Land clearing project and question.

[Dylan.christopher]

So this area is somewhere between 5-6 Acres and was heavily grown up when I started. The first step was hiring a skid steer with a heavy duty cutter to remove small bushes and trees. Then an excavator contractor coming in and removing the remaining large trees. Now I’m left with an uneven surface and about a 4” thick root mat. I’ve been making passes with a large set of offset harrows (9’ wide 24” discs around 2000lbs.) Im having a tough time getting through the root mat and into the dirt. Any suggestions to speed this along would be greatly appreciated. If I had it to do over again I would have skipped the skid steer and devoted my budget completely to the excavator, but that ship has sailed. Thanks!

 

[UpNorthMI]

Dylan,
I'm always doing a similar job to you it seems! Ripping roots and clearing trees. With my MX5800 I use a Land Shark Scarifier Bar made by Everything Attachments. It works quite well at removing surface roots and breaking up the soil. I would then use a disc to chop things up followed by a chain harrow to smooth things out.

Another thought is to use a box blade with the shanks all the way down to break up the surface and remove some of the surface root.

When the going got really tuff, I would get out my big yellow monster, it tends to work a little more effective in very dense root fields. It may be old but as you can see it got a new set of teeth just for this type of task! Good luck in your tasks.

 

[Dylan.christopher]

Dylan,
I'm always doing a similar job to you it seems! Ripping roots and clearing trees. With my MX5800 I use a Land Shark Scarifier Bar made by Everything Attachments. It works quite well at removing surface roots and breaking up the soil. I would then use a disc to chop things up followed by a chain harrow to smooth things out.

View attachment 44775

Another thought is to use a box blade with the shanks all the way down to break up the surface and remove some of the surface root.

When the going got really tuff, I would get out my big yellow monster, it tends to work a little more effective in very dense root fields. It may be old but as you can see it got a new set of teeth just for this type of task! Good luck in your tasks.
View attachment 44776

Yeah thanks! I saw one of those attachments while surfing around the other day. Thought it might be a pretty good idea. And yeah I think a dozer with a root rake would definitely be the best way lol! Lemme run that by the wife!

 

[UpNorthMI]

Is this ground for hunting food plots, full agricultural use or something else?
Sometimes coming back a year later is a lot easier.

 

[Dylan.christopher]

Is this ground for hunting food plots, full agricultural use or something else?
Sometimes coming back a year later is a lot easier.

Will be planted into blueberrys hopefully by next year. You think I should just give it some time?

 

[UpNorthMI]

Here in Michigan after a good winter most of those surface roots are dead by next spring once you’ve ripped the stumps out. Sometimes patience is a virtue! If I didn’t need the ground urgently, I’d wait for early spring. Alternatively you probably need either a lot of time with your tractor or a bigger meaner piece of equipment.

good luck with it.

 

[S-G-R]

Dylan,
I'm always doing a similar job to you it seems! Ripping roots and clearing trees. With my MX5800 I use a Land Shark Scarifier Bar made by Everything Attachments. It works quite well at removing surface roots and breaking up the soil. I would then use a disc to chop things up followed by a chain harrow to smooth things out.

View attachment 44775

Another thought is to use a box blade with the shanks all the way down to break up the surface and remove some of the surface root.

When the going got really tuff, I would get out my big yellow monster, it tends to work a little more effective in very dense root fields. It may be old but as you can see it got a new set of teeth just for this type of task! Good luck in your tasks.
View attachment 44776

That's quite a set of dentures. Did you fab them yourself?

 

[UpNorthMI]

That's quite a set of dentures. Did you fab them yourself?

No USA attachments built the dozer root rake, they did a great job and made it to fit my machine, it’s an early 70’s Case 450.. I have a large acreage of woodland and each year I clear a few more food plots and make another trail or two, this thing is a work horse and stops me trying to do stupid heavy work with my tractors, just hoping it keeps on running

 

[S-G-R]

A machine like that should almost last forever with regular maintenance. I have a 49 MacCormick Deering W4 that pures like a kitten.

 

[UpNorthMI]

Will be planted into blueberrys hopefully by next year. You think I should just give it some time?

