On the Uses of an Excavator Brush Cutter

Excavator brush cutters are highly versatile attachments with a plethora of purposes and applications, as you are about to see.

Let’s dive into the utility behind these highly specialized (but highly valuable) excavator attachments.

Excavator Brush Cutter Uses (and How They’re More Versatile Than Skid Steer Brush Cutters)

Basically, a brush cutter attachment that fits onto the arm of an excavator, these attachments can be used for a wide range of applications including but not limited to the following:

• General land clearing: Excavator brush cutters are highly versatile tools that can be used to cut back brush, vines, weeds, and woody shrubs up to 6” thick. This makes these attachments perfect for clearing new growth on fields as well as for clearing space between mature trees, or just for keeping lots free of overgrowth.
• Clearing pond banks: Keeping pond banks clear is not just a matter of aesthetics (although it does improve the appearance of a waterbody). It can also be a matter of mosquito and pest control, and allowing bank access for fishermen, or even for creating a landing for small craft.
• Reaching over and around fence lines: Traditional brush cutter attachments, such as those compatible with skid steers, are not as flexible as, and lack the reach of, excavator attachments. These can be used to reach over and around fence lines to keep them clear.
• Keeping property lines demarcated: Keeping property lines clear can help circumvent costly legal disputes, and something as simple as clearing the area around property boundaries can do the trick, quickly and cost-effectively.
• Creating fire breaks: Fire control, including controlled burns, is a critical component of wildland management. Excavator brush cutters can be used to create quick, effective impromptu fire breaks rapidly and efficiently.
• Keeping rights-of-way clear: Whether you need to keep a hiking trail, a forest road, or a bike trail clear, these brush cutters are perfect for the job. They can also be used to trim and clear driveways, road margins, and more.

                    

• Grinding small stumps: Since these excavator brush cutters can clear material up to 6” thick, they can be used to grind small stumps - no need for a separate attachment provided they are the right size. And, they can also be used as an alternative to a mulcher, as cleared debris will coat and insulate the ground. Not as effectively as a dedicated mulcher, but close.
• Assisting with reforestation: Interestingly, an excavator brush cutter can be used to help reduce residual logging slash and prepare the forest for new growth. Conventionally, this was done through dozer piling, but that rips up the soil. An excavator can be used in lieu of a mulcher to clear out areas disturbed by logging in order to pave the way for pioneer species and new seedlings.

The Importance of Keeping Fallow Land Clear

In addition to the fact that an excavator brush cutter can be used for so many different applications, it’s equally important to be apprised of the reasons why keeping land clear can be beneficial. These are some of the most important of them.

• Reducing the spread of invasive species: It can be very difficult to halt the spread of fecund and resilient invasive species without resorting to chemical or biological controls. But it’s hard for invasives to argue with the mechanical might of an excavator brush cutter that will Never Surrender.
• Maintaining or improving property value: Overgrown land is not just an eyesore, it can exert a material detriment to the value of your land. Not if you keep it cleared, prim, and tidy with the help of a brush cutter.
• Controlling the risk of wildfire: Wildfire is a more serious threat in areas that are overgrown and poorly maintained, as fire more often travels through the underbrush than through the canopy (although it can do both). Keeping land clear is one hedge against this risk.
• Eliminating unwanted pests: Guess where disease carrying vermin like rats, voles, mice, moles, shrews, foxes, coyotes, stray cats, and other carnivores live? The whole ecosystem is often self-contained in the undergrowth. Clear it out, and all the headache goes with it.
• Enhancing access and land use: You can’t use land if you can’t access it and a brush cutter is perfect for opening up access to areas hitherto verboten by word of the weeds.
• Reducing the impacts of erosion: Believe it or not, overgrown areas are at risk of erosion, too - depending on what grows there. In some cases, clearing and mulching can help reverse this trend.

                                 

• Controlling the spread of disease: Through plants, that is. In areas where viral or bacterial diseases are plaguing plants, clearing the whole thing out is the only thing you can do about it. In some instances, insects serve as critical viral vectors and spread diseases through plants like wildfire. Oftentimes, these insects seek shelter in the very plants they infect. Clearing the plants kills the insects, which allows some plants to return facing a lower risk of infection.

This is only a snapshot of the benefits that can accompany routine, judicious land clearing. There may be many others, some of which might be unique to your situation.

Never Surrender: Top Quality Excavator Brush Cutters

There’s an easy way to reap all the benefits of the versatility and power of an excavator brush cutter mentioned here. To buy a model that will Never Surrender. You will find that right here at Spartan Equipment.