Clearing Forest Trails with a Mini Excavator and Tractor

[@joeahopelto8032]

Hi Sandy! I grew up in Southern Ontario. My family had an open vertical sawmill and used the wood from both forest strips for lumber and firewood. Back in Finland my grandfather owned a sawmill where I was born. There's plenty of wood processing in my blood. If I were 50 years younger, I would probably be running some kind of wood related business. 😊😊

[@joeahopelto8032]

Addendum to my comment. Our farms were about 14 miles east of Sarnia, Ontario.

[@outdoorswithlarryrobin]

Hello Sandy, nothing like having the right equipment for the right job👍🇺🇸

[@DavidRobinson-mx6cl]

Great job Sandy , the equipment you have is working out very handy , very nice ! Thanks for sharing !!!!! 😊🙏👍❤️

[@sawingwithsandy]

Thanks David!

[@bigkoutdoors4380]

Hello Sandy, myself being an equipment operator, I have noticed that you don’t have a fire extinguisher on board the miniX. You actually made comment while removing the leaves about a fire. I HIGHLY suggest you get an extinguisher on every piece of equipment just for safety sake!!! Have a great day and keep up the awesome content!!!

[@timcopus3341]

Looks like you're getting pretty good with the excavator Sandy.

[@sawingwithsandy]

Thanks Tim! I sure do have a lot of fun with it

[@BrianPope-v2t]

I have the Piranha tooth bar too, it makes a huge difference

[@sawingwithsandy]

I'm really a big fan of it. Sure has made my tractor more useful with it

[@tommywise1702]

Love my bar. Tough and well made.

[@sawingwithsandy]

Hey there Tommy! Sure is a solid addition. I never knew how much I'd like it until I got one then I'm thinking I can't live without it

[@jerrygibs8120]

Good video, Sandy. Here it's early evening from Texas. I enjoy your brief explanation before you start a project. It does, for me at least, give a guide to what you are intending with your projects. Keep safe and be successful. Blessings and prayers for you and family in Jesus's Mighty Name. ☝🙏🙌💪

[@sawingwithsandy]

Hi Jerry! Hope you're doing well down south there. One of these years I"ll have to make my way out to Texas. I've been down to Florida a few times but not far enough West in the US

[@gheenoelife]

Love the Mickey Mouse shadow 😁

[@timscartoys9321]

It's always nice if you can save time or effort by digging or pushing trees over in one motion!! In a perfect world, bigger and better equipment would be great, but in the real world, we use what we have, and get the job done!!!

[@sawingwithsandy]

Absoultely Tim. I sure would like bigger equipment but then again, this is doing a great job

[@noel3065]

Yes winter in coming fast and time to do that kind of stuff before the freeze. Nice job.

[@sawingwithsandy]

Thanks Noel. I've been meaning to get it cut back a little bit for a while but now that our weather is coming in hot, it's forcing my hand

[@xpoolguy5406]

Never a shortage of projects on properties like ours. I'm looking forward to the end of my work season so I can get at my list. Weekends and short evenings haven't been enough lately. My new drive shed is ready for a roof. Need the snow to hold off for another 2 weeks to wrap up that project

[@sawingwithsandy]

I hear ya there. Especially with the roof off it sure makes the pressure get turned ups a notch.

[@wallacefrey6247]

You are 100% right about the tops of dead trees falling back onto the cab if they bounce and break the wrong way. I've had this happen a couple times, and it is not fun picking bits of seat cushion out of your bum.

[@lumberjill6598]

Constructive destruction! Always fun!Your time is almost up! Had our first skiff of snow last night in NE Washington. Hopefully you have your beams up already. Goodbye fall, hello winter!❄❄❄

[@sawingwithsandy]

I don’t want the winter snow yet but part of me actually does as it helps me to clear my fall to-do list. I figure if the snow covers it and I can’t see it I don’t need to worry about it until spring lol

[@lumberjill6598]

@sawingwithsandy Haha! I totally agree. Just bought 3 new puzzles to entertain me this winter. And I've already packed on my hibernation weight, so I'm ready to hunker down! 😁

[@sawingwithsandy]

I get the feeling to just sit by my woodstove as soon as the weather gets cold. Big old sludge cup by my side lol

[@deprived56501]

Nice work. Like seeing so much getting done. Good vid. Thanks.

[@sawingwithsandy]

Thank you! Was a great time out there. I sure enjoy running the equipment whenever I get a chance

[@saintaugustine1715]

Good afternoon Sandy you remind me of a kid playing with is toy when you work in the woods with your machinery you got a smile from ear to ear enjoying every moment lol. Now another area that your going to have to put speed limit signs because of the way it was you had to slow down but not anymore . Yes better take care of all the things before winter sets in it will not be much longer for you guys here we are finally having some decent weather low 60 in the morning to mid 70's in the day enjoy yourself before the grounds turn white have a great day

[@sawingwithsandy]

Lol this section is my main route for a lot of travel and I sure wouldn't mind moving down it a bit faster. I sure do feel like a kid out there playing around. Some days I think I should go and "find" work just to use the equipment

[@carlmclelland7624]

SANDY, me boy!! You were looking GOOD on the mini today! I think your time on the machine, setting those six posts helped you out a lot. Gonna have to rename you... "LetDig 18 - Canada Division!!" If you'd put your thumb on, you probably could have curled the bucket enough to get hold of those stumps and tree trunks you dug up. Anyway... you took 'little bites' and got-er done. Maybe it was camera angle and parallax, but it looked like your right crawler isn't tight enough. Lift the right side of the machine and pump some grease into the cylinder if it needs it. (Never saw the left one so I can't say about that). You're having WAY too much fun... keep it up!!

