I need to pull saplings and small trees. help!

[Jackfre]

Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated. You have a big barn. It and you are crying out for a tractor. I think Kubota runs their 0% 5 yr financing. My BX23 BH would make short work of it and you need that kind of equipment.

 

[Leaflessshadetree]

My usual tool for this situation is a mattock. One swing/chop will cut small ones off just below ground level.

 

[Jim1932]

Cut a one buck Thorn or other weed trees ( even maples) off at ground level with no treatment to the stump……..one year later you will have 5 trees instead of one.

I agree if you are cutting a larger stump and leaving it and not maintaining it. but with 1" trees cut at ground level and regularly mowed, not the same issue. That is why the important question is what will be done on the land AFTER the trees are removed.

 

[bbxlr8]

I've been doing this the hard way pushing back around my overgrown areas for years now. My go-to is a sacrificial chain on the chainsaw. Then once I can get my mower smoothly over, the battle is won. Occasionally it takes back over if I don't cut that area frequently (i.e. I have a lot of glacial deposited rock that I have to dig out & around (ugh). Then I use a brush blade on a dedicated old straight shaft ww. Mine is a swinging saw blade (x3). I am VERY careful with that, but it does a good job on most brush.

FWIW - My newest and by far most drastic tool in this battle is a root-type grapple on my new Kubota - unless you have a friend or good rental place this is going to be the most expensive...

I have cleared a lot of land using the old-school hard work methods above

 

[hemikiller]

Ratchet Rake on a tractor or skid steer bucket. Best $300 I ever spent on an attachment. I've popped 4" trees out with the rootball with this tool on my Mahindra 3616.

Ratchet Rake, LLC - Tractor rake, Snow Edge, Tractor attachment, Bucket attachment, Loader, Skid loader, Kubota, Skid steer, Landscape rake, Brush remover, York Rake, Harley Rake, Rock Rake, Tractor rake attachment, Construction attachment, New Holla

 

[Showkey]

one year on buckthorn stump:

 

[jives]

I spent quality covid time last year ridding my acreage of about 900 buckthorn trees plus other assorted invasives. Trees ranged from 1/2" to 6". I tried everything, but only one thing worked well, and a year later, no combacks (buckthorn spreads by roots and suckers and just branches more when you cut it.) See picture in previous post.

Tools:
-- 20% solution Roundup. Get the 2 gal jug of 41% glyphosate from Tractor Supply and dilute in half. Use backpack or handheld sprayer. Tryclopr (Garlon) and Tordon also work, but considerably more expensive.
--Good lopper, like Fiskers with Titanium blades. (But they are not as good as they used to be.)
--Cordless reciprocating saw with Diablo pruning blades.

Depending on trunk thickness, lop or saw the tree at ground level or below. Good loppers can cut 2". Spray stump with Roundup. Move to next. Repeat. Helps to have two folks, one cutting, one spraying. If most of your stuff can be mowed, then mow it, but keep in mind that you may create punji sticks out of the saplings. You may need to go back and lop them and spray.

Continue to mow to prevent re-starts.

 

[haveissues]

Get a small bulldozer, something about the size of a D9 and remove a couple feet of dirt. No more saplings. Or cut them at ground level with your tool of choice and keep the area mowed. Both will work.

 

[Highland]

Loppers and Tordon. With Tordon you only need to cover the fresh cut stump.

Does Tordon work? I've used it to eradicate Trees of Heaven!

 

[Ralf11]

I hate to violate General Internet Law #38, by bringing up the OP, but he has Hundreds of the things.

 

[Busted Knucles]

Cut them with asawzall and use a paint brush and paint the stub. I do it all the time and never have had one come back. Even works on Brazilian Pepper trees here in Florida. And size does not matter in this case.

 

[Leaflessshadetree]

I hate to violate General Internet Law #38, by bringing up the OP, but he has Hundreds of the things.

What does this have to do with cats?

 

[danfromsyr]

it's the Siamese cats that can't afford rice

 

[sick467]

Tordon RTU has the highest success rate at my place with anything I have used it on and its success is 99% plus...very effective stuff. I have used it on Osage orange, Honey Locust, large Poison Ivy vines, multiple hardwoods, Cat's Briar...the list goes on. It takes no mercy and by far the quickest, easiest, and most affordable...assuming you can buy it in your area (15-$20 a bottle that will treat 100 or more 1-2" tree stubs). To conserve its usage, I pour it into a window cleaner spray bottle and apply it that way. The bottle that it comes with tends to use much more than necessary as the spout it comes with flows pretty fast and applies too much (especially for small trees).

 

[Mirage]

I've had the smaller Brush Grubber for 3 years, it works well, if I have a bunch to do I get the wife to drive while I set it. I use it with my old wheel horse C-165, some of the more stubborn stuff takes a couple yanks. I've used it with the Yanmar rental tractor from Home Depot as well and it makes quick work with more *** behind it.

 

[Michigan Mike]

Just have to comment. Many years ago when I was sixteen [I'm seventy one now] we had a motocross track we had built behind the farmhouse we lived in. We also had an old early fifties Plymouth. The back bumper was bent out. We would race around the track and slide side ways into the smaller trees and jerk them out of the ground. Great fun. I suppose this would not be a time effective way for the OP to remove them but we had a really good time doing tree removal this way

 

[Arkansas COB]

Tordon RTU gets my vote also. Put it in a plastic spray bottle as stated for better control. I use one that has adjustable spray from mist to stream. Ive used it on everything that grows from 2' diameter stumps down to 1/4" stubs. If shoots start before the stump dies then prune the shoots and spray with the Tordon. Make sure you get the stump killer. I think there are several different kinds for different applications.

I usually buy at TSC or on Amazon.

 

[westcoastkevin]

Thank you everyone for the ideas, and information.
There is enough here to make a plan.
Kevin

 

[xtremek]

York rake on a tractor at least the size of an 8n Won't get all of them but will get 65%-70% of them, plus most of the weeds, poison ivy, etc. Then go back with a chain to get the rest. Did this in 3 hours last night. Cleared about an 80'x80' area, Tree on the far left is to the left of the blue tarp in the first two pictures

 

[xtremek]

By far left, I mean the tree barely in the picture. If you're not worried about regrowth, once you're done with the york rake loopers will cut the bent over ones close to the ground.

 

[Bent Handle]

I’ve cleared a lot of small trees with this setup