Land Clearing by Hand

[Matt_C]

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=chainsaw+..._sb_ss_sc_0_18

One of these on a stihl straight shaft Weedeater is a bad dude! Easy to sharpen and beats bending over with a chainsaw!

I would watch this first on blades for Weedeaters.

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYOlZb2bmmU&t=363s"]Which Trimmer Brush Blade is Best? Let's find out! - YouTube[/ame]

[wudduk]

Weedeater with a saw blade is way faster than a pole saw. We use cheap blades that go on skill saws. If you can cut and have someone else dragging the brush into a pile, it will go a lot faster.

[yotethumper]

This story has a happy ending. Turns out the guy down the road has a land clearing business. He will bring a skidsteer with a brush cutter to my place May 4th. I am only paying for one day, curious to see how much yaupon and tripholiate orange he can clear in a day. It is expensive but with the cost to own and maintain a skidsteer I can understand why.

[SFAbowhunter]

This story has a happy ending. Turns out the guy down the road has a land clearing business. He will bring a skidsteer with a brush cutter to my place May 4th. I am only paying for one day, curious to see how much yaupon and tripholiate orange he can clear in a day. It is expensive but with the cost to own and maintain a skidsteer I can understand why.

Would you mind PM'ing me what he charges?

[yotethumper]

Would you mind PM'ing me what he charges?

Sent PM

[JeffK]

This story has a happy ending. Turns out the guy down the road has a land clearing business. He will bring a skidsteer with a brush cutter to my place May 4th. I am only paying for one day, curious to see how much yaupon and tripholiate orange he can clear in a day. It is expensive but with the cost to own and maintain a skidsteer I can understand why.

For the wild orange, better go after him and spray the stumps with remedy diesel mix or you will have the same problem again.

[CastAndBlast]

I did that in college. Would never do again. You will be shocked how long an acre takes you.

If budget was an issue, I would either be trading something, or I would seriously consider a controlled burn.

[yotethumper]

For the wild orange, better go after him and spray the stumps with remedy diesel mix or you will have the same problem again.

Yup, I am hack and squirting all of it three weeks before he clears. I am also going in behind him and hitting the stumps again just for good measure.

[KDinTX]

This story has a happy ending. Turns out the guy down the road has a land clearing business. He will bring a skidsteer with a brush cutter to my place May 4th. I am only paying for one day, curious to see how much yaupon and tripholiate orange he can clear in a day. It is expensive but with the cost to own and maintain a skidsteer I can understand why.

A bunch, buddy has one on a skid steer, that thing will cut, and shred anything 4 inches and under as fast as it can drive forwards with a 72" cut. makes clearing lanes fast and easy.

[kingranch]

Rent a Billy goat mower they are awesome and self propelled
You will get some exercise but should be able to do alot of damage in a weekend.
I used to cut all our senderos at the 100acre place using one

[Steel185]

my friend has 100ac in the Hill country south of Junction. He says he is a Cedar farmer, all he does every weekend is cut cedar, drag it to a pile, and burn when it rains. He uses that weedeater with a circular saw blade, it helps, but its taken him most weekends and almost a year to clear 4-5 acres.

On my 25ac i used a chainsaw and it was about similar speed. It took me about 32 labor hours of chainsawing with my 6yr help dragging, to clear 180 yard path about 7 feet side through the cedar.

If you are able to burning would be the way to go, see if the local fire department needs training they can use your land for burning and fighting fires?

30ac of thick stuff will take a lot of time and or $. if you go too slow, the first part will have grown back by the time you got to the back.

Tractor bush hogs are rated at 1", 2", and 3" diameters for cutting saplings and brush. lots of descriptions of "if the tractor can get over it, the mower will cut it". I hear you on areas might be dangerous, but if you can mow down 80% of it, then clear the rest by hand, or pay someone. You will thank yourself.

[J Wales]

With some of the numbers discussed above in mind for the amount of time you would spend, you would be much better off to work a little extra overtime and rent a skid steer with a mulching head and grubber, and you would probably save a bunch of time and money in the end. I bet you'd spend as much on chainsaw blades, fuel and bar oil to clear 1 acre by hand as you would to rent a skid steer with attachments for a weekend.

We have done some cedar clearing with a skid steer and can generally clear and rake about 1 acre per day.

[35remington]

I learned a lot from this thread. Mainly that I need to go back to work and make more money so I can afford skid steers! Thank y'all!