2 Acre lot clearing - residential

[petrentz]

Hi guys, i am new on here and i want to get some advice.

I am a landscaper (part timer) and went to give an estimate for some bush removal today.

When i got there, the guy surprised the heck out of me.....


He wants to turn 2 acres of bushes and brush/branch into a few houses and sell them. The problem is that there are a lot of bushes (8-16' tall) and about 10 trees that are about 8-12" diameter (30 feet tall). The area is wooded, never been cut. You probably can't go thru them easily even now that they dont have any leaves (winter).

He basically wants the lot cleared for building. Not graded or anything. Just cleared.


In short, when you look, you can't see anything in the "forest" or even the house behind it. not that high though....about 10-15 feet high.

I told the guy that i can not do it, and that it would cost him at least $25K if he hires a tree company. He did not even blink when i mentioned the money. He said, "Well, i have to do it. I dont care if it takes months".

Driving home made me really think....I dont have any equipment or the people, but i really have the desire to do it. If i can start on this job, it means i dont have to look for any landscape projects for the rest of the year .

Now, here is what i am thinking...I can rent a tractor, or a bulldozer and try to clear the lot myself. I have never driven one, but there is always a first time, right?

When that is done, i can rent a wood chipper and run everything thru a chipper. That will be a pain, but can be done. I can rent a few 30 yard dumpsters and fill it a few times with the chips.

or i can hire a dirt hauling company for their trucks and dump the cleared dirt/debris in their trucks....

When that is all done, he wants to have the stumps removed as well. I told him that it will be really expensive to remove the stumps, and maybe he can just stump grind them instead, he said, "Yeah, we can do that too".... Stump grinding 150 bushes (at least) wont be easy or cheap, so that might not work.

At the end, i can use the tractor and take many of the stumps out. The tree stumps will not be able to take out since their root will be huge (maybe). Or i can hire a bulldozer with a driver and have him clear the whole 2 acre lot

2 questions.....

1.am i nuts for even thinking that i can do something like that?

2. How much would you charge for somethine like that?

any comments or input would be greatly appreciated.

if you have seen this thread on LS, i applogize...i really need all the help i can get. thanks a lot in advance.

george

 

[DDM]

Hmmmmmm Sub it out.

 

[petrentz]

i really dont know how to sub it out. do i just offer a price to someone? How much do i offer them? It's really hard becuse i dont know how much it would cost.

Anyone in Detroit Metro interested in being a sub for this job?

 

[DDM]

OKay you have no experience running equipment you have no clue what to charge.Let it go or get another company to bid it and tack on a few hundred. If you rented a dozer and cleared it you wouldn't need a stump grinder but then it would be pushed up in a pile and be a PITA to run thru a chipper. Hire someone with a dozer & Tub Grinder let them do it.....

 

[treeman82]

At MOST you would be talking $20,000 over here for clearing and stumping. I would suggest that you sub it out. It's almost March, and unless you can get the job done NOW, you are going to wind up working in a mud pit.

 

[petrentz]

dave, i agree with you....the reason that i can't use a dozer and a chipper is that once i use a dozer, it will be bushes, lots of dirt, stumps, and stones.

There is no way i can pick out sticks out of the pile to run them thru a chipper...that's nut.

I can rent a dozer, put them in big piles. then call gravel trains and load everything (dirt and stumps and all) in them.

How much would a job like that cost?

 

[DDM]

dave, i agree with you....the reason that i can't use a dozer and a chipper is that once i use a dozer, it will be bushes, lots of dirt, stumps, and stones.

There is no way i can pick out sticks out of the pile to run them thru a chipper...that's nut.

I can rent a dozer, put them in big piles. then call gravel trains and load everything (dirt and stumps and all) in them.

How much would a job like that cost?

I Dont know have to see it. Have no clue what dumping fees are how many loads are there. I'd probably push over what i could with my S250 with tracks
move it out with the grapple,cut off the root balls and run it thru the chipper.Cut down what was too large and grind out the remaining stumps.Around here we could burn it all on site.

 

[clearance]

George- way over your head from what youve said but no reason that you cant make some money by organizing, or making it happen. Heres what I know about landclearing firsthand, 1 good excavator operator and 1 decent guy with a saw can make truckloads of logs and bins full of stumps and branches every day. You dont need a saw guy, all those trees can be pushed over. Find someone who has a big excavator (200 size Hitachi or old Cat 225 size) with a clearing blade and a thumb on it. If the debris has to be hauled, find somone with a triple axle bin trailer. Otherwise stack and burn. I have worked with some deadly hoe operators and its wild what they can do in a day. Those trees will get ripped right out of the ground full length, the guy will give them the "death rattle" then he'll put them aside. the bushes will just get ripped out and shook. The rig pulling the bin will back in, the bushes will go in first, then the guy will pick up the trees and use them to squash down the bushes in the bin. Get some money for setting it up and then go back to what you do best.

 

[eyeinstine]

I have to agree with DDM.. No offense, but its hard to look professional to the customer, if you really dont have a clue.. If your a good salesman, and can bullsh*t your way through it, then go for it.. for clearing a small lot like that, i would hire a excavator (hydraulic hoe). I run a mid sized John Deere hoe for a living, and have done some clearing just as you describe.. piece of cake.. those trees will push right over, stump and all.. If not, what stump is left plucks right out in a scoop or two.. I use the teeth on the bucket to 'rake' the ground of trash, roots, vines, bushes, etc.. We get 900$ a day for that machine.. 2 days would get that lot cleared and you would have one big pile of bush/tree material.. You could load it with the excavator into roll-off containers, but it would take ALOT of containers, and would cost you some big bucks.. Better yet, then hire a tub grinder with its won grapple.. He would probably have that taken care of in a day.. All that would be left would we the chips.. The builder may just let you leave them there, and they would get 'lost' while the dirt is pushed around during construction.. Or you could hire a skid steet loader for about 450$ a day, to load a couple roll offs..

All in all, i would say your cost for doing the job right, and all the cleanup, should run about 5000$-$6000.

I would atleast double that for the price to charge.. If everything goes as planned, you should put about 5 grand in your pocket for sitting back and making the right calls, and making sure each sub does there thing correctly..

this is probably more info than i should share with you
If you where in my area, i would have just told you its out of your league, and i'll kick you 500$ if you set me up with the guy....

Ron

 

[eyeinstine]

???? clearance, i guess you type faster! Or just said it in less words!

Ron

 

[petrentz]

hey guys, thanks for being honest. i really appreciate that.

Where do i have to look for a tub grinder - an excavation company or a three removal company?

keep the suggestions coming, please.

 

[tnttreeman]

Bid at $23,500, get money down for the equipment rental, offer me 50% of the profit (written contract, of course) and I'll make the drive to get it to happen
Some of the machines suggested seem like overkill. Depends on what the finished product has to be. Any pictures of the site?

 

[dayman]

Check into using a brush hog. These are attachments for the front of skid steers. The attachment rotates and shreds whatever it hits. If you can leave the chips on the ground you're in fine shape. If the stuff is small you can have a stump grinder mounted on the frnot of the skid steer too. This way you don't have to haul anything off-site.

One of the tracked skid steers that Cat sells now would work really well.

 

[NeTree]

Cripes... for that kinda money, I'