Skid steer tree sheer recommendation

[lostbrd]

I done a few thousand cedars with a grubbing attachment.

One you could recommend?

[D4H]

I agree on the grubber depending on soil type you are working in. Clay type soils are the most difficult with the grubber due to the root ball contains more packed dirt which does not burn. The burn piles require more effort to work the piles afterword to get a cleaner burn. If you can't get the stomps burned, you can dig a hole and bury them. My experience has been they work best in sandy, caliche, or loamy types of soils. The best part of a grubber is that it is maintenance free with no hydraulic hoses to break or leaking cylinders to contend with. It is also the least expensive of any of the other attachments. (about a $1000) Some also have a hydraulic grappler to assist in moving a tree once you have it on the ground. ($1500) The grubber attachment is bullet proof once you have the technique down. I have used one on many occasions and haven't found anything I can't up root or push over using a higher contact point on a tree. The advantage I like is you can remove the the entire root system if you plan on using the cleared area for cultivation later. It works well on just about any type of tree or bush and I have used mine to dig water lines, pry rocks, etc. The one I have is made by Blue Diamond. There are many types and designs of grubbers available for skid steers and I have demo'd most of them but I preferred the Blue Diamond because it has a long "snout" of about 5 foot or so in front of the skid steer which allowed much better visibility of the work area for depth and angle when grubbing. And it is tough. There other manufacturers that make similar designs so it is not the only one on the market that has this design.

[D4H]

HF

You have a good machine to start with since it also has high flow. This gives you more options on types of attachments. Does it have an air conditioned/heated cab with a Lexan windshield or glass? How many acres are you planning on clearing and what is your time frame to get it done? Also budget for you attachments? What percentage of small trees (5 ft and under vs larger) I can give you recommendations to help you but I need more information to be helpful. I am not a salesman but have done a lot of land clearing and used a lot of different equipment. (skid steers, dozers and excavators) I'm retired but I still clear brush on our ranch and still enjoy doing it.

[M16]

I have this one.

https://idigtexas.com/product/mesquiter-mesquiter-xl/

On really big cedars I rip out the roots on each side and push them over.

[Krivoman]

https://idigtexas.com/product/tree-shear-manual-rotating/

I have this one. It does pretty good on lampasad cedar. Sometimes you have to cut them 2times because my cedars are bigger than 12 inches etc.

[D4H]

The one you all have is a really good one. It was not available when I bought my Blue Diamond ten years ago or it would have been the one I would have purchased. Everyone I have talked to that have these units are very pleased with it. I will buy one to add to my collection of attachments but a post driver is on the list next. Old shoulders don't do T post pounders well. The guys at iDigTexas are good guys to deal with and they have the largest inventory of skid steer attachments I have seen anywhere. If you can't find what you are looking for, they can find it for you.

[D4H]

That Lampasas area does have it's share of Cedars with Mesquites mixed in. That's the perfect tool for the job if you are not in a hurry. If you are in a hurry and want to get production, a hydraulic saw is the way to go in my opinion. I have a hydraulic saw and our tree shear took a back seat for years and was never used. Now that will lay a lot of Cedar on the ground in no time. In really thick cedar, it works best if you have another skid steer moving the cut Cedar out of the way while the saw is laying it over. At the end of the day, you unhook the hydraulic saw and hook up a grapple and use two skid steers to stack brush piles. They are pricey ($12,000 to $17,000) but if you want production, they can't be beat. The high end models have rotating heads which allow trimming of overhead limbs over fence lines and low hanging limbs on Live Oak Decline trees. It helps to trim the low limbs before they crash on the cab. Lesson learned early.
The one I have also has an internal 13 gallon tank with a spray attachment that you can put herbicide in to spray cut Mesquite and Persimmon stumps. Dymax tree shears also have the spay tank option. The down side of the saw is you need a high horsepower AC/Heat cab with Lexan glass for protection and comfort and high flow hydraulics. They make low flow models but the high flow really makes it work better. Another down side of the saw is it has carbide tipped teeth which have to be replaced after a certain number of hours. The teeth I have can be rotated four times before they are done. The hours depend on the soil type you are working in. In caliche soil like you have in Lampasas, the teeth last a long time. (500+ hours) If you have sandstone, Quartz or Dolamite outcroppings like in the Marble Falls and Llano area, the life of the teeth are much less.
It's always a balance of how much do want to get done, how fast do you want to go, how much money do you have to spend and return on your clearing efforts. If you are not in a hurry, grubbers and tree shears are perfect for most peoples needs including mine. Less moving parts and less need for consumables.

If you don't want want burn piles, we can discuss mulchers and the advantages and disadvantage of them next and when to use them and when not to use them.

[lostbrd]

Appreciate all the input folks.
We do have heat/AC and Lexan.
This is recreational prop I own with my brother.
There is probably 120 acres open with scattered Cedar (3' to 15ft high) Thousands of them. Another 100 acres that is pretty thick with oaks, Elms and misc. trees where the Cedar is encroaching and thick (hard to get at without damaging the trees).
Were in no hurry, we actually enjoy clearing at our pace (kind of like a hobby). We do burn our piles when time is right.
The Grubber and a Grapple look like a good place to start in regards to the open areas. Clearing amongst the trees will require different attachments for sure.
Any other recommendations are welcome. Grapple style etc..
Thanks again!

[D4H]

One recommendation on a grapple is get one that is as wide as your machine. There is a company in Brady Texas that manufactures a grubber with a retractable grubber and root rake combination. They have a video on youtube. Interesting concept. I watched them doing a demo during a NCRS exhibition and it seemed very efficient. It's not a grapple but you could push the grubbed trees into a pile for burning.

http://dansmachineandwelding.com/

Have fun. It's gratifying to take a cedar wasteland and turn it back into production again.

[DM3]

I have a turbo saw that i dont use anymore if that is something that interest you send me a pm. You can google turbo saw to see what it looks like.

[lostbrd]

Thanks guys. Gonna give it some thought. That Turbo saw looks great, I'll hit you up if we go that way. Were just getting started.

[lostbrd]

I have a turbo saw that i dont use anymore if that is something that interest you send me a pm. You can google turbo saw to see what it looks like.

I sent you a private message