Rough cut / brush mower???

[Bruce Volden]

Anyone here have one they really like and use a lot? I have a need for one and want a "walk behind" model. I know DR has them as does Swisher but can anyone recommend these or any type of others. I do not have a pto to drive a commercial type, so am limited to a walk behind. We have tens of thousands of 1 1/2" trees to pulverize so as to reclaim some meadow land, as well as very thick underbrush, weeds........ We're just about finished removing about 500 acres of woven wire, barbed wire, electric wire etc from our 13+ acres

Bruce

[Matt Meiser]

I'd think about finding someone to do it once for you before doing that much by hand. It takes me a few hours to do around 7 acres with a 5' brush hog and that's just weeds and very small brush. Or find a tractor to rent.

[Pat Germain]

I think Matt is on to something there. My brother has ten acres in rural Oklahoma. When he first bought the property, most of it was overgrown with large weeds and small trees. He borrowed a friend's tractor and brush hog to knock everything down the first time. Now he can maintain most of it with a John Deere riding mower.

EDIT: Come to think of it, my brother rented the tractor and brush hog. He borrowed a friend's truck to tow it.

You can rent such a tractor and brush hog and such a setup is trailerable.

[Tom Winship]

There are several companies around College Station who clear land using a horizontal hydraulically driven, front mounted grinder on a track loader body. (Kind of like a reel type mower except about 3' in dia. and it will move up and down). They are very popular for clearing brush as you describe. They are expensive ($100 per hour and up) but can do a lot of work in a rew hours.
I tried to find the name of the vehicle (I think it was a Case) but couldn't find anything on the web.

[Tom Winship]

Look at this link (brush beetle)

http://www.southtexasbrushbeetle.com/452.html

[Jim Becker]

I'm with Matt...contract this out or do a rental on a tractor with a "brush hog" type cutter. Walk behind would be a thankless job for that much acreage.

[Tom Winship]

[Ben Franz]

I bought a used DR with a dual blade mower deck to keep weeds down. The brush cutter deck would be more in line with your needs but I agree with others that you need more serious equipment for this job. DR is okay but overpriced IMO (someone has to pay for all that advertising) and the spare parts are VERY expensive.

[David Weaver]

What do 1 1/2" diameter stumps cut off and dried do to tractor tires. I've brush hogged land like that, but I don't remember having that many small trees - mostly larger weeds that didn't leave hard stumps.

Are they a potential problem for something smaller mowing the acreage later?

[Greg Portland]

The brush beetle style machine is the best way to go. I have been involved in clearing extremely large brier patches and small trees for the local parks & rec. We have used walk-behind brush mowers, front end loaders, and line trimmers fitted with blades. The front end loader does an OK job except it takes awhile to get the stumps. For large jobs they will bring in the brush beetle and it literally mulches everything into the dirt. You will not need to worry about stumps & tire punctures after using this machine.

[Brad Wood]

I hired a guy to come out and clear about a half acre of alder saplings. Averaged about 1.5" diameter trunks. He had a Bobcat with a rotary attachment "Brushcat" and took those things out in short order.

I also cleared about a half acre of brush, a bunch of mixed stuff, nothing over maybe 3/4" think (if that). It was a walk behind and was called Billy Goat I think. I really don't know who makes it. I rented it, and it did a great job. I cannot imaging the work it would have taken to get all those alder saplings taken down.

I have to echo what others have said. For the hour or so it will take a pro with the proper equipment to do the work, it is well worth the fee.
The twigs/scrag left behind was nothing my riding lawn mower couldn't drive over and I've maintained that area with the mower ever since.

Always happy to help someone come up with all the great reasons to buy a new power tool, but "tens of thousands of 1 1/2" trees to pulverize" is certainly not something I'd try with a walk behind unit. If there ever was a time where "more power" rings true, this is it.

[Bruce Volden]

And this is exactly why one would come to the "creek". So many of you have been there done that, far be it for me to re-invent the wheel!!! I truly appreciate all the replies this thread has received and am definately gonna "farm it out". Thanks again!

Bruce

[Matt Meiser]

The company that owns the electrical transmission lines at the back of my property used something like the Bobcat attachment pictured above to clear the right of way last year. They moved through pretty quick. Unfortunately, it just spread the autumn olive and they are heavier than before back there--exactly the opposite of what they intended.