Clearing land, stupid or crazy?

[Carykong]

Install a skid pan on your tractor if you plan on hogging small trees. Otherwise, you will tear up your belly hydraulic lines. Avoid backing up to protect your radiator and fan. All this happened to me with my TC35 NH. Good luck

 

[Redneck in training]

We hired a bulldozer to remove brush and trees from about 31 ac. Guy with D6 had it done in about 8 hours plus 1 hour cleaning the machine. Cost me $1200. The key is 5 way blade. Some trees were 2ft thick multiple trunks hedge apple. He would turn the blade on one corner and got under the tree, cutting the roots and pulling it up. When he pulled several trees he would push them on a pile. Then I spent several days pulling leftover roots with my small tractor.

 

[Mike476]

Great thread and a lot of great advice but it really does depend on what your intent is for the property. I understand the property was a horse farm and that you'd like to leave trees on the property over a certain size, but as has been mentioned, if it is your intention to keep horses on the property, any tree left inside pasture will be destroyed by your horses. Also, while horses won't plow though fences, they will roll just about anywhere, so little 1 to 2 inch nicely sharpened saplings missed after cutting / box blading / raking etc can cause you some serious problems.

When I cleared part of my property for our two horses (only 2 acres / 1 fall to spring season) I stripped the land completely, milled the logs to build my barn. Used the chainsaw to cut, tractor to haul brush to burn piles and skid and brough logs but hired an excavatour with root rake to stump and rake the property. Burned the brush piles / leveled and seeded the property myself. Excavator was there for a full 4 hours at a cost of $125 / hour. Trees were white / red pine, black spruce and popular.

Lots to consider, will be interested to see what you decide is best for you. At the end of the day, no matter what, the need for a tractor is definitely in your future. :thumbsup:

 

[TripleR]

This post is full of great info, but why no cab??? I have found an amazing deal on a 2010 Kubota L3940 4X4 HST with a cab, only 30hrs on motor. Thanks, Andy

I have to add something here. We no longer buy open station tractors and find they work quite well if used correctly and you accept that a single machine is not going to do all of this. We bought a Stihl pole saw and have paid our grandson to operate it in some places and my son in others. We do have an old open station tractor for the occasional times a cab unit won't fit. If we didn't already have one, we would do everything we could with the cab and then rent an open station.

For maintenance after the fact, I much prefer a cab unit.

Some people just simply prefer open station and I used one for well over forty years, but some like or need cabs. I am too old to run open station anymore.

The cab v open station is another one with lots of old threads.

As stated previously, I have done this type of work and it requires a lot of work on and off the tractor and it is much easier if you are willing to spend a little money on a rental unit when need such as excavator, skid steer etc.

 

[Rob-D]

With a backhoe you can dig out most any size tree within reason. With a loader the conditions can greatly limit how big of trees you can dig/push out. There are some situations where my little B3200 can get 10" trees out, whereas there are others that a 10" tree stops our M9540 in its tracks. If you have many trees in the 8-12" range that need to go the best two options are either hire an excavator or a track loader. A dozer can do the job, but the two aforementioned machines will do it faster and cleaner.

Hope some of this helps

Hi,
What I found is that my 2720 with a 46 BH could pull smaller trees out, say in the 6"to 8" range. Once I got to 10" trees it became a real chore and forget deep tap roots like Walnuts. I'm pretty experienced at pulling stumps and using the tractor.
My 3320 with the 485 BH is much quicker but it's got a lot more digging power. Either way if I have to pull 20 stumps in the 10" and above range I call my dozer guy. I like my land level and pulling all those stumps leaves things messy and the ground undulated. Let the dozer guy do the heavy work and do the lighter stuff yourself. The time will be greatly reduced and so will the wear and tear on your machine.
Here's a fruit orchard I made last year. You can see one of the large rocks in the picture. It's quite big although the picture doesn't show it. Way more than my 2720 could move and a chore for my 3320 too, but doable. The dozer guy moved it for me and saved me the work. He also leveled out the field. It's now all grass and mowed. Originally it was full of Hornbeam and Hawthorne in the 6" to 12" range. More than the 2720 could do in reasonable time. I think you can see where the dozer pushed the brush. All I had to do was move it over to my other field. Believe it or not I only had to take down one hardwood (Cherry) about 4" in diameter. Hornbeam can take over in some soils.
Rob

 

[funwithahoe]

I am with Jay - You will do more damage to a tractor than it would cost you to pay for a dozer.

That 10K price seems high. If the dozer is $100 an hour that's 100 hours???? 2 and a half weeks of dozing would do a lot more work than you are talking about. Oh and around here small dozers are more like $70/hour with operator. Which would mean 142 hours.

Excavators around here usually try to quote by the job so before they give you a quote ask how many hours they think it will take? Are they doing a lot of cutting and replanting too - maybe that is why the 10K price??

