Groundcare for Agriculture

Groundcare Challenges Agricultural Land Creates

Farm groundcare doesn’t follow the typical schedules of commercial sites.

The work arrives in larger jobs, often tied to the agricultural calendar or to land that has been left for years and now needs bringing back.

Common agricultural challenges Scottish sites experience need specialist machinery with the capacity, reach, and ground capability to match the scale and conditions of the work.

Here are some common challenges we assist with regularly through the supply, sales, and servicing of our groundcare equipment.

Orchard Clearance and Pruning Arisings

Annual orchard pruning generates material that has to go somewhere.

Burning is restricted on most agricultural land, skips are expensive when the arisings are scattered across rows of trees, and leaving material in situ creates disease risk for the remaining crop.

Chipping on site turns the prunings into reusable wood chip.

Skip costs disappear, and there’s no vehicle movement needed to clear material off the rows.

When an orchard reaches end of productive life and needs grubbing out before replanting, the work is more demanding.

Felling old stock leaves stumps that obstruct soil preparation and harbour fungal disease if left in place.

Root systems need grinding down below soil level before the replanting programme can start, and the trunk sections from older trees tend to be in diameters that need a chipper with capacity to match.

Hedgerow Management

In Scotland, hedgerow clearance and renovation work is governed primarily by the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, which protects nesting birds and restricts certain vegetation clearance during the nesting season.

Restoration of a neglected hedgerow involves significant coppicing work and produces large volumes of woody material, including timber from dead or diseased hedgerow trees that need removing as part of the renovation.

Stumps left in hedge bottoms regenerate from root stock. Grinding removes them at the root, prevents reshooting, and allows good re-establishment of the hedgerow line.

Scrub Clearance on Rough Grazing

Overgrown fields, rough grazing that hasn’t been touched in years, and set-aside land returning to scrub are a recurring problem on Scottish farms.

Blackthorn, hawthorn, and willow regenerate aggressively when they establish on untended ground, and clearing them produces volume and stem diameters that a standard mower won’t touch.

Both stumps and root systems need addressing properly.

Willow re-establishes from stumps and root fragments if the grinding depth isn’t adequate.

On uneven or rocky ground, tracked machinery that doesn’t depend on a firm surface to operate from is often the only practical option for getting the clearance done.

Shelter Belts and Farm Woodland

Shelter belts planted two or three decades ago are often at the stage where thinning or managed clearance has become necessary.

Storm damage brings additional felling work on top of planned thinning operations, and the timber coming out of mature shelter belt trees tends to be in larger diameters than typical arb clearance.

Stumps from shelter belt clearance need grinding for replanting or to restore the land to pasture, and the root systems on trees of that maturity can be substantial.

Riparian and Watercourse Clearance

Burns, drainage ditches, and watercourse banks are a recurring maintenance responsibility on Scottish agricultural land.

Overhanging branches, encroaching scrub, and fallen trees obstruct flow, accelerate bank erosion, and can cause flooding of adjacent fields and infrastructure.

Clearance work near watercourses in Scotland is subject to SEPA guidance, and any works that could affect water flow or bank stability may require notification or consent.

This limits the methods and timing available, and means machinery needs to be positioned and operated carefully to avoid disturbing banks or introducing debris into the watercourse.

Tracked equipment is often the only practical option on soft or uneven riparian ground where wheeled machinery would cause ground damage or struggle to get close enough to work effectively.

PTO Wood Chippers for Farms with a Tractor

The Forst PT6 and PT8 are a cost-effective chipper option for farms with a 540rpm PTO tractor.

They mount to the tractor’s three-point linkage and use the tractor’s engine rather than carrying a separate powerplant.

One less engine means one less set of service intervals, one less fuel supply to manage during field operations, and no separate machine to transport between work areas across the holding.

PTO chippers suit operations where chipping is seasonal or intermittent.

Annual orchard pruning is a clear example: the same tractor doing the pruning work can drive the chipper, with no additional machinery or separate delivery required.

A dedicated engine unit adds cost and complexity when the tractor PTO is already available.

Towable and Tracked Chippers for Higher Volumes

When the tractor isn’t available for a PTO drive, when volumes exceed what a PTO unit can handle efficiently, or when the chipper needs to work independently from the tractor, towable and tracked chippers fill the gap.

Forst Towable Chippers for General Farm Clearance

Forst towable chippers tow behind a farm vehicle and reach wherever the ground is firm enough to drive on.

Available in 6-inch and 8-inch capacity, both run AutoIntelligence feed control that adjusts the feed rate automatically as material goes in.

For farms without a compatible PTO tractor, or where the tractor is occupied on other work during the clearance campaign, towable chippers give a self-contained option that doesn’t depend on the tractor’s schedule.

Tracked Chippers for Orchard Access and Soft Ground

Orchards on soft or clay soil, winter shelter belt clearance on waterlogged ground, and farms with rough or uneven terrain all need machinery that doesn’t require a firm surface.

Tracked chippers move on soft ground without rutting and access areas between orchard rows where a towable unit would need a hard surface to operate from.

The range covers 6-inch and 8-inch capacity to suit the material coming off the job.

Arbmax Drum Chippers for Orchard Clearance and Shelter Belt Thinning

Where material volumes are high or stem diameters are large, Arbmax drum chippers process faster and produce cleaner chip than a standard arb chipper.

The range handles stems from 13 inches up to 18 inches in diameter, with models that stay under 3.5 tonnes for towing to site.

