#356

[@gregorymacneil2836]

Mike, I love the hand clap and greeting at the beginning of each video - it just screams "let's get to work and enjoy the day!"

[@russellbowman8051]

With the clean up it's looking Better Already!!👍👊

[@rtlake]

With what is happening in the world now going back and watching the videos is missed. I can't believe I have missed any of your videos. Have a great day and stay safe

[@OutdoorswithErik]

Mike & Melissa, great video, I'm blessed, your channel has been suggesting some of my videos with the grapple!!! Much love to you guys, love the channel.

[@bigbigby4657]

Hey Californian's, you watching? This is called 'Forrest Management'.... As Smokey the Bear says, "Only you can PREVENT a Forrest fire." 😉☺

[@motor2of7]

Tell that to our moronic Governor who cut the funding for beetle kill tree removal.

[@RobertGammie]

Lol. Clueless. You think the California wilderness is a suburb. Wildfires are a naturally occurring fact. Always have been. In short, you don’t know what you’re talking about. Hate on Cali all you like. There’s 36,000,000 people who love it.

[@Timberwolf593]

I grew up in the woods and the farm fields ,something calming about the woods and I do get side tracked too 👍🇺🇸

[@donbowersock9564]

Gotta love that grapple, wife and I do by hand. Wildlife loves those piles, deer bed beside them on windy days also.

[@Waspinvr]

So me and my friends know a spot in the woods and we wanna clean it up and get a little fireplace goin, rake up the leaves etc and just make it a chill spot to hang out, im excited about it

[@HamiltonvilleFarm]

Mike your right, there is a crazy type.of satisfying when doing this type work.

[@brucewayne2984]

A hung cherry tree?? I’m jealous!

[@chancebernhardt4815]

Very good at land management looks like its been needing it for a long time

[@chucksinger1916]

Me too Mike I love clearing and grubbing that 37 is a nice machine for it have a good week

[@Gwalker0220]

Back blade works great for gathering up brush... That and a grapple would be good...

[@macsair]

Great video and appropriate music selection Mike. It looks like a really nice part of your property. Don’t forget to show us the fire when you light it up.

[@geraldskaggs3903]

Mike, looks like some of those long branches are big enough to cut up for firewood. I know you have plenty other trees for firewood. I guess I am reverting back to my upbringing where we didn't waste anything.

[@georgecharokee4570]

My Thoughts Exactly

[@johndarraugh3817]

My thoughts as well, some of that wood is what I call free wood. Meaning it's firewood that doesn't need to be split, just cut it up and your ready to go.

[@chris3m98]

agree with all 3 of you!!!!!!

[@davidb.beasley7359]

Agreed Gerald!

[@HomesteadJay]

This is why I love my Outdoor Wood Boiler. I can use 99% of a tree I cut down. I dont need perfect 16 inch pieces of firewood. I think like the native americans before us. They were super efficient and used every piece of anything the used if it was an animal they would use the bones, skin, eat the meat and so on and if it was a tree they would use every piece as well!

[@freds1417]

Mike watching you do that makes me want to get a grapple even more, really works great for cleaning up brush, I spent a lot of time dragging and piling brush by hand last summer. the grapple turns it into a fun job

[@WorldsOkayestFarmer]

Looks like a fun time! Always nice to work in the woods. #WorldsOkayestFarmer

[@joeanderson2529]

Only thing I worry about is vines in my woods. Anything else I leave alone unless it’s a big tree that needs to be cut up some.

[@alimohammad1580]

Great work

[@harrykeel8557]

Enjoyed the song. And it makes a good point of doing things in our own lives. Time is too precious to waste it piddling around not doing anything. As always, I enjoyed the video.

[@markhampton3599]

You had me confused for a bit then it come together !!! Thanks !!! Thinking ahead !!!

[@Z-Bart]

:44 I am so glad I am not alone in the 'side-tracked' department. I'll go out to my shop to tidy up and the next thing I know, I'm putting new fishing line on one of my reels!

