on September 14, 2021, 12:29:17 PM
Quote from: customsawyer on September 14, 2021, 05:56:53 AM
I'm looking at getting one of these brush cutters also and was wondering if anyone with experience would recommend open front of closed?
Do you mean disc or drum?
He's talking about a disk mower. Some have a protective cover over the blade, some are completely open with the cutters exposed.
As I'm evaluating my choices for this, I'm not wanting to go into mulching full time with one machine, I'm looking at the general versatility of all styles of machine to help keep our farm up and "beautified." We sold all our cows so certainly things are growing up fast. I've expanded my desires from a basic Lane Shark style to needing to open up ditches that are overgrowing and filling in (cutter and bucket), new ditches to make (bucket or blade), reshaping my general trail network (6 way blade work), cutting back growth I can't get with my bush hog on my tractor, grinding down stumps 12" to 24" diameter as I need to harvest and open up some on my hardwoods and grind the stumps to the ground also I can drive over them. I'm thinking a versatile machine to do that or has attachments for that, and since I've already got a lot of attachments, thats a plus. I also need something to mow my 30 foot tall pond dam a few times a year. Last I want something with a hydrostatic, non clutch system.
I would like the machine to help around the sawmill, also, but that wouldn't be its niche.
I can see a wheel loader solving many of these problems, but I'm worried about the stability of it on hilly ground and the general very high cost per horsepower. Seems the disk or drum mulchers need about a hundred horsepower. A hundred horsepower 344 wheel loader is $165K, where as similar CTL is about half that. A small wheel loader would be very easy to get in and out of, and be very comfortable. I don't know if they have the capability for high flow rate setups to run mulchers.
I bought my first farm forty plus years ago and have never bought one that didn't need a ton of clean up. I started out using a old model G JD tractor with a Stanhoist loader and a seven foot bush hog mower and a chain saw. Did a bunch of clean up with a D7 and a 941B track loader and burned more brush piles than I care to remember. About ten years ago I bought a S-850 Bobcat high flow skid loader and a Harleman Ground Force tree saw with a forty two inch blade. I have put a thousand hours on that saw and its held up well. The skid loader not so much. It doesn't have enough cooling cap on the hyd system for running the high flow all the time. You need a fan that will reverse to blow the saw dust and wood chips out. If I didn't completely blow my machine out twice a day when running the saw I would have burned the skid loader up a long time ago. You need a skid loader set up for forest work not one that is sort of. Once you get the cleaning done you will need to keep as much as you can mowed and spray every thing at least once a year or in a couple of years you will be back to were you started. Cleaning up farms is not cheap or fun.
Never heard of a disc or drum referred to that way 😂. Another thing guys really like about a disc is when your doing pastures it disperses the chunks everywhere and doesn't effect grass growth where if you mulched the same tree in the pasture the pile of chips need to be back dragged. I'll say it again. You better have a Forestry package on your unit and be in wide open areas. As for wheel loaders unless it's purpose built it's a big NO! The advantages you have with a tracked unit over a wheeled unit is flotation from getting stuck and stability ( steep terrain). On the flip side the advantages are night and day difference on maintenance compared to steel track unit and the speed of production 💰. A friend in Alabama started mulching with a Deere that burned to the ground then went to a wheeled unit ( got tired of getting stuck in Alabama 😂) to two 175hp tracked and one 300hp units. Just a little serious about mulching. Just a note. None of the dedicated mulchers run a disc
Hedge summed it up. It costs a fortune keep unused land trimmed up. Let it grow up and lease it to hunters or lease to a farmer and let him keep mowed and grazed while you use the lease money to buy boat gas. ;D
Maybe I need to start raising giraffes. They should be able to reach up pretty high.
I spray about 125 gallons of Roundup per year, and now that they are about to outlaw it, I'll really be in a mess. The place wasn't so bad until we sold all our cows but I'm not doing that again. A few years ago, I even started spraying trees to kill them, but that didn't work out so well.
YH- If you have some steep slopes to mow, you should google the Aebi tractor site. We had a couple of these for many years at the ski area for mowing steep ski slopes. Ours had a front mounted Seppi hammer knife flail mower and though the most recent one caught fire and burned last year, we have never found anything that compares to the stability and control you have working on steep terrain. Unfortunately for me being the one to maintain the machine and keep it running, it was like a "hole in the mountain to throw money in". I do blame much of our maintenance issues on un-caring operators. That is always an issue at ski areas and many business. This unit has front and rear THP and PTO's It also had front hydraulic ports to run hydraulics off the front. It has a hydrostatic transmission powered by a 90hp diesel engine and 4 wheel steering that would allow it to "crab" while mowing if needed. We didn't replace the last one with another due to the expense of purchasing a new one "$200,000.00. We have tried a new JD tractor with front mount mower this year. I believe this is going to be an unsuccessful move as operators are not comfortable operating on the same steep slopes the old Aebi just drove up, down, and across without any issue. If you could find a used one, I think you might find it to be a good solution to the issues you have described.
