Mulching Project
- Thread starter Robbie Hegwood
- Start date
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QwikDraw
Platinum Member
Alright...now we're talkin'. Wow, hard to believe that's all that's left after mulching those trees. Looks real good Robbie! Some of those should go on your website.
Thanks......Ted
Thanks......Ted
BTDT
Veteran Member
- Joined
- Sep 17, 2006
- Messages
- 2,209
- Location
- North Texas
- Tractor
- IH M Farmall-propane powered, H Farmall (father-in-laws), Ford 1300 diesel
Pretty amazing. Looks like a tazmanian devil went through there. Are you clearing right of way for a utility, or is this your property? Were there any problems with your machine from the "accident"?
OP
Robbie Hegwood
Platinum Member
Updating the website is definitely on the list. I also have video of some of the same work, so they'll both go on there.
It is a private lot. The road we cut is 15' wide and over 900' long. We also are clearing for the house site in the back, that's the open area. He is planning another day of work soon. Talk about up against a pine wall. It did turn out extremely well and the customer couldn't be happier.
BTDT, When the tree came in it ran up the inside of the roof where the instrument cluster is taking it all with it on it's venture out the back window. No real structual damage just cosmetice(spell). But to the tune of 6k. Expensive lesson but I walked away, upset and cut up but okay. I keep God busy looking after me!!!!!
It is a private lot. The road we cut is 15' wide and over 900' long. We also are clearing for the house site in the back, that's the open area. He is planning another day of work soon. Talk about up against a pine wall. It did turn out extremely well and the customer couldn't be happier.
BTDT, When the tree came in it ran up the inside of the roof where the instrument cluster is taking it all with it on it's venture out the back window. No real structual damage just cosmetice(spell). But to the tune of 6k. Expensive lesson but I walked away, upset and cut up but okay. I keep God busy looking after me!!!!!
QwikDraw
Platinum Member
OP
Robbie Hegwood
Platinum Member
The site for the house he is/will have to grade anyway. He is also building a house with a basement so when they dig for that is will take care of any stumps. Plus pines have shallow root systems anyway. But this project does fall into the exception because there are no big trees. On lots with larger trees that are in the "home site" then a dozer and tub grinder would be the prefered and more econimical route.
Any new news on your tractor search? Robbie
Any new news on your tractor search? Robbie
QwikDraw
Platinum Member
Wed, finally going to see 05' used machine, hoping it is in the condition I have been told it is. Then we'll take it from there, hopefully in the next 2 weeks....still 33 trees to go! All big...skipped work on Friday since with the wind chill it was -10.
Ted
Ted
OP
Robbie Hegwood
Platinum Member
Ya'll are crazy!!! With those temps, I would have moved long ago. We think our mid 20's this week are going to kill us.. Take a camera with you to view the machine and take alot of pictures. You'll be glad later. From reading your report and the post by yelladog the magnum sounds like the head to beat now. Didn't you say the bradco and magnum are the same??? Good luck this week. i have to hunt down some new blades plus catchup on my computer entries. Tax time!!! Yuck!!!
burnetma
Gold Member
Ted,
I am thinking about adding a tree shear or saw for the trees up to 14" diameter. After that it is time to get out the chain saw. With hardwoods we would be foolish to try to mulch anything bigger than 6". I am thinking of using the shear to cut the tree down and take off the top. Delimb the trunk and mulch the top. Just my $0.02.
Mark
I am thinking about adding a tree shear or saw for the trees up to 14" diameter. After that it is time to get out the chain saw. With hardwoods we would be foolish to try to mulch anything bigger than 6". I am thinking of using the shear to cut the tree down and take off the top. Delimb the trunk and mulch the top. Just my $0.02.
Mark
burnetma
Gold Member
Robbie,
Nice work! Still putting my business plan together, but moving forward.
No, we aren't crazy for living in the frigid north... Stupid is more like it. Just got back from 11 days in the Caribbean. Now that is living. 85 degrees, sunshine, blue sky, bluer water and bikinis. Oh yeah... I think I will buy my equipment and use it to clear over-grown banana plantations. Yeah! That's it!
Mark
Nice work! Still putting my business plan together, but moving forward.
No, we aren't crazy for living in the frigid north... Stupid is more like it. Just got back from 11 days in the Caribbean. Now that is living. 85 degrees, sunshine, blue sky, bluer water and bikinis. Oh yeah... I think I will buy my equipment and use it to clear over-grown banana plantations. Yeah! That's it!
Mark
OP
Robbie Hegwood
Platinum Member
Everyone has to have a business plan. So what if it includes year round sun,beautiful sun and surf and I bet we could find a market down there for these tractors. It would be easier talking the wives into that setting than here!!!!
Fecon advertises those tree shears alot, they look cool. I'd be interested to hear from someone who has owned or used one. But that's been dicussed before, paper companies would cut for free for anything over 10" material anyway. But it is good for you to be flexable with your services. For me it has led to several more hours of work with grapple and bucket.
Robbie
Fecon advertises those tree shears alot, they look cool. I'd be interested to hear from someone who has owned or used one. But that's been dicussed before, paper companies would cut for free for anything over 10" material anyway. But it is good for you to be flexable with your services. For me it has led to several more hours of work with grapple and bucket.