As someone who had experiences with both horrible and awesome excavators I can tell you they vary TREMEDOUSLY!! It seems that industry attracts a lot of people who want to play with equipment (Nothing wrong with that until you are paying a moron to do a job wrong then paying a good operator to do it right).

I think a new quote would probably surprise you.

 

[Rob-D]

As someone who had experiences with both horrible and awesome excavators I can tell you they vary TREMEDOUSLY!! It seems that industry attracts a lot of people who want to play with equipment (Nothing wrong with that until you are paying a moron to do a job wrong then paying a good operator to do it right).

I think a new quote would probably surprise you.

Boy, I know exactly what you're talking about!! I've had both too and this is a small town.
Get a contract before they even move an inch of dirt. Make sure they're bonded, be there when they start the job (I've seen kids go nuts with a dozer) and make sure you know where the brush pile is going to be left if they are not taking it. Brush is something that costs a lot to deal with and if you can do it you'll save a bunch.

 

[logan97]

I tried a dozer...huge mistake..pushed off all the top soil.If you are going to hire out;use a bobcat with a forestry head(mulcher).I am in the process of doing 90 acres(long term job for sure) with my L4240,grapple,tooth-bar and brush-hog.Chain saw the larger stuff.We are leaving the mature trees that we want,trimming the apple trees etc,using the junk trees for firewood.
Plow or boxblade the open areas and plant buck-wheat.(buck-wheat kills the brush root systems and adds nitrogen to the soil.

we have hired out to one of these machines a couple times. They work wonders will not disturb top soil, and you can flag any trees you want to keep.

YouTube - Specialized Forestry Solutions Demo

www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNZSnL5a4XI

 

[funwithahoe]

we have hired out to one of these machines a couple times. They work wonders will not disturb top soil, and you can flag any trees you want to keep.

YouTube - Specialized Forestry Solutions Demo

YouTube - Forestry mulcher 500 HP GALOTRAX

Those machines are incredible - How much an hour are they?

Thanks.

 

[funwithahoe]

Boy, I know exactly what you're talking about!! I've had both too and this is a small town.
Get a contract before they even move an inch of dirt. Make sure they're bonded, be there when they start the job (I've seen kids go nuts with a dozer) and make sure you know where the brush pile is going to be left if they are not taking it. Brush is something that costs a lot to deal with and if you can do it you'll save a bunch.

Oh and don't think the Big companies will be more expensive - I tried a small crew first then figured out the big companies got big because they are good. To be fair I have also had a real good experience with a one man operation (real fair and honest just never sure when he was going to show up or how long he was going to stay when he got here.) When your with a big company they usually try to fit you in between big jobs so your at their mercy that way.

 

[Rob-D]

Oh and don't think the Big companies will be more expensive - I tried a small crew first then figured out the big companies got big because they are good. To be fair I have also had a real good experience with a one man operation (real fair and honest just never sure when he was going to show up or how long he was going to stay when he got here.) When your with a big company they usually try to fit you in between big jobs so your at their mercy that way.

Yep! Build your own house, you'll learn a lot of important things very fast or you'll sink like a rock!
Rob

 

[logan97]

Those machines are incredible - How much an hour are they?

Thanks.

$100. per hr some of the best money spent. We have got into BIG TROUBLE with dozers on more than one occasion. Unless you know their (referenced) work history IMHO avoid them. Stumps and brush piles can last for many years.

 

[bigbull338]

you have to make it clear to them what is tobe done.an how to disspose of the brush,either burning it or buring it.i preffer having it buried.an you have to stay an watch them an make sure they are doing what you want done.but if your a greenhorn an never had land cleared it can be hard on both parties.

 

[funwithahoe]

$100. per hr some of the best money spent. We have got into BIG TROUBLE with dozers on more than one occasion. Unless you know their (referenced) work history IMHO avoid them. Stumps and brush piles can last for many years.

Wow - For $100/hour they seem like a deal. I wouldn't be surprised if they could multiple days work of one man and a tractor in one hour. In addition, it looks like they do a way better job than you could and way better than a dozer.

To the OP - I would try to find one of these hands down!!

Oh and I agree - big machines make BIGGER messes in the wrong hands. On the other hand, a skilled operator makes those same machines dance. It is easy to make them push over a tree - Tough to make it look nice.

 

[dodge man]

When I reread the original post, it sure doesn't sound like some thing a person can't do with a tractor. It depends on your free time and how good of shape you are in. If its a lot of chainsawing, I would hire it done. If its a lot of brush hogging, go for it. I did maybe a half acre with my BX and turned part of it into a gravel parking area. It had some larger trees, like 24" dia, and it took a lot of work with a chainsaw, but the BX could push even some larger pieces of tree around and really helped. I would thing a 40hp tractor would do a pretty good job.

