4 Tips For Annihilating a Brush Removal Project With Your Skid Steer

A skid steer is the workhorse of any brush removal project. You want to make sure you take full advantage of its impressive versatility of attachments and overall performance.

Whether it's for a land clearing business or a personal project, there are four can't-miss tips on how to dominate brush removal with badass skid steer attachments that were designed beginning-to-end to annihilate the most rugged outdoor work.

1. Make Skid Steer Safety Your #1 Priority

Operating a skid steer for tree and brush removal is rugged work, but you’ve got to take care of #1 (yourself). Understand what you're doing and stick to safety protocols to dominate the project without injury or damage to the equipment.

• Always wear your personal protective equipment (PPE), including gloves, eye protection (safety glasses), sturdy footwear and durable clothes. Sticks and rocks will be flying.
• Keep people and animals a safe distance away while removing brush with your skid steer. These things don’t mess around and the last thing you want is for an unseen friend to get hurt while rotating or moving your attachments.
• Check to ensure all parts are in working condition BEFORE you fire up the skid steer.
• Perform regular maintenance on all of your brush-clearing equipment. This includes making sure the engine is clear of old debris that could catch fire.

2. Get Acquainted with the Land

Check out the land you're working with. Chances are that there is uneven terrain and hidden obstacles that could lead to accidents or damaged equipment. Pay particular attention to the location of:

• Trees and tree stumps
• Fence lines
• Utility lines
• Water pipes
• Rocks and boulders
• Litter

Another vital part of assessing land is knowing the legal requirements and getting the necessary permits, especially for large brush removal projects. Animal habitats can be affected by brush removal, and you may want to avoid clearing during nesting seasons.

With stumps, you’ll want to use a stump grinder attachment to grind them so they can be reduced below the turf. Grind to at least 2 inches below ground level, as the ground will erode around them. You want to have at least two to three seasons before you have to grind the stumps again. After grinding the stumps, you can remove the sawdust piles or just spread them out. Hot tip: If you’re planting a lawn, you’ll need to remove the sawdust and put topsoil over the stumps or else the grass won’t grow.

3. Choose the Right Brush-Clearing Attachment

Brush-clearing attachments must match the overall skid steer width, the flow rate of its hydraulic system, and the overall equipment operating capacity. Otherwise, there will be uncut debris that can tear up your skid steer.

Any brush-clearing attachment must be compatible with your skid steer. Prime Attachments come with universal quick-attach plates, making them interchangeable with current skid steer models — John Deere, Caterpillar, Bobcat, you name it.

You will also want to consider the brush-clearing attachment's intended use. For example, a skid steer brush grapple is awesome for raking and clearing brush, landscaping, and site cleanup, whereas a clam grapple is great for picking up large piles of debris.

The size of the area and the type of vegetation will influence the type of attachment needed to tackle tree brush removal.

Some obstacles require you to switch attachments back and forth quickly to reduce wear and tear on the equipment or surroundings. So, you want brush-clearing attachments that are easy to use and swap out.

4. Maintain Your Badass Skid Steer Attachments

Keeping your attachments in good shape will make each job a cinch. Here are a few quick pointers:

• Lubricate pivot points regularly.
• Regularly inspect and clean the attachment blades.
• Clean the attachments and coupling surfaces regularly.
• Check hydraulics for wear and tear and relieve any built-up pressure in the lines.
• Monitor the oil in your skid steer and change it if it looks dirty or burnt.
• Remove any debris from the mounting area so the attachment mounts properly.
• Replace any worn or damaged parts ASAP.
• Store your brush clearing equipment in a dry, secure place when you're not using it.

High build quality makes maintenance easy because the attachment will be thick enough and reinforced enough to dominate brush removal without signs of wear and tear to structural points. That’s why we make Prime Attachments, by the way — because we were sick of sub-par builds that cut corners and would fold under a heavy load. All of our attachments are built to be badass.

Find Skid Steer Attachments at Prime Attachments

Once you have done the heavy work, you’re ready to finish the lawn. A landplane can smooth out any lumps and then you’re ready to amend the lawn with fertilizer. If you are in an area that has clay-like soil, liming the soil before you fertilize helps change the pH, giving the grass the type of soil it needs to thrive.

Browse our pages to locate the last attachments you’ll ever need for brush clearing with your skid steer. Contact us at 877-757-5919 if you have any questions about equipment, shipping, and picking up equipment.