We rented a walk behind brushcutter..

[oz in SC]

This past weekend to test it out and see what it could do.

I will start off by saying it was a little beat up-it was a 'Billygoat' type with the skids on the side of the deck-well not anymore,the skids were all bent and broken.

It started up fine and ran good however and I was kind of hoping Mrs oz would be able to use it while I cut the bigger trees down with the chainsaw.

This didn't work out.

That thing will beat you all to pieces IF the land is at all hilly or rutted(such as ours was) and it seemed to get stuck relativle easy.

We had paths dozed through last year or so and I went down one of those to clear it back out and honestly it was a hard slog...it was REALLY hard getting it back UP the hill...

Now to be fair it was mid-afternoon and quite warm but I was a little disappointed in it.

We ended up gatting rained out so only used it for a short time but we decided we need something bigger...

Next step up...tractor and bushog.

[frazzlehead]

Well, we all appreciate you learning the hard way and sharing the knowledge with us.

I had considered using one ... but now I think maybe just letting the livestock at the brush is more my style!

[oz in SC]

I was about DEAD by the time I pulled/pushed/dragged that thing back up the hill...

I could see it working on a relatively flat area or perhaps where it isn't too overgrown but otherwise I would go bigger.

[mightybooboo]

Really,just pay a pro to do it,probably save you money and they do all the work.They do it so much faster that even though it costs more per hour,they take fewer hours to do it.

IF you can get someone to bid the job,do so.Bid the job,not hours.Its the best for you and the equipment operator,no hard feelings over price later.

BooBoo

[frugalville]

Time vs Money ... which do you have ?

Find a skidsteer with a brushcat attachment.
It will cut saplings up to 3 inches thick.

or like Boo said... just pay someone to do it.

It is going to take the RIGHT machine.

[foxtrapper]

Btdt, with a Billygoat. God awful thing to work with. I'm not sure who it beats to death first, you or itself.

Fwiw, I've learned that most brush is very shallow rooted. Crawl under it as best you can, throw a chain around the trunk(s) and make a loop. Hook the chain to a tractor or truck and pull. It yanks out very easily. A bit bloody, but really not that bad.

Make rows with the ripped out brush and let it sit there for a good month or two. During that time, the tips of the thorns seem to magically disapear.

Then go over it with a mower. A brush/bush hog type works best, but even a regular riding mower can gnaw its way through it if its been sitting dead for a few months.

[thebugguy]

I've been mowing my "yard" for the very first time in its history these last couple of days. Believe me, my property hasn't quite got the idea that it's supposed to be a "yard" yet...

A friend of mine gave me on long term loan a 24" walk-behind "self propelled" brush mower. It literally has taken me a couple of days to get familiar with its idiosyncracies (wheels falling off or going flat, blade engagement mechanisms failing, stalling when increasing gas, dull blade, etc), but it is a lifesaver. It leaves a few straggly stems (it isn't a finish mower) after a pass or two, but it really does make a "lawn" out of scruff. At about 95 degrees every afternoon after work I only get an hour or two with it (about 0.5 to 1.0 acres at a time), so it's a slow process, but unacheivable short of buying our own tractor.

I'm not an expert on various machines, but I can say this: if you want it badly enough, have the patience to fiddle with machines and the back to run them, you can do quite well with a walk-behind mower.

[Rowdy]

I've never used that brand, but the one I rented sounds like it was bigger/newer than that one. It was pretty easy to use, even in my sand, and ate through the brush. (up to 2 1/2 inches.)
It wasn't as easy as a brush hog on a tractor, but it was cheaper, and easier to get into little corners.

[Old John]

Hi Y'all,

I have a hillside, other side of our circular drive, that I cut big sycamore and
wild cherry trees off of, because they were shading the pine trees. Then I had mulched it around the old & the new pines, to a depth of about 6 inches.

Those old sycamores & wild cherries sent up sprouts all over, that hillside.
And, in between was a lot of wild blackbery brambles & weeds.The Tree sprouts were only about 7 to 8 feet tall. Amazing in a year and a half.

But, hey, I bought me a DR Brush-mower, 2 yrs ago. It's a honey.
So, yesterday was Mowing day. Down hill and Uphill, I mowed. It got pretty warm out there. The hill is a little steep.

After the 1st hour, I would mow a circuit & sit down & rest a couple minutes.
At 66 yrs old, I just can't go like I use to. I got'er all mowed in about
2 & 1/2 hours. I was one tired old man. That was enough work for one day.

But that will prob'ly do it 'til maybe in the fall. I'm not going to let it get so tall next time.
It really looks good. And, I added a layer of chopped up tree sprouts & brambles, to the mulch.
Fun, ain't it.........
Take care.

[fantasymaker]

Around here its fairly common to take a push mower and cut the front out of it leaving about 1 or 2 inches of blade to be exposed.Its a deadly machine in more than one way at that point!
If ya want to have a bit of safety when doing regular mowing just bolt a pice of angle over here the front was.

[MorrisonCorner]

We have a brush hog someone gave us (it's pretty beat up... so beat up we're a little afraid to use it)... but we've also run out of pasture. So we've been fencing the sheep into all the places we were planning on brush hogging.

Man! Sheep do a MUCH better job. They'll take down anything to about an inch and a half in diameter. They won't chop it up file (we do have a chipper) but they'll bring it down and eat the t(new)... ops off.

So the other day, for giggles and grins, we did the math:

3 rolls electromesh fencing @ $80 each
1 portable charger (big) $80

= $320

Add sheep...

One brush hog... give or take.. $1700

And you can eat the sheep!