Building slash wall with skid-steer - CornellForestConnect2024-03-29T13:55:59Zhttps://cornellforestconnect.ning.com/forum/topics/building-slash-wall-with-skid-steer?feed=yes&xn_auth=noThanks for the tips, Brett! M…tag:cornellforestconnect.ning.com,2023-01-19:6448444:Comment:1142892023-01-19T17:01:18.031ZJames Grayhttps://cornellforestconnect.ning.com/profile/JamesGray
<p>Thanks for the tips, Brett! My contractor does have a grapple rather than fork, so we should be good.</p>
<p>Thanks for the tips, Brett! My contractor does have a grapple rather than fork, so we should be good.</p> Thanks for sharing this updat…tag:cornellforestconnect.ning.com,2023-01-19:6448444:Comment:1142862023-01-19T16:32:54.844ZBrett Chedzoyhttps://cornellforestconnect.ning.com/profile/BrettChedzoy
<p>Thanks for sharing this update, James, on what should be a valuable slash wall building experience. To our knowledge, no one has intentionally tried to build a slash wall yet with a skid steer, though it's a common piece of equipment for moving and piling brush. Here are some thoughts that may help you:</p>
<ul>
<li>Track loaders (skid steers on tracks) would have greater stability and traction for working on rough ground. A "skid steer" (tires vs. tracks) would be more limited in its…</li>
</ul>
<p>Thanks for sharing this update, James, on what should be a valuable slash wall building experience. To our knowledge, no one has intentionally tried to build a slash wall yet with a skid steer, though it's a common piece of equipment for moving and piling brush. Here are some thoughts that may help you:</p>
<ul>
<li>Track loaders (skid steers on tracks) would have greater stability and traction for working on rough ground. A "skid steer" (tires vs. tracks) would be more limited in its ability to work over stumps, ruts and rocks. That said, I understand that the available equipment may be a skid steer. If so, you'll need to be more attentive to ground conditions (frozen or dry) to help compensate for the more limited maneuverability. </li>
<li>Based on personal experience, it will be difficult to carry and lift slash on just forks. What you really need is a brush grapple - or at a minimum, forks with an add-on hydraulic arm to clamp the slash. You'll find no shortage of such attachments on-line, ranging from grapples for a few thousand dollars to the add-on arms for hundreds of dollars. In any case, I think it would save a lot of time and frustration and thus be worth the investment. </li>
<li>Large track loaders should have the lift capacity and forward reach to build a full-sized ~ 10 foot high slash wall. If using a machine with a lower capacity, I would compensate in two ways: 1) try to compact portions of the slash wall within reach of the skid steer loader attachment to increase the freshly-built slash density. This will reduce initial slumping and extend the useful life wall despite the lower initial height (note: this will increase the amount of slash you need and wall building cost); 2) If you can't go higher, go wider. For deer at least (may be different for moose or elk), the "cattle guard" effect of older walls is what continues to deter deer. </li>
</ul>
<p>Please keep us posted on your progress. If you share us some rough costs, "tips for next time" and a good picture afterwards, we would like to post to the <a href="http://www.slashwall.info" target="_blank">www.slashwall.info</a> site. </p>