Land clearing with a root rake grapple

[@FunthingsSJI]

So glad you sold me the grappler today. Can't wait to get those bushes done!

[@oldbuzzard76]

Cleaning up very nice . Job well done , and hopefully , no flat or leaking tires .

[@HomesteadBandwagon]

Thankfully, the blackberries are pretty easy on the tires. Some fill dirt I laid down this year, on the other hand, was full of nails. 6 in 1 tire in one day!

[@jerrygilliam7349]

I don't have a grapple but I do have a flail mower. I'll mash our blackberries down with the bucket and then mow them with the flail. It's a slow process but leaves a finely mulched area when done. You're making summer seem a long ways away.lol

[@HomesteadBandwagon]

I've got some more blackberry business to attend to, but it's a little too wet in that area currently. I'm just biding my time...

[@guykermode7893]

how long does it take you to clear a acre?

[@HomesteadBandwagon]

Depends on how hairy it is. Usually 1-2 hours. If it's thick in blackberries, I've had an acre take a good few hours.

[@jerrygilliam7349]

@@guykermode7893 Our blackberries around here are thick and tall, often hiding surprises in them, like 20ft tall apple or cherry trees, or deep gulleys, or stumps, downed trees and bolders. And I'm not doin it commercially so, if it takes me half a day, I'm ok with that.

[@MrTexasSteve]

It's been 3 years - How fast they come back? I believe you have to spray or dig up the rhizomes to kill them....

[@HomesteadBandwagon]

They'll come back within a few weeks sometimes. We don't spray in that area, so the best method of control is CONSTANT mowing. We ended up tilling the area to expose the root balls, destroyed what we could and then planted pasture grass. There are some spots where they came back 3 years later, but they are mostly gone. We did a video that kinda showed the process if you're interested in a snooze fest 😅 kzbin.info/www/bejne/q6TcnpSon9Gcf6Msi=tTkLBy5bHCDxQ23E

[@420gzuz]

what an awesome video. i wonder who you'll find in the trunk of that buick?

[@HomesteadBandwagon]

Might be Al Capone...

[@thaneoflions975]

Fuck them blackberries. Looking good!

[@guykermode7893]

Great video, how long does it take you to clear a unobstructed acre with your method?

[@HomesteadBandwagon]

If there's not a bunch of downed trees, i can blast through an acre in an hour or two. I like to really mulch stuff up, so I'll go a bit slower and make sure everything has been processed. I like to rake the mulch into the soil after I'm done so three acres can take me 6 or so hours to get it where i like it.

[@jasonsteelhorse]

I'm normally all about saving every old car I see but those may need bit more work than they are worth. Cool find though.

[@HomesteadBandwagon]

They just need a little bondo and some carb cleaner...