Clearing land suggested implements.

[Gaspasser]

Hello gang...

I have 50+ acres that I will be partially clearing with a L6060, a KX033 mini-ex with a ripping tooth, and a 1 ton dump truck (GMC 3500 HD diesel). Mostly hardwoods and generally sloped land, steep in spots. Plan on clearing 2-5 acres for house, farm, septic, PV panels, etc. The mini-ex is great for picking up logs and loading them into truck for later processing.
I like Homestead Implements and am contemplating getting a box blade for leveling and thought about their heavy duty grapple. The grapple goes for about $4000. For those that have cleared land before, is the extra $4000 for the grapple worth it in efficiency and time savings over just sticking with the mini-ex? I will have plenty of brush to clear and chip as well as firewood to process. I'm in NH, the Granite State, so rumor has it there will be a "few" rocks/boulders to contend with. I have a 3rd function kit installed.

As always, appreciate all comments, suggestions. Best to all.

 

[Elliott in GA]

Unfortunately, your best course of action is to hire the job out to a company with bulldozers and full size excavators.

Your equipment is no match for acres of trees - unless you want a project that lasts months/years depending on how much time you can devote each week.

 

[bbxlr8]

Quickest & best is heavy equipment per Elliot.

Trees & rocks - I have them in spades. I have time & smaller equipment and overachieve with them. I am in PA on 10 acres in the middle of about 150, sloped & heavy old growth with glacial deposit boulders of ALL sizes. I moved about 40 tons of deadfall initially with my little setup and a rigged 4x8 trailer that was more slide-out with gravity than dump

That being said you can do anything with what you have. IMO Firm YES to the grapple when it comes to moving lots of logs efficiently. I occasionally move/load with BH but the grapple is the tool for the job. Point to consider is the resulting # of stumps/root balls. I dug some and ground others depending on the location & amount of grading I was doing.

Re: Rock - I prefer the BH/Thumb. Occasionally and carefully use grapple when relocating key rocks over any longer distances. Can't even begin to guess at the amount of rock I have moved.

I did major regrading about 2' - 12' deep making a decent terrace on the far side of my house. Took me a while but you eat an elephant one bite at a time... A box blade was a "must" for me after stupidly thinking I could get by w/o one!

 

[fried1765]

Unfortunately, your best course of action is to hire the job out to a company with bulldozers and full size excavators.

Your equipment is no match for acres of trees - unless you want a project that lasts months/years depending on how much time you can devote each week.

GOOD ADVICE!

 

[rc51stierhoff]

Hello gang...

I have 50+ acres that I will be partially clearing with a L6060, a KX033 mini-ex with a ripping tooth, and a 1 ton dump truck (GMC 3500 HD diesel). Mostly hardwoods and generally sloped land, steep in spots. Plan on clearing 2-5 acres for house, farm, septic, PV panels, etc. The mini-ex is great for picking up logs and loading them into truck for later processing.
I like Homestead Implements and am contemplating getting a box blade for leveling and thought about their heavy duty grapple. The grapple goes for about $4000. For those that have cleared land before, is the extra $4000 for the grapple worth it in efficiency and time savings over just sticking with the mini-ex? I will have plenty of brush to clear and chip as well as firewood to process. I'm in NH, the Granite State, so rumor has it there will be a "few" rocks/boulders to contend with. I have a 3rd function kit installed.

As always, appreciate all comments, suggestions. Best to all.

Good day.

I think a lot depends on type and quality of the trees…probably for Ss and Gs, I’d get in touch with your state forester or extension service and see if any value to the trees. If so you might have some options and they may be able to advise or suggest (at least they do in my state). That would be my first check.

 

[mikester]

Rent one of these with 100+ HP to clear the small stuff

The rent one of these 25+ Ton machines to pull roots.

Burn everything else.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

While 'bigger is better', if you plan ahead, YOUR equipment will do the jobs...just slower.
Planning includes drawings of property( sat maps are easy today..) and WHERE stuff should go. Obvious would be the house, driveway, parking lot, garage and barn but you need to decide where the 'firewood manufacturing plant' will go.You'll need a 'staging area' for all the logs,wood chip pile and of course 'brush'. Anything under 8" locally is chipped,though bet most think under 4.
DOUBLE the size of planned 'work areas' ! You need GREAT access to relocate machinery and move around. All too often guys make a 10' laneway then 3 years later Mother Nature's reclaimed 1/2 of it !

