Tractor Tree Cutter

Tractor Tree Cutter WOODLOT EQUIPMENT Miscellaneous 26-2-6 The T.D.I. Tree Cutter, from T.D.I., Soper, Oklahoma, was designed to handle tree removal jobs that are too large for a brush cutter, but too small for a dozer. This 3-pt. hitch mounted pto driven cutter features a circular 4-ft. steel blade with 16 replaceable carbide tipped bits. Two 12-in. stroke hydraulic cylinders, one on either side of the blade push the blade into the tree. A pusher bar at the top of the frame over the blade forces the tree back away from the tractor and operator. "You just back into the tree, set the tractor brakes, switch on the pto and then push the blade into the tree with the hydraulic cylinders," says John McNutt, a co-owner of TDI. "If the tree is larger than 12 in., you can retract the cylinders, back up, and cut again." McNutt says the design of the cutter allows it to cut a 20-in. diameter tree or stump. He says it can cut a tree up to 4 ft. in diameter by making two or more cuts from different sides of the tree. The company recommends the cutter be used on a tractor with a ROPS approved cab or rollbar, and at least a 70 hp engine. "It doesn't need that much horsepower to operate the saw, but since the unit weighs 1,600 lbs., we recommend a bigger tractor to make sure it has enough weight and hydraulic capacity to manage it," McNutt says. An optional pincers-type grabber, which mounts on the pusher bar, allows you to use the cutter to carry trees off the field. The hydraulic grabber requires its own hydraulic outlet. McNutt says they're working on a skid loader-mounted version, with a hydraulic motor to drive the sawblade. He says most people are using it for cutting volunteer trees and brush in pasture and fencerows, or for clearing stumps where trees have been logged off the land. The cutter sells for about $4,200, and the optional grabber adds another $600. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, T.D.I., Rt. 1, Soper, Okla. 74759 (ph 580 345-2286; fax 580 345-2288).

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