Robbie
Got a few pics here of a small job I just did with our RC100/Timber Ax Robbie
Have had the machine awhile now and I can do nothing but echo your statements about how good the Timber Ax works....how do you handle the blade sharpening? I usually try and sharpen every day as they seem to lose their edge after a full day's work
Have had the machine awhile now and I can do nothing but echo your statements about how good the Timber Ax works....how do you handle the blade sharpening? I usually try and sharpen every day as they seem to lose their edge after a full day's work
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Robbie Hegwood
Platinum Member
Welcome to the site. Very nice work. You cleaned it up very tight around the remaining trees. I like your forestry package also. They came out with it shortly after I bought mine. oh well.
I try to keep them out of the dirt and only sharpen once a week. But if I've been hard on them I will sharpen as needed. Just killed a set with 100 hrs on them. I have found a guy locally that is making them for me. Were going with a set similiar to the originals of regular steel not the new alloy. Alittle cheaper then loftness and quicker. He's checking into making me a set of the "alloy" type next. We have also tinkered with having multiple sets and just swapping them and let him sharpen on his CNC machine. This would allow me to go from job to job day after day without the two hour "grinding party". This route would have a few drawbacks like the cost of machining and time to take them. My wife said she could take them so i might try a time or two if there really bad and sharpen myself if not super dull.
I do love my timberax. And as you know 100's run them very well. I would like a carbide head for bigger stuff and to save the timberax from "abuse" but money will tell.
As you know after a few times of sharpening we get a little technique going and it's not to bad.
How's business for you? Good to hear from another Timberaxer.. Robbie
I try to keep them out of the dirt and only sharpen once a week. But if I've been hard on them I will sharpen as needed. Just killed a set with 100 hrs on them. I have found a guy locally that is making them for me. Were going with a set similiar to the originals of regular steel not the new alloy. Alittle cheaper then loftness and quicker. He's checking into making me a set of the "alloy" type next. We have also tinkered with having multiple sets and just swapping them and let him sharpen on his CNC machine. This would allow me to go from job to job day after day without the two hour "grinding party". This route would have a few drawbacks like the cost of machining and time to take them. My wife said she could take them so i might try a time or two if there really bad and sharpen myself if not super dull.
I do love my timberax. And as you know 100's run them very well. I would like a carbide head for bigger stuff and to save the timberax from "abuse" but money will tell.
As you know after a few times of sharpening we get a little technique going and it's not to bad.
How's business for you? Good to hear from another Timberaxer.. Robbie
Business has been steady..the whole idea of mulching hadnt really been known to alot of people in my area when we started but after a few demo jobs people really started getting excited about it...i am also blessed in that i am one of only two mulching services in my area so there isnt alot of competition at the moment...i think that can be attributed to the initial cost of the machine and the cutter...
Ryan
Ryan
OP
Robbie Hegwood
Platinum Member
Hey Ryan. I'm glad business is going well for you. You say "we" run the tractor. Who all is we? Do family members run it with you. Around here it's usually solo operations.
I wish I were one of a couple running these tractors around here. There are a good many. Joe Mitchell on here runs a mulcher as part of his business and we cross paths from time to time. Good guy and there's plenty of work for both of us. He should be getting his new tractor soon, a supertrak 120. A strong tractor.
The mulching idea is fairly well known around here just most people already use someone and are comfortable with there setup. We'll teach them yet that there is a more cost effective way.
There's nothing like seeing our heads suck up a 20' tree in a few seconds!!!!!
Later Robbie
I wish I were one of a couple running these tractors around here. There are a good many. Joe Mitchell on here runs a mulcher as part of his business and we cross paths from time to time. Good guy and there's plenty of work for both of us. He should be getting his new tractor soon, a supertrak 120. A strong tractor.
The mulching idea is fairly well known around here just most people already use someone and are comfortable with there setup. We'll teach them yet that there is a more cost effective way.
There's nothing like seeing our heads suck up a 20' tree in a few seconds!!!!!
Later Robbie
There are 3 of us...myself...my best friend...and his father...we have the RC100...a John Deere 110TLB...and just bought a CAT 939c Tracked Loader for some of the bigger things we cant timber ax to oblivion 
...we use the grapple bucket on the RC100 the 4n1 on the 110 and the 4n1 on the 939 to clear out any real big trees that have fallen and any unwanted stumps then we go in and use the cutter head to clean the place up! I usually run the RC100 and the 939c....my friend uses the pole saw and clearing saw and rigs anything we need to rig and runs the 110...his dad handles the business end of everything so we really luck out on that end of it
Ryan
...we use the grapple bucket on the RC100 the 4n1 on the 110 and the 4n1 on the 939 to clear out any real big trees that have fallen and any unwanted stumps then we go in and use the cutter head to clean the place up! I usually run the RC100 and the 939c....my friend uses the pole saw and clearing saw and rigs anything we need to rig and runs the 110...his dad handles the business end of everything so we really luck out on that end of it Ryan
OP
Robbie Hegwood
Platinum Member
When your mulching you do a ton of backing up, in doing so you'll "see" the path you want to take. It's not as hard as it looks but with experience it will come easy. Tieing ribbon is a good idea but very time consuming and just not feasable in everyday running. Some of my customers will go ahead and tie ribbons for either paths they want run or trees left and such. Most of the time the customer is there and we do custom work with them inputting as we go. It's easier than me trying to inturpret what they want.
You rarely have the chance to walk the entire property before mulching for its just too time consuming. You will see right of the bat the general condition of the area your working and what kind of obsticals lie ahead. Robbie
You rarely have the chance to walk the entire property before mulching for its just too time consuming. You will see right of the bat the general condition of the area your working and what kind of obsticals lie ahead. Robbie
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