 

[ken erickson]

Hello gang...

I have 50+ acres that I will be partially clearing with a L6060, a KX033 mini-ex with a ripping tooth, and a 1 ton dump truck (GMC 3500 HD diesel). Mostly hardwoods and generally sloped land, steep in spots. Plan on clearing 2-5 acres for house, farm, septic, PV panels, etc. The mini-ex is great for picking up logs and loading them into truck for later processing.
I like Homestead Implements and am contemplating getting a box blade for leveling and thought about their heavy duty grapple. The grapple goes for about $4000. For those that have cleared land before, is the extra $4000 for the grapple worth it in efficiency and time savings over just sticking with the mini-ex? I will have plenty of brush to clear and chip as well as firewood to process. I'm in NH, the Granite State, so rumor has it there will be a "few" rocks/boulders to contend with. I have a 3rd function kit installed.

As always, appreciate all comments, suggestions. Best to all.

I read Gaspasser's post as asking about implements , especially grapples. I take it he has decided to take on this work with the equipment he already owns.

I think a grapple, can not speak directly to the 4K Homestead , is an invaluable tool/implement for the work you described and the work maintaining 50+ acres going forward! There will be times that your on your L6060 doing 3pt work and a grapple will come in handy without the need to head back to the "shed" and climb on your KX033 mini-ex.

The fact you already have the 3rd function kit installed seems to me a easy decision to make , adding a grapple.

Congrats to your upcoming home build and land clearing! It sounds like enjoyable and fun times ahead.

 

[Soopitup]

Stump bucket is handy for digging in and ripping out stuff your loader bucket can't handle and you don't feel like pulling the excavator out.

A rock bucket can also be handy for ripping out roots, though I don't know how it compares to a grapple.
Probably not as good for larger roots, but covers more area in a single "bite" and is great for taking up root mats.

Just something to consider.

 

[Gaspasser]

Unfortunately, your best course of action is to hire the job out to a company with bulldozers and full size excavators.

Your equipment is no match for acres of trees - unless you want a project that lasts months/years depending on how much time you can devote each week.

Appreciate and understand your point. I do have some time and can start with only a small area. If larger volume in a short time is required in the future, your advice is spot on. Thank you.

 

[Gaspasser]

Good day.

I think a lot depends on type and quality of the trees…probably for Ss and Gs, I’d get in touch with your state forester or extension service and see if any value to the trees. If so you might have some options and they may be able to advise or suggest (at least they do in my state). That would be my first check.

Thanks RC. Have had 2 foresters out for assessment. Unfortunately, lot had been poorly managed prior to my acquisition. Foresters say timber is essentially worthless. Thinning and clearing for firewood was recommended. Appreciate your input.

 

[Gaspasser]

Rent one of these with 100+ HP to clear the small stuff
View attachment 131042
The rent one of these 25+ Ton machines to pull roots.
View attachment 131043
Burn everything else.

Drooling over that sized equipment. Thanks for input,

 

[Gaspasser]

While 'bigger is better', if you plan ahead, YOUR equipment will do the jobs...just slower.
Planning includes drawings of property( sat maps are easy today..) and WHERE stuff should go. Obvious would be the house, driveway, parking lot, garage and barn but you need to decide where the 'firewood manufacturing plant' will go.You'll need a 'staging area' for all the logs,wood chip pile and of course 'brush'. Anything under 8" locally is chipped,though bet most think under 4.
DOUBLE the size of planned 'work areas' ! You need GREAT access to relocate machinery and move around. All too often guys make a 10' laneway then 3 years later Mother Nature's reclaimed 1/2 of it !

Thanks Green. Haved learned the hard way that double the space and double the storage is a minimum. Tight quarters is inefficient.

 

[Gaspasser]

While we are on the subject, any recommrndations on a 60 hp PTO driven wood chipper? Woodmax?

 

[rc51stierhoff]

Thanks RC. Have had 2 foresters out for assessment. Unfortunately, lot had been poorly managed prior to my acquisition. Foresters say timber is essentially worthless. Thinning and clearing for firewood was recommended. Appreciate your input.

