Land clearing is rarely a single-attachment job. Most clearing projects need at least two tools: something to cut and process vegetation, and something to move or sort the debris. A mulcher handles brush and small trees and leaves nothing to haul away. A grapple is what you use when you need to grab, stack, or load slash. Stumps require a dedicated stump grinder. Heavy brush and pasture requires a rotary cutter.
Drum & Disc Mulchers
Best for: brush, small trees, leaving nothing to haul
A mulcher shreds trees and brush into chips and spreads them on the ground — no piling, no hauling, no burning. Drum mulchers (spinning cylinder with carbide teeth) are more common for forestry work and handle uneven terrain better. Disc mulchers are faster on open land. Both require high-flow hydraulics. Expect to pay $15,000–$40,000+ for a quality unit.
Read: Mulcher Attachments Guide →Browse Mulchers → Root Grapples
Best for: grabbing, sorting, stacking slash and debris
A root grapple (open-bottom grapple with tines) lets you grab logs, brush piles, and slash while dirt falls through the tines. Essential for loading debris onto trailers, building brush piles for burning, or sorting cleared material. One of the most useful all-around attachments for land clearing and farm work. Standard-flow compatible.
Browse Grapples → Stump Grinders
Best for: grinding stumps below grade after tree removal
A stump grinder attachment mounts to the front plate and uses a spinning carbide-toothed wheel to grind stumps 6–12" below grade. Much faster than digging stumps out with a bucket. After grinding, the cavity fills with chips you can grade over and seed. High-flow typically required. Best for properties where you want a clean, finished result.
Read: Stump Grinder Attachments →Browse Stump Grinders → Rotary Cutters
Best for: brush, tall grass, light scrub, pasture reclamation
A rotary cutter (brush hog) uses heavy rotating blades to cut brush, tall grass, and light woody material up to about 3–4" diameter. Significantly cheaper than a mulcher and standard-flow on smaller models, though high-flow improves performance. Best for reclaiming overgrown pasture or cutting back scrub — it cuts but doesn't grind, so debris remains on the surface.
Browse Rotary Cutters → Dozer Blades
Best for: pushing debris, windrow piles, rough grading after clearing
After mulching or cutting, you often need to push debris into piles or rough-grade the site. A straight dozer blade or angling 6-way blade works for this. Also useful for pushing root balls and stumps once a grapple has loosened them. Standard-flow, relatively inexpensive, and extremely versatile for the final cleanup phase.
Browse Dozer Blades → Rock/Skeleton Buckets
Best for: separating rock and debris from soil after clearing
On rocky Canadian Shield land or boulder-filled ground, a skeleton (rock) bucket lets you scoop and shake soil back through the tines while retaining rocks and roots. Useful when you want to pile rocks separately for a rock wall, or when clearing land that's too rocky for grading. Pairs well with a grapple on a two-attachment job.
Read: Skeleton Bucket Guide →