This is well suited to the volume that comes from clearing a full orchard block or working through a mature shelter belt.

Stump Grinders for Orchard Replanting and Hedgerow Renovation

Stumps cause specific problems in agricultural settings: they obstruct soil preparation and harbour fungal disease where new stock will go.

Left in place, they continue generating root growth that prevents clean cultivation of the replanting area.

FSI Pedestrian Grinders for Orchard Rows and Hedgerow Stumps

FSI B series pedestrian grinders are compact enough to reach between orchard rows and work selectively in confined spaces. Adjacent root stock and surrounding ground are left undisturbed.

The range covers a variety of stump sizes, with progressively more power and grinding depth as you move up the range.

FSI Tracked Grinders for Shelter Belt Stumps and Rough Ground

Shelter belt stumps are often larger and harder than orchard or hedgerow stumps, and the ground around them may be uneven or soft following felling operations.

FSI tracked grinders in the D series work faster and grind deeper than a pedestrian unit, with radio-controlled operation available for instances where the terrain or stump size makes working close to the machine impractical.

Compact Loaders for Farm Material Handling

Farm groundcare on agricultural land generates more material to move than most operations expect.

Chip and spoil from chipping and grinding, felled timber sections, and brash all need handling before the site is clear.

A compact loader with the right attachments covers all of that and switches between tasks without swapping machines.

MultiOne articulated loaders cover most farm material handling applications.

The telescopic boom gives more lift height than a fixed-arm machine, and the quick-hitch system means attachments can be changed without tools between operations.

Auger attachments, bucket and grapple combinations, forks for silage and fertiliser bags, and mowing decks all mount to the same MultiOne machine, making it in use across the farm well beyond seasonal groundcare campaigns.

Sherpa mini loaders are narrower than articulated machines and suit operations where farm building entrances, polytunnel access, or gateways are too tight for a standard compact loader.

Both ranges are available to buy or hire, giving you the flexibility for your operation.

Robotic Flail Mowers for Steep Farm Banks

Robotic flail mowers suit farm applications where steep embankments or ditch banks make tractor access unsafe or impractical.

Energreen models operate on slopes up to 55 degrees under radio remote control, so the operator manages the machine from level ground while it works the steep gradient.

Where steep embankments and ditch banks are a regular maintenance challenge across a reasonable area of the holding, a robotic mower handles the work faster than repeated hand-strimming.

For versatile uses and control, talk to our team about our range of robotic flail mowers today.

Hire, Buy, or Service

The hire fleet covers PTO chippers, towable and tracked wood chippers, stump grinders, and compact loaders, with every machine going out serviced from our Cumbernauld workshop.

For seasonal campaigns, annual pruning work, or one-off clearance jobs, hire gives access to the right machine for the work period without committing to ownership.

Farms running a compact loader through multiple seasons of clearance, material handling, and post-hole work, or using a PTO chipper across several years of orchard pruning, often find purchasing makes more practical sense.

Call us and we’ll compare realistic usage against hire and purchase costs for the specific machine you’re looking at.

ILH also services and maintains groundcare machinery across all the major brands at our Cumbernauld workshop.

Forst, FSI, Arbmax, MultiOne, Sherpa, and Energreen are all covered, along with other popular brands your site may already be running across its machinery fleet.

Groundcare for Agriculture: Your Questions Answered

Can I use a PTO chipper with a compact tractor?

PTO chippers need the tractor to produce enough drive at the PTO shaft to run the rotor properly. Most full-size farm tractors are well within the required range, but compact tractors on the lower end of the power scale may not produce enough output for a 6-inch or 8-inch chipper to run at full capacity. Give us the make and model of your tractor when you call and we’ll confirm before anything goes out on hire or sale.

Do you hire groundcare machinery to farmers?

Yes. ILH hires wood chippers, stump grinders, compact loaders, and robotic flail mowers across Scotland. Every machine leaves our Cumbernauld workshop serviced and checked before it goes out. Seasonal hire for orchard pruning, shelter belt clearance, or hedgerow renovation is a regular part of what we do.

What’s the most effective way to clear an old orchard for replanting?

The usual sequence is felling the old stock, chipping or removing the timber, then grinding the stumps down below the level where they’ll obstruct soil preparation or harbour fungal disease. Large root systems from older trees may need a tracked grinder to reach adequate depth. Once the stumps are cleared, the ground can be cultivated and the replanting programme started without root obstructions or disease carryover from the previous crop.

How do I clear scrub on rough or rocky ground?

On rocky or very uneven ground, conventional mowing and towable equipment can’t always reach where scrub is establishing. A tracked wood chipper processes the arisings on ground that a wheeled machine couldn’t access. Where the scrub is light enough to mow rather than chip, a tracked robotic flail mower handles the clearance on gradients and terrain that a ride-on can’t safely reach. Where stumps are involved, a tracked grinder is more practical than a pedestrian unit on difficult ground.

Get in Touch with our Team Today

Call 0141 775 9288 or email contact@ilhgroundcare.com with details of the farm, the terrain, and the type of work you’re planning.

We’ll advise on the right machine from our Forst, FSI, Arbmax, MultiOne, and Energreen range, confirm PTO compatibility if needed, and tell you what hire availability looks like from our Cumbernauld workshop.

Family-run since 2007, ILH Groundcare supplies arboricultural and groundcare machinery from our workshop in Cumbernauld.