Tree/Post Pullers for ACs?
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Topic: Tree/Post Pullers for ACs?
Posted By: JBergie
Subject: Tree/Post Pullers for ACs?
Date Posted: 25 Nov 2018 at 10:47pm
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I have a LOT of small trees to pull -basically a forest full of popple (1"-5" diam) and am wondering what is the easiest method for doing so. There's a lot of grinder attachments for skidloaders, as well as large toothy clamping jaws for yanking trees out of the ground. But I haven't seen anything that would attach to a snap coupler, pto, etc on an Allis. Does one exist? I saw this on YouTube and thought it'd work great! https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9zq24vJSic" rel="nofollow - https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9zq24vJSic Or if really, really thick, just say to heck with it and find a crawler to rent and just bulldoze my way to opening the area up?! |
Replies:
Posted By: shameless dude
Date Posted: 26 Nov 2018 at 12:30am
| Cokes son in MN made me a tree puller, it works awesum! it's on my 7010, as for a snap coupler model, i'm sure no one makes one, but maybe his son could make one for you. I also think your small tractor may not have enough ommph to pull much. I have PULLED UP TO AN 8 inch tree with mine. stay away from the pullers that have the sharp points on them, they bend easy after so much use. I've seen hundreds of those on auctions, the points all bent down and the arms bent. mine has pulled over 2000 trees so far and it still looks like new and works like new. there are vids on you tube, type in Minnesota implement, oh...and i'm not getting paid for saying any of this, just my personel experience |
Posted By: jaybmiller
Date Posted: 26 Nov 2018 at 7:27am
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OK, I saw the video and ,yeah, it'd be OK for poles and a few small trees but you're going to be really really sore from going backwards all day ! I'm leaning to a bulldozer and spend an EASY day 'prepping' the field. I've had free use of equipment for just temporary storage between jobs. Even if you had to pay say $1000 for a days rental you'd get the job DONE. If you've ever seen 'Gold Rush' on TV, you know a dozer destroys lotsa trees real fast ! Other benefit is you can level off the land , if required, here or there, maybe move that big azz rock outta you way for good too ! Work smarter, not harder. Jay ------------- 3 D-14s,A-C forklift, B-112 Kubota BX23S lil' TOOT( The Other Orange Tractor) Never burn your bridges, unless you can walk on water |
Posted By: JBergie
Date Posted: 26 Nov 2018 at 7:51am
This might fall under the category of- If you have to ask, you already know..... Here is a pic of the area needing deforestation! 
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jaybmiller wrote:Posted By: Hubert (Ga)engine7
Date Posted: 26 Nov 2018 at 8:01am
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X2 on renting a small dozer. It will save you lots of time and lots of aches and pains. ------------- Just an old country boy saved by the grace of God. |
Posted By: Gary Burnett
Date Posted: 26 Nov 2018 at 8:33am
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Just curious what are your plans on what to do with the land after you clear it? Bulldozer will make a really big mess and take a lot of work and $$$ to get it back into any shape.On the other extreme take a chainsaw and cut the trees off ground level and mow over them will kill the stumps.That will disturb the ground the least and cost the least. I've cleared some land like that but instead of mowing I put the goats in the keep everything down. |
Posted By: Tracy Martin TN
Date Posted: 26 Nov 2018 at 8:50am
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Probably cheapest to have a forestry mulcher get at it. ------------- No greater gift than healthy grandkids! |
Posted By: Reindeer
Date Posted: 26 Nov 2018 at 9:43am
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We had to clear out about an acre of larger poplar, up to about 8" through. Got it done by using the front end loader on the 170 to push the trees over enough to get the bucket under the root ball, and then just lift them out. Ground was soft enough we could do that. Once they were out of the ground, I just pulled them out to a pile and burned them. However, it was a lot of work, and slow. If you are doing more area a bulldozer is definitely the way to go.
