Rent, Buy, or Hire?

[1bush2hog]

I have 75 acres that I have been clearing for the past 9 years with a TN75, chainsaws, weed eaters, etc. it's been a slow go since I am only able to work weekends here and there. I'm going to be closing on an additional 175 acres that adjoin the 75 and I've been thinking I'll need a new approach to accomplish what I need to with the additional challenges of putting in roads, clearing pastures, etc. Eventually I will be planting trees, logging, putting in some grapes, planting crops, and having cattle. (yea I am an optimist )

At what point does it become feasible to purchase the right equipment and learn to operate or hire an operator? I could use an excavator, dozer, and mulcher in an ideal world but not sure where the economies of scale are considering learning curves, maintenance, operating costs, etc.

I am about 15 years away from retiring.

I would appreciate some input and thoughts from those who know

Thanks in advance for your time

 

[yellowdogsvc]

I bought about 110 acres when I was 29. At first I had a chainsaw and a bulldozer. I then added a tractor and sold the dozer and picked up a Bobcat. I never regretted getting the Bobcat. I haven't had to often, but I have an account with CAT rental in case I need a dozer or something big.

I use the equipment commercially but that grew out of my desire to clear and build my own ranch. I would recommend having as much equipment as you can afford and have time to use. You can always sell it when you are done with it and you don't have to buy brand new to accomplish your goals.
If you buy a mulcher, there is a little more setup and support necessary but there are some good deals out there right now.

Having a skid steer or CTL with a grapple and a tree shear (if your trees aren't too tall or too big) will speed up your clearing process. A good rotary mower, an auger for fencing, and a couple of buckets will help you reach your goals. Again, it depends on how much you want to do and how rough your property is. If you have really big trees in the way, then you might need bigger equipment in the short run but I've managed with only skid steers and a compact excavator. It just takes longer but I also do the minimal amount of damage to our land.

Once you are comfortable with your equipment and what you want done, you can hire an operator to run them and maintain them during the week. Working 250 acres by your self is a tall order unless it is going to be mostly fields. Trying to clear 250 acres of trees is a big job and you might find that you are needing to be in the maintenance phase even though you are still clearing... that happened to me. Trees I cleared out 5 years ago were starting to grow back but I was still working weekends to clear other parts of the ranch. Our place was very thick and hilly but it was less than half the size of your project and I had machine experience.
I try and tell people who are seeking advice about clearing to "be patient and take your time during the clearing process." I believe low-impact is the best way to get your property the way you want it but that takes longer and can be frustrating when your neighbor just dozes everything and it's done. The drawback to the second option is that dozing isn't always the most selective process and if you live in an area that has poor soils or a lot of erosion, then you could do more harm than good over the long term.

Hope this helps.

 

[boggen]

it takes some time to get experience, but for me, it is more gratifying doing it myself. and ya it may take me longer, but i get what i want. and seeing the final outcome.

you have land clearing and cleaning up the property, and then you have maintenance / upkeep. the 80 acres i have, need some major doings. so i got the 555c TLB. and it does its job, good and quickly. eventually once i get the big projects done. i will sell for a smaller tractor with bells and whistles. for general maintenance and upkeep. and until i do the swap, some things get neglected until then. in long haul, getting the big stuff done and out of the way, will allow easier upkeep and maintenance work.

i cash crop / rent the fields out. it is easier for me, just not enough land, to be worth while to buy the larger size tractors setup for field work. ya i may make some more cash if i did the field work myself. and waited a few years to start seeing money coming back. but maintenance of tractors and implements, and wanting my own time to relax and enjoy life. will take less cash and let someone else do the field work.

cattle / livestock. are time consuming. checking fences, cleaning up after them a couple times a year (dealing with waste) dealing with ruts / trails they make. feeding them / water them. if you are retired ok, but single person trying to take care of it all *no thanks*

to above farming is a full time job! not part time job! always something to be done. cleaning / fixing / repairing / making things better.

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suggest going to google maps. and switching the map to show terrain. or goto some other map website and zoom down onto your property. and printing out the maps for your property, and then cutting the pages up and taping them together. and start mapping things out. of what you want done, and were you want stuff to eventually be.

once you have an idea. figure out what needs to be done first?

do you need to clear land and take out trees? and do you have enough to justify paying someone else? or buying and then selling off the equipment? or is it small enough amount, that you could rent, or use a smaller tractor and take some extra time getting things done? are you needing / wanting some ponds / lakes be created in some ravines?

get a map going and get a list going. and go from there. no since going in there randomly and guessing of what you want done.

 

[1bush2hog]

Thanks Yellowdog and Boggen - you both have some good points. I understand about the maintenance catching up to the clearing part as I am in both phases now just on the 75 acres.

Erosion is definitely another concern for me since most of the property is hilly with some pretty steep areas. Not sure how effective a skid steer will be working on slopes either.

I'll manage the steeper areas for hardwoods and also invasive control, put the old fields and pastures (20-30%%) back to fields and pastures and put some new roads in to connect the tracts together.

My goal is to eventually put some cattle on the cleared areas to reduce the maintenance time I'm spending mowing. I may end up leasing the pastures out until I actually move to the property as I know there is not a fence made that will hold every cow - and they always seem to get out at the most inconvenient time.

If I end up mulching some areas, how much stubble/stumps should I expect to see left over and how short will it be? How steep a slope can these mulchers work? Would they be more efficient clearing out rhododendron and mtn. laurel than a dozer or excavator?

 

[skidshear]

Amen to the low impact yellowdog. I bought a use ~50hp SS with a 12" Tree Terminator and 60" grapple rake about 3 years ago to clear cedar on the other end of the Hill Country from you. I had rented dozers on several occasions, but did not like taking the trees out by the roots and loosening what little topsoil I have and watching it wash away. I have not been disappointed in the results, just have to spend a fair amount of time managing regrowth.

I have picked up some EQIP clearing projects that have required the use of a shear do to the fact they leave much of the existing ground cover.