I've been slowly reclaiming our old farm using my tractor and chainsaw. My tractor is 58hp, 6ft bucket around 2500lbs lift capacity. I installed Ken's Bolt On Hooks on my FEL (very useful to have!) and have been using a chain and Brush Grubber to pull out smaller trees and brush by the roots (mostly). The Brush Grubber I have is rated 1"-5" I think. They make several sizes. The larger trees, say 4"-5", require pushing and pulling with the bucket/brush grubber sometimes in multiple directions to loosen the roots. For smaller brush/briars, I have been using a bucket attachment called a ratchet rake, which works fairly well, or if I can, my brush hog. I'm sure there are other options but this is what I have been using. Hope that helps!

PAHillbilly

 

I've found the 3pt hitch to be equally good in pulling up smaller trees as well, chain tight w/ a brush grabber and lift, breaks a lot of them free which puts less stress on the FEL (especially on a smaller tractor).

 

If you are going to get a skid steer to do this kind of work with attachments, you're going to need a big one and they are expensive. I have a Bobcat 751 and it wouldn't run the forestry cutter that the rental place had, so I ended up renting their 92 horse Bobcat. I don't even want to think what that Bobcat would cost, but probably 70-80K. Mine will run a brush hog type attachment, but it won't handle trees like you are talking about.

You might consider renting like I did (I was doing hedgerow clearing) or else hire someone with the sized equipment to do the job for you, then get the size skid steer you were thinking of without worrying about the attachments.

 

2 years ago my brother and I cleared a 6 acre field grown up in black locust about the size you describe. We used a 50hp4x4 with a blade on the back and a 30hp4x4 with a bucket on the front.It took 3 or 4 12 hour days but we got most of the trees pulled out.
While we had the equipment set up and we were there we tried to clear a ditch line grown up with similar sized ask.Using both pieces of equipment(as we had to do with the locust),we could not pull even one of the ash.
Your success is going to depend on what type trees you are working on.As I said,we used a 50 hp cutting dirt with a blade then pulling with a chain on one side and the bucket on the 30hp digging and cutting dirt on the other side at the same time and we got the locust but couldn't do anything with the ash.

Wade

 

I purchase my property last year. It was "clear cut " in 2011. That said, there were many medium sized trees all over, and big trees on the perimeter. The stuff In he middle was new growth, pines, scrub oaks, all kinds of bushes. I was able to reclaim a bunch of land using my 1956 case tractor and an old bush hog. I set the bush hog high, like 2 feet, and run over everything that I could. It was a violent messy job. I came back a few months later and cut down some more. This year I cut the rest of the nubs flush with the ground.

Some smaller stuff you can get done the same day in a few passes, just keep your blades sharp and take it slow. I purchased an older skid steer late last year and it has been great help, but it doesn't hold up to a stump or bunch of roots. You have to dig those out. A Dozer might push stumps over, but like you, I have more time than money and I wanted to do it myself.

Th skid steer is excellent for grading, shaping the ground and moving dirt. I have forks for it to move big logs, a stump bucket for digging out stumps and digging trenches, a skeletonized bucket for moving wood slash and debris and a toothed bucket for digging and such. I need a smooth bucket for better grading but that's in the future. You can get your bucket up high and run into the trees, push them over and come back with the bucket flush with the ground and push the roots out. Either way it's a lot of work, but you will be happy with the outcome.

Sent from my iPad using Homesteading Today

 

Hey anyone have any experience with either skid steer or front end loader attachments? I have a about 20 acres of cut over to clear and I am looking to buy an attachment to help me clear the areas. I have a Mahindra 3015 30 hp kind of does what I need but I am looking to get a skid steer in the near future borrowing a buddies skid steer when he is not working with his to help me cut some cost.

I am looking at if this is the route to go clearing it in sections and I would rather pay for attachment and clearing as I go than paying a dozer to come in and loosing some topsoil. The trees are mostly 2-5 inches in diameter I want to keep the larger trees that are there and clear out the smaller ones. I am planning on putting up wove wire fence and using goats to help me keep the area eaten down. I am not clearing out the area to till I just want to get it cleared out so I can see more of the place. I am planning on purchasing a skid steer in future but right now I am able to use my buddies but my tractor is good to use but not stout enough to do the whole job as I see it. Thanks for all ideas. Adios

I used a bow saw and cut at the ground to start with. These days I use a chain saw and cut close to the ground. I can run a lawn mower over them. Cut all fire wood that way. It took about 8 years for the stumps to rot out. These days urine gets poured on them. The nitrogen helps the rotting process.

 

A bucket will do all kinds of things for getting rid of trees, BTDT. As someone else said it depends on the type of tree and it depends on their size. You can wrap a chain around them, hook it to the bucket and lift them out. You can push them over then 'hook' the bucket under the root wad and push/lift them out. You can dig on two sides then use the bucket to push it from side to side (think of when you were a kid and wiggled a loose tooth) until you can push it over. You'll be amazed how big to a tree you can push over with a little tractor with a front end loader if you take your time.

After you get them down you can scoop/lift/carry them (whole or cut to fit) in the bucket or you can use the bucket like a dozer blade to push them.

 

Like said above it depends a lot on the tree but I can do just about what this attachment can do with my tooth bucket. I rock in one direction than lower my bucket down and get a tooth in or under the roots and push it out while lifting it up.

[YOUTUBE]-W4Kb9_yA6I#t=49[/YOUTUBE]

 

You can clear an area fast and spendy, or slow and cheap.

If you are looking to pull out or uproot trees, even 2 inch hardwoods 'here' are a hard task for my 100 hp tractor. You better have a friend with a real big skid loader and be good friends and work out who makes repairs for the damage it will get from this job......

There are shearing bucket deals that will cut off small trees like a giant sissors. They take some extra hydraulics and a big skid loader. They will leave a stump of course. You want big heavy equipment if you get into this. Some are set up to pull trees out if small, but - see how one works for your type of soil and tree species, this is brute force at its best, don't assume its easy on you or the skid loader......

If you are looking to clean up the loose limbs, small trees, and surface roots then a rock bucket on the skid steer will help a lot and make your work easier. The fancy ones have hyd grapple on top making the job even easier, but those take an extra hyd valve available and weigh more so take a bigger skid steer.

Paul

 

They make a stump bucket skidsteer attachment specifically for this job, but I've never experienced how well they work.

 

I use the pallet forks on my FEL and dig them in next to the stump and loosen the dirt and break some roots free, then push the tree over and cut it up with the chainsaw. Much easier to have the tree intact as it's weight help to break the stump free when pushing.

With stumps, I cut them as close to the ground and then burn them or do a bunch of stumps with a grinder that I rent.

 

The OP does not list his location or soil type. That makes the question imposable to answer correctly. If it is a sandy loose soil it could be fairly simple, deep rooted in heavy clay could be next to imposable.