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Posted By: mdm1
Date Posted: 26 Nov 2018 at 1:25pm
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I would get ahold of the DNR county forester and have him come and walk your property. He may or may not already know what you have. He would also maybe know someone to help you out with the way you wish to go. I think what you have is the regeneration of the trees after being clearcut. I have his contact info. I know DNR scares the B Jesus out of some people but they are there to help you. I have dealt with him. My offer to come over to our place stills stands if we can make it work sometime. ------------- Everything is impossible until someone does it! WD45-trip loader 1947 c w/woods belly mower, 1939 B, #3 sickle mower 1944 B, 2 1948 G's. Misc other equipment that my wife calls JUNK! |
Posted By: TimNearFortWorth
Date Posted: 26 Nov 2018 at 4:20pm
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I have no idea what kind of root ball you have on those trees but I pull every fall/winter on the lease property, mostly Cedars. Takes about a 2" diameter to get ahold of with a decent chain and anything smaller is done with the SC blade at full tilt to successfully grub them out completely. Key for me is moisture and usually wait up to 3-4 days after decent rains to go pullin. One larger chain that is longer, up to three others that are simply hooked onto the first chain approximately 18" from the front. A couple wraps of duct tape on each hook makes sure they don't come undone and all chains have the hook ends and last couple links painted in yellow or orange for visibility. I usually pull a larger tree with the main chain and stop to tie onto others with remaining chains as I head to the burn pile. It is work and the City Bot land owner had to be shown how to wrap a chain as that is his job to tie off on em'. Two wraps, overlapping the chain will make it grab the trunk to "bite" and prevents the chain from sliding, best attached within a couple inches of ground level. I unhook everything at the burn pile so the 2nd man does not have to walk so far. Takes time but in my case, land owner had seeded everything in native grasses when cleared 15 years ago and did not want to wait until they grew to bring in a dozer that would again require reseeding. Do most with a D15II and tie off to the SC blade tubular frame. Blade kept within 10" of ground level keeps me from getting into trouble with raising the front end. If 15 won't do it, D17 or 185 get's some exorcise but it all comes down to tree type and moisture level as I NEVER jerk on any of them. Just ease em' on out. If they don't slide out easy, not enough moisture for me as you need to get the entire root ball and ALL roots. Be careful if pulling and check all chains for safety . . . .
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Posted By: DiyDave
Date Posted: 26 Nov 2018 at 5:48pm
If you're gonna go the chain puller route, try using a 12" or so long piece of 2" water pipe. Run one length of chain through the pipe, wrap the tree, and then run the hook, and the other piece of chain, through the pipe, again, and hook the hook to the front edge of the pipe. This will draw the pipe snug, against the tree, and its edge will dig in and grip. To really aid in the pull, have an old truck rim on hand, and run the chain over, near the tree in question, and this will make the chain pull upwards, as well as forward. For 2" stuff, I'd be backing a bush hog in, and letting it beat 'em to death...
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Posted By: Ted J
Date Posted: 26 Nov 2018 at 8:53pm
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As Dave says. On small stuff I use a 6" piece though and go through the pipe then around the tree and then to the top of the pipe. On 2" on up, I use just the chain. Come around the tree, OVER the top,,,,,once twice and then UNDER once and back to the main chain with the SLIP hook. On anything 4" or bigger, I use an old rim I have and put the chain over the top so you're lifting almost straight up instead of sideways. It works a LOT better if you have a helper on the ground. But then this fat belly needs a little exercise so,,,,,,up, down,,,,up, down,,,,reminds me of something,,,,,,I kinda remember that,,,,, See ya later!! ------------- "Allis-Express" 19?? WC / 1941 C / 1952 CA / 1956 WD45 / 1957 WD45 / 1958 D-17 |
Posted By: john(MI)
Date Posted: 27 Nov 2018 at 12:12am