About leasing, I run cows on my grass, and also have a guy who guides hunters who leases my south pasture during the winter. The cows are grazing the south part right now, opened the gate so they will move into the north winter pasture just a couple days ago. Point is you can graze, and lease to hunters if the hunters like your property. Mine has a creek that goes through it, and hunters like that. Deer do too.
A seemingly successful idea for trail clearing is the recent Camarata video.. he hammers it together and makes a fast test run. .skip past the fabrication/build and go to 26 minute to see it cut brushy trail limbs.
Building a trail trimming trailer - YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-E9M4rwwSs)
Sounds like more development/fabricating will come.
Pretty ingenious
Quote from: Gere Flewelling on September 16, 2021, 08:32:09 AM
YH- If you have some steep slopes to mow, you should google the Aebi tractor site. We had a couple of these for many years at the ski area for mowing steep ski slopes. Ours had a front mounted Seppi hammer knife flail mower and though the most recent one caught fire and burned last year, we have never found anything that compares to the stability and control you have working on steep terrain. Unfortunately for me being the one to maintain the machine and keep it running, it was like a "hole in the mountain to throw money in". I do blame much of our maintenance issues on un-caring operators. That is always an issue at ski areas and many business. This unit has front and rear THP and PTO's It also had front hydraulic ports to run hydraulics off the front. It has a hydrostatic transmission powered by a 90hp diesel engine and 4 wheel steering that would allow it to "crab" while mowing if needed. We didn't replace the last one with another due to the expense of purchasing a new one "$200,000.00. We have tried a new JD tractor with front mount mower this year. I believe this is going to be an unsuccessful move as operators are not comfortable operating on the same steep slopes the old Aebi just drove up, down, and across without any issue. If you could find a used one, I think you might find it to be a good solution to the issues you have described.
Gere,
Why not try a Ventrac or Stiener for steep mowing ?
They cost much less and can mow some steep stuff.
Bruno- I think the Ventrac unit would work pretty well in some of the roughly 200 acres we have to mow each year, but we have found that blade type mowers will not hold up due to the rough and rocky areas we think we have to mow. The only type of mowers that have ever worked consistently here are flail type mowers. Even those require constant maintenance and repair during mowing season. Also the Ventrac appears to have very little ground clearance which would be a problem with the "water bars" trench's we have cut across the ski slopes. Many of these are overkill in my opinion but I can't control that part of the operation, much as I have tried. We had to build heavy duty skid plates on our Aebi tractors to protect the undersides from these conditions. The issues we run into is crossing these water bars on steep terrain. It is steep enough that you can't turn the tractor to mow across the slopes safely and must travel up and down the hill.
Then there is the major factor that modern day operators have to have a heated and air conditioned cab to be able to work all day with any kind of production. And don't forget the radio. ::) I would like to try out one of Ventrac machines sometime on some of our road side slopes though. I think it would work great. Thanks for the suggestion.
Quote from: beenthere on September 29, 2021, 05:38:49 PM
A seemingly successful idea for trail clearing is the recent Camarata video.. he hammers it together and makes a fast test run. .skip past the fabrication/build and go to 26 minute to see it cut brushy trail limbs.
Building a trail trimming trailer - YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-E9M4rwwSs)
Sounds like more development/fabricating will come.
Pretty cool but I don't think it's the ultimate solution. Fun video though.
I liked the magnetic swarf collector seen in the first couple minutes. Gotta get me one those.
Quote from: Gere Flewelling on September 30, 2021, 08:36:07 AM
Bruno- I think the Ventrac unit would work pretty well in some of the roughly 200 acres we have to mow each year, but we have found that blade type mowers will not hold up due to the rough and rocky areas we think we have to mow. The only type of mowers that have ever worked consistently here are flail type mowers. Even those require constant maintenance and repair during mowing season. Also the Ventrac appears to have very little ground clearance which would be a problem with the "water bars" trench's we have cut across the ski slopes. Many of these are overkill in my opinion but I can't control that part of the operation, much as I have tried. We had to build heavy duty skid plates on our Aebi tractors to protect the undersides from these conditions. The issues we run into is crossing these water bars on steep terrain. It is steep enough that you can't turn the tractor to mow across the slopes safely and must travel up and down the hill.
Then there is the major factor that modern day operators have to have a heated and air conditioned cab to be able to work all day with any kind of production. And don't forget the radio. ::) I would like to try out one of Ventrac machines sometime on some of our road side slopes though. I think it would work great. Thanks for the suggestion.
Ventrac introduced a frail mower this spring.
I understand about the low ground clearance.
I hope to get a Ventrac or Stiener for my property some day. They can do a lot for a small unit.
The rough cut mowers can cut down some very impressive stuff.
Here is a limb and brush cutter for you tractor 🚜 guys with loaders! And ATV units. Yellowhammer you might want to check them out for your high and overhanging limbs. For your tractor or Skidsteer
https://stoutdesignsllc.com/ (https://stoutdesignsllc.com/)