Land Clearing With Your Tractor
TractorByNet members have cleared thousands of fields and plots of land, giving them a wealth of knowledge about what to do and what not to do. We’ve compiled a list of helpful land clearing tips and tricks for tractor owners.
Before you take action…
Consult all parties involved before you start to ensure you know what you want the end result to be. It’s a good idea to take a step back and plan before you hit the ground with your equipment. Land clearing can be a multi-day job or a few hours with one tool.
Field Clearing or Land Clearing?
To summarize, the terms field clearing and land clearing are largely interchangeable. The term field clearing simply indicates that the cleared land will be turned into a field or open area. Technically, field clearing and land clearing are synonymous, so you can’t have one without the other.
Land Clearing, Step By Step
The typical process of clearing land or fields can be broken down into the following stages. If your plans include extensive earth moving, you may need the services of a bulldozer. A professional job, seeded and finished by tonyoz, is one of the most important stages in the process.
Chainsaw
Keep in mind that stumps will remain and will need to be dug out or ground down if you need a clean layer of topsoil for the next layer of soil if your tractor/equipment is unable to safely fell them.
Bulldozer
The John Deere 650J LGP dozer weighs around 20,000 pounds, and most TractorByNet members agree that a small dozer might not be the right tool for the job when clearing land.
Mulcher
A mulcher (or subsoiler) is a professional tool that can chop and destroy almost any ground cover your field can throw at it. Smaller mulchers can be powered by 50 horsepower tractors with a 3-point hitch and PTO, but they’re more commonly seen on skid-loaders.
Backhoe or Excavator
Excavators are capable of digging out stumps, trenches, culverts, and holes, as well as digging around large, embedded objects such as rocks. Excavators are equipped with mulchers, grinders, and grapple buckets to handle a variety of tasks.
Front Loader
A front-end dozer can rip and push a tree just as well as a front-end loader, but it’s not the most efficient tool for clearing land. A dozer’s strength allows it to rake and push faster than a front-end loader.
Rotary Cutter
Utility tractors can handle rotary cutters that can chop up to 2u2033, which is ideal for clearing fields with hay, grass, and shrubs that are less than the thickness your rotary cutter is rated for. Keep in mind, however, that your tractor’s capacity to handle what you throw at it.
Box Scraper (aka Box Blade)
The teeth are useful for ripping roots as well as scraping and filling dirt.
Blade
When it comes to land clearing, a 3-point hitch mounted blade is extremely versatile: you can push, pull, dig, cut trenches, and even apply a decent finish layer if you’re skilled with the blade. It may be difficult to decide whether to use the box scraper or rear blade for the majority of your clearing work.
Field Cultivator
A field cultivator, depending on the conditions, can penetrate 6-12u2033 and help clear some of the ground cover, roots, and messy stuff that the rotary cutter can’t get to and the loader takes a long time with.
Disc
A 3-point disc is an excellent soil shaping tool because it breaks up hard, compacted soil and prepares it for planting.
Landscape Rake
When it comes to land clearing, the rake is a multi-purpose tool that can be used to gather brush and debris in very light land clearing jobs, as well as raking rocks and debris off a dirt surface. Power rakes are also available, but they’re expensive (and awesome).
Bucket Rake
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4-in-1 Bucket
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Grapple Bucket
A grapple bucket is ideal for grabbing brush and debris while cleaning up a field. [/double_paragraph][double_paragraph] [/double_paragraph] [/row]
Top-N-Tilt Kit (aka TNT)
A TNT will allow you to angle and tilt your 3-point hitch blade, rake, or scraper for better cutting, scraping, and filling abilities. This is on most tractor owners’ wish lists, so perhaps a clearing project is the perfect time to upgrade?
Tips For Land Clearing
Land clearing is one of the more dangerous jobs for a do-it-yourselfer because there are falling trees, debris, heavy equipment, and a lot of variables. If it’s your first time (or a routine job for you), you’ll want to make sure you have a safety plan in place for your project, which includes everything from equipment operation (read manuals), communication (cell phone, walkie-talkie), and a safety plan for your project.
Can you use a tractor to clear land?
Yes, a tractor can clear land. Whether you’re a first-time landowner or looking to improve your current property, knowing how to clear land with a tractor is a valuable skill to have. If you have the time, energy, and tools, DIY land clearing is the way to go.
What equipment is best for clearing land?
Large Land Clearing Machines
- Mowers and Mulchers. These machines are used for a variety of landscaping and clearing jobs.
- Stump Grinders. If you have a lot of trees to clear, you’ll need a stump grinder.
- Bulldozers. Most jobs will require some level of bulldozing.
What is the best way to clear heavy brush?
Clear out larger plantsu2014brush and trees with a diameter of about 1 1/2″ to 3 1/2″u2014with a bow saw or chain saw, dragging brush out of the way and into a pile as you go.
Should underbrush be cleared?
Undergrowth or underbrush refers to the bushes, shrubs, and small trees that grow beneath large trees and should be cleared on a regular basis if you’re planning to sell your home. It’s that first impression that will turn a buyer off or excite a buyer.
How do you clear land without a tractor?
Land-Clearing Equipment
- A chainsaw with multiple chains. a hatchet. an axe. a weedwacker. a pair of loppers
Can a tractor pull out tree stumps?
You can add a powerful backhoe attachment to both John Deere utility tractors and compact utility tractors to remove large tree stumps. The backhoe won’t do everything for you; you’ll still need a shovel, an ax, and a chainsaw u2014 but you’ll save hours digging around that stump if you let the tractor do the work.
What size tractor do I need for 10 acres?
If you have ten acres and/or moderate chores, a compact tractor with 30u201360 horsepower is a good fit for mowing ten acres and managing moderate chores, as the higher horsepower and torque reserve allow you to power larger and heavier implements and attachments.
How much land can a bulldozer clear in a day?
A bulldozer can clear up to 3 acres per day on average, and up to 5 acres on rare occasions, equating to 0.375 acres of work per hour (slightly more than a quarter of an acre) if the bulldozer is operating 8 hours per day.
How do you get rid of roots after clearing land?
One method is to cut the tree down to a 3-foot (under a meter) stump and then use a dozer to push the stump out of the ground, removing the roots from the ground and preventing the tree from regrowing.
What is underbrush clearing?
Underbrush clearing is a less intensive version of land clearing that involves mowing and hydro-axing to carefully remove brush rather than scraping the land down to the bare dirt underneath it.
How do I stop my underbrush from growing back?
Apply a broadleaf herbicide directly to the weeds, avoiding spraying the herbicide on plants you want to keep. Use the herbicide on a sunny, windless day to ensure that only the weeds are killed, and use it at least a week before clearing the underbrush.
How do you clear a wooded area?
Learn How to Clear a Wooded Backyard in a Few Simple Steps
- Check your local laws.
- Step 1: Examine your property.
- Step 2: Make a brush suppression plan.
- Step 3: Collect your profits.
- Step 4: Cut down the trees.
- Brush Cutter.
- Step 5: Remove the bushes.
- Step 6: Remove the weeds.