Cutting saplings off at ground level..... ideas??

[z24o]

Hi,
I am clearing a 10ac patch of a noxious weed called gorse (Ulex europaeus) which is like a small forest
I am after advice on the best way to cut the stems -up to 3" diameter- off at ground level
I have considered the following and their pit falls:
Pole saw - slow
Pole chainsaw- a bit unwieldy,probably too long to be easily managed,damage by dirt at ground level
Brushcutter - 80 tooth carbide blade,tends to grab if you are even slightly too ambitious (Honda 35)
chainsaw blade Razor Max etc,untested,?blunting quickly? underpowered brushcutter?
Chainsaw- I have a small top handle Shindaiwa,blunting with soil contamination?

Anyone have any other ideas,or comments on mine above?
Thanks in advance

 

[bing]

stihl 180 would be my choice

 

[Raintree]

Look into renting a forestry mulcher & make quick easy work of ten ac.

 

[Jordan3605]

Dont know if your particular trees are similar characteristics of pine, but ive used my Stihl FS 90 AVE with Handlebars and a Cisel tooth Blade and it was UNSTOPABLE

 

[Jordan3605]

stihl 180 would be my choice

Ive tried that with a MS170 and after an hour of non stop cutting and moving will leave you looking on EBAY for a new back

 

[Jefflac02]

Stihl fs130 w 3 prong blade

I am working on cleaning up skidded trails from years ago. I can cut stuff up to 3" with no problems. Anything larger and I use my saw. I have run it for 3 - 4 hrs straight and it keeps humming along. Just keep an eye on the nut and make sure it doesn't work loose. You can tell when it does, because the acceleration is delayed and it makes a whirring sound.

And always wear the harness. You don't want a kickback into your foot.

 

[stltreedr]

I am unfamiliar with this species of noxious plant, but, with that being said most that i know of will increase in stem count if you cut them off. This will multiply your problem by at least 5. My suggestion is to basal spray the plants with herbicide and kill them before going any further. At that point you can cut them or push then over stumps and all.

 

[derwoodii]

Hi,
I am clearing a 10ac patch of a noxious weed called gorse (Ulex europaeus) which is like a small forest
I am after advice on the best way to cut the stems -up to 3" diameter- off at ground level
I have considered the following and their pit falls:
Pole saw - slow
Pole chainsaw- a bit unwieldy,probably too long to be easily managed,damage by dirt at ground level
Brushcutter - 80 tooth carbide blade,tends to grab if you are even slightly too ambitious (Honda 35)
chainsaw blade Razor Max etc,untested,?blunting quickly? underpowered brushcutter?
Chainsaw- I have a small top handle Shindaiwa,blunting with soil contamination?

Anyone have any other ideas,or comments on mine above?
Thanks in advance

welcome to AS sport killing gorse is no easy task might suggest spray to kill 1st then when dead tractor blade or farm dozer down to piles and burn it, Cutting that spiky PITA with saw or hand tool gonna and moving it by hand find you unhappy fast.

if yer ground don't allow machine access poisoned it 1st with Garlon Grazon now till about end Feb then flame thrower brush burner oh yeah not now wait till April May

http://www.woodyweedspecialists.com.au/Portals/18/Images/Common/WeedTechSheets/Gorse.pdf

 

[z24o]

Wooaa,didn't expect so many responses in such a short time,fantastic,thanks guys
the mulching head machine gets my vote,however no-one in my part of the world rents them,they charge between $150 and $250 per hour,secondly my terrain is too steep for a bobcat (I used to drive a Mustang 940 for a living) needs steel tracked machines
My plan is to walk my 7 ton excavator up the hill with an 8' railway iron beam across the bucket to push the foliage (10'+ high,bushy with huge thorns) out the way of the stems/trunks then a friend will cut them as close to the ground and paste them with glyphosate (50/50 water/glyphosate) which for this plant has to be done within 60 seconds of the cut or it seals up,I will then use the excavator thumb to move the cut bush 90 degrees out the way....and on to the next
one
Not the best pic,but it's the dark green patch at the top
View attachment 274822

 

[woodchuck357]

For the cutting tool

I use a backpack shindaiwa to cut out thorny brush. The shaft lets you stay out of the prickleys and saves your back and knees. I use a saw blade instead of the three point one in the pic. It will cut down a 8 inch diameter tree.View attachment 274829

 

[z24o]

I use a backpack shindaiwa to cut out thorny brush. The shaft lets you stay out of the prickleys and saves your back and knees. I use a saw blade instead of the three point one in the pic. It will cut down a 8 inch diameter tree.View attachment 274829

Nice bit of kit,never seen one before,looks ideal I may look into it,cheers

 

[TreeGuyHR]

Wooaa,didn't expect so many responses in such a short time,fantastic,thanks guys
the mulching head machine gets my vote,however no-one in my part of the world rents them,they charge between $150 and $250 per hour,secondly my terrain is too steep for a bobcat (I used to drive a Mustang 940 for a living) needs steel tracked machines
My plan is to walk my 7 ton excavator up the hill with an 8' railway iron beam across the bucket to push the foliage (10'+ high,bushy with huge thorns) out the way of the stems/trunks then a friend will cut them as close to the ground and paste them with glyphosate (50/50 water/glyphosate) which for this plant has to be done within 60 seconds of the cut or it seals up,I will then use the excavator thumb to move the cut bush 90 degrees out the way....and on to the next
one
Not the best pic,but it's the dark green patch at the top
View attachment 274822

I think I can see the gorse patch, but are those blue sheep?!