 

[Redneck in training]

Boy, I know exactly what you're talking about!! I've had both too and this is a small town.
Get a contract before they even move an inch of dirt. Make sure they're bonded, be there when they start the job (I've seen kids go nuts with a dozer) and make sure you know where the brush pile is going to be left if they are not taking it. Brush is something that costs a lot to deal with and if you can do it you'll save a bunch.

I second that. We hired a bulldozer to prepare site for new barn. The first guy started moving the dirt the easy way for him but not the way we wanted to maintain water flow from the building. We called owner of the bulldozer outfit and he sent us another operator that did that exactly how we wanted it done and in it was done quick. In fact it was the same guy who removed trees from our land. The skill of the operator is the key. We got charged only for the work of the guy who did it right. When I will need to remove trees from another part of the property I will ask for the same guy.

 

[crazyal]

My question is how fast do you need this done. It sounds like a 4740 would do what you want done and if you take it easy you'll have a nice tractor for what ever you plan to use the land for after it's cleared.

I cleared about 1 1/2 acres of large hardwoods. To do it I bought a Case 580k backhoe and a well used case 450 dozer. I got the standard line of "hire it out" and when I had $18k worth of equipment the standard line of "for that kind of money you could get a lot of work done". Well once you start to add in things like digging a foundation for a house, trenching for electrical, septic, and water, and building a road I would have spent about the same. But now I have a dozer and a BH that I could have sold and got at least 2/3 of my money back so I came out ahead even when you add in things like repairs and fuel.

Would I do it again, h^ll yes. Some of the most fun I had was spending an hour digging up a 3' diameter oak stump, seeing the land go from dense woods to open land, and the experience that goes with it. Everyday when I come home there's something inside me that says "I did that". When I think I want to change something I just do it.

From what is sounds like to me you have it easy. If somethings too big chop it off with a chainsaw as close to the ground as you can and forget the stump and burn the rest. I have a Honda 4 stroke weed wacker that came with a saw blade that will cut a 6" maple in less than a minute, no bending over, between it, a chainsaw, and a GL4x40 with a nice brushhog I bet you'll reclaim that land in no time and be proud of your work.

 

[SurfriderNC]

I haven't read all the post, but in the last month, I've cleared 1 acre (thick pine trees, some hardwoods and devil inspired vines) with my little BX25, a Kawasaki 4x4 and a chainsaw. All done after work, a couple hours at a time.
I use the BX for knocking the smaller trees down and digging up by the roots with the back hoe. The larger trees are cut with the c/s. I use the four wheeler to drag as many as 5 trees away to my dumping point at the other end of the property.
It's amazing how that little back hoe will dig up a stump in minutes.

I got an estimate of 5k to "manicure" my land. That was all it took to decide to buy the BX and do it myself. I figured once the land was manicured, I still had to maintain it, so I would of had to buy a tractor anyway...right?

This is NOT hard work by any means. It's FUN work.

I don't know about you guys, but my tractor is more fun than any toy I ever had.

 

[Reg]

Welcome to TBN.
Where are you located ?
For $10K I can head out there tomorrow (-:

Seriously, for that kind of money buy either a full sized used hoe or dozer while equipment prices are still DOWN.
Use it, abuse it, sell it on when the economy and construction biz picks up (I should say if/when).
I would expect AT LEAST even money, a $1K loss in the worst case.

DO NOT put your learning curve onto NEW and un-depreciated equipment.
Sorry; but yes, I am calling "Newbie" on Ya (-:

EDIT:
Sorry, I just re-read your root post.
For a horse farm that has already been cleared and is merely a dozen or so years overgrown/neglected...
Yeah, I'm even more enthusiastic about coming out there for $10K (-:

You shouldn't need to doze or ex it - this should be rough mowing at the very worst.
I would back into most of the high stuff with a raised flail mower.
Perhaps a chain around a few saplings that need to be tugged out, little/no sweat.
It is already graded, most rocks are gone, I am GUESSING that you don't have any overwhelming desires to re-contour the land, etc.
I still suggest something used for your learning curve.
:END EDIT

 

[Rob-D]

I haven't read all the post, but in the last month, I've cleared 1 acre (thick pine trees, some hardwoods and devil inspired vines) with my little BX25, a Kawasaki 4x4 and a chainsaw. All done after work, a couple hours at a time.
I use the BX for knocking the smaller trees down and digging up by the roots with the back hoe. The larger trees are cut with the c/s. I use the four wheeler to drag as many as 5 trees away to my dumping point at the other end of the property.
It's amazing how that little back hoe will dig up a stump in minutes.

I got an estimate of 5k to "manicure" my land. That was all it took to decide to buy the BX and do it myself. I figured once the land was manicured, I still had to maintain it, so I would of had to buy a tractor anyway...right?

This is NOT hard work by any means. It's FUN work.

I don't know about you guys, but my tractor is more fun than any toy I ever had.

You mean you got a tractor that wasn't a toy? You must have gotten one of the last ones left!

Rob