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From Demolition to Land Clearing

petersfamilytru

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 15, 2008
Messages
137
Location
Oregon
My little John Deere 490E is a versitile little machine when the Shamrock Grapple is attached. I just left a demolition job and went directly to clearing land entirely with the Excavator. I push the trees over with the machine, because is makes dealing with the stumps so much easier. Then I cut off the stump and limbs, pile them up to be burned and deck the logs.

I would recommend a Shamrock Pirhana grapple to anyone with an excavator. Burn piles are so much nicer, because there is no dirt. Try that with a bucket and thumb.

www.petersfamilytrucking.com
 

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newjcb123uk

Active Member
Joined
Oct 28, 2007
Messages
28
Location
Northern Ireland
Evil fire! (not)

Some people prefer to grind, but I'm burning the debris and hauling out the wood.

God! - would be so nice to live in a country where people don't want to lock you up in jail for burning some brush wood. I recon that red tape, rules and regulations, and law gone mad will prosecute us soon for passing wind:ban - do something for us people with common sence over here and the next time you light a fire make it twice as big and twice as smokey:notworthy - nice deere - over here it's an Hitachi - are they just badged deere or do deere actually make them over there??
 

rino1494

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 21, 2006
Messages
831
Location
NEPA
I have no problem piling brush with a bucket and thumb and keeping the dirt out. :beatsme
 

cat d9

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 17, 2007
Messages
47
Location
North Dakota
Occupation
manager and general FO in general
I use a 42" GP bucket matched to a ACS progressive link hydraulic thumb mounted on a 790E LC to do the same thing, no dirt in the tree pile. We burn all of it cause there is no market for the wood. To cleanup the brush and small sticks I use a brush rake on the front of a D7G, we get a little dirt in this part but it is all at the outside perimiter of the pile and when the pile is burnt there is very little left to bury. Nice JD but just a little too small for me.
 

stumper120

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 11, 2007
Messages
123
Location
newhampshire
you guys are harsh on the poor guy. to small, maybe the operator. he obviously has a diversified work load going from demo to logging and found somthing that works well for him. i once dropped of my machine off to a demo job and had the homeowner ask how i was gonna do it with a bucket.:Banghead and yes i had a thumb. i have run excavators with those grapples and they are great for grubbing. plus it ways less than the average 4 prong thumb with a 36 inch bucket combo giving you a little more lift for moving more material.:usa
 

petersfamilytru

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 15, 2008
Messages
137
Location
Oregon
Bucket and Thumb vs Hydraulic grapple

I have a couple buckets and a thumb for that "cute little" 490E and I've used that combo on many occasions. However, if you are digging stumps, stacking trees on a landing, and putting the debris in a burn pile, the bucket/thumb combination doesn't come close.

I have a Komatsu PC-220LC, but this little machine is much more suited for these jobs. I will haul my D6D in from another jobsite tomorrow. I already have my brush rake at this jobsite, so we should really be gaining ground over the next few days!
 

CascadeScaper

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 27, 2005
Messages
1,162
Location
Lynnwood, WA
Occupation
2nd year Operating Engineer Apprentice
Throw up some pics of that 220. Dash 6? FWIW, 490E's are a great machine, the D's were good too.
 

greywynd

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 25, 2005
Messages
225
Location
Peterborough, Ontario
That 490 is the same size as the 9010 that I'm considering right now. Compared to my 4400 lb mini, it seems big enough! :D

Guess there must be a job it's suited for, or there wouldn't be near as many of them around?
 
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