[@sawingwithsandy]

hahah not sure I'm on that level but I appreciate it!

[@johnmagnus1016]

Nice work with the mini excavator and the Kioti, I been looking at the new Yanmars but they are pretty expensive. Really like that Piranha Pro though, would be a good addition to my D40 bucket, maybe I can spring for that. I have the backhoe attachment on my Kioti , works pretty well so the new Yanmar has to wait! LOL

[@sawingwithsandy]

Sounds like some nice equipment ya got there John. I've always wanted to try out a backhoe on the Kioti. How do you like it?

[@johnmagnus1016]

@@sawingwithsandy The backhoe works great. But not as convenient as an excavator because you have to get off the backhoe every time you need to move the tractor. It also adds quite a bit of weight to the rear of the tractor making heavy bucket lifts more stable. I watch all your vids, looing forward to see the new shed build.

[@walterkucharski4790]

A couple of tips. Place the blade behind you when digging some down pressure will keep the machine from tipping back then slamming down like it is doing in the video. Put some good teeth on the bucket it will dig so much better. Cheers.

[@sawingwithsandy]

Thanks Walter

[@MannistoCay]

Hey Sandy, you'd need a 100 page book to write down all the things you'll use that miniex for. Have a great weekend, hope you can drop by the Cay tomorrow! 🎥 Ciao for now. 🪵🌴👍🚜

[@tomhiggins3282]

In case you haven't decided, a laminated beam is stronger than a solid beam and easier to use because when you stagger joints, you can build it in sections.

[@sawingwithsandy]

Thanks Tom. I've used those laminated beams before and I agree, they are quite easy to manage comparatively

[@paulfrizzell31]

👍great video, Sandy 😎

[@sawingwithsandy]

Hey Paul!

[@Jörgensmaskiner]

En sån takeuchi har jag haft… fan vad bra den var…

[@jamesfrancisco7308]

You need to invest in a little D4 Bulldozer. I think you will be able to fix the road much nicer and faster.

[@sawingwithsandy]

Sure would be a nice unit to have!

[@silverleapers]

Let the ads run guys, buy him a mug of sludge.

[@sawingwithsandy]

Thank you! I appreciate that!

[@justinrussell760]

What happened to the sawmill structure? Winter's coming.

[@sawingwithsandy]

It’s still there. I had to get this done as well before freeze up

[@kensmith4918]

Did you fix the leaking cylinder ?

[@sawingwithsandy]

Hey Ken! Not yet . I may end up waiting until winter so I can keep using it

[@brianwestveer9532]

So did this happened before the hydraulic problem with the excavator.

[@sawingwithsandy]

Hey there Brian. This video is recent and so what you see in the video is the same hydraulic cylinder without any fixes done to it. I just have to take shallow cuts with the bucket to account for the reduced force by that middle cylinder.

[@roberto.peterson9917]

personally any tree that interfere with going up and the path /road and even more so if risk of hanging equipment up on it lol lol you know the one's already chewed up should be gone in my opinion but i am not the one having to fix it when tore up

[@sawingwithsandy]

Yeah those trees that are "tree catchers" will be hitting the dirt as soon as possible. I try to keep the trees standing where possible since I"ve got so many trees to thin in my red pine forest but the time has come as they say for the ones I'm constantly brushing up against

[@jeanmarcforcier383]

I don't get why you make paths so narrow. Why not doubt the width.

[@sawingwithsandy]

I’ve got so many projects on the go I have to prioritize projects and the amount of time I spend on them

[@robertbloomquistsr6351]

You need a thumb on your excavator.

[@lonewolfFirearms]

First

[@sawingwithsandy]

Hey there!

[@johnos4892]

I think I'll hire a dozer and not buy the excavator for trails.

Alternate solution: If you discipline yourself to drive more carefully you will not have to be desecrating the forest by cutting 6-lane freeways!

[@sawingwithsandy]

I agree that in a perfect world I'd be able to have narrow trails but often times I have no choice. Winter is unforgiving and with off-camber trails, I'm sliding everywhere and trees often find me without me wanting to find them

[@gckshea]

That's rich: "desecrate the forest." Um...were you able to see past your monitor? All I see are trees! Sandy is good here.

[@travisgriffiths8170]

Haha what a turd

[@Shawn-s8o]

So if you can get a dump trailer through there. Canada company makes one of the finest dump trailers out there I could not find their name but if you watch Stanley dirt monkey how Canadians build dump trailers you will get the name of the company because he went to the factory to show how Canada builds dump trailers. Add today's dump trailers have a change system where you can raise the bed open the gates and it will spread someone evenly the gravel on the ground to make a gravel road. I know right cha-ching cha-ching cha-ching if we were only the 1% we'd have everything

[@sawingwithsandy]

Hey Shawn! Yeah lots of great trailer manufactures here in Canada. There's a few here in Ontario that I've seen and have been very impressed with including the Miska and Titan trailers. Some are for different industries that I've seen like farming as well.

[@Shawn-s8o]

@sawingwithsandy I have two thoughts to if you can extract gravel from your own property that would be a cheaper method. The second thing is you not start a road in the middle of the road. Where you can get dump trucks in you start their. And how do you start their you can you begin the road wherever you feel you can start the road you've done three loads of Rock. You load a fourth of Rock you set your level with a full of rock and you push all of those previously downloads of Rock do you feel it is level or in the pitch of the road you want to make you start off slow and you will build a road. Remember Rome wasn't built in a day in Rome is how many of countries and governments have built their road off of what room did slow and for sure you will get what you need. You are looking at the overall picture you need to break it down. 1/4 a mile at a time if need be