Pricker resistant gloves

[thool]

We have a field area that has a lot of prickers. Some are as big around as your thumb, 6-12 feet long, with barbs about 1/2" long. I'd like to attack them this spring and had the following strategy in mind:

1. Person A would hold the pricker upright
2. Person B would use loppers to cut it flush with the ground
3. Person A would remove the pricker from the area and put it in a staging area
4. In the meantime, person B would give the "stump" a shot of Round Up

I have a pair of very rugged leather lineman's gloves, but the leather doesn't protect well enough. Is there a safe way for Person A to handle the pricker? I was thinking of some sort to tool, but nothing comes to mind.

(My town takes brush, so my plan is to bundle and drop them off there.)

Looking for ideas, thanks!

 

[GeoBruin]

That's a tough one. Most of the "cut resistant" gloves out there made with some kind of dyneema fibers or whatever they use are indeed resistant to slicing but something like a thorn could just go right between the fibers.

I would say heavy leather gloves might be best but it sounds like you've tried that. I'm interested to hear what others have to say.

 

[619DioFan]

Try some welding gloves. get the thick ones from HF , cheap enough to try. don't get the thin mig/tig ones. also homedepot rents a brush hog which is basicaly a lawnmower on steroids. perhaps use one to mulch the area into nothing vs hand cutting.

 

[mike93lx]

I stopped cutting thorny stuff with regular loppers and now use the loppers on my fiskars pole saw. Remove the blade and it gets into tight spots 6-12' from my hands. After that, they are much easier and safer to handle

 

[Busted_Knuckles]

Ive got a Makita Gas powered Brush cutter with a carbide circular saw blade on it.. Makes short and painless work of getting rid of those, and you dont need more than one person to get allot done.

We have endless Multi-Flora on our property, as well as 3 other biars with thorns, that I dont know the name of, I hit them with a grapple/root rake on a tractor or brush hog mower. With the root rake, I take the whole plant right out of the ground and stack them for a fire.

I sell near the entire line of Ansell/Hyflex work gloves as a side hustle, and I dont know of anything that will keep back the thorns. Ive got some foundry gloves that might work, but they are so restrictive, I dont think they would work very well.

 

[WWheeler]

A brush cutting blade attachment for a weedwhacker and welding gloves for handling them after sound like solid ideas. I know 'cut resistent' gloves are not what you're looking for. While they help with slices from sharp edges, they offer almost zero protection from sharp pointed objects. Thick leather is about the only thing I'd trust and even then if they are as bad as you describe I'd still be ginger handling them. We've thrown a rope in the ground and tossed gnarly brush like that on top so when the pile large enough we'd throw the rope over and tie it up tight then drag the bundle with a riding mower all the way up on the trailer, or in your case, out to the yard's edge for pickup.

Or, here's another way to go...

Bush Hogging in Rochester, NY | JW Bush Hogging

In Rochester, NY, bush hogging services are available to keep your land clear and healthy. Request quotes for customized land management.

jwbushhogging.com

I have no idea what that type service might cost or if you have a large enough of a patch to be worth it but might be worth checking into.

 

[thool]

Thanks for all the tips. It's not thick brush or even dense clusters of these prickers, rather it's occasional shoots that go straight up and then arch over. That arching is one way they propagate, when the tip touches the ground it starts to root there. I'll try the thick welding gloves. Pics may help show what I'm up against.

 

[mrvm]

Even worn heavy duty work boots can't stop some of the prickers from penetrating the sole when stomping the prickers

 

[Al Borland]

brush hog and/or flamethrower.
Seriously.
Flamethrower.

 

[RTM]

I've used the heaviest leather gloves I can find and still bend my fingers, and bougainvillea and mtn blackberry spikes go right through them. I use a long handled hook to cut them, and try to handle them with my loppers, keep them far away from my hands.

https://www.leevalley.com/en-us/shop/garden/garden-care/pruners/10242-raspberry-cane-cutter?item=ED725

 

[PCustoms]

brush hog

 

[rlitman]

A few years back, I bought several pairs of HexArmor gloves on eBay that were rated to be used around rattlesnakes. I use them on thorny bushes, particularly roses, with great success. Though I have some raspberry hairlike thorns that are small enough to get through the armor.

