Land Clearing Skid Steer Attachment: Brush Cutter or Mulcher

For land clearing, the first skid steer attachment choice is between a brush cutter, which cuts brush down, and a drum mulcher, which chews it up. Both attachments can clear a lot of ground, but each one does a different job, and buying the wrong one costs you time on every acre.

Chupp Industrial is a family-run equipment business in Chouteau, Oklahoma, and this question comes up all the time. Here is how we help people sort it out.

What Does a Brush Cutter or Drum Mulcher Do?

A brush cutter swings blades or knives to slice through brush and small saplings. The cutter cuts and throws or lays down the material. Think overgrown fence lines, pasture edges and thick grass with woody growth.

A drum mulcher spins a heavy drum fitted with teeth or tools. The mulcher grinds wood into chips and mulch, handles larger stems, and leaves a covering on the ground instead of a pile to burn or haul off.

The whole difference in one line: a cutter clears, a mulcher clears and processes.

Which Skid Steer Attachment Should You Pick for Land Clearing?

Pick a brush cutter for brush and stems up to a couple of inches, and a drum mulcher for trees, thick cedar and big brush.

• Brush and briars: a brush cutter is usually enough and often the faster tool.
• Larger wood: a drum mulcher is the better fit, since the mulcher is built to take it.
• Ground you plan to seed or build on: mulch left on the surface helps with erosion and saves hauling. Some buyers like that. Others want bare dirt.
• Stumps: neither attachment is a stump grinder. If stumps are part of the job, plan for a grinder as a separate step.

Most people underestimate the stumps. Clearing the top growth is only half the job.

What Skid Steer Attachments Work After the Clearing?

A skid steer rake is the usual attachment for finishing ground after clearing. After the brush is down, that can mean raking out roots and rock, leveling, or grading for a pad or a pasture. Tell us the job you are doing and ask which rake fits it.

Will a Cutter or Mulcher Work on Your Skid Steer?

A cutter or mulcher works on your skid steer when the attachment's hydraulic flow, size and mounting plate match the machine. Skid steer attachments are not all interchangeable, so check these three things:

1. Hydraulic flow. Mulchers and cutters draw a lot of hydraulic power, so compare your skid steer's flow with the attachment's rating. A standard-flow brush cutter, for example, can be rated for 20-21 gpm.
2. Machine size. A full-size attachment on a small machine will bog down or tip the machine. A mini skid steer needs an attachment built for one.
3. Mounting and couplers. Make sure the attachment's mounting plate matches your skid steer.

If you are not sure, send us the make and model of your skid steer and we will point you at attachments that fit. The mistake is guessing. Tell us your machine, your ground and your acreage, and we will help you choose the right attachment for your land clearing job.

How Big a Brush Cutter Can a Standard-Flow Skid Steer Run?

Standard-flow brush cutters usually top out around 43 inches. Brush cutters at 60 inches are all high-flow, so a 60-inch cutter calls for a high-flow skid steer.

Can a Tractor Loader Run a Brush Cutter or Mulcher?

A tractor loader with a skid-steer style quick attach can physically mount a cutter or mulcher, but whether the attachment runs comes down to the tractor's gallons per minute (GPM).

• Low flow: a smaller drum mulcher can run on about 11 GPM of low flow.
• Raytree RABC44 articulating brush cutter: the RABC44 should work on a tractor as long as the tractor has a case drain and its hydraulic flow matches. The RABC44 needs 12 to 32 GPM, so a tractor putting out 20 GPM is within range. The RABC44 runs on three hoses: a male, a female and a case drain hose, the line that returns hydraulic fluid to the tank.
• PTO hydraulics: there are also units that hook up to the tractor's PTO on the back and provide standard low-flow hydraulics like a skid steer, with hoses run to the front, but a PTO unit means buying a whole extra attachment.

To check whether a cutter or mulcher fits your tractor, send us a list of your equipment with each machine's GPM capability, plus pictures of the hookup.

Should You Buy or Rent a Brush Cutter or Mulcher?

Renting a mulcher may make sense if you clear land a couple of times a year. If land clearing is part of how you earn money, owning a cutter or mulcher wins over time. Consider how many acres you clear each season and how much downtime you can accept. The people who buy tend to be the ones who cannot wait for a rental to come back.

How Do You Keep a Cutter or Mulcher Cutting?

Check the teeth and blades often, keep the teeth and blades sharp or replace them, and grease the bearings. Whichever attachment you choose, the teeth and blades are wear items. A dull cutter burns fuel and slows the job. A few minutes of upkeep saves a day of grinding away at the same brush.