3pt PTO forestery mulchers

[Alfred_2345]

Just leaned that there are mulchers for 3 point mount / PTO driven. Example link below.

Application would be light duty clearing of old trails / clearings where small/saplings (<2") trees have been allowed to grow up. Stuff that's too big for a regular rotary cutter. Not trying to take down big trees.
Renting a real forestry mulcher can be expensive. Thinking of buying a used one which also means it available all the time.

Seems a bit dubious and not many manufacturer. Some (but not a lot on info) via google searches.

Does anyone have any real world experience with these?

MP348 Tractor Brush Mulcher - Reliable Mulching Attachment

Baumalight MP348 brush mulcher is a heavy-duty attachment for skid steers, tractors, and excavators, designed to efficiently clear brush and vegetation.

online-order.baumalight.com

 

[Sporto]

Check out Tony"s Tractor Adventures on Youtube this link has him testing one

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

Check out Tony"s Tractor Adventures on Youtube this link has him testing one

I'm sorry but that video is a joke!
That's is a huge waste of money.
He's cutting / grinding 1 to 2 1" trees and it's bogging it down, he hit one 2" tree and if he would have kept going it would have stalled the tractor.

And any implement you have to turn in your seat to constantly watch is a real pain in the neck / back / butt!

 

[Smokeydog]

5’ Brown tree cutter easily chips up trees under 3”. Strips larger stems. Rated to 6” trees. Have cut twice that close to the ground. Takes. Lots of horsepower. 45 pto, I’m at the low end of operating hp. HST and heavy tractor helps. Bought used for $1200 and most of the wear was from sitting outside. OEM blades had not been flipped.

Think any type of mulcher or tree cutter is going to take some weight and horsepower.

Brown manufacturing does make a tree saw that requires less horsepower.

 

[Russell King]

I was looking around on the Baumalight site and the offer some rear mounted “brush cutter” that has similar design concepts as the last post.

 

[WI_Hedgehog]

@Alfred_2345 : Wouldn't the round hammers be subject to side shear force and fracture, unlike normal flail mower hammers?

 

[Alfred_2345]

I'm sorry but that video is a joke!
That's is a huge waste of money.
He's cutting / grinding 1 to 2 1" trees and it's bogging it down, he hit one 2" tree and if he would have kept going it would have stalled the tractor.

And any implement you have to turn in your seat to constantly watch is a real pain in the neck / back / butt!

The more I look at these brush muchers, the less I like the idea.

 

[Alfred_2345]

Takes. Lots of horsepower.

I noticed that! 50HP+ for the smallest one. Probably too much for my L3901. I'm thinking any of these tree cutters will need a lot of HPs.

 

[Alfred_2345]

@Alfred_2345 : Wouldn't the round hammers be subject to side shear force and fracture, unlike normal flail mower hammers?

Sorry but I have no idea. I could only assume that the mfg would use the appropriate style.

 

[jyoutz]

Just leaned that there are mulchers for 3 point mount / PTO driven. Example link below.

Application would be light duty clearing of old trails / clearings where small/saplings (<2") trees have been allowed to grow up. Stuff that's too big for a regular rotary cutter. Not trying to take down big trees.
Renting a real forestry mulcher can be expensive. Thinking of buying a used one which also means it available all the time.

Seems a bit dubious and not many manufacturer. Some (but not a lot on info) via google searches.

Does anyone have any real world experience with these?

MP348 Tractor Brush Mulcher - Reliable Mulching Attachment

Baumalight MP348 brush mulcher is a heavy-duty attachment for skid steers, tractors, and excavators, designed to efficiently clear brush and vegetation.

online-order.baumalight.com

I suggest hiring a contractor with a real forestry masticator on a skid steer or small excavator. Let them do the initial clearing work. Then you can maintain it with a rotary cutter if you don’t let the growth get too large.

 

[mikester]

I have experience running forestry mulchers on 100+ HP CTL's. These mulchers can throw chunks of wood 300 feet. They will also grab whole logs and fire them under your machine like from a cannon.