Anyway, search for puncture resistant gloves. There are plenty of gloves designed to avoid needle sticks.

 

[uscarry45]

depending on your hand sizes I would say some leather gloves (look at some that sare mde for police officers) designed to keep needle from pricking under a pair of heavy welding gloves

 

[Walkers]

A pair of blacksmith tongs sound like they would work well. Either that or burn them first.

 

[seber]

Assuming you are talking about thistle and not cactus, I use a machete or a weed whacker and a rake. I never try to handle them without a long handled tool.

 

[Straightgrain]

I'd be interested in seeing a photo of those nasty beasts. Fortunately I don't have anything at my place that a pair of thick leather gloves and heavy-duty work boots can't protect me from.

 

[seanb02]

I recently discovered mulching brush blades that mount on a string trimmer. Maybe not exactly what you are after, but man do these things make short work of blackberries, poison oak, buckthorn, and other prickly nasty brush. Works best on 1" or smaller diameter stuff. No additional cleanup required after since it mulches them down as small as you want them to be. Rather than typical side to sides strokes, you go up and down the plant chopping it. I typically run them on my FS110 which has handlebars, but I've also used them on my FS90 which is a loop handle and it works fine either way, both have plenty of power to handle the blade. Link below to what I am referring to, shop around though because that is a ridiculously high price. I've been getting some off branded ones locally for about $18 each.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00RZH0V4G/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[Busted_Knuckles]

I recently discovered mulching brush blades that mount on a string trimmer.

Or you can now buy dedicated brush cutters, that are essentially a weed whacker, with a 4 stroke and likely a larger bearing on the bottom for the larger load. This is what I mentioned in an earlier post at the top. The image shared, is randomly what I bought, it has a harness you wear to carry the weight ( that is not shown in the pic )

I maintain about 15 acres of old growth woods that we live in, that Im slowly converting into a " park like " setting, essentially cleaning out all the bramble and small trees. Most of it is honey suckle and various thorn bushes.

I cut down saplings up to 2", sometimes larger, in about a second with that renegade blade. It does not even slow down, when hitting briars and the like. Ive cleared literally more than a acre at a time of straight thorns bushes. I push into a pile and burn when done.

They sell several different profiles of that blade, from cutting mostly trees, all the way down to grass. The profiles change so the material being cut gets pulled into the blade, not repelled by it.

 

[Kscardsfan]

brush hog and/or flamethrower.
Seriously.
Flamethrower.

Beat me to it. Controlled burn for large swaths or a weed burner for isolated sprouts of them. Otherwise there really isn’t a guaranteed glove that I’ve found that is thorn and sticker resistant. Garrett Wade sells some gloves they hype up pretty hard about how tough they are, but I’ve never tried them for myself.

 

[thool]

I'll try to post a few pics. We cut down about 30, and dabbed the "stumps" with a Bonine product for vines and the like. There were also thick vines as big around as my wrist, cut with chainsaw and dabbed with the same product. Those vines are literally killing the trees we have back there, and would eventually kill them all.

Unfortunately I wrenched my back real bad with all the bending, pulling, twisting, dragging, yanking, lifting...Advil and heat!

 

[Kscardsfan]

I'll try to post a few pics. We cut down about 30, and dabbed the "stumps" with a Bonine product for vines and the like. There were also thick vines as big around as my wrist, cut with chainsaw and dabbed with the same product. Those vines are literally killing the trees we have back there, and would eventually kill them all.

Unfortunately I wrenched my back real bad with all the bending, pulling, twisting, dragging, yanking, lifting...Advil and heat!

Not sure if you have access to it where you are, but Tordon is a woody plant killing machine as far as herbicide goes.