Another thought is a 3pt sub soiler from TSC a $200 investment, run it at 4-6” deep, it will break up and pull a lot of the surface roots, hopefully enough where your disc will get at the ground.

 

[Palmettokat]

Of the ideas here: buy subsoiler with shear bolt and prevent damage to it and your. Suddent stops hurt. Check used true farm models if available.

Using subsoiler run it below the depth of the roots if you can to cut the roots to help kill and rot and to open up the land to help it absorb the rain and oxygen to help with rotting.

Just how clean does the land need to be to play blue berry bushes? Do you really need to disturb the roots and the soil or can you just use hyd post hole digger so you can reverse for planting?

 

[Dylan.christopher]

Of the ideas here: buy subsoiler with shear bolt and prevent damage to it and your. Suddent stops hurt. Check used true farm models if available.

Using subsoiler run it below the depth of the roots if you can to cut the roots to help kill and rot and to open up the land to help it absorb the rain and oxygen to help with rotting.

Just how clean does the land need to be to play blue berry bushes? Do you really need to disturb the roots and the soil or can you just use hyd post hole digger so you can reverse for planting?

the land doesn’t actually need to be super clean like a field or anything. But it does need to be somewhat cleaner than it is now. And it needs to be leveled more than it is now

 

[GreensvilleJay]

I'd run a single tooth subsoiler, at least a foot or better yet full depth. It'll work 'wonders' especially if you go N-S then E-W, every 5' or so... Leave ground alone for a week THEN run the discs, shallow cutting angle which slices the top growth. When you've gone around once, then increase cutting angle and do it again. I know you say it doesn't have to be 'picture perfect' BUT the better the job you do now WILL reap rewards late and you don't have to hear the guy in the mirror say ' I should have.........'

Jay

 

[Dunbar]

Will be planted into blueberrys hopefully by next year. You think I should just give it some time?

I think waiting a year is a great idea. I had 30' of jungle knocked down to 8" of wood debris by a skid steer hydroaxe. It took 39 hours @ $100/hr to do about 3 acres. I had him come back a year later and run over it again to knock down the new growth and chew up the wood debris. That did the trick and now I can brush hog as needed. It's ready to smooth with my box blade then land plane. I'm wishing I had a landscape rake to run across it before the dirt tools.

Before the hydroaxe came the 2nd time it was tough walking on the uneven debris. After his second pass which took about 4 hours, I could walk over the ground without paying much attention. Big difference.

 

[UpNorthMI]

Dylan,

After recommending a subsoiler today I went and purchased one myself, I just cleared some small woodland food plots for bow hunting in the fall and want to pull any surface roots, I'll use my L3200 and the TSC subsoiler to get into these tight areas. I went to my local tsc and saw that that had 1 subsoiler in stock online, when I got to the store it turns out it was slightly used and returned, the manager let me have it for $159, a bargain. Look forward to putting it to use next week.
I like to get the surface roots out before I get back in there with the rototiller as the surface roots quickly choke up the tiller.

 

[Dylan.christopher]

Dylan,

After recommending a subsoiler today I went and purchased one myself, I just cleared some small woodland food plots for bow hunting in the fall and want to pull any surface roots, I'll use my L3200 and the TSC subsoiler to get into these tight areas. I went to my local tsc and saw that that had 1 subsoiler in stock online, when I got to the store it turns out it was slightly used and returned, the manager let me have it for $159, a bargain. Look forward to putting it to use next week.
I like to get the surface roots out before I get back in there with the rototiller as the surface roots quickly choke up the tiller.

View attachment 44857

Looks great! Thanks for the advice

 

[Magicman]

You may want to do a sterilizing with some 41% to take care of root sprouts. Better now than dealing with them later.

 

[Dylan.christopher]

You may want to do a sterilizing with some 41% to take care of root sprouts. Better now than dealing with them later.

Glyophosate? I thought it had to be sprayed on leaves to be effective? Please correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[Magicman]

Glyophosate? Yes, but I meant after the roots sprout and put out leaves. If they don't sprout you should be good.

 

[Dylan.christopher]

Glyophosate? Yes, but I meant after the roots sprout and put out leaves. If they don't sprout you should be good.

I see I seee. Good idea thanks