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Posted: 7/19/2014 6:57:37 AM EDT
[#1]
Once you have a trail/path made, just drive over it a lot. Take your riding lawnmower on "road trips" out back. Or make it wide and smooth enough to drive cars on.
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Posted: 7/19/2014 7:02:42 AM EDT
[#2]
See above, also cattle do a good jub too.
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Posted: 7/19/2014 7:14:30 AM EDT
[#3]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
See above, also cattle do a good job too. An honest question: What about goats? |
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Posted: 7/19/2014 8:19:12 AM EDT
[#4]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
An honest question: What about goats? Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
See above, also cattle do a good job too. An honest question: What about goats? We used goats on chains to clear some really nasty trails. We did lose one to strangulation though, jumped or fell off a wall and got his chain tangled. 
Forgot this. Water and frequent visits are key. This all assumes you don't have a problem with predators such as roving packs of dogs, naturally. 
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Posted: 7/19/2014 11:41:27 AM EDT
[#5]
Find a neighboring farmer with a brush hog and have him clear the trails. Then mow them every couple of weeks with your rider.
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Posted: 7/19/2014 12:08:46 PM EDT
[#6]
Actually thats a great idea on the goats. Never even considered livestock. They are fairly inexpensive. And other than watering I guess they would maintain themselves.
Would a goat raised this way be worth slaughtering in a year or two, or would they be merely pets at that point? I have considered the riding mower part, but I dont want to have to mow it everytime I mow my yard. Wanting to make it a semi-permanent trail, with maybe just upkeep once or twice a year vs every other week. |
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Posted: 7/19/2014 12:47:10 PM EDT
[#7]
If you use a riding mower, be prepared to replace the flimsy OEM blades with the thicker 'gator' type blades. I went through two or three sets of blades before I figured that out. 
The gators won't turn your mower into a bush-hog, but they will let you cut slightly heavier stuff without bending blades. |
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Posted: 7/19/2014 12:48:08 PM EDT
[#8]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Wanting to make it a semi-permanent trail, with maybe just upkeep once or twice a year vs every other week. What you want is a bush-hog, then. |
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Posted: 7/19/2014 1:59:34 PM EDT
[#9]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
What you want is a bush-hog, then. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Wanting to make it a semi-permanent trail, with maybe just upkeep once or twice a year vs every other week. What you want is a bush-hog, then. See that is where the problem lies. I need something inexpensive at the moment. A bush hog attachment needs a tractor, or ATV of some sort. And a stand alone unit is quite a bit of money. We just purchased this house and alot of money went into closing, and fixing up other stuff. The back land area is least on my mind as far as spending money at the moment. Cant justify spending multiple thousands for that. |
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Posted: 7/19/2014 2:15:27 PM EDT
[#10]
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Posted: 7/19/2014 2:52:30 PM EDT
[#11]
Chainsaw the larger brush and Roundup the rest...Tordon on the stumps of what you chainsawed.
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Posted: 7/19/2014 3:19:16 PM EDT
[#12]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Actually thats a great idea on the goats. Never even considered livestock. They are fairly inexpensive. And other than watering I guess they would maintain themselves. Would a goat raised this way be worth slaughtering in a year or two, or would they be merely pets at that point? I have considered the riding mower part, but I dont want to have to mow it everytime I mow my yard. Wanting to make it a semi-permanent trail, with maybe just upkeep once or twice a year vs every other week. Goats will do the job for you but they will very definitely be more work than using an engine to clear a trail with strategic application of herbicide. Both approaches are viable depending on your goals, but it would be a mistake to use goats if your goal is cheapest and with the least work. 
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Posted: 7/19/2014 4:06:50 PM EDT
[#13]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
We just purchased this house and alot of money went into closing, and fixing up other stuff. The back land area is least on my mind as far as spending money at the moment. Cant justify spending multiple thousands for that. For what it's worth, you can bush-hog stuff that's been left to grow into a dense brushy area for a few years. It will be a pain in the neck the first time you go through it, but a bush-hog on a decent sized utility tractor will hack through 2" saplings without too much problem. Go slow, be careful, and be on the lookout for stumps, old spools of wire, etc. You'll also likely find some yellow jacket nests along the way, so if you have the choice don't wait until the end of a summer to mow! Their nests are smaller and less aggressive earlier in the year. Once you get it cleared-off the first time it will be much easier to mow. I wouldn't worry too much about letting it go for a year or two unless it already looks like Vietnam. Use your first year or two to walk your property and mark any potential landmines for future bush-hogging. |
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Posted: 7/19/2014 6:23:53 PM EDT
[#14]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
See that is where the problem lies. I need something inexpensive at the moment. A bush hog attachment needs a tractor, or ATV of some sort. And a stand alone unit is quite a bit of money. We just purchased this house and alot of money went into closing, and fixing up other stuff. The back land area is least on my mind as far as spending money at the moment. Cant justify spending multiple thousands for that. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Wanting to make it a semi-permanent trail, with maybe just upkeep once or twice a year vs every other week. What you want is a bush-hog, then. See that is where the problem lies. I need something inexpensive at the moment. A bush hog attachment needs a tractor, or ATV of some sort. And a stand alone unit is quite a bit of money. We just purchased this house and alot of money went into closing, and fixing up other stuff. The back land area is least on my mind as far as spending money at the moment. Cant justify spending multiple thousands for that. Where in AL? Have tractor with bushhog, will travel. I'm about 10 miles north of the border. Good luck! |
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Posted: 7/20/2014 7:41:47 AM EDT
[#15]
find a neighbor with a brush hog and pay him to do it once or twice until you recover from buying the property, you get to know your neighbors and will find out about local things from him, also he may have a timber man that will buy your timber, the timber men are pirates so be aware of this when dealing with them, get multiple bids on the harvesting, the other thing you can do is get a tractor and log the property yourself pile up the logs and take bids on the log piles.