 

[Iridium rand]

Those things are the worst seriously, basically any fibrous material they’ll slip right through and leather only works so well, though welders gloves may be thick and hard enough. Best off with gloves that have hard plate/panels in them, or better yet deal with them using methods that avoid touching them with your hands. Usually not too difficult to avoid them while cutting, then I pick them up with a rake and throw them into the truck or barrel

 

[thool]

Here are some pics. In one you can see the length coming out of the ground, hooking over a branch, and then going another 5-6 feet. I'd estimate that one at 12 feet overall. You can see a few in the background there.

The other pic shows one next to my finger, pretty close to being that thick. Only about 10% are that big around, while others are about 1/4". You can see that the thorns are stout and at full maturity around July they are even longer.

 

[cjarvis]

What is the proper name for that nasty little vine?

 

[thool]

What is the proper name for that nasty little vine?

I wish I knew. They are quite hardy, and even when the stalks die off every year, the dead stalks left behind still pose a threat because of the thorns that take along time to decay. They must have some sort of root system that travels, so killing that system is critical to eliminating them. Simply cutting down new growth is not the solution.

 

[M635_Guy]

Try some welding gloves. get the thick ones from HF , cheap enough to try. don't get the thin mig/tig ones. also homedepot rents a brush hog which is basicaly a lawnmower on steroids. perhaps use one to mulch the area into nothing vs hand cutting.

Welding gloves are also handy for grilling.

+1 on the brush hog though...

 

[yatg]

In the meantime, person B would give the "stump" a shot of Round Up

That won't work as well as you think. Roundup (glyphosate) is absorbed through the leaves. You need something for woody growth, like Crossbow. Similar nasty wild berry vines here.

 

[rayra]

Easy answer is quit trying to hold the branches directly with your hands. Use a brush hook or a long handled pair of pruning sheers.

 

[rlitman]

That won't work as well as you think. Roundup (glyphosate) is absorbed through the leaves. You need something for woody growth, like Crossbow. Similar nasty wild berry vines here.

Oh no, not at all. Roundup is also absorbed when introduced directly to the cambium. It works best if you apply the 41% concentrate directly using a dropper bottle. It doesn't take much, but this is extremely effective at killing vines and trees.

 

[nadogail]

Have you considered Napalm?

 

[thool]

This is what we used on the "stump" exposed once cut low with the lopper: https://bonide.com/product/stump-vine-killer/

 

[Dakotadadv8]

Try Mechanix gloves don't buy the cheap version from big box, they won't last long.

 

[sparky 1971]

Here are some pics. In one you can see the length coming out of the ground, hooking over a branch, and then going another 5-6 feet. I'd estimate that one at 12 feet overall. You can see a few in the background there.

The other pic shows one next to my finger, pretty close to being that thick. Only about 10% are that big around, while others are about 1/4". You can see that the thorns are stout and at full maturity around July they are even longer.

I've never seen those before, but I've had more than my share of battles with hedge (Osage Orange) and Black Locust trees and multi floral rose bushes. I haven't found a great pair of gloves yet. Some are better than others though. So far, the best I've found is a pair of Mechanics gloves inside a pair of welders gloves, but the pokey's will still get through. I bet a pair of fire place tongs would work to hold the vine up while it gets cut. And, Round up won't work by pouring it down the stump. It has to go on the leaves to work. You want Tordon.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00P9RWYLC/?tag=atomicindus08-20

Tordon RTU Herbicide

Tordon RTU Herbicide is a ready-to-use specialty herbicide that kills and prevents invasive trees from growing. It can be used along roads, fence lines, and various non-cropland areas to control aspen, ash, dogwood, hickory, and other tree types.

www.solutionsstores.com

 

[Odd-job]

Even if one has a flamethrower, gloves are still a good idea when trying to slaughter pricklers.

I deal with an evil raspberry bush on a monthly basis which tries getting me every time I am not paying attention and run out of one of my garage's entrances. Thick cowhide gloves seem to work best as they seem to be the most penetration resistant vs synthetics.

Any synthetic mechanic style glove that is designed to be tactile is a compromise. You want as much material between you and the prickler trying to draw blood.