Tractors an Brush Burn Pits

[fruitcakesa]

We employ a slow burn method called hugelkultur. No lie
Build a pile with everything from logs to limbs to leaves and any other biomass you have handy.
Add air and water, wait a year and every year thereafter, the pile gets smaller as it compost.
It can also continue to function ad infinitum as a soil builder; just keep putting fresh biomass on top and dirt will come out the bottom.
We have a half a dozen around our homestead that have actively grown crops this past season.

 

[old and tired]

My wife and I did a bed like this; hugelkultur... pretty cool when snow hit, this mound would be the first to melt (and it was in the shade all the time).

At work we had to burn a barn but dug a pit and loaded everything in there, first.... Well, the track hoe had a problem clogging (expensive) fuel filters... long story, shorten, you should have seen how 35 gallons of bad diesel burns in a minute or two.

 

[NCL4701]

Don't drive on slopes,
Don't lift your bucket,
Don't go fast,
Don't drive near edges,
Don't get off your tractor,
Don't use your tractor for fires,
Don't use your tractor to lift things from trucks,
Don't use your tractor to pull things with chains or cable,
Don't use your tractor to push things.
Don't backup with the PTO running.
People have died doing every one of these things.

I guess we need a 3' warning sticker on the hood "DON'T USE YOUR TRACTOR".

On this occasion, I am with Flip. Use your tractor any way you need to, just use common sense when you do.

If you need to be told not to drive your tractor into a pit of any kind, (fire included), you should not own a tractor - JMHO. There are just too many things that escape you to keep/teach up.

Here is a mind blower for you. If you are going to be working around a firepit, do you wear a seatbelt of not? This will be a real conundrum for some.

I agree risk is an intrinsic part of life. Like a lot of things in life, it needs to be managed but total avoidance isn't a reasonable goal. For me, and I sort of think a lot of tractor owners, much of what we do on our tractors is repetitive. I mow the same fields, dress the same road, chip brush from the same brush pile to the same chip pile over and over. A lot of times I don’t think much about how to do something, I just do it same as the last many times and it’s pretty safe.

When doing something new or unfamiliar maybe slow down enough to think about the possible downside of what you’re doing, weigh the risk v reward, consider the alternatives to accomplish your goal, and go with a well thought out plan. That’s all I’m suggesting. A little reasoned thought is much more effective than a warning label.

At least with the survivors I’ve been involved with, none of them thought about the possibility of the bank giving way, but that’s a really small sample so I don’t know what most people are thinking or doing, but that was the main reason for the post; the commonality of operators not considering that the bank could give way and if it did what the consequences would be.

And to directly answer the seatbelt in a burning pit question... As best I recall the uninjured operators just got the front of the tractor in the pit but they didn’t flip the tractor. I really have no clue if they were wearing seatbelts or not. The guy that was blinded and had burns pretty much all over, he was thrown clear of the tractor but still landed in the fire when the tractor flipped forward so pretty sure he wasn’t belted in. The guys that died, at the time it wasn’t pertinent whether they were wearing it or not, so I don’t know. Good chance even if it wasn’t still on the tractor, sufficient effort digging out the scene would have yielded the metallic remains of the buckle and often the hasp will still be in it if it was buckled. So, sorry I’m not of much help on that.

Just my opinion I think it's completely a personal choice whether you prefer to be strapped to your tractor while in a pit of fire or in a pit of fire sans tractor. I would rather skip the whole “in pit of fire”thing.

 

[mcfarmall]

For me, burn pits get hand fed and fires at grade level are fed by dumping a grapple-full next to the pile then pushing the material into the fire with a closed grapple. This limits exposure to hot coals and reduces the likelihood that a burning branch might get tangled in the grapple and pulled out of the fire.

 

[GeoHorn]

Chim... the reason your sons turned out so well likely had a LOT to do with the fact YOU SPENT TIME with them and showed them things....so they looked up to you and modeled you.

Too often these days, parents are either too busy holding down too many jobs to be at home with their kids.... Or they don’t have parenting skills because THEIR parents didn’t have parenting skills... this becomes a vicious circle. The solution requires spending public money but too many selfish people in the world to get past their ignorance about social programs for that to happen.

The problem with “common sense” is..... Sense... is not common.

 

[skeets]

I have seen/heard the burn pit used in Fla, I guess it is a way to get rid of what doesnt burn to ash. I use the BX with the push blade on my burn piles,, BUT ,, only after they have burned down so I can push te out side edges in toward the middle. I can see where it is being pushed and I can back out quickly if need be,,,, Bottom line is,, think it all through FIRST before you start any job !

 

[bearskinner]

Many of these posts make me think if I am being safe enough. I have 3 separate burn areas. The “pits” are only a foot or so deep, 8x8 and 10x10. That being said, I certainly don’t want to drop a tire in it while burning.
I either hand feed, or if I’m using a Grapple, I’ll drop a load next to the burn pit, back up with the Grapple top fingers out, and push the slash into the fire, like flicking the back of your fingers at it.
Everyone thinks their way of using a tractor is fine. Just think about your operating practices, and are you really in that much of a hurry, that you might get hurt?