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Don't dozer it, you'll end up with piles of dirt with trees mixed in. If you get a dozer make sure it has the, not sure the correct term, claws on the back. drive around with that in the ground and then go pick them up and throw them on a burn pile or trailer. It'd sure beat the heck out of sitting on a tractor looking backwards for many days. And the best part is, you'll still have all that good topsoil! ------------- D14, D17, 5020, 612H, CASE 446 |
Posted By: Arcs and Sparks
Date Posted: 27 Nov 2018 at 12:40am
| Trees that small are fairly simple. Do you know anyone with a backhoe with a thumb attachment. There is no match for the use of hydraulics. The trees come up easily and get shaken, dirt stays on the ground and the tree is swung around and piled. I've done it countless times. There is virtually no dirt left on the trees in the burn pile so clean up is a breeze. The backhoe also allows you to back fill any holes, remove stones, dig up old stumps etc. The only time a backhoe is not the right option is if the trees are thorn trees. Tire repairs seldom make me smile. In the case of thorn trees just use a mini excavator with a thumb. Same approach and no tire repairs. |
Posted By: jaybmiller
Date Posted: 27 Nov 2018 at 6:11am
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I'm still wondering how much land you're talking about. If 'just' an acre, then sure a small tractor /loader setup would work, though take a lot of time. You could drag a rear blade backwards and knock down the smaller ones(2" or less) and tow tandem dics to chop up the fallen. I did that for a neighbour,worked ok. The problem I see is size. Jump up to say 10 acres and yeesh that becomes a huge project. Then you'll need bigger machinery to do it in a weekend as opposed to a summer long project. Late Fall, early Spring would be the best time to do it. While a dozer would make a bit of a mess, it's fast and you can level off the land. After that, tractor with cultivators can get the 'twigs' into windrows and then burn them off. Run discs after that and you're basically done. How you do it depends on time and money. How much 'free' time can you allocate to the project ? It may be better renting a dozer for a weekend, do all the 'rough removal', then do the final cleanup when you have time. Just be sure to do it BEFORE new growth appears or you're back to square one ! ------------- 3 D-14s,A-C forklift, B-112 Kubota BX23S lil' TOOT( The Other Orange Tractor) Never burn your bridges, unless you can walk on water |
Posted By: Lonn
Date Posted: 27 Nov 2018 at 6:53am
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I agree with john(MI) as far as a dozer goes. We've got a dozer a backhoe and a skid loader and for small brush like that the skid loader in my opinion will work best, especially with a root grapple. I've used just my standard bucket for stuff like that and that works too but it may take a while. Sometimes the most efficient way, money best spent is to hire a pro to get it done. One day and done and probably cost just a bit more than you renting anything. Unless you're after the fun of doing it, which it is fun as far as I'm concerned. ------------- -- --- .... .- -- -- .- -.. / .-- .- ... / .- / -- ..- .-. -.. . .-. .. -. --. / -.-. .... .. .-.. -.. / .-. .- .--. .. ... - Wink I am a Russian Bot |
Posted By: shameless dude
Date Posted: 27 Nov 2018 at 8:08am
| them small trees you can take out with a blade. push them over and take another bite when a root pops up, back up and the whole thing will come out. when you have a bunch out, push them into a pile, any loose dirt will level out as you push into piles. |
Posted By: shameless dude
Date Posted: 27 Nov 2018 at 8:09am
| gaylens tree puller that fits on skid steers would work good there too |
Posted By: WF owner
Date Posted: 27 Nov 2018 at 8:48am
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A lot depends on what you are going to do with the land after it is cleared. If you are going to attempt to plow it, you want all the roots gone that you can get. If you're going to broadcast grass seed and pasture it, you don't have to be so fussy. I like Arcs and Sparks idea of a backhoe or an excavator with a thumb. Not only can you remove the tree, but you can easily load it on a dump truck or trailer to get it out of your way. If you are doing much area, it's much faster and cleaner, than pushing everything with a dozer.
