We started doing some land maintenance work a few months ago, as we realized the commercial real estate appraisal business is going to remain in the doldrums for the foreseeable future. Originally thought the banks would be a likely target, cleaning up and maintaining all the bank-owned lots and subdivisions. So far, the banks are reluctant to spend a dime on property they've already lost money on, but I expect next year may be a different story. We've gravitated toward agricultural/recreational tracts, dealing with people who have tracts too small to justify owning their own equipment, or who are no longer interested in doing that work themselves or paying the fellow down the road to do a half--- job when he gets a round tuit. Trying to offer a turn-key high-quality wildlife habitat management program, with some success.
I've been aware of mulching as a service for four or five years, first noticing when a large developer cleaned up miles of shoreline in putting a bunch of developments in north Alabama. I've had several people talk to me about doing it, and think there is some market for the service in enlarging, expanding, maintaining food plots and fields on rural tracts. I think if I can make some kind of living for the next 12-18 months, the developers will be back, and will need to clean up the subdivisions that they have basically allowed to lie fallow for the last couple of years.
I've got a potential client, a couple of hundred acres, of which he needs about 30 cleaned up to improve his views off the ridge to the lake when he divides his property into estate lots. If he'll commit, I'll probably get brave enough to buy an outfit, and really push with some of my other contacts for more work when this project is done.
If I had my druthers, I'd get all outfitted with a Rayco or Fecon 140 or so from the factory, along with a brand new 550 to pull it. In the real world, if I had that kind of cash, there are probably a couple or real estate bets I'd make instead. I expect I can find an ASV 100 class machine with a decent head for 40-50K, swap my nearly new 1/2 ton for a dependable 1-ton and a gooseneck, and go.
Reasoning on the smaller class machine is that I'm going to spend a fair amount of time dragging it around the state, and I'd rather do it with a 1-ton where I can charge $1.50 per mile than with a dump truck. I've also had the larger machines described as units that are good for nothing but self-destruction. Trees get immovable faster than machines get irresistible. To oversimplify, most of this equipment is good for clearing up to about 4", the skid-steer stuff just does is slower, and is more maneuverable. From what I can see about my particular list of potential clients, I'd rather negotiate about spending more time on a project than watch a 140-class machine rust in the yard.
I don't want to get into a ----ing contest over brands and sizes - I've read enough to look out for some designs and motors, and this work is terribly hard on any machine. But I'd like to hear any commentary, and I've got a couple of specific questions about stuff that's available in my area.
First - Gehl - I haven't heard a word about them - saw the U-tube video with the fellow in the open cab, no safety equipment. The funny thing is, I've had a couple of developers brag about a mulcher around here who is more efficient than anyone else around with a skid steer, and he's running a Gehl. A fellow in my area has got a 7810E with a gooseneck and a bucket and a fae head with less than a thousand hours on the machine for just under $50k. Any comments?
Second - How many hours can you get out of a machine? I understand that tooth wear is on the order of $10 per hour, heads in a couple of thousand hours, track wear is its own subset, but what about the tractor itself?
Any help would be appreciated. If I can't make this work, I'm going to have to find another job, and frankly, it's a --- of a time to look for work in the real estate or banking industry. Hope everybody stays busy.
I've been aware of mulching as a service for four or five years, first noticing when a large developer cleaned up miles of shoreline in putting a bunch of developments in north Alabama. I've had several people talk to me about doing it, and think there is some market for the service in enlarging, expanding, maintaining food plots and fields on rural tracts. I think if I can make some kind of living for the next 12-18 months, the developers will be back, and will need to clean up the subdivisions that they have basically allowed to lie fallow for the last couple of years.
I've got a potential client, a couple of hundred acres, of which he needs about 30 cleaned up to improve his views off the ridge to the lake when he divides his property into estate lots. If he'll commit, I'll probably get brave enough to buy an outfit, and really push with some of my other contacts for more work when this project is done.
If I had my druthers, I'd get all outfitted with a Rayco or Fecon 140 or so from the factory, along with a brand new 550 to pull it. In the real world, if I had that kind of cash, there are probably a couple or real estate bets I'd make instead. I expect I can find an ASV 100 class machine with a decent head for 40-50K, swap my nearly new 1/2 ton for a dependable 1-ton and a gooseneck, and go.
Reasoning on the smaller class machine is that I'm going to spend a fair amount of time dragging it around the state, and I'd rather do it with a 1-ton where I can charge $1.50 per mile than with a dump truck. I've also had the larger machines described as units that are good for nothing but self-destruction. Trees get immovable faster than machines get irresistible. To oversimplify, most of this equipment is good for clearing up to about 4", the skid-steer stuff just does is slower, and is more maneuverable. From what I can see about my particular list of potential clients, I'd rather negotiate about spending more time on a project than watch a 140-class machine rust in the yard.
I don't want to get into a ----ing contest over brands and sizes - I've read enough to look out for some designs and motors, and this work is terribly hard on any machine. But I'd like to hear any commentary, and I've got a couple of specific questions about stuff that's available in my area.
First - Gehl - I haven't heard a word about them - saw the U-tube video with the fellow in the open cab, no safety equipment. The funny thing is, I've had a couple of developers brag about a mulcher around here who is more efficient than anyone else around with a skid steer, and he's running a Gehl. A fellow in my area has got a 7810E with a gooseneck and a bucket and a fae head with less than a thousand hours on the machine for just under $50k. Any comments?
Second - How many hours can you get out of a machine? I understand that tooth wear is on the order of $10 per hour, heads in a couple of thousand hours, track wear is its own subset, but what about the tractor itself?
Any help would be appreciated. If I can't make this work, I'm going to have to find another job, and frankly, it's a --- of a time to look for work in the real estate or banking industry. Hope everybody stays busy.