 

[aaluck]

Guilty!! I reluctantly (now) admit that I routinely dump logs, wood, etc into my level burn pile with the FEL. Now, I don't do it with lapping flames head high, but I have done it while burning.

Recently posted my 60 ft. hackberry that bit the dust. After the fire was going I would cut-up logs and haul them down and dump them into the fire. No problems, but maybe I need to rethink my methods.

 

[stevenfreeves]

Many of these posts make me think if I am being safe enough. I have 3 separate burn areas. The “pits” are only a foot or so deep, 8x8 and 10x10. That being said, I certainly don’t want to drop a tire in it while burning.
I either hand feed, or if I’m using a Grapple, I’ll drop a load next to the burn pit, back up with the Grapple top fingers out, and push the slash into the fire, like flicking the back of your fingers at it.
Everyone thinks their way of using a tractor is fine. Just think about your operating practices, and are you really in that much of a hurry, that you might get hurt?

I understand what you all are saying, however we purchased our tractors in order to get work done. So if we all have to abandon the use of our tractors to put the brush in the fire by hand then what is the point. When you have many acres of land that has not been maintained for many years then you have to use the tractors to clear the land.
As long as you use the tractor wisely and try to do it safely, you can use the tractor to get work done . You do not have to be paranoid.

 

[jyoutz]

Farm type tractors loading burn pits that are burning is a very effective way to kill yourself.

This came up again today at work and I haven’t seen anything on it before thus this post. I looked for some public record photos but haven’t found any and only ones I have aren’t public record so can’t post them.

Don't know what others have done in other areas but around here, back in the day burning large brush piles or windrows of brush consisted of piling it up, plowing or discing a fire break around it and burning. Several years ago a new (at least to us here) trend started consisting of digging a burn pit, loading it up with brush, burn it, keep adding until it’s all gone, and when it’s thoroughly burned to ash, backfill, compact, overseed. Not a bad idea as it leaves a pristine burn spot unlike the burn on grade method. The first guys I saw doing this were loading the burning fire pit with excavators with thumb or grapple. And I don’t mean mini-excavators. They were full size excavators with sticks that were either long or longer. The base of the machine and operator were well back from the edge of the pit.

Farm type tractors with loaders, particularly with grapple, are great at moving brush. Some started doing the fire pit process with tractors on this area, seems like around 10 years ago. Problem is the loader bucket/grapple isn’t very far from the front wheels. So far I’ve been involved in around 8 or 9 incidents where the operator went to load more brush on a burning pit, the bank of the pit gave way, and the tractor and operator went into the burning pit. All the machines were lost. I well remember 4 of the operators died. One was horrendously injured but lived. The rest got out without significant injury so they aren’t as memorable.

Do whatever you want. Not here to argue and I’m pretty sure my son isn’t reading this so I’m not your father and pretty sure I’m not your employer. Just saying if you’re loading a burning fire pit with a farm type tractor/loader, the fire does not give one crap how awesome your tractor is or how many decades experience you have or how skilled you are. If you give it a chance, it will take out your machine and kill you in a horrendous manner.

Not trying to scare anyone but if you’ve ever smelled or seen a thoroughly burnt human it’s something you’ll never forget. Between that scenario, a few people wrapped around PTO shafts, and a few more rollover victims, I have a healthy respect for tractors’ abilities and limits.

I just pile slash on the ground in a pile and burn when we get the first 3-4 inch snowfall of the he season.

 

[bearskinner]

I understand what you all are saying, however we purchased our tractors in order to get work done. So if we all have to abandon the use of our tractors to put the brush in the fire by hand then what is the point. When you have many acres of land that has not been maintained for many years then you have to use the tractors to clear the land.
As long as you use the tractor wisely and try to do it safely, you can use the tractor to get work done . You do not have to be paranoid.

I absolutely understand wanting to use the tractor to do all the work. Years ago when we moved to the ranch full time, I tried pulling downed trees out of the woods with a chain and quad. It is an extremely slow process, compared to using the grapple. I can grapple a 30’ downed tree, snap it into 4 lengths, stack and grapple it out of the woods in literally one minute. If it wasn’t so thick, I could grab whole trees out, and make a pile near one of the 3 burn pits around the property.
By digging out shallow burn pits ( I dug them with the loader and piranha,) so I can drive in and out, in case I do drop a tire while burning or feeding the fire. By keeping the sides shallow, I can back out of a “sticky” situation. Believe me, I know I cannot feed the fires by hand, and be anywhere near as efficient as using the tractor. It would take 2 days of back breaking work, by hand, compared to an hour or two with the tractor and grapple. Just hoping everyone works safely.