alex |
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Posted: 7/20/2014 8:44:46 AM EDT
[#16]
If you are serious about doing it on the cheap get a decent axe and a sling blade like this one. If you don't already have one, get a good hand file and learn to sharpen them.
When I first bought my property I was in the same boat. I did a lot of work with an axe and sling blade. When you are able you can upgrade to power tools. My sling blade is pretty rusty these days
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Posted: 7/20/2014 9:53:50 AM EDT
[#17]
Be sure to find out the development plan for the timber. While I don't really know much about it, I know that initial planting is VERY dense so that the trees will grow tall and straight with minimal limbs. Then after some amount of time (NO idea what) they come and thin it down by 50-75 percent, something like that. Not sure if that thinning is worth any real money or not. Then the tall, straight, limbless trees have much less competition and will start to fatten up and bush out at top where most of the active growth is. Maybe that first thinning is the 10-15 year time frame that the previous owner was talking about, maybe you need to do a thinning well before that, I do not know.
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Posted: 7/20/2014 11:28:01 AM EDT
[#18]
Quoted:
So the wife and I just closed on our house with a few acres out in the country. The house sits in about 1/2 an acre that's mowed and kept up. Behind that though is over 2100 pines trees ( I know the exact number cause the previous owner planted that amount 5 years prior in this area) . I want to keep the pine trees obvsiusly, as deer was spotted on this area. But the brush and weeds and other stuff grown up in it is getting out of control and you can't even walk amongst the trees. Just an overgrown mess. I guess there isn't much to do for the most part, but there is a small path that's overgrown off to one side I would like to keep cleared out, as there is a green plot behind all of this. So my question is how would I cheaply keep this path cleared and in walking condition? Only equipment I have is a standard consumer grade riding law mower. Also, previous owner told me in about 10 years I could contact someone and sell off ALOT of the pine trees and make quit a tidy sum of cash. Anyone know what the going rate is for mature pine trees? Just like to have an idea. Time will clear out the underbrush as the trees age, achieve crown closure, and shade everything else out. Until then your options are herbicide and brush clearing tools like bush hooks, machetes, saws, etc. Just a fact of nature, premerch stands are THICK. And you're not going to get a tidy sum for selling about 4 acres worth of pulpwood, you're going to have serious trouble finding anyone to pay you ANYTHING for 4 acres worth of timber. Maybe when they get to be big logs, but even then you're going to take a hit on price due to small total volume. |
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Posted: 7/21/2014 12:16:07 AM EDT
[#19]
If you wish to get rid of the woody brush Arsenal is your friend.
Talk to the local county or district forester, have a helicopter treat it for a couple hundred bucks. And the deer are likely there as they eat hardwood leaves and brush and use it as cover. |
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Posted: 7/21/2014 1:25:56 AM EDT
[#20]
Thanks for the info all...gives me some planning and thinking to do,
Think I will see who around me may have a bush hog. That or bribe a buddy with food and beer one evening. Have the wife tell his wife we are a having a cookout so she gets involved and then have him drag along his power equipment. |
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Posted: 7/21/2014 1:26:45 AM EDT
[#21]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Where in AL? Have tractor with bushhog, will travel. I'm about 10 miles north of the border. Good luck! Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Wanting to make it a semi-permanent trail, with maybe just upkeep once or twice a year vs every other week. What you want is a bush-hog, then. See that is where the problem lies. I need something inexpensive at the moment. A bush hog attachment needs a tractor, or ATV of some sort. And a stand alone unit is quite a bit of money. We just purchased this house and alot of money went into closing, and fixing up other stuff. The back land area is least on my mind as far as spending money at the moment. Cant justify spending multiple thousands for that. Where in AL? Have tractor with bushhog, will travel. I'm about 10 miles north of the border. Good luck! I appreciate the offer, but will wait and see if I can find a neighbor around here. I'm in Somerville, right outside Decatur. |
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Posted: 7/21/2014 9:29:53 AM EDT
[#22]
Ouch! A little further than I thought at just under 50 miles. Oh well, good luck!
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Posted: 7/21/2014 2:47:34 PM EDT
[#23]
Why buy when you can rent. If you have a farm or homestead exemption you can write it off. Goats and cattle will clear it. If you are really cash strapped get a sturdy machete and get to swinging, Slingblade for everything small like brambles ect. You can get a box blade on a ATV or even a small box blade on the riding mower and drag that around too. I do not know how much clearing it will do but it will help. Any repetative driving will keep it down.