[@michaelmackison6266]

This was copied from several other posts I've seen, but great! "I decide to wash the car; I start toward the garage and notice the mail on the table. OK, I'm going to wash the car, but first I'm going to go through the mail. I lay the car keys down on the desk, discard the junk mail and I notice the trash can is full. OK, I'll just put the bills on my desk and take the trash can out, but since I'm going to be near the mailbox anyway, I'll pay these few bills first. Now, where is my check book? OOPS, there's only one check left. My extra checks are in my desk. Oh, there's the coke I was drinking. I'm going to look for those checks. But first I need to put my coke further away from the computer, or maybe I'll pop it into the fridge to keep it cold for a while. I head towards the kitchen and my flowers catch my eye; they need some water. I set the coke on the counter and ooh, oh! There are my glasses. I was looking for them all morning! I'd better put them away first. I fill the container with water and head for the flower pots -aaaaagh! Someone left theTV remote in the kitchen. We will never think to look in the kitchen tonight when we want to watch television so I'd better put it back in the family room where it belongs. I splash some water into the pots and onto the floor. I throw the remote onto a soft cushion on the sofa and I head back down the hall trying to figure out what it was I was going to do. END OF DAY:The car isn't washed, the bills are unpaid, the coke is sitting on the kitchen counter, the flowers are half watered, the check book still only has one check in it and I can't seem to find my car keys! When I try to figure out how come nothing got done today, I'm baffled because I KNOW I WAS BUSY ALL DAY LONG!!!"

[@alanross3435]

Michael Mackison , Damn that's funny right there!😂😂😂😂😂👍🏻✌🏻️

[@normanspirit6448]

@@michaelmackison6266 Good point. I have to leave this and go outside to pick up the mail..........

[@johnnorris80]

I have to agree with some of the previous comments. Leaving brush piles is very beneficial for the Wildlife. Since I started doing forestry Management in our woods and leaving the piles, the game caught on my trail cameras has changed drastically. I now have plenty of small animals like rabbits, squirrels, and raccoons around the property.

[@georgewelden2507]

Lot of good wood stove fire wood in those stacks.

[@tomashbaugh8891]

Mike, I too love how the woods look after a cleanup. My father likes to burn wood piles. While I like a good fire, I’ve come to a new thinking(for me anyways), I like to make brush piles for wildlife and chip wood for other purposes. You can purchase a chipper for your pro 3 point hitch pretty cheap nowadays. Great bumper music Mike. Take care and thank you for your time!

[@stephengmeiner3264]

Lookin’ good. Next step: RAKE!

[@HarrietShearsmith]

Oh this is so helpful, I'm terrible!

[@davecrable1356]

Mike, my dad and I used to do the same thing on our farm - aka: making brush piles and burning them when we had some snow on the ground - but over time we found it was best to make larger brush piles and leave them. You'd be surprised at how many birds, like turkeys, and other wildlife use them for nesting and cover. They also rot up over a few years.

[@seanworkman431]

Let's face it, Fernagling is definitely an artform and more fun through a woman's underwear than alone through the woods.

[@gabemalcolm4429]

Glad You were able to get some work done!

[@jimlashbrook5429]

Leave the piles of wood in the woods, out of the way of course, for small game habitat. And it's good for the health of the woods.

[@junkersish]

Its what I do, rotting wood feeds the soil, good nutrients in there

[@jimlashbrook5429]

@@junkersish Properly piled it also makes for a great ground blind.

[@billg1527]

Was thinking the same thing, big brush piles are great for rabbits & make for a nice mid winter hunt to boot. If mike was clearing for pasture i can see burn piles but we just make long rows and big piles for the critters and they are great for ground blinds i agree.

[@jphickory522]

Agreed. Don’t like my woods to look park like. Row those piles for small game habitat. Deer will also use for wind blocks. Also nothing wrong with just letting it rot down the way nature intended.

[@HomesteadJay]

I believe that term is a "Habitat Snag" for small game and critters to reside in such as a brush pile.

[@chriscornett3144]

Making good bobcat habitat by pushing that brush up like that

[@stevenzembriski6761]

Grouse and rabbits need the cover! Your woods look pretty clear I would leave the brush for them. Love you’re channel. I got 50 acres of heaven in Bethel NY.