Well I thought it worth a try.

it sounds like you have decided to clear the land with your machine, correct? That sounds like a fun project.

I have not had the time my next choice would depend on whether you want a pile of spoils or not.

In my place up North, I have hired a guy (multiple times now) with a CTL and mulching head…it’s not cheap but there is no mess when he is finished either and I can deal with the logs myself later / as I have time.

Depending on what you are doing with your acreage, I think it would be pretty easy to find regular use for a grapple. I don’t think they are as versatile as forks, but for their purpose they are pretty helpful. I think if you had a grapple it would be real easy to deal with the trees logs left after have something come in to clear the place. (If you are going to clear that much with your L I’d definitely want the help of a grapple). Afterwards, if you have that much acreage there will be trees down often enough I think you might find a grapple handy regardless.

if doing yourself, I guess I would also wonder would a skidding plate/winch be helpful? I guess I would also have to think about a grapple on front or one on the rear that has swivel function to it. Sort of depends on how you want do the job I guess and process/pile the logs up. Either way I’d want something to help grab and transfer/move the logs brush etc. just my opinion.

Good luck.

 

[Elliott in GA]

While we are on the subject, any recommrndations on a 60 hp PTO driven wood chipper? Woodmax?

I highly recommend the MX series from WoodMaxx. They make them in their facility in upstate NY, and their customer service is very good.

I have the MX 8500G+. It is not power fed, but just like they advertise it draws the wood in as it cuts. My point is that their representations about one of their base models are accurate. You, of course, should buy a MX 9900 with your PTO power.

Good luck on your project.

 

[mikester]

While 'bigger is better', if you plan ahead, YOUR equipment will do the jobs...just slower.
Planning includes drawings of property( sat maps are easy today..) and WHERE stuff should go. Obvious would be the house, driveway, parking lot, garage and barn but you need to decide where the 'firewood manufacturing plant' will go.You'll need a 'staging area' for all the logs,wood chip pile and of course 'brush'. Anything under 8" locally is chipped,though bet most think under 4.
DOUBLE the size of planned 'work areas' ! You need GREAT access to relocate machinery and move around. All too often guys make a 10' laneway then 3 years later Mother Nature's reclaimed 1/2 of it !

My experience is lumber and firewood guys don't want fence-line trees. Trees have to look like utility poles perfectly straight and no branches.

The firewood guys want their logs with max 15" bottoms to fit their firewood processors.

The sawyers want trees felled onto carpets and handled with equipment that gets washed frequently so no dirt gets on the logs to dull their blades.

If you try selling logs individually privately then guys want to spend hours picking through your piles and only want one log at the bottom of your pile and you have to load a 4,000lb log for them for free onto their 1,200 lb trailer with 4 foot sides held together with bungees for $50.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

I milled several old spalted maple logs, 1.5 and 2.5" thick, 24" wide, live edge, stickered for 7 years. SUPPOSED to be a money maker, easy sell. NOPE, but the burned int he fire pit real good.
Then I milled over 300 'cheese boards / chackootery', again, stickered and stacked. Guy comes for a welding job, sees them, 'hay my wife sells them at at flea markets'. I say a buck a board,they're hers....
They burned in the fire pit real good.....
While I miss USING the mill, I don't miss having tons of unsold material taking up space !

Get to know a local arborist/tree feller ! Make a deal that he comes to chew up YOUR branches. My guy's machine will grind up 16" branches ! Takes a bit of time but sure fills his truck FAST !
It's nice having a steady supply of mulch, I use as 'weed control' around one 8 acre patch,though nothing seems to kill 'wild grapes'. Have ripped out 4" round vines with the BX23S and it STILL grows !

 

[Smokeydog]

FEL grapple is the most used implement on our hillside farm. Invest in a good one.
The volume and size of my wood debris makes tractor size chipper impractical. Have an accessible gulley that eats house size piles of trees, stump and brush. Easier and safer than burning. It amazes me how fast it rots away. Black top soil deposited 700’ lower into a small paddock. Have a few piles in the remote fields too for wildlife habitat. County conservationists prefers piles vs burning or chipping. We have so much wildlife it’s like living in a zoo.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

re: County conservationists prefers piles vs burning
yeah, until a wildfire starts and uses the piles for kindling.....