Three suggestions: more sheep, cows, a good scythe. The last does take some
muscle and coordination, but I find it much easier on the body and mind then
a gravely with rotary or sicklebar or a brush saw/weedwhacker, and more
effective as well as my brush scythe easily handles tall grass mixed with
woody stems.
Sumner Roberts
Meadowsweet Farm
Swanville, Maine
> From: Cynthia <caillagh@mwt.net>
> Reply-To: <graze-l@witt.ac.nz>
> Date: Thu, 29 Jun 2006 08:08:28 -0500
> To: graze-l@witt.ac.nz
> Subject: [Graze-l] [SPAM] - slope management tools - Found word(s) farm in
the
> Text body
>
> I sent the following message to a landscape contracting forum hoping for
> some help and then realized that -although I have never seen any posts
> on this list that really addresses my question- someone here might have
> some very good suggestions. I would appreciate any help anyone is
> willing to offer.
>
> Cynthia
>
>> I could use some considered opinions from you folks that deal with the
>> land all the time. I'm not a landscape business but managing a
>> rotationally grazed farm makes me a grass farmer and the tools and
>> time are very much the same.
>>
>> The problem I'm having is trying to find a good general tool for
>> grassland management on our severely sloping hills. Our sheep are
>> moved through 2 acre paddocks every couple days and I need to go in
>> and cut the paddock to an even 3-4" for regrowth and weed
control. In
>> areas that are more even and gentle we can use our tractor and a PTO
>> brushcutter, but most of our property is 15-20 degree slopes with some
>> deeply uneven areas and is simply too much for our tractor to safely
>> manage. For the past year I have used a Stihl FS200 with blades to
>> cleanup 2 acres of these slopes at a time but this gets very old AND
>> our local mechanic managed to destroy the FS200 (another story). I am
>> now without my most used tool and need to decide what to get to
>> replace it. Maybe a blessing in disguise as this was a fairly painful
>> way to manage the sloped paddocks.
>>
>> I've used a DR brushcutter as well as a BCS sicklebar mower and the
>> BCS brushcutter in the past at another farm I managed. They are heavy
>> and as exhausted as I am after a day with the FS200, I am much more so
>> with these heavy machines. Worse, the very nature of them makes them
>> especially touchy on those steep slopes as neither the DR or either
>> BCS don't so much "turn" as do a multi-phase three-point
tug-and-lug.
>> They both look good in review and are fine on flat terrain, but using
>> them are quite a different thing on these slopes. I had the
>> opportunity to try one of the stand-on mowers but on steep slopes I
>> never felt safe.
>>
>> I had a landscaper tell me that one of the better walk-behind mowers
>> would probably work well for me and I'm wondering if you would agree
>> and what you all would recommend? For the most part, all of the areas
>> (approx 12 acres of combined slopes) I would be working have been
>> largely cleaned of heavy tree growth but we are still talking weed
>> control (burdock, thistle, multiflora etc). Can the better commercial
>> 48" walk behinds handle this stuff? We don't use chemicals here
and
>> between the sheep and frequent clipping the weeds ARE slowly
>> disappearing but there are areas such as one of the least used trails
>> between paddocks that are still heavy in burdock. I don't mind losing
>> a blade to chips and dings several times over the summer, but I
>> wouldn't want to lose the engine from binding it up. We recently
>> picked up a used 250HP ATV and at some point (money) would like to add
>> a brushcutter to it, but I know from all my walking management and
>> experience that some of the areas I cut on foot will never work wtih
>> the ATV- brushcutter either and something else is needed that I can
>> walk behind.
>>
>> I've been reading reviews of all the major models and would want to
>> maximize my limited dollars. Obviously the wider cut would be a joy
>> for me but I'm trying to understand the different drives (someone said
>> NOT to get hydro?) and would like some advice on which brands and
>> models would be best. My thought has been that since money on any farm
>> is very tight, whichever model I end up with should be able to be a
>> fairly all-purpose machine as I also have personal lawn areas. In this
>> regard farming stops being similar to a landscaping business: We
>> cannot afford to have 20 tools for similar tasks and try to made do
>> with as much all-purpose as possible. With my Stihl FS200 now ruined,
>> I am left with my much smaller Stihl FS85 and a little 22" mower
(yes,
>> I DO take it out and mow those slopes with it -even the most severe of
>> them!- but the lack of power makes for a very painful day).
>>
>> We are at the height of grass season obviously and, with my husband
>> working 6 days a week, the work is piling up on me now. Any advice you
>> all can offer would be very greatly appreciated. I would also love to
>> hear from any of you that have any well-advised choices for sale at a
>> reasonable cost.
>>
>> Thanks folks
>> Cynthia in Central Wisconsin
>
>
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