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I don't know, I've only got about 10 miles of fence rows that I could clean up with it. smile


"Live like you'll die tomorrow, but manage your grass like you'll live forever."
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Thankfully my neighbor is willing to share a few implements like a back blade, york rake, and a small plow. First I have to purchase the articulating snow plow, which is a bit pricey at $2.5K but if I didn't do that, I would need to purchase a new ATV at about $6K+ with a new plow. My old one is long in the tooth, and frankly, I am tired of dealing with it. It is fun until you get real snow in the 8+ inch range.

The next is a grapple, that was the original purpose of the 3rd function. But dang, they are not cheap! I was picturing one of those two-prongers that mounts on an existing bucket, but I cannot find one that fits. Instead it seems that I need to find a whole new grapple bucket.

What is working through is getting all of the brush into a heap, then mashing it down with the bucket, then repeat. I had a 10' ball of brush I was literally rolling across the front field like a mutant hedgehog. It was kind of fun! Waiting for a wetter weather to burn that up.

Picked up a set of these, simple and handy!
https://r2manufacturing.com/

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Google "Lane Shark". It is a mower/shredder that mounts to your FEL. It can be adjusted to be straight in front of the tractor, to the side, and even 90 degrees from the ground. I use mine set to the side (flat) around the edges of the pond. Turn it 90 degrees (perpendicular to the ground) to trim brush back on our roads, and flat in front to cut brush. It is hydraulic, so I had to run hoses to the front of the FEL to run it. It is advertised to "maintain" and not to "clear brush". The only problems that I have had are some screws backing out of the gear box housing. A little lock tight fixed that. I have seen something similar while driving by another tractor dealership, but not the same lime green color, so there may be other brands of similar products out there. It is my favorite attachment for working around the pond.

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This sure does come in handy. There are times that I wish that it didn't have a solid bucket, but this gets used at least weekly.

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3/4 to 1 1/4 ac pond LMB, SMB, PS, BG, RES, CC, YP, Bardello BG, (RBT & Blue Tilapia - seasonal).
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I keep breaking my new tractor by trying to push brush, slicing off small trees about 2' up, running them over, then trying to back up. The backing up process drives the remaining stump up into the engine compartment. This time I drove one into the fan blade and radiator.

Soo.. now I am looking into adding a brush shield under the front of the tractor to stop this from happening. I have not been able to find one off the shelf, so I need to locate someone with the equipment to fabricate me one that is affordable. There is a front brush grill already attached to the front fender, so thinking adding a new shield onto this mounting point and wrapping under the engine area and then bolting onto accessory points at the foot rest. Not sure what materials to use, and even if to bother painting something that is going to take abuse.

The key is to keep these stumps from popping up after driving over them with the front axil and causing me problems.

Any ideas?

Thanks

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Do you have a front end loader on it?


It's not about the fish. It's about the pond. Take care of the pond and the fish will be fine. PB subscriber since before it was in color.

Without a sense of urgency, Nothing ever gets done.

Boy, if I say "sic em", you'd better look for something to bite. Sam Shelley Rancher and Farmer Muleshoe Texas 1892-1985 RIP
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You will have to carry the "belly pan" a long distance rearward to keep them from popping up and poking something further rearward.

Also, make dang sure that you make it easy to remove. When trash accumulates in it, and things get hot, fire happens. So, you have to clean it out regularly to prevent that. I was at one pond building rodeo where the dozer belly pan caught fire...........

Agree with DD1. If a FEL is on there. cut them off with the bucket, or manipulate the bucket and FEL so you can rip them out of the ground with the blade on the FEL. Stick the blade into them close to the ground. stop but keep forward pressure, rotate bucket up to try and pivot them out of the ground. Repeat as long as required to either cut them off close to the ground or pop them and the roots out.

Last edited by esshup; 11/22/20 01:53 PM.

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3/4 to 1 1/4 ac pond LMB, SMB, PS, BG, RES, CC, YP, Bardello BG, (RBT & Blue Tilapia - seasonal).
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Yes, I have a FEL, and it is my bad as both times I have done this, I thought I popped the stump out, but instead the little jerk went right under the bucket as a remaining 1/4 slice of sheared off stump. A sword of wood that I cannot see until it pops up from under.

