Loader-Mounted Brush Trimmer Clears Trails Fast

Loader-Mounted Brush Trimmer Clears Trails Fast TRACTORS Loaders When Lawrence Kring Hammond N Y read an article about a walk-behind tree trimmer made by another FARM SHOW reader a few years ago he figured he could improve on it “After a bit of experimenting I came up with a frame-mounted saw that quick-taches to the loader arms on my Deere 1050 35 hp 4-WD tractor ” says Kring “I use it to trim overhanging brush on ATV snowmobile and hiking trails that I made on abandoned property I had bought several years ago It can cut branches anywhere from 18 in off the ground to as high as the loader can reach ” He started with a 28-in buzz saw blade he already had and mounted it about 20 in off to one side of a 12-ft long steel frame that quick-taches to the loader The saw is belt-driven by a 13 hp Harbor Freight Predator electric start gas engine that’s mounted at the center of the frame Three 12-in wide wooden skids at the bottom of the frame keep the saw from digging into the ground A homemade steel box welded to the frame supports the shaft that drives the saw Kring cut up a 35-gal barrel to make a pair of covers for the belt system and the shaft “It works even better than I expected The engine can run all day long on a tank of fuel ” says Kring “I added a couple of switches to the electric start engine so I can turn it on and off from the tractor seat I couldn’t use the tractor’s hydraulic system to power the saw because it doesn’t have enough capacity “I spent a lot of time figuring out how fast to operate the engine I found that the saw cuts better with the engine at half throttle than at full torque I leave the belt loose to serve as a slip clutch which gives me enough time to turn off the engine if the saw pinches ” He says the saw drops cut material to the ground instead of throwing it back toward him and works just as well with the tractor backing up as going forward “Branches can hang up to 10 ft over the trail but I usually cut off just 3 ft of them at a time to keep from pinching the saw ” says Kring “After I’m done cutting brush I use a 3-pt mounted bush hog to go down the trail and grind up the cut-off material “I also use the saw to trim overhanging branches that hinder machinery on the edges of fields ” The loader didn’t come with quick-tach brackets so Kring made his own and bolted them on back of the frame They have curved steel hooks at the top and linch pins at the bottom which makes hook-up an easy job “If I want I can move the entire unit back and forth across the frame ” notes Kring “I try to keep the saw out far enough to keep cut-off branches from dragging on the valve stems on the tractor’s tires ” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Lawrence Kring 3138 County Route 6 Hammond N Y 13646 ph 315 323-2107; kring630@twcny rr com

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