CTL's have armour plating. Your tractor doesn't.

I would never run a mulcher on a machine that didn't have armoured plates protecting everything and 1" thick bullet proof windshields.

I find it's cheaper to rent a forestry mulcher than deal with the wear and tear and breakdowns. These machines get a lot of abuse.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

so.... " Application would be light duty clearing of old trails / clearings where small/saplings (<2") trees have been allowed to grow up.

How many miles of old trails ? As others have said, get a pro in ONCE to knock it all down.
THEN trails can be easily maintained IF you groom them every 2-3 weeks depending on rain and sun.
'Grooming' could be just dragging a heavy bar and chains along all the trails.Local kid does that with his ATV. Trails are 1 1/2 ATV 'widths' ,so 2 passes and Mother Nature is held back for a month.
A little maintenance on a REGULAR basis is always easier and cheaper than a MAJOR costly 'cleanup'.
Same is true for gravel driveways.

 

[rc51stierhoff]

I am not sure this thread started out thinking about a purchase or not, but my recommendation would be if so, before purchase go watch one on a CTL in person from a distance.

@mikester is shooting you straight.

I don’t have 1st person experience operating one, but I do have plenty of first person experience hiring / watching on my property (multiple times). To me there is no comparison of what that video showed vs a CTL with a mulching disc or drum. The user in video might as well just sharpened the tines on a tiller and tried that. A rear cutter (maybe a flail mower) would do that and more. (To be be fair, I did not watch the whole video…maybe it got better?…I stopped watching after user was trying to stall out in the first few saplings)

A mulching head on a CTL is whole different animal. Be aware there are different heads for them…some are discs and then there are drums.

they are not cheap to hire by any means, but there is no pile of spoils left to manage. You can readily plant and it will be grown in a few weeks.

and most importantly they do not destroy an in inexperienced homeowners (ie. me and mine) mini ag machine. Better have KTAC or get ready to pay the piper if planning to do acres with an un-armored / un-plated machine. (Look at where your filters are, if an HST look at the mechanisms / springs vulnerable under the floor / look at the chin up front, etc). All of a sudden hiring not so expensive IMO.

YMMV.

 

[jyoutz]

I think it would be cheaper to hire a contractor with the masticator machine to clear the trails instead of trying to rent the machine. Rentals are high on this type of machine because amateur operators frequently break them. Contact your state forestry department for a list of contractors.

 

[hedgerow]

View attachment 134673 View attachment 134674
5’ Brown tree cutter easily chips up trees under 3”. Strips larger stems. Rated to 6” trees. Have cut twice that close to the ground. Takes. Lots of horsepower. 45 pto, I’m at the low end of operating hp. HST and heavy tractor helps. Bought used for $1200 and most of the wear was from sitting outside. OEM blades had not been flipped.

Think any type of mulcher or tree cutter is going to take some weight and horsepower.

Brown manufacturing does make a tree saw that requires less horsepower.

The old Brown cutter. I had one thirty years ago and it was pretty worn out when I bought it. Ran it on a old JD 620 two cylinder. Took down a lot of cedar trees and plum brush with it. Had to rebuild the PTO clutch on the old 620 twice. Those cutters are hard on tractors. Sold the tractor and cutter years ago. I sure wouldn't run one on my MX6000. I would just hire someone to get your trails up into shape.

 

[Smokeydog]

Any equipment like this needs to run properly adjusted slip pto shaft clutches. Since it had sat outside and shielding plastic was gone too, I replaced the pto shaft and slip clutch. Do to the tremendous inertia also using a an overriding clutch used for bushhogging too. The blades cut 2-3” trees so much more easily than a rotary cutter like my bushhog 286.

Cut encroaching trees back from pastures, fields and roads. Also fair number of large limbs. Chip some up. Most are gathered with grapple to haul off or pushed back into the woods to rot. Now can maintain better with rotary cutter or flail mowers.

My Veterinarian friend has cattle and got CTL and disk mulcher. Does chew the heck out of trees but huge chuck of $$$ to run.