As long as I can clear it out a pan with a leaf blower, I am good. Perhaps using that screen steel material so water doesn't sit in the pan when left out and any other crud just drains out. Not to mention it wont weigh a metric ton. I am going to talk to the tractor guys, they are very helpful. From what they claim is they get custom items made for equipment fairly often, and think that what we come up with would be useful for not just me. Apparently they cannot keep these new Bobcat tractors in stock they are selling so well. They expect a lot of service calls like mine since people have been purchasing them for similar use cases. I am a relatively new adopter with this line, so we are all learning.

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I am rough on my tractor when it comes to tearing something off the tractor. I recently lost the side panel motor cover and then drove over it where it was caught in the rear wheel and bent it all to bad. I could go on with other stuff I have done to the tractor. That is why i did not buy a tractor with a cab, because i knew i would have wound up with broken windows all around,


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My entire property is rocky and my John Deere was the first plastic tractor I had ever owned. I tore up a bunch of cowling that has had to be replaced. Now, I slow down and act like I have some sense.


It's not about the fish. It's about the pond. Take care of the pond and the fish will be fine. PB subscriber since before it was in color.

Without a sense of urgency, Nothing ever gets done.

Boy, if I say "sic em", you'd better look for something to bite. Sam Shelley Rancher and Farmer Muleshoe Texas 1892-1985 RIP
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liquidsquid,

There are some cheaper attachments that will help you "grub" out your trees, rather than cutting them.

One is an inexpensive clamp-on called a ratchet rake. (Typically $300-$400 for smaller tractors.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6F-RSXtW60s

They work better than just your FEL bucket edge. Beware, if you are grubbing trees that are too big, you can damage your loader arms! (Likewise, for old stumps or rocks in the ground.)

If you can't justify buying the grapple bucket versus your remaining trees to be cleared, there is another option. Go to a big equipment rental place and rent their skidsteer with a grapple bucket.

In my area, it is only $185/day for the 61HP Bobcat, and $235/day for the 66HP Bobcat. They add $90/day for the grapple rake. The rake style grapple will allow you to shake the dirt off of the trees. The dirt stays where you want it, and there is less dirt in your burn pile.

You will also not believe how much more power at the ground edge a 66HP skidsteer delivers compared to your 40HP(?) tractor. You will get the work done much faster, and will probably save more wear & tear value on your tractor than you pay for the rental.

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Advice for first-time tractor shoppers reading this thread:

My budget still does not justify owning a tractor at this time. However, my area has several "full-service" equipment rental companies.

I can rent a 32HP Kubota at one place, or a 32HP John Deere at another one. Both include the FEL. My places have lots of attachments that you can (slightly) beat up on their nickel. I can rent a brush hog mower, box blade, seeder, or PTO-drive reverse tiller.

I recently rented the JD for $150/day, plus $85/day for a brush hog, plus $25/day for an 18’ trailer. They dinged me 11%(?) for the damage waiver. That all hauls behind a 1/2 ton pickup, unless your truck is really light duty.

I highly recommend that you rent before you buy! You can find out which style transmission is better suited for most of the work you will be performing. Do you need 4WD? Is X HP enough for your application, or do you need to move up to a larger tractor? Is a 5' box blade sufficient to dress out my road, etc.?

These are all good things to know before you finally plunk down your hard-earned money to buy your own tractor!

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With all this tractor talk going on I figure I might as well ask a few questions.
I more or less inhairited a little John Deere 4110 a couple years ago. It has a MMM and using it to mow the yard is the only thing I've used it for. I do have a front loader and snow plow for it but have never used them. I've been thinking about getting a small brush hog and maybe a box blade for it to use over at my property where my pond is. I was wondering if anyone has any experience with a 4110 or similar using a box blade and brush hog? Also wondering how big of a pain in the butt is it to take the MMM off and on so I can use it for these things? With it only being 20 hp, I'm not sure how much work it can do, and would hate to buy stuff and it not be worth it.


Bob


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Bob, I am not a tractor expert, but I do have lots of different "terrain" and "cover" that I take care of on our 300 acre farm.

I think your JD 4110 probably has MFWD (Mechanical Front Wheel Drive). That give you some "half-a**" 4WD which actually helps a 20HP do a fair bit more work.

If your property with the pond is flat, smooth, and manicured like a yard, then you can mow with your MMM. If it is rougher terrain, OR if you are cutting small trees or nasty vines, then a brush hog type mower is the way to go. (I believe the modern brush hog mowers are made to be matched to the tractor's HP at the PTO.) I have seen 4' brush hogs that require a minimum of 15HP at the PTO. The JD specs say you have 17HP at the PTO.