[@patinabunker5340]

Like the video Mike. I like the management of the woods there. Root graples r the best thing for a forest. You don't tear up to much. As long as a fella knows what he is doing. Keep the vids coming.

[@matthewsims359]

man, i did not want that video or the song to end. i could watch and listen to that all day. my kinda video. thanks for sharing.👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@oldnavcat]

I do not have nearly the amount of woods as you, but I prefer to walk the woods with a trimming saw and just cut everything to shorter lengths that lay flat.

[@markeggenberger4984]

Love the grapple. I want to get one for my Ford 3000, but I will have to convert the loader to the quick attach.

[@aroundthegroundlandscaping7107]

You guys should buy a chipper for your limbs/brush to chip up for mulch around your properties

[@brianhubbard6423]

I have one hundred acres of woods and I take all my small limbs and cut them for fire wood and bonfire wood. The larger wood I split for my fireplace. Any little twigs I put through a chipper and put it in my compost pile. I like you get side tracked but somehow it all gets done. Keep up the great videos and God bless.

[@richiecaelwarts7873]

Man I wish I lived by you I'd ask if I could cut that up for garage stove nice stuff !!!

[@450rmaniac]

Felt like I should’ve had a lighter held in the air for the song playing at 6:35. Great video, again! Now I want a root bucket like that... If only I could easily explain how important one would be.

[@raymonddevore9920]

Mike I like how Jim Lashbrook thinks why not leave the piles for small animal and bird cover?

[@PatrickWagz]

♫ good tune, Mike 4:24 "Fade Away" - Red Meadow

[@alanross3435]

Love the grapple! Nice job as always!👍🏻✌🏻️

[@rohoroyarrington3224]

Nice relaxing video Mike, I would love to have a grapple but only having 5 acres to cope with I can't justify the expense lol. I'll just have to watch you enjoy yours. 🤣

[@wendellcrabtree9921]

Wow! Lots better than piling by hand. " ARMSTRONG" does a great job!

[@allenhenry1113]

I like that grapple! The way it doesn't pick up a lot of dirt. I have one on order cannot get it on my tractor!!!

[@south_coast]

Very satisfying work...like raking but with diesel horse power.

[@OutdoorsWithTheMorgans]

Exactly

[@casycasy5199]

when i was a kid we would go to my uncle dolls house in upstate ny.he came from austria and his woods were perfect all limbs were cut to 6 ft off the ground all brush was removed all stumps were cut so you couldn't trip.his forest was like none i ever saw.hunting was great you could see deer long way off.i always told him it looked like you could eat off the forest floor it was so nice.maybe you can get their sometime, oh he did it by hand no grapple tractor

[@stevewatson850]

Those long limbs are the perfect tool for the electric chainsaw to make it easier to get through the woods with a load. Put a tool basket between your roll bars and the saw is always with you. There's a couple different tool baskets made to fit any roll bar. Very handy for all kinds of things you may want to have with you.

[@alittleofthisandalittleofthat]

Nice job I need a grapple for sure. Could use it to load blocked up wood too.

[@michaelwynn137]

X2 on the grapple. It’s my favorite attachment. Keep up the great vids mike.

[@cliffordlarson5425]

Mike that relaxing go on out there and what you doing I enjoy it lot but the snow is deep this year god bless

[@ElmhorstJ]

Red Meadow What a band thank you !! my uncle James cuts his wood down to one inch, and my dad calls it rabbit wood . lol

[@karlcarnevale4948]

I am waiting for video Grapple, Bonfire, and s’mores.

[@michaeldougfir9807]

Hi Mike, When I do this the fire is already going and I have only done it by hand. It is good work. Then at lunch time the fire cooks my hot dogs on sticks. And it's all better with family or a small, good group. You are right. It is a good time to try out the electric chain saw.

[@jdboy9]

I used to burn until I almost burnt half of our 50 acres down. It was early spring morning and the ground was still muddy. I assumed it was wet enough out to burn. The sun came out and wind started to pick up. Few hours later after throwing some brush on the fire the ambers caused a bunch of small fires that spread so fast I couldn't stop them. Fortunately for me it was blowing in the right direction towards a dirt field that stopped its progression any further.

