I've ran about every denomination of dozer, site work/excavation equipment doing this kind of work, and though it would take days by hand, the old 850 ford has always shined in this thick overgrown vegetation, trees and so on, sure as heck is not easy and about every darned thing you can think of will happen, things poking you, vines wanting to wrap, pull, bring tops down on you, what a ride this afternoon. I've got to get my old Cat going, although I can make it work, this was about as bad as it gets.
This old field, all 10 acres of it, was in crops, you'd never know it, its shaped like an upside down butcher knife, and at the handle, it where it got real thick, several years back I had able to get through, but several weather events ruined a nice stand of black cherry and other tall trees, thin, 6"-8" at the most, what a mess. I went in there one time and had this cherry so spring loaded, it would push the tractor backwards up hill, take your head off if you pushed it, I gave up and figured this mess was a lost cause.
Well I got it in my head I want to be able to get in there, lot of firewood logs, and went at it, the first 300 yards was some work, but the last 100 yards was as bad as it gets, man I am wheeled !
So before I make the turn to get through the thicket in front of the tractor, I had been cutting with the chainsaw ahead, to relieve tension, and make it easy to push off, not so easy though, ground was wet, traction not the best. So I go over to one of the trees that needs to be cut, and step RIGHT ON, the nest of ground wasps!!!! I keep working, first one gets me, sh$#@T !!! Small little buggers and they were clung to me, I am swatting them with my gloves on, killing any I see, they got all over the cuff of my denim jeans, thick, sting not so bad, but I got nailed a few times, then they lit me up but good, over a dozen times, I dropped the saw, running, got distance, and checked for straglers and any following me, and I thought they had found me, kept getting nailed, but was just the riders! YOu can't tell, are they flying in, numerous stings, can't tell whats new whats not !! LOL ! darned things! Finally all clear, go back to get the saw one comes right at me, I nailed him. got the saw and cleared it, was loading up, shut it off. Time for water break, get on the tractor and drive right into the nest one or 2 come right at me, swat those off, back off, and look for the nest site, find it, and have at it with the bucket, stubborn as a mule, D-Day philosophy, keep at them, they won the skirmish, but I finished them but good, no additional stings. I normally spot them, even if disturbed, they never find me on a tractor, but I got tagged with that pheromone, boy does that change things ! Well I got a path through, can get around the entire perimeter, but that one on the back of the neck is a zinger LOL !
Clearing sure is some fun ain't it LOL !! long shot is 300 yards to a shale hill and there is another 200 ahead of me in the same direction, I cut over to get to the upper perimeter where I could still get through, saved 100 yds of this clearing work. Vines have taken over almost all of the trees, I've never seen so many, must be the birds that drop the seed.
This old field, all 10 acres of it, was in crops, you'd never know it, its shaped like an upside down butcher knife, and at the handle, it where it got real thick, several years back I had able to get through, but several weather events ruined a nice stand of black cherry and other tall trees, thin, 6"-8" at the most, what a mess. I went in there one time and had this cherry so spring loaded, it would push the tractor backwards up hill, take your head off if you pushed it, I gave up and figured this mess was a lost cause.
Well I got it in my head I want to be able to get in there, lot of firewood logs, and went at it, the first 300 yards was some work, but the last 100 yards was as bad as it gets, man I am wheeled !
So before I make the turn to get through the thicket in front of the tractor, I had been cutting with the chainsaw ahead, to relieve tension, and make it easy to push off, not so easy though, ground was wet, traction not the best. So I go over to one of the trees that needs to be cut, and step RIGHT ON, the nest of ground wasps!!!! I keep working, first one gets me, sh$#@T !!! Small little buggers and they were clung to me, I am swatting them with my gloves on, killing any I see, they got all over the cuff of my denim jeans, thick, sting not so bad, but I got nailed a few times, then they lit me up but good, over a dozen times, I dropped the saw, running, got distance, and checked for straglers and any following me, and I thought they had found me, kept getting nailed, but was just the riders! YOu can't tell, are they flying in, numerous stings, can't tell whats new whats not !! LOL ! darned things! Finally all clear, go back to get the saw one comes right at me, I nailed him. got the saw and cleared it, was loading up, shut it off. Time for water break, get on the tractor and drive right into the nest one or 2 come right at me, swat those off, back off, and look for the nest site, find it, and have at it with the bucket, stubborn as a mule, D-Day philosophy, keep at them, they won the skirmish, but I finished them but good, no additional stings. I normally spot them, even if disturbed, they never find me on a tractor, but I got tagged with that pheromone, boy does that change things ! Well I got a path through, can get around the entire perimeter, but that one on the back of the neck is a zinger LOL !
Clearing sure is some fun ain't it LOL !! long shot is 300 yards to a shale hill and there is another 200 ahead of me in the same direction, I cut over to get to the upper perimeter where I could still get through, saved 100 yds of this clearing work. Vines have taken over almost all of the trees, I've never seen so many, must be the birds that drop the seed.