 

[old and tired]

Make sure you have insurance, just in case... (not my photo but it was posted, neighbor borrowed the tractor to feed a fire in a pit and slipped into the pit). Not sure if he couldn't back out or decided it was faster to get off and run from it... Make sure you don't have any oil leaks, too. We all know that tractors don't leak any oil

 

[bearskinner]

OUCH!! Another great reason to NOT lend out tools or tractors

 

[GreensvilleJay]

You'd think, the guy who burned up that tractor paid for a new one(or the deductible, if covered).
What gets me is, how much 'brush' do you have when you need a real excavator to dig a deep hole, then fill it and burn it ! Guess it's a lot cheaper,faster to dispose than running a chipper ??
I've had zero problems pushing brush into a firepit with my tractors,slow and steady, in float, backup when bucket goes down.

 

[bearskinner]

I tried a large tow behind chipper shredder once. Yes it makes lots of little stuff out of the big stuff, but for example this year, I had 80 full trees to burn. With two fire pits stacked up, if only took half a day to make charcoal piles. Granted a few more days for the coal to all burn off, the chipper would take a couple days to feed

 

[GreensvilleJay]

yeesh with that many trees, I'd buy a woodboiler and a wood processor.......sigh

 

[stevenfreeves]

As stated, common sense is often lacking. We have found that mechanical aptitude is something else that is really becoming rare with new hires. Many can't figure out what happens to the other end of something when you push on this end. We get people who think they're mechanically talented because they can move their thumbs real fast on their iPhone. In recent years we've had guys who didn't have a clue how to change oil or swap the spare tire for a flat on a pickup.

At 71, I was raised in a whole different era. I know, the old "When I was a kid" thing might get old to some, but believe it's noteworthy. Our entertainment wasn't spoonfed to us. We were sent out to play and figure it out on our own. Go fishing, knife-throwing contests, baseball, bicycle tag, whatever struck our fancy.

We grew up making and fixing things. Want a soapbox racer - "borrow" some of Dad's tools when he's at work and build one from some old boards and some baby carriage wheels. Take discarded bike parts and make one from them. Build a treehouse and wobbly steps to access it.

There's no excuse for raising kids who can't do at least some things on their own. Our sons are 44 (completed apprenticeship to become an electrician following college, owns rentals and does most of the repairs as a side business), 40 (computer analyst for a college, recently rebuilt an automatic trans in his Cherokee) and 36 (engineer for a candy company, commonly does things like his own hardwood floors, roof repair and plumbing).

The youngest was always in my hip pocket when we were building our house - regardless of the winter weather. Even at 5 years of age he learned a lot. His project for a "Show and Tell" in his kindergarten class was sweating copper. Due to safety concerns, we had to do it at home and make a picture book for the demo.

I must be getting old.

I get what you're saying about some our our young folks, not every child will embrace these things. I have 4 boys only two went to college, and only one is like you mention, does all of his own work on his motorcycles and cars, does the tilework and remodeling on his house etc, ironically he is the one with the Dr. Degree and works on AI programming. he is the one son I have an easier time relating to. so I hear ya.

 

[stevenfreeves]

I wouldn't use either of my tractors on a lit burn pile, partly because I hate fire and have a healthy fear of having a fuel containing vehicle that close to flame. In addition, being a pitchfork user, I have noticed that the ground stays darned hot around the edges, and you can ruin rubber boots. Can't be good for tires either.

I just can't understand this kind of thinking, I was always the guy trying to figure stuff out that no one else does. I burn piles and use my tractor to add brush to it while burning all of the time, it works great. getting more work done in less time without breaking my back yeah that's why I bought a tractor. as long as you use your head and be smart you can get a lot done. my worst fear is that I might burn a hydraulic line on my grappler. but I have not had an issue with that yet, if the flames are too high I just wait till they subside a bit then add more brush. not sure what you all have but I have many acres of land to maintain and I am not afraid of a brush fire or using my tractor the way they were intended. be smart, face your fears boys and be a man. just saying.

 

[sheepfarmer]

I just can't understand this kind of thinking, I was always the guy trying to figure stuff out that no one else does. I burn piles and use my tractor to add brush to it while burning all of the time, it works great. "I am not afraid of a brush fire or using my tractor the way they were intended. be smart, face your fears boys and be a man. just saying."

I use my tractor, Gator, etc over the course of a year to pile up the brush, and then when it's suitable weather and I've paid for the burn permit, light it up. It's quite the fire. Some poking of unburned branches is needed, but a final tidying up can be done with the tractor when the ashes are cold. As for your last suggestion, that would be harder than you might think.

 

[bucktail]

I use my tractor, Gator, etc over the course of a year to pile up the brush, and then when it's suitable weather and I've paid for the burn permit, light it up. It's quite the fire. Some poking of unburned branches is needed, but a final tidying up can be done with the tractor when the ashes are cold. As for your last suggestion, that would be harder than you might think.

Chaz Bono pulled it off...