[@jerrymorgan9602]

That grapple is a great tool for a loader tractor. Would you agree a HST tractor with a grapple is the ideal set-up?

[@jamesmorse126]

Jerry Morgan or shuttle shift like the RK 37?

[@dehavenfamilyfarm]

I bought a grapple about ten years ago. It is definitely one of my favorite tools!

[@FLEETWOODFLYERS]

Agreat video . The brush does it have to be burnt . Could it not be turned into mulch/chippings to be sold for gardens

[@funwithguns89]

Good video Mike, that grapple is impressive. I enjoy taking notice of the lift capacity on the RK37. I've been doing similar work with my old Farmall 230 and boom pole. I use an ATV and dump trailer for the small stuff. A little envious you can do it all without leaving the seat. Either way, we get it done and the fire has been enjoyed by family and friends. Take care.

[@arthurbuckyelksjr7918]

Looks good and if it was me i would get me a 6 inch wood chipper to go on the rk 55 and chip everything up to 6 inches and anything over that use for firewood. It does look great. Have a great day and be safe

[@mikebarfknecht6336]

Why not cut some of the bigger branches up for firewood? I see in your video's that your wood stacks are all split wood.

[@pierceit8667]

Mike, I'm envious for how flat the contour of the ground is there. The ground in my woods is full of ditches and burms and just a lot of ups and downs that make it too tippy for my tractor to get around without making a level trail first - which takes days. Nice work!

[@adamwaldroup]

Have you ever tried a ratchet rake? I just got one to do similar forest floor clearing because I cant afford a grapple right now but havnt got to use it much yet. Would love to see your channel get one. They are a small company and probably would lend one to be featured.

[@marklengal9990]

Adam Waldroup is like to see one as well. I’ve never heard of one

[@ritterjon]

Was hoping to see Melissa help you out on Sherman. Dueling grapples would make for a great video. It’s going to be a snowy week for us! February is kicking my butt. Keep on tractoring and God bless

[@ewing21139]

I was thinking the same thing, Ritter. I bet Melissa would work circles around him with Sherman.

[@uppsalahazzemarkstedt2759]

This must be the main work chore for a grapple. Maybe you can build an edge to shear off longer branches. If the grapple is sturdy enough you can use the outer on each side upper tines with a upside down Y-form edge lenghtwise to cut, without effect on normal use. Easy to see and use the outer ones.

[@stevemartinez6757]

Man I so want to get a grapple for one of my tractors...

[@sabgab]

Looks like a GREAT place to put in a small food plot!!

[@chevelleman88]

Properly managed properties don’t require food plots. The natural habitat grows plenty of food. Huge deer were growing long before food plots.

[@sabgab]

@@chevelleman88 Indeed they do, but Mike already has a couple of food plots in cooperation with a neighbor so why not one more.

[@chevelleman88]

@@sabgab It’s amazing how the deer ever survived all those years without soybean fields. To me, these are bandaid approaches.

[@sabgab]

@@chevelleman88 WHAT?!?! No one is talking about helping the deer survive with food plots. It is about training the deer to come to a convient place for a huter to shoot them from a blind or stand.

[@chevelleman88]

@@sabgab I see. Something like Alfalfa is fine if prevented from spreading, which alfalfa can sometimes do. But it’s low risk. But this is not hunting. This is baiting. More of a trapper mindset. Suits the lazy and is less sporting. Manage the understory properly and give them something to eat in the winter if the area is lacking. That’s the best recipe.

[@waynecoley4876]

Nice soundtrack on this video Mike

[@crdjeep123]

You need rags and diesel. Not just diesel.

[@williamgraham8809]

That is one beautiful piece of woods now!

[@leol1682]

Mike like the video and think of little critters like bird rabbits and so on that would live in those piles of branches.

[@loylssouthernacres9890]

Hey Mike I used a smaller Kabota tractor with a front end loader to clear some brush and limbs on my land. I found that if i put a box blade on the three point hitch it gave me better traction on the back tires when picking up heavy loads like the stump you moved to the pile.