That little brush hog can only cut brush up to 1". If you have a grass field full of little cedar trees or pines, you could run it all day. If you are cutting 1" hardwoods all day, you will probably wear out that brush hog a little early.

You would also be amazed out how easily you can grade or dress slopes (or even do light ripping) with a box blade. Go look at some of the videos on youtube and see if you have enough of that kind of work to justify buying a box blade.

I have never switched out a MMM, so I don't know how much time that would take you. Hope the rest of my comments help you.

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Thanks Fishinrod, it is 4wd and is probably the MFWD. My 23 acres where my pond is, is pretty rough. It was pretty much all wooded and we had maybe 3 or 4 acres cleared a few years ago but had no finish grading done. The ground is rough and rocky with some grass, weeds, blackberry and small saplings so it definitely needs a brush hog. I hope to do a lot of leveling and move the road when we build so I didn't want to do too much until then but I guess I'm going to have to do some before then. I also have about a 1/4 mile of gravel road that needs grading.


Bob


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It sounds like you definitely need to brush hog the 3-4 acres that were cleared, or they will revert back to forest.

The trade-off is always that a job with smaller equipment takes more time.

If the previous owner took care of the tractor, then you have a good start!

P.S.
Some invasive plants/trees are not harmed by mowing and you need to use herbicides. I don't have blackberry, but a farmer near me does. I have heard him complain about fighting it.

My worst problem is honey locust, which re-sprouts and spreads after mowing. I visit the Noxious Weed Dept. in our county 1-2 times/year. They can advise which herbicide is best suited for which problem, and they sell it at cost if you own land in the county. Your county probably has a similar department.

[A few of the herbicides will kill fish in very tiny quantities, so also check with the experts before applying those in your pond watershed, or your neighbors.]

Good luck on all of your projects!

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Thanks Fishinrod, the previous owner was my father in law and he took great care of it. He didn't use it much, I think he mostly used it to plow snow around his house in the winter. I think it only has a few hundred hours. I'll have to check it, it has been a while since I looked at the hours.
I have honeysuckle as my worst invasion, it is everywhere around here.


Bob


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Honey Locust? I have them along a property line. They keep out trespassers. LOL.

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The next time somebody at PB complains about trespassers poaching their ponds, I would be more than happy to ship them some Honey Locust. laugh

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I have used honey locust branches to protect newly planted emergent plants near the pond banks. Seems to keep nibbling critters at bay until they get established and the limbs (and thorns) gradually rot away. Need to very careful handling them though. My 5 German shepherds seem to discourage trespassers...

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Originally Posted by Bobbss
With all this tractor talk going on I figure I might as well ask a few questions.
I more or less inhairited a little John Deere 4110 a couple years ago. It has a MMM and using it to mow the yard is the only thing I've used it for. I do have a front loader and snow plow for it but have never used them. I've been thinking about getting a small brush hog and maybe a box blade for it to use over at my property where my pond is. I was wondering if anyone has any experience with a 4110 or similar using a box blade and brush hog? Also wondering how big of a pain in the butt is it to take the MMM off and on so I can use it for these things? With it only being 20 hp, I'm not sure how much work it can do, and would hate to buy stuff and it not be worth it.

I had a JD2620 that I think was 26 hp and looks to be about the same physical size. I did a lot of stuff with that little tractor while building my main pond. Very handy. Put a box blade or weight box and wheel weights if you do a lot of loader work. Over working that little front end gears can get expensive. Make the back end do work to when using the loader and that takes ballast on the back end. You will want a 48" brush hog type mower and a box blade width that just covers the rear tires. Good news is those size implements can be bought really reasonable at farm stores and with the horsepower you are dealing with you will not have to worry about tearing the lower cost implements up. You did not say if it was an 8 speed or hydrostat. Hydrostat is handier but the standard transmission works too. FIL has a JD970 with standard transmission and think it has over 2500 hours on it now.


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Thanks again for the info John! It is a hydrostat,which is one of the things I like about it. Don't know if I would want one without it. I do have a big weight that goes on the three point but a box blade might be heavier. I'm glad to hear that people think it is worth buying implements for it.


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My advice is to ...... take snrub's advice.

I think his farm grows tractors the same way it grows fish! grin

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Does anyone have advice on good brands of brush hogs and box blades? Better yet brands to avoid?


Bob


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I am a fan of Land Pride. Bush Hog makes good brush mowers. My box blade is an off brand and has worked fine for 30 years, but I did once have to straighten one shank and have a new shoe welded back on, but replacement shanks are available (I bought a spare after bending the first shank but never bent a second.

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