Hi all. First time poster here. I am a heavy diesel fitter and small time earthmoving contractor and farmer. I have had serval dozers and excavators in the last 20 years or so. I have a new (to me) Cat D5K LGP with a PAT blade. I am looking to fit a new stick rake and tree spear. I have a design sorted for a pin on over the blade stick rake the width of the blade only. I work in some very steep country and don't want to be too heavy on the nose or too wide. Most of my work is cleaning up properties between the trees. What i am looking for is some ideas of the best way to build a tree spear to suit. I have seen blade mounted ones, not keen on the way that loads the top of the blade. I have seen fame mounted ones that look rather awkward. I know everything is a compromise somewhere. The last tractor I had before this was aD6C with a trunnion mounted spear. Obviously the best but not applicable to my new machine. Any and all thoughts most welcome. Thanks Cameron.
I would never have a use for one of those, just something to get in the way. I'd rather have a huge clamp sorta thing that could help carry clean brush and logs, and would of coarse extend the blade height that much as well. If you have to push high in a tree use an excavator. For big trees it takes big dozers.
I don't like stumping with 6 ways, it beats the heck out of them. Never heard of a tree spear but I did like the old school sump splitters off the back, using a winch to lower them.
Thanks for your replies, In Australia we do everything with the dozers where possible. A tree spear if you don't know is an independant bar on top of and projecting forward of the blade. It allows you to keep the tractor back from the tree further as well as giving you extra height and leverage. They work very well allowing a smaller tractor to do bigger work. When they are well designed they don't get in the way of stacking timber or pushing dirt. I agree that 6 way blades get knocked about pretty quickly, I am looking for the best design that transfers the load back to the blade frame if possible instead of the blade. Thanks for your replies.
Not possible, unless you want to lose all tilt/angle ability.
I vaguely remember seeing one on PAT blade, can't remember where though. It sat on the top of the blade and a bracket had been made at the base of the tilt rams. That way all blade functions were maintained. Personally I didn't like the idea because the pusher could be flipped over onto the tractor if the operator wasn't super duper careful but guess it must have worked. How it would work combining a stickrake again no idea.
Thanks for your replies. I have seen it done. You can still use all the blade functions. I will post some pictures when the forum lets me. Multiple way of doing it, mostly not ideal though. More thoughts and opinions from more people helps sort through the best ideas. Thanks.
Best stump splitter set up is a ripper mounted one. You would never be able to maneuver, turn etc. in the woods in my area with a funky thing hanging out the front.
Somewhere I believe in the Dozer section there is a thread regarding tree spears. Use the search function in the top right corner of screen and hopefully you will find it.
That funky thing is a huge help to make room and a very efficient and effective way of turning the vertical to horizontal. The timber is a heck of a more dense here compared to Nth America at about ⅔ more weight per cube so splitters aren't used, quicker to dig out the stump or grind.
Everything had to be chewed up over 20 years ago, in some areas no burning allowed. 16 foot diameter old growth stumps? You have them? All stumps except some small ones need to be split best as possible as rocks and dirt not allowed in the chips. And not everyone was split with the rear splitter. Timber no one absolutely no one on the north west coast would be caught using one of those spears. As all timber is harvested, rarely did we go in dozer first, and if so, if you know what your doing no high reach nothing is needed. We operate on some very steep ground, don't need nothing raising the center of gravity on the dozer. I did land clearing we cleaned the mess up, no grinding the stumps in place, all was removed and turned into use full chips for furnaces at I think a paper mill, or ? And thinking about goofy stuff, I've seen those Rome plows they used in Nam, I would not want one of those for nothing. I'll take the Beals clearing head or rake over all the other stuff.
Pretty much all the good trees were harvested when the country was broken in many moons ago. The trees that were left were considered rubbish and left standing. Most of the regenerated trees have come from this stock, good for ornamental timber,fire wood or posts mostly. Bit of a shame but that's life.
Hi all, I have attached some photo's of some examples. Any further ideas all welcome. Thanks.
A couple more photos. Obviously the idea for my machine will be along similar lines to distribute the load to the lower part of the blade or back directly to the blade frame, while still enabling all of the blade functions. Ease of fitment is also a factor. I don't like the tripod idea, while strong it gets in the way pushing dirt or stacking timber. I have found most of these pictures from different forums around the place and machines for sale. Seems to be an Australian thing............. Thanks again.
Hi all, has anyone else got any more ideas? Aussie guys especially, seems only we use tree spears? Mainly thinking of the best ideas to minimize the load on the blade as well as ease of fitment/removal. Cat D6C was so much easier............. Thanks.
The photo of the D5 is very similar to the one I saw except the spear rested on the top of the blade. Unless you have a machine to do the lifting this spear is probably as good as it gets and you'll just have to suck up the accelerated idler wear unfortunately. I recently worked with a bloke on a D6r who had the spear welded to the blade. The spear was mediocre at pushing trees and the blade at pushing dirt. Bit of a shame really but that's what cheap is.
If anyone is interested, I haven't got to the tree spear as yet...... still working on the design. I have built a stick rake during the summer that will allow tree spear to be fitted later. Everyone likes some pictures.
More pictures
Last ones.
Love it! Can you flip it up and clamp it to the cage support if needed?
Well its been a wet start to our year. Its seems to rain a little every day. Plenty of time in the shed instead of pushing dirt. Tree spear fabrication in progress.
More photos.
Last ones. I will have to get a photo fitted to the machine in daylight. If anyone is interested its made from 150x100x9 RHS tube. 25mm bis 80 teeth and push plate. 12mm QT450 gusset plates. 16mm 350grade plate for the mounts on the back of the blade.
Nice work! I'd like to have a removable rake like that for our D5G XL.
Nice fitment, anyone who has had to tangle with Australian trees will know they mostly grow up to a metre thick at ground level and have various holds on the earth or tendency to snap at the root burl, which is very difficult to deal with if the stump has to come out. One species here is Ironbark (e. Sideroxylon) and it is nearly impossible to shift and won't snap either, ripping is the only way. A tree pusher is an amazing tool, incredible leverage at say ten to twelve foot, reach is essential to keep away from the root bowl which can catch the blade as the tree lands, pulling the machine forward, having only had "A-Frame" machines, we fit back at the main push bearing and rest on the top of the blade, mostly seek top contact about 6" above the canopy height to be able to pass an area by snapping off low limbs in chasing fires. One tip, not obvious, is that the tree sinks when pushed and will impose vast loads back on the arms and what ever its resting on such as the blade, to the extent it might lighten the rear of the machine. To work around this and keep the pusher straight (this is vital for strength and bite into the tree) I lower the blade a foot or so right at the moment peak contact is made and the pusher is in sapwood. Environment fines are another matter, common now usually on the clearing company too and sometimes the land owner.
Wow ! I guess that is why I only cleared with big dozers, things like that would get in my way. LOL