[@christinasutherland5146]

My husband and I are both watching it and experiencing serious grapple envy. 😂

[@Living-The-Dream]

Looks great 👍🤠

[@jeremyd9579]

I really wish you all had a wood stove in your home and would burn up some of that firewood!

[@Formulabruce]

Does RK have a Chipper? maybe compost the brush?

[@jasonmccook843]

Mike, After you burn the pile that might be a good spot for a food plot!

[@bernarrcoletta7419]

It’s funny Mike. I was wondering when that windfall would start getting on your nerves like a burr under a saddle.

[@charlesgrant6985]

I think it’s time to get another chainsaw mount and install it next to your step on the loader arm that way every time you go in the woods you have a chainsaw with you either battery or gas. Thanks for all the great KZbin content

[@olddawgdreaming5715]

Hey Mike great video, really like the GIANT RAKE method for cleaning up. From the intro it sounds like you're practicing for old age, heading out to do something and doing everything else instead ;-) . It's fun really though, folks never know what you are really up to. lol Keep up the good work and I agree with you about the limbs not being good firewood. Thanks for sharing.

[@jerrygibs8120]

Nice job Mike. Enjoy the videos. 👍

[@riverrat1431]

Nice cleanup all you need now is that big leaf blower up their

[@boltactionshooter]

Are your rear tires ballasted? They need to be and also if you put that box blade on you will have far better traction in all the grapple and pulling jobs.

[@gastoncannon4710]

Great video. You may get you wish about, according to my wx map you should be getting some now. ❄️❄️❄️. Take care. 👍👍👍👍

[@peteretired8054]

Making America raked again!

[@CliffsideStables]

Love the music selection used on this video. Tim @ Cliffside Acres

[@peewee.3138]

Could you bolt on one of those chainsaw scabbards right on the side of the main loader tower on the RK37?

[@glenturner5356]

Nice job 👍

[@cornflake596]

Looks like you need a wood chipper

[@MostlyOutdoors]

Definitely

[@junkersish]

Chipping is time consuming, he would need 10 or more days in a week besides old Mike has got more than enough on his plate.

[@matthewsims359]

i agree, but he takes it ALL IN STRIDE.

[@IndyPop24]

I agree. I've only got 10 acres but greatly prefer chipping over burning. It seems to be about the same amount of work, but at least I have chips to use as ground cover after chipping.

[@jamesbainton]

@@junkersish Chippers actually munch through wood very quickly, especially if there are a couple of people feeding. Then there are no piles to deal with later...

[@charlesscott4883]

Mike Pile it up and leave it for wildlife cover

[@jc-botaman1077]

Nice video Mike. The mud is annoying isn't it. I have a bunch of clean up and burning to do, but the mud just won't dry up. And everything is so damp its hard to get a fire started, so once we do I swamp around in the mud and keep piling it on LOL.

[@roselwcampbell]

Sorry to hear you don't use any of the ash trees for firewood. I'm here in South Central PA, Perry County. All of the Ash trees have died over the last five years, but I'm still getting good firewood out of the bottom 2/3rd of the tree. I burned 90% ash this winter. Kept me warm so far. It may not be good enough to sell, but you could use for your own use. Just a thought. Love your videos. Keep up the good work. How about using the backhoe on sherman to drag that big oak tree out 5 feet at a time just to get it up the hill.

[@scooterpie696]

Yep. I'm in the thumb of Michigan and still getting tons of good solid dead Ash.

[@roselwcampbell]

@@scooterpie696 , I have also cut some of the trunks into boards.

[@davidbarnhart6228]

Yesss!! More vids like this! Thanks Mike! :)

[@MrTodd51]

A grapple is a fine tool but it is not everything when it comes to cleaning up brush. A little manual labor getting the butt ends all in the same direction, making some small organized piles and as you said cut the longer pieces into more manageable size would make that clean up go smoother.

[@timminstraprs2169]

You guys certainly have nice bush there mike! We won't see bush bottom for another two months.

[@tomsales263]

looks like alot of that could be cut into firewood, it's plenty bid enough.

[@steveloken8986]

Omg i could do that all day!!!

[@joeh5059]

Nice song Mike thank you for your vlogs. Joe. Ohio also I'll bring the marshmellows.