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Jim Becker
03-11-2007, 10:35 PM
Despite the desire to be in the shop, the sun and relatively temperate weather today was cause to get the "final" homeowner site prep task done prior to our home addition project getting started...moving a 20' dogwood tree. I already reluctantly sacrificed a much larger flowering "some kind of ornamental fruit" tree to the chainsaw, but really wanted to save this mature (and healthy) dogwood. The larger tree would have cost over a grand to have professionally moved and it just wasn't money I wanted to spend. The smaller dogwood at least had a chance to be moved...by me...and my little orange power tool.

Early in the winter, I trenched around the tree with the backhoe to allow it to get used to a smaller root ball as it moved into dormancy...well, I guess there was no dormancy this winter, but you know what my intention was, at least. The tree remained healthy and actually has many buds for flowering this spring.

I unfortunately didn't get pictures of "the extraction", but it consisted of re-trenching with the backhoe and removing earth to have a ramp down to the level below the bottom of the root ball, moving it around with the tractor a little to get any "uninvolved" earth off to save weight, maneuvering the tree onto the carry-all, removing the backhoe from the machine, reinstalling the 3-pt hardware and then hooking up to the carry-all already holding "the burden". That last step happened twice as I forgot to fill the bucket with stone the first time and it was "wheelie city". Honestly, this tree was pushing the outer limits of what the tractor could handle...and that 3-pt can lift 1000 lbs. by spec. Without about 400 lbs of stone in the bucket, the balance was way off, however.

At that point, I remembered the need for pictures and had Professor Dr. SWMBO follow along, both to witness my death along the way, and to help a little if I made it to the nice hole I already dug to receive the tree. I started down the "old" driveway first (the shorter route), but Dr. SWMBO kindly pointed out that the electric, telephone and cable wires might object to the tree trying to move them :eek: ...so I, um, turned around. ;) (Yes, I do do what the LOML says to do...) In the picture, I'm already headed back to go around the "long way"...the tree came out of that dirt area on the right. (The white dots kinda show how tall this thing is)

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Pleasantly, the drive wasn't too bad and I made it to the front lawn with the tractor still upright. :p (I'm being humorous here...I didn't feel unsafe or unstable as the center of gravity was very low both front and back)

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Once at the hole, it was time to do a little magic and get the tree off the carry-all and into the hole. Gravity was the tool of choice. :D

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Of course, untying it first helps...with supervision...:)

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From that point, the tree was in the hole, but it was necessary to rotate the tree a little for "best presentation" (it took two of us to do this and at the bitter end, I exerted a little anti-gravity with the bucket to make the spin go easier) and then back fill the hole. A little later, a nice big drink in the big orange diesel powered cup arrived.

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Hopefully, this tree will remain happy (and alive) in its new home! And thank you to the folks at Kubota who put a lot of gumption in the BX series of sub-compact tractors. Some of the jobs I've tackled with this in the last year have been way more than I ever thought it would handle...

Bruce Page
03-11-2007, 10:47 PM
Jim, do ya leave those Christmas lights on all year long? :p
That Kubota looks like a handy tool to have around!

Von Bickley
03-11-2007, 10:48 PM
Jim,

You gotta love that Kubota.... We have the 34 HP Kubota & front end loader and it is a real work horse. We have really pushed ours over the limits.

One tough tractor...:) :) :)

Karl Laustrup
03-12-2007, 7:09 AM
Nice job Jim. I see daughter #2 has orange on, what happend to LOYL. Pink really clashes with the orange. ;) :D

Stll gonna be a while before I get to do anything outside, although the snow should be gone by the end of the this week.

As you were away for your B-Day, I trust you celebrated and didn't just work all weekend? :D

Karl

Chris Barton
03-12-2007, 7:27 AM
Funny you post this now Jim. I was at my mountain top property this past Friday and came to the conclusion that it's time for me to pull the trigger on a tractor and I thought about all the positive posts you and others here have put up about the small Kubotas. I stoped by the Kubota dealership in the spraling metropolis of Viola, TN and got a quote on a Bx1850 with belly blade, front loader, box blade, landscape rake and backhoe. Stay tuned for future gloat...

Fred Voorhees
03-12-2007, 7:52 AM
Hopefully, this tree will remain happy (and alive) in its new home! And thank you to the folks at Kubota who put a lot of gumption in the BX series of sub-compact tractors. Some of the jobs I've tackled with this in the last year have been way more than I ever thought it would handle...

You mean like towing wayward Dodge pickups out of the mud?:eek:

John Miliunas
03-12-2007, 9:08 AM
You mean like towing wayward Dodge pickups out of the mud?:eek:

Ahem...And how might we have ended up with said Mopar pick'em up in the mud???? Hmmmmmmmmmmmm???? :confused: :D

Nice job, Jim! Now, if I could just export a bunch of crows to you to roost in that tree, all would be good! :D :cool:

Jim Becker
03-12-2007, 9:28 AM
You mean like towing wayward Dodge pickups out of the mud?
Yea, some folks just need to think about 4wd for their "next" truck...LOL! Especially when a 23hp diesel tractor with 4wd can pull said Mopar out of the mud. Think what a few hundred HP could do with traction! ;)

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Chris, if you can swing it, go to the 23xx/24xx machine over the BX18xx if you can...more weight. I was also unaware you could put a 'hoe on the BS18xx series...definitely not a Kubota product and the machine isn't built for it. I the current version with the 'hoe is the BX24 (http://kubota.com/f/products/bx.cfm). (GREAT machine...much nicer mount for the BH than my older BX22 machine...as well as the curved FEL arms that make visiblity easier.
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John, the crows are welcome, but they will likely go live with their cousins on the farms up the road...a lot more corn to eat!

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Karl, we did the "official" BD celebration on Saturday since I was away on Monday in Miami...my favorite Sushi restaurant followed by cake and "a show" at home.

Keith Outten
03-12-2007, 9:31 AM
Nice job Jim and quite a challenge :)

Art Mulder
03-12-2007, 9:35 AM
Say, Jim, you mentioned trenching around the root ball, but did you also prune the tree? I have a fruit tree I plan to move, and I'm pretty sure I read that I should give it a pretty severe pruning, in order to get the tree to focus on the root development after a move, along with just reducing the amount of tree that the roots need to support.

Jim Becker
03-12-2007, 9:37 AM
Art, a little minor pruning, but this dogwood has been "shaped" for a number of years and there isn't much to remove, if you know what I mean...

Dennis Peacock
03-12-2007, 10:48 AM
do ya leave those Christmas lights on all year long? :p


What? Are you really supposed to take them off? :rolleyes:

Dennis Peacock
03-12-2007, 10:52 AM
Well Jim,

Most excellent documentary there. I enjoyed the read and process. BTW, pretty smart of ya to use "orange" there to teach that tree to follow you to it's new home. Smart tractor ya got there. ;) :D

Scott Brihn
03-12-2007, 3:13 PM
Jim,

Nice project for the property and tractor. Moving a tree that size is no easy task. It looks like the tractor (and a little planning) made a difficult job much more manageable.

Steve Clardy
03-12-2007, 5:25 PM
What? Are you really supposed to take them off? :rolleyes:


Naw. Too much work involved. Ours are still hanging on the front porch;)