Dozer vs Excavator

[jmfox]

Is it better to rent an excavator or large dozer to clear out some over growth. The area has gullies with standing hardwoods and a lot of vines and fallen trees. I talked to forestry consultants and there is not enough timber value to interest them. I need to remove the trees stumps and all. In the past my CTL has handled it, but the stuff I'm dealing with now is just too nasty for a rubber track machine. Please advise.

jmf

 

[AndyMA]

Having used both, I would go with a decent size excavator. At least 36,000 lbs if not 44,000. A dozer does not knock over trees well and is slow at digging stumps. I have a 44,000 lb excavator and I can knock over 24 inch oaks and then rip the roots out. I can also stack or bury the remains easily.

andy

 

[AndyMA]

BTW I have finished up with my machine and it is for sale for a very reasonable price and can easily be shipped anywhere in the country.

Andy

 

[JoelD]

excavator, you'll be at it for ever with a dozer.

Huge dozer maybe, but excavator definately, something 25000lbs and up, the bigger the machine the faster the work.

Joel

 

[Johndeere3720]

excavator, you'll be at it for ever with a dozer.

Huge dozer maybe, but excavator definately, something 25000lbs and up, the bigger the machine the faster the work.

Joel

Yeah, an excavator for sure. Oh, post pictures!

 

[duckhunt]

JMFOX

Both! I just finished my land clearing (road and house place) about 2-3 acres plus 1/8 mile road. I had to get both. I hired an operator which had a John Deere 450 dozer and a Komatsu Trackhoe. He knocked down most with the trackhoe and stacked then cleaned the ground stump holes and small brush with the dozer. Amazing what a trackhoe with a thumb can do. His weighted 49,000# I don't know the model. I had alot of gullies and the road crossed a small creek. You'll be fine with the Dozer if the size of material is small but if you have big trees like I had the excavator plus dozer does the best job.

Hope this helps.

 

[20 20]

Your key word for the right decission was "ROOTS" excavator is the answer. Dozers are great for pushing and leveling but excavator will run circles around a dozer on roots.

 

[AndyMA]

Your key word for the right decission was "ROOTS" excavator is the answer. Dozers are great for pushing and leveling but excavator will run circles around a dozer on roots.

And rocks, and moving large amounts of material to level, and digging

Andy

 

[PILOON]

And a good excavator man will grade and level just as well and as fast as a dozer driver plus he can crown roads and ditch at the same time.

Chain saw the root balls and he'll bury them so that you'll never know there was once trees there.

Best would be to hire an excavator that has a hydraulic 'thumb' installed, even if he costs a few more $$/hr. as he can stack and place wood much faster (or load root balls)

 

[brewdog]

excavator hands down. 30,000 pounds and up. I just cleared 2+ acres of dense trees. two work days and it was done. they shook the dirt off the stumps and burnt them. no hauling and no burying of stumps. here's a photo. we had a dozer back drag and do some light grading. this photo is one week after the clearing.