Spraying will clear the area of deer. The clear-cuts at my camp were sprayed and where there was once heavy activity there is zero. |
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Posted: 7/21/2014 4:06:21 PM EDT
[#24]
Not sure your budget, but as fas mentions above, you can generally rent a tractor w/ brush hog for $150ish/day depending on your area.
You could also look at Swisher Rough Cut mowers that you pull behind an atv or riding lawn mower. link They generally run $1500 or so new, but I've seen them used for $750. DR also makes a rough cut mower, but it's a self-powered walk behind for $2k. link I only paid about $3k for my first tractor, a 25 year old Long 40 hp 2wd w/ FEL and brush hog. I beat the hell out of it and had it for 4 years until it spun a bearing. I got more than my moneys worth out of it. I sold it for $750 - roughly the value of the FEL and I kept the brush hog to use on my newer tractor. |
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Posted: 7/21/2014 4:44:17 PM EDT
[#25]
I'd start with a machete. But... I like machetes.
Don't forget to read the fine print in your deed / taxes. My father has a plot of trees and gets a tax break in return for keeping it forest / growing trees as a crop for 100 years. Know all the ins and outs before cutting for harvest. Get a forestry service to do it for you. You could make a lot of money or it could be not worth it.... What KIND of pine trees are they?
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Posted: 7/21/2014 5:24:49 PM EDT
[#26]
I would also contact the county ag department or the state department of wildlife, natural resources, etc. Maybe someone can do a walk through with you and recommend what to do to keep the land as a "multi use" so to speak. Clearing some, leaving bedding areas, making some bedding ares for wildlife, some planting for veggies, etc.
Just a thought. |
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Posted: 7/21/2014 11:39:33 PM EDT
[#27]
I would definitely suggest either getting in contact with the original forester or find a forester in your area that can come in and walk through it with you and assist in planning the cuts.
Last year a forester and I walked my property and we decided to cut 12-15 acres of overgrown pine, I was a little worried about how it would look and the forester said it would be hard to get someone onto my property to just cut half of it becuase the money just isn't really there. I decided to cut the whole thing and it looks great now, there was a lot more hardwood in there then you noticed at first and it will be a great wildlife/sivilpasture once we get there. I am going to start planting fruit and nut trees back there to assist the wildlife as well. |
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Posted: 8/5/2014 3:12:15 AM EDT
[#28]
I would recommend a brush hog to clear the path. I had this small section behind my house that I just cleared with my father's old DR walk behind brush hog, and it worked out well.
And then if you really want to bring it down to dirt: 
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Posted: 8/6/2014 4:31:52 PM EDT
[#29]
I would recommend you go the brush hog route as well, like a lot of others have suggested, which will clean it up enough so you can maintain with your mower...As far as a hefty sum of money goes?? Not sure what timber brings in your're area but this past winter I had close to 50 acres of pine chipped out (old christmas tree plantation that was planted about 800 seedlings per acre. I would say that only 1/4 of them were ever harvested). the trees were close to 18 years old and because they were planted so close together, were killing each other off. So because of that and the fact I wanted some hay/pasture land, I clear cut them...55$ per semi load, 48ft van trailer full..yes ,not 55$ per ton but 55$ per trailer load. I realize it was chips and not logs but I dont think saw logs or even full length for log homes bring much more depending on the market
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Posted: 9/17/2014 9:31:35 PM EDT
[#30]
Chain saw the larger stuff. If you have a quad? Or just use the riding mower with the deck up and blades disengaged . Just run the trails with it. You could make up a cheap drag to speed up the process and keep the center knocked down.
A cheap option to no quad is finding a used gas golf cart. They stand up to some serious nonsense even on the stock turf tires they will go places you wouldn't believe lol PSA avoid river crossings . They dont like that so much 
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Posted: 9/22/2014 12:10:16 AM EDT
[#31]
Ditch Bank Blade or Brush Hook is also handy.
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Posted: 9/23/2014 7:22:24 PM EDT
[#32]
http://www.beyondpesticides.org/weeds/publications/Goat_weed_management.pdf
Use goats, then eat the extra's.  Seen it done, The more there are it amps up how much they eat.
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Posted: 9/26/2014 10:53:46 PM EDT
[#33]
You are making this way too complicated. Live stock is nice but very likely much more work than you are wanting. Figure out where you want your trail to go and chop/machete anything too thick or woody that your mower wont push through. Next, if the weeds are too thick to cut with the mower deck (you might be surprised what you can mow down), take the mower deck off and just push through with the mower, breaking in a trail. The first push through will be the hardest but then its going to get easier and faster as you make several more passes. Presto, you now have a trail. The more you use it or run the mower on it, the nicer it gets. Its easier with a 4 wheeler but a riding mower can do it if the vegetation is just weeds, not saplings. Then post pics. :)
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Posted: 9/28/2014 12:53:14 AM EDT
[#34]
Hire someone with one of these:
minimum charge is usually about $800 where I am at. |
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