What type equipment for clearing is best?

[chain]

Looks like we'll have to clear out some diseased pine on hill side. Don't want to bother top soil very much as somewhat thin now. Soil type cherty-to rocky clay. We would be dealing with dead pine and small brush, piled for burn. Possilby build ponds after clearing. What would you choose?

[treefarmer87]

a small crawler loader such as a 440 or 450 john deere

[arojay]

Dozers used to be the weapon of choice.  With so many attachments available, excavators are a very versatile tool.  Depend if you are buying, renting or hiring.

[sjfarkas]

I'd get a large tracked skid steer.  very versatile and can go on steep terrain.

[treefarmer87]

i forgot about all the attachments you could get for the skid steers and excavators skid steer would tear up the ground as bad either

[bull]

brontasouras   a grinding head on an excavator

[Cedarman]

A tracked skid steer with a hydraulic sheer that can hold the tree while you carry and pile it.
Tracked skid steers are ok on small slopes, but can shed a track if not watching while turning or backing up sideways to the hill.  Stay up and down the hill for best results.  Tree Terminator is made at Plato Mo. 

These shears will cut a 20" tree at ground level.  We have one at our Stillwater operation .

[pineywoods]

I would second the tracked loader IF you aren't talking about loblolly pine. Loblolly has a tap root frequently bigger than the trunk and it goes halfway to china. Most likely yours is shortleaf, not as bad. Around here, the cleaner upper of choice is a D7 cat with a V shaped blade that has teeth along the bottom edge. What it don't tear out of the ground, it shears off at ground level.





These machines are used to clean up clear cuts in preparation for re-seeding. Sometimes, they pull a seedling planter behind them. Usually rented with operator by the hour or by the acre.

[treefarmer87]

the skid steer with the shear would be great i would like to have one to cut pulpwood

[Tom]

Working on a hillside may make this a bad choice, but a neighbor hired a bulldozer with a KG blade to clear the acreage on his place that he wanted to plant.  The KG blade, cut down the stump littered field with many being sheared below ground.  Then a root rake cleared and wind-rowed the detritus and the land was scalped and bedded.  It all seemed like overkill to me, but he did end up with a mighty fine plantation, albeit expensive.

[chain]

Great suggestions, the D-7/V-blade looks imposing enough, am somewhat familiar with but used on swampy ground on willow. Some of these diseased short-leafed pine are already falling down, troubling that other areas showing serious symptoms of a soil-borne disease.

This operation must be done in semi-dry conditions; also, forester reccomended soil testing, and study soil depth and rock formations. Critical to keep top soil on top and erosion under control. May select lighter equipment.

[timberfaller390]

What you are doing sounds like a job for an excavator. Get one with a thumb and it can be used to dig, lift and if it has a blade, pushing and lite grading. This will be the tool of choice if you are going to build a pond. You can reach up higher to push over stubborn trees and then dig the stumps up if you need to.

[sjfarkas]

how big are these pines?  do you need to pull stumps out?

[chain]

This would  be pole pine of 6"-10" a few 12" dia. wild seeded. There are a few indivdual seed-pine trees 20"-24" seem to be fairly healthy. If we knew the true diagnosis of disease could answer about the stumps. the smaller dead pine appeared to be rotted down into soil. Will test this spring to determine; snow covered presently.

[timberfaller390]

Have a forester look them over. It may be something that could spread to surounding stands.

[sjfarkas]

If you don't have to pull the stumps run a skidsteer and hand cut the trees.  if you have to remove the stumps use an excavator.  I've been told that there is a company that makes a quick attach plate for small excavators to run skidsteer attachments.  then you could get a tree grapple with a winch and turn it into a shovel and run a shear for a feller buncher and also switch to a bucket and dig out the stumps.