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27
EQUIPMENT SELECTIONTABLE
UPROOTING
CUTTING AT OR ABOVE
GROUND LEVEL
KNOCKINGTO
THE GROUND
INCORPORATING
INTOTHE SOIL
LIGHT CLEARING —
Vegetation up to 5 cm (2 in) diameter
Small areas
4 hectares
(10 acres)
Bulldozer blade; forestry
machine road builder
arrangement
Wheel-mounted circular
saws
Bulldozer blade; forestry
machine road builder
arrangement
Moldboard plows, disc
plows, disc harrows
Medium areas
40 hectares
(100 acres)
Bulldozer blade; forestry
machine road builder
arrangement
Heavy duty sickle mowers
[up to 3.7 cm (1
1
/
2
in)
diameter] tractor-mounted
circular saws, suspended
rotary mowers; site prep
tractor with brush cutter
or mulcher attachment
Bulldozer blade, rotary
mowers; flail-type rotary
cutters; rolling brush
cutters; forestry machine
road builder arrangement;
site prep tractor with brush
cutter or mulcher attachment
Moldboard plows; disc
plows, disc harrows; site
prep tractor with mulcher
attachment
Large areas
400 hectares
(1000 acres)
Bulldozer blade, root rake,
grubber, root plow, anchor
chain drawn between two
crawler tractors; rails
Site prep tractor with brush
cutter or mulcher attachment
Rolling brush cutter; flail-
type cutter; anchor chain
drawn between two
crawler tractors; rails; site
prep tractor with brush
cutter or mulcher attachment
Undercutter with disc;
moldboard plows; disc
plows; disc harrows; site
prep tractor with mulcher
attachment
INTERMEDIATE CLEARING —
Vegetation 5 to 20 cm (2 to 8 in) diameter
Small areas
4 hectares
(10 acres)
Bulldozer blade; forest
machine road builder
arrangement
Wheel-mounted circular
saws
Bulldozer blade; forestry
machine road builder
arrangement
Heavy-duty disc plow; disc
harrow
Medium areas
40 hectares
(100 acres)
Bulldozer blade; forest
machine road builder
arrangement
Tractor-mounted circular
saws, single scissor type
tree shears; site prep
tractor with brush cutter or
mulcher attachment; wheel/
track feller buncher with
high speed saw head;
forest machine with
directional felling head
Bulldozer blade, rolling
brush cutter [up to 12 cm
(5 in) diameter], rotary
mower [up to 10 cm (4 in)
diameter]; forestry machine
road builder arrangement;
Site prep tractor with brush
cutter or mulcher attachment
Heavy-duty disc plow; disc
harrow; site prep tractor
with mulcher attachment
Large areas
400 hectares
(1000 acres)
Shearing blade, angling
(tilted) bulldozer blade,
rakes, anchor chain drawn
between two crawler
tractors, root plow
Shearing blade (angling
or V-type); site prep tractor
with brush cutter or mulcher
attachment; wheel/track
feller buncher with high
speed saw head; forest
machine with directional
felling head
Bulldozer blade, flail-type
rotary cutter, anchor chain;
site prep tractor with brush
cutter or mulcher attachment
Bulldozer blade with
duty harrow; site prep
tractor with mulcher
attachment
NOTE:
The most economical size area for each type of equipment will vary with the relative cost of capital equipment versus labor. It is also affected by
whether there are alternate uses for equipment such as using tractors for tillage.
Edition 47 27-3
Land Clearing
Equipment SelectionTable