I have mesquite on my land i want to get rid of, lots of 3-4" stuff. Will a mini excavator get it done or do I need a track hoe? Thanks.

for a lot of it getting a mulching attachment will most likely be much more efficient

https://www.fecon.com/mulching-atta...I8M-m5wIVtRx9Ch3YbQU-EAAYAiAAEgJOCfD_BwE

a decent sized mini hoe would probably have little issue grubbing those out at that size and a large excavator would be overkill

but there is the issue of what you do with them after you grub them as well and a mulcher takes care of that

plus with a mini hoe you have to worry about tearing hydraulic lines off the hoe if the trees are tall or have a big spread and then you have to fart around with coming at them from the side and maybe pushing them over some or beating the limbs off of them before you go for the base......a large excavator would probably have less issue with that unless they are very tall because the boom would probably be up higher and if you bring the dipper in carefully you just dig them straight out or just push the dipper out and shove them over.....but that is still overkill and probably a lot of fuel

But grubbing kills them, mulching doesn't they'll just sprout back.

I would go with a 320 cat and get to work. You can windrow as you grub to be able to burn later.

I had a 22 acre mesquite flat turned into a hay field back in '05. They dozed, raked, root plowed, raked again, then disked with an offset disk. Including planting the field in Jiggs it cost me $400/acre. I wouldn't be surprised if it would cost twice that nowadays.

You can’t just mow them. Grub, rake, burn; like everybody.

Probably not an option for everywhere, but control burn will hit the smaller stuff really hard if you have a decent stand of grass.

Skid steer with a grubber will be the most efficient.
You should be able to find something similar to this at an equipment rental:

skid steer mesquite grubber

I have posted on this in the past as I am in the process of clearing much of my place that is overgrown with mesquite. I am using Cedar Eaters and have a pretty good process. I have not gone the excavator route as it is more expensive, leaves holes that must be smoothed out, and large burn piles.

Instead, over a couple of years, I sprayed a number of acres with remedy/diesel mix and allowed the mesquite to dry. Then I had Cedar Eaters come out with a skid steer and forestry mulcher and take out. They made quick work of it (my experience was about 12 hours per 10 acres). With mesquite there will always be regrowth, so as needed, I spray the regrowth and now, a year later, the areas they have mulched are completely clear. In the meantime, I am also spraying the next areas and plan to have them back once I have enough dead mesquite to justify the expense.

Bottom line - there is no easy fix to mesquite and to do correct, it takes patience, works, and expenses.

You can cut them off with loppers or chain saw and then immediately spray with remedy and they will be dead. Quick and easy, but you have to spray right after to cut for it to work.

That's what I was going to suggest. I do the same with the salt cedar that infests my place.

What is the future plan for the land after the mesquite is removed? Will it be a field? Pasture land? Number of acres?

As long you get all trees, and not have any that will have beans, AND dont have cows. Whatever you do to clean them, should be ok for spraying ever now and then for what birds spread.

That's how we clear overgrown locations.

I personally have done it the ax and diesel method it works but it very time consuming and labor intensive. A friend of mine now has a skid steer with a custom bucket. The bucket has the bottom cut out, so that he has about a 2' x 3' hole and about 4"-6" of metal along the front bottom edge. He drives up to the tree sinks the bucket into the earth next to the base of the tree at an angle. He then tilts the bucket flat and raises the bucket over the tree and moves on to the next. We come behind and snatch the tree out of the ground. Since the bucket has the hole it removes very little soil, he is only sinking the bucket in to cut the roots then lifting the bucket over the tree in hole and the hole left after the tree is removed in negligible.

Only way mulching is effective is if you spray and kill them first, other wise you will just piss them off


Any large amount of acreage go excavator

one of my previous leases, the LO hired a bulldozer with root plow to do about a 20+/- acre field. then pushed up the brush piles and left to decompose. about the time I got on the lease was 6-8 years later, they came back with a vengeance that he didn't deal with quick enough ... every place there used to be a 4-6 inch diameter somewhat mature tree that was rooted up, there was then a 3-4 foot diameter clump of little mesquites that returned.

all I will say is to do it right the first time and then maintain as needed.

X2

I believe I remember your previous post. My, how this company has grown. I have a hard time believing this is the same company I called years ago, left a message, and 6... months.... later some slow-talkin', out-of-it kid calls and says "yeah, my dad said I need to call you." (The dad goes to my church.) I'd already had the place cleared. 'Must be a brother that turned the company around.

Thanks everyone.It's about 20 acres I want to plant sunflowers in.

If the roots remain in the ground, they will grow new trees. Where one was standing, a dozen will sprout after cutting that one tree down. You have to remove the roots, or poison it to kill the roots.

Well I just spent an hour watching videos of mesquite being ripped out of the ground.
I want the chomping bucket on the big track hoe, pulled trees out like carrots in the garden.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=o_PTSq6Y-7I

If it's Mesquite or Honey Locust you gotta grub it out. Mulching it will only create more issues for you in the future. If you have Cedars, then mulching is the preferred method. Get several bids and see who can make you the best deal and good luck!

^^THIS^^ is the reason I spray and give the plant plenty of time to die before clearing. Yes, there will still be regrowth, but not nearly to the level where/when it was just pushed down. During the winter, even live mesquite is easy to push over with a tractor and bucket. A neighbor of mine did just that, and the small pasture he was working looked GREAT - for about 6 months. By a year, it had double the amount of mesquite than before. Every tree he pushed had evolved into a mesquite bush, make it much harder to clear a second time. Even dozing, with all of the soil disruption, will not get the roots out.

OP mentioned 20 acres for sunflowers - doable, but I think to make it last, it will take at least two full seasons before I would be ready to plant. Year 1 (when leaves have turned to dark green), spray all possible of the 20 acres (and FYI, Remedy is not cheap). Early Year 2, by whatever means you decide, push/mulch/burn/cut the dead mesquite. For remainder of year, spray any regrowth that appears to make sure it is clear. Then disc and plant.

I'm retired and have a couple of hay fields that have been taken over.
I have a 35HP Kubota commercial tractor with backhoe.
With the 12" bucket, it makes quick work out of anything up to about 6" in diameter.
Any bigger may take an extra dip or two but they give up.
I couple of hours here and there and you can see a huge difference.

Once done, I will spot spray and not let it get out of hand again because once you get behind, the bastards take over quickly.

If the ground is moist can you not pop them out of the ground with the bucket on a tractor, then diligently mow moving forward?