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Posted By: Lonn
Date Posted: 27 Nov 2018 at 9:00am
------------- -- --- .... .- -- -- .- -.. / .-- .- ... / .- / -- ..- .-. -.. . .-. .. -. --. / -.-. .... .. .-.. -.. / .-. .- .--. .. ... - Wink I am a Russian Bot |
Posted By: TimCNY
Date Posted: 27 Nov 2018 at 10:28am
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My brother-in-law owns a Caterpillar (full size) excavator with thumb for his 92-acre orchard. When it comes time to remove old tree rows to plant new, he just runs it down between two rows at a time. I was skeptical at first, but - WOW... Really, really WOW. Moves up between two rows so that on each side, he has one tree behind, one alongside, and one ahead. Six total. Starts with the one behind on one side, then swings to the one alongside, then the one ahead, then just sweeps to the other side and gets those three in reverse order. Lowers the bucket and thumb, God-awful sound of limbs cracking as he grabs the tree, yanks it out, the sound of roots popping is amazing. Takes the WHOLE TREE out, roots and all. Shakes it up and down and side to side to get as much dirt off as possible. Literally looks like a giant weed you just pulled out of the garden, roots and all. Piles them back in their respective rows as he goes. 6 BIG trees, and in under a minute, without any exaggeration, he's moving on down the rows to repeat the process. I've timed it. The shortest time was 35+/- seconds, the longest was still just under a minute. I don't expect you to believe it until you've seen it. I NEVER would believed it have if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes. Another benefit to his way is that they cut up the apple wood to use for their cider pasteurizer and also to sell firewood to the public. The neighbor who makes Applewood-smoked bacon for a living loves it. Point is, it is FAR easier for the orchard employees to make all of their cuts vertical on downed trees with chainsaws instead of making (at least the initial cut) horizontal cuts on standing trees. Exceptionally efficient! I've tried to get him to come over to my farm and clear some woods to get the fields back to the way they were 35 years ago, but I have some really bad hills and it's a daunting task, unlike the orchard that is all flat land and what he's used to. LOL, maybe someday... Back before he bought the Cat, they used to cut up the trees and leave a stump about 4' high, clear away the wood, mow the smaller branches up right in the rows, and then use a backhoe to dig out the roots around the trees and then grab the top of the stump to pull it over. Never worked the first time. Always had to keep digging, then take that stump down to the woods before coming back up and pushing back the dirt they dug out and levelling it off before moving on to the next one. The entire process for EACH tree, depending on how far from the dumping spot he was, could take over half an hour. Extremely inefficient, and all that large diameter trunk wood that people love was wasted, and it takes them many years to rot down in the woods. Some old piles are still there from back in the 80's. All they ever had back then was just the limbs to use for heating. Now, they'll never go back to the old way of doing it. Just something to think about... What's worth more to you, your time or money? I know, both, but - time is Life. You can never get back the time it took you to read this far. When it comes time to clear my land, I'm going to hire it done. Imagine if you get hurt doing the work yourself - now, you can neither finish the project OR work you job or business, until you're recovered. IF you recover... Sorry for being longwinded, but there's my two cents. 
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Posted By: Allen Dilg
Date Posted: 27 Nov 2018 at 10:00pm
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We have used an Allis subsoiler with good sucess |
Posted By: HD6GTOM
Date Posted: 28 Nov 2018 at 2:04am
| I had a tree sheer built for my skid loader and I used it to pull trees up to 3" in diameter. |
Posted By: shameless dude
Date Posted: 28 Nov 2018 at 2:38am
| I bought a backhoe/loader when I first started taking out the trees. it worked pretty good for trees in the 4-5 inch size, anything larger i'd cut off the tree about 4-5 ft above ground. and come back and dig out around the stump, that worked just o-k. the small stuff I could take out faster with a tractor and my Gnuse scoop. if I would have had a thumb on the backhoe, it would have been a lot easier and faster. the real big stuff I would also cut off above ground and when I had time would go back and dig them up. I then bought the tree puller for the 3-pt on my tractor, and that was a whole lots faster than any backhoe could do, plus I could carry the trees and pile them. lots of folks driving by would stop when they saw a 30 ft tree being carried by my tractor to a burn pile! |
Posted By: shameless dude
Date Posted: 28 Nov 2018 at 2:41am
| oh....and a local excavator company likes it when anyone leaves a stump 3-4-5 ft above the ground, says it's easier for them to get the stumps out. and if you really need all/most of the rest of the roots out, run a one shank subsoiler across the ground real slow, they will bring roots up to the top for disposal. gotta go real slow or it'll just cut the roots. |
Posted By: WNYBill
Date Posted: 28 Nov 2018 at 8:10am
| Talk to a Forester, you are dealing with Aspen and they grow in a clone. Cutting will not kill the clone and I am not sure pushing them out will either. Talk to a Forester. |
Posted By: DiyDave
Date Posted: 28 Nov 2018 at 6:00pm
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For Aspen/Poplar, I would cut off with loping shears, and paint the stump, with 20.5% active ingredient Roundup, or tordon RTU...
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