 

[stltreedr]

Again, I don't know gorse from a hole in the ground, but glyphosate is for sissies. Use the garlon suggested previously at a minimum.

 

[tooold]

Turbo saw....

Turbo Saw - Tree and Brush Cutter and Skid Steer Attachments

 

[z24o]

I use a backpack shindaiwa to cut out thorny brush. The shaft lets you stay out of the prickleys and saves your back and knees. I use a saw blade instead of the three point one in the pic. It will cut down a 8 inch diameter tree.View attachment 274829

Have ordered one of these

NEW MTM Back Pack Brush Cutter Line Trimmer Whipper Snipper Brushcutter Edger | eBay

admittedly it's a "china diner special" but if it pans out to be the tool for the job I can get a better quality one (have seen a Tanaka one for around AU$1100) but at $150 delivered if it lasts a week it will have paid for itself
Now can any of you guys recommend a quality blade,are the ones with the chainsaw teeth around them any good??

Razormax Brushcutter Blade 20 Cutters 9" w 1" Arbor | eBay

I have tried this one

1 Blade Carbide Brush Cutter Trimmer Blade 9" 100T | eBay

on my GX35 brushcutter but the teeth seem to wear quickly (?carbide:msp_sneaky and it stalls easily if you are even the slightest ambitious in the speed of cut,being a large diameter as well it is easy to jam the blade if the angle of cut changes at all
Wondering if a smaller diameter blade would help with both of these issues,or would the lack of centrifugal momentum then be a problem?

Many thanks guys:msp_thumbup:

 

[woodchuck357]

Saw blade should negative rake

Mine has 40 teeth for a 10 inch blade. Neg rake means the leading edge of each tooth has the tip slightly back from the gullet. Having never used the chain saw tooth blade, I can't comment. But the carbide has positive rake and will cause the thing to jump out of your hands if it hits a stump or sappling much larger than an inch in diameter, they are made for really small brush. Also never used the three point blade. It may do a good job.

Over 60 cc motor should make my little 32 cc look like a turtle. Post back how it works.

 

[deepsouth]

Welcome here and good luck with the horrible gorse.

I think it's either a brush cutter blade needed or big machinery.

I would also advise the use of better than glyphosate, and also look at wetting agents as you may find strong concentrations of glyphosate are rejected by the Plants cellular structure.

 

[capetrees]

Hi,
I am clearing a 10ac patch of a noxious weed called gorse (Ulex europaeus) which is like a small forest
I am after advice on the best way to cut the stems -up to 3" diameter- off at ground level
I have considered the following and their pit falls:
Pole saw - slow
Pole chainsaw- a bit unwieldy,probably too long to be easily managed,damage by dirt at ground level
Brushcutter - 80 tooth carbide blade,tends to grab if you are even slightly too ambitious (Honda 35)
chainsaw blade Razor Max etc,untested,?blunting quickly? underpowered brushcutter?
Chainsaw- I have a small top handle Shindaiwa,blunting with soil contamination?

Anyone have any other ideas,or comments on mine above?
Thanks in advance

You've mentioned the costs of renting or hiring outside machinery but whats the budget for this venture? 10 acres by hand is a bxxch. Even if the forestry mulcher head on the bobcat cost $250/hr, how long could it take, 2 days? Thats $4000 on clearing 10 acres. Price it at $1000 per acre and you've made $6000 in profit without getting dirty.

 

[z24o]

You've mentioned the costs of renting or hiring outside machinery but whats the budget for this venture? 10 acres by hand is a bxxch. Even if the forestry mulcher head on the bobcat cost $250/hr, how long could it take, 2 days? Thats $4000 on clearing 10 acres. Price it at $1000 per acre and you've made $6000 in profit without getting dirty.

It does sound tempting,however mulching this nasty stuff down will not actually kill it,it just makes it more accessible to spray....which we want to minimise,and instead of a forest of saplings you get a carpet of new shoots which would be impossible to do anything with but spray,at the sapling stage currently cutting and pasting will kill that plant and i am hoping leaving the dead foliage on top as cover will discourage the seeds from germinating and get all the heat down at ground level for an intense burn later which will kill a lot of the seed bank.....in theory
I will see how a test area goes
Thanks for the replies