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 a 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, but then there’s the stump to deal with.

So while you can use both tools efficiently, you need to decide whether a tree shear for tractor or tree puller for tractor will be best for your acreage and the 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 squeeze the prongs of the puller together around the base of a tree, lift your loader, and lift the tree right out of the ground.

The tractor tree shear, on the other hand can go up in the air and rotate to cut limbs. Of course, you can't do that with a tree puller. So it’s often of best use when you’re planning to cut the tree back without totally removing it. And if you are going to remove it, you can certainly do it piecemeal and limb by limb until only the stump remains.

Either tractor tree cutter will save you the physical labor of chain sawing a smaller tree, although they both have limits as to how big a tree they can handle.

What I Like About the Tree Puller

As you can see, we offer several models of tree puller for tractor loader machines. You can choose from the skid loader style quick attach tree puller, a model that is a tree puller for a John Deere Tractor, or a Euro or Global quick attach model.

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.

Soil Isn’t Disturbed

Here’s where the tree puller really shines. Tree shears for tractors will leave a stump that you need to dig out after you’ve cut the bulk of the tree. And digging out a stump leaves a pretty big hole. But the tree puller doesn't disturb the soil very much. I like to come out in either the fall or the late winter to pull  trees out of the ground. Then the winter snow and the spring rains redistribute the soil. You don't have much of a hole left, and when the grass grows again, you can’t really see where the tree had been.

Hardened Teeth on This Tree Puller

Here’s another thing I like about this particular tree puller: The hardened teeth on the end of it. 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.

Tree Shears and Limb Trimmers for Tractors

When you plan to get into your acreage and prune your trees, you probably need a tree shear or limb trimmer for your tractor. Since you can raise the shear up and rotate it to lop off limbs, it offers you a different set of options for managing your trees and large shrubs or bushes.

We offer several models that are John Deere tree shears, a skid loader style quick attach tree shears for tractors, and a model meant for Euro or global quick attach.

If you’re looking for a tractor tree shear, we invite you to compare the models we offer here.