A Tree Puller Versus a Tree Shear

The Tree Puller and the Tree Shear serve similar purposes, but there are some pretty significant differences in how they do their work.

The tractor tree puller can remove the entire tree in one pull, and I’ve found that sometimes it just feels better to yank the whole tree out of the ground, roots and all! With an STP or Gator Tree Puller, I can do that.  When I use the Mini Clip Tree Shear, I can trim the tree off down to the ground low enough that the stump generally isn't an issue.

So while you can use both tools efficiently, you need to decide whether a tree shear or tree puller is the best tool for land clearing on your acreage and other tasks at hand.

How They Work

The quick attach tree puller goes on front of the tractor, and is run by hydraulic remote connections on the front of your loader. You just activate the hydraulics to squeeze the teeth of the puller together around the base of a tree, lift your loader, and the tree comes right out of the ground, roots and all.

The tractor tree shear, uses the same hydraulic set-up to power it, but it cuts the tree at the base and can also go up in the air and rotate to cut limbs. If you equip the Mini-Clip with an optional sprayer, you can prevent regrowth and you're done without unearthing a bunch of rocks and creating a "divot" in the field.

Either tractor tree removal tool will save you the physical labor of chain sawing and give you a way of clearing a large area without back-breaking work.

What I Like About Our Tree Puller Line

As you can see, we offer several models of tree pullers for tractor and skid loaders. You can choose economy (STP) or deluxe (Gator) tree pullers with either skid loader style, John Deere, or Euro/Global quick attach configurations.

The number one thing I like about these tree pullers is that you're pulling the entire tree out of the ground. And since there’s no stump left, you can skip chemical dousing a left-behind stump to keep it from sprouting.

Furthermore, the tree puller gives you more control than a shear, because once the tree is clamped in the puller jaws, it can be hauled right to the burn pile. No double handling. And that’s a big advantage when you’re clearing thorny trees or bushes.

They’re also great along fence rows, because the puller’s teeth go under most fences, clamp onto the unwanted plants, and yank them out as you back up. Of course, a tree shear can do a lot of that, too, but if you have a tree or bush that’s tangled itself deeply into the fence, a tree puller will help you avoid having to pull that plant out by hand.

Hardened Digging Points on Our Tree Pullers

Here’s something I like about our tree puller offering. All models come with hardened points on the end. They can actually be used to plunge into the ground to sever the roots of a tree that might otherwise resist your efforts, or might be just at the large end of the size you can pull. Once the roots are chopped, you may be able to yank it out of the ground in one piece.

And You Can Move Rocks, Too

Got fair-sized rocks to move?  Just clamp the jaws together on the rock and move where you want it.

What I like About the Mini-Clip Tree Shear

Here’s where the tree shear really shines. The Mini-Clip can cut low and leave a stump that you can bush hog over. If you order the optional sprayer, you can shoot some chemical on the stump to prevent regrowth and you're done.  It's a quick way to clear undesirable trees from your property forever with minimal disruption to the soil.  The stump will eventually rot and grass will fill in the area.  Get one of our grapple rakes to clean up the trees that are left in the field.

Tree Shear is a Limb Trimmer for a Tractor

When you prune lower limbs off of trees, you'll need a limb trimmer of some kind. Most folks opt for a pole chainsaw which is a lot of hard physical labor.  Since you can raise the Mini Clip tree shear up and rotate it to lop off limbs, it offers you a easy option for eliminating tree limbs and making bush hogging your property easier and allowing for grass to grow under the trees.  All from the comfort of your tractor seat!

We offer several models of the Mini Clip that are compatible with skid steer, John Deere, and Euro or global quick attach styles.

If you’re looking for a tractor tree shear or tree puller, we invite you to compare the models we offer here.  All are 100% American made and are Tractor Mike approved!