There’s a lot of equipment associated with land clearing. Depending on your chosen approach, you might need multiple pieces of heavy machinery, known as land clearing equipment, to accomplish the task. What kind of equipment will you use to clear land, and what are some potential advantages and drawbacks of using them?
How you choose to clear land will dictate what machinery you need. Here are some different clearing methods and the associated tools.
Key takeaways 
- There are different land clearing methods involving various types of equipment.
- Clearing and grubbing usually require machinery such as an excavator and bulldozer.
- Prescribed burning incorporates equipment like fire torches and vehicle-mounted pumper units.
- Specific clearing equipment can cause harm to your property which a forestry mulcher can avoid.
- Drum mulchers and disc mulchers offer various benefits that simplify land clearing.
- Forestry mulching has several additional benefits.
Clearing and grubbing
Clearing and grubbing involve uprooting vegetation and moving it offsite or burning it. You’ll typically use several machines to complete this type of job.
Excavators
Excavators are fitted with a scoop on the end of an articulated arm. They are designed to move bulk material on a worksite. You can use excavators to push over trees and pile up debris or load it onto a dump truck.
Backhoes are another earthmoving machine typical in land clearing. They have a similar design to excavators but are generally smaller and more agile.
Bulldozers
Bulldozers help remove leftover vegetation and pile it up for removal or burning. They can also push over and uproot small trees and low-lying vegetation.
Prescribed burning
Prescribed burning uses fire in a controlled manner to remove built-up vegetation. Typically, prescribed burning prevents bushfires by eliminating potential fuel sources. Prescribed burning usually involves primarily handheld equipment.
Drip torch
Drip torches are handheld ignition devices for establishing a controlled burn. They usually use a mixture of diesel and gasoline.
Pumper unit
Pumper units are vehicle-mounted devices for creating a wet line to control the fire. A similar device worn as a backpack can reach more complex areas.
Potential drawbacks
Land clearing equipment can be challenging to use effectively and safely. Unless you’re confident using heavy machinery, you may need to hire professionals to operate the equipment.
These machines can also cause significant damage to your property, which may have a considerable recovery time. That’s something to consider if you plan to sell your property.
There is machinery that can resolve these issues and provide effective land clearing.
Land clearing equipment for any project
Forestry mulchers offer several benefits that avoid the downsides of other land clearing equipment. Mulcher heads come in different forms. Each attachment is suited to particular situations. This permits forestry mulching services to provide a complete service to clients without sacrificing productivity.
Mulching equipment can come front-end mounted or as an excavator mulcher. Excavator mulchers make it easier to reach higher points.
Drum mulcher
Drum mulchers are smaller and more compact than the disc variation. This makes them more manoeuvrable but less powerful. They’re not recommended for use on tree trunks more than 8 inches in diameter. However, they are better equipped to clear in a targeted way.
They can create finer mulch and can ground stumps below ground level.
Disc mulcher
Disc mulchers can handle more giant trees and dense brush. They can work through larger areas more quickly and efficiently. However, their size restricts them in circumstances where an operator needs finer control.
Benefits of forestry mulchers
Forestry mulching equipment provides all-round benefits, including:
- Being better for the environment, contributing to soil fertility and avoiding erosion;
- Allowing for targeted clearing or efficient large-scale clearing;
- Eliminating the need to haul vegetation away or burn it on site;
- Reducing the need for multiple machines.
Work with us
East Coast Mulching’s services can help if you have a land clearing project. You don’t need to risk the health of your soil or waste money on unnecessary equipment.
Also, if you would like to dry hire a land clearing machine, we have top-of-the-line equipment available to rent. We aim to provide cost-effective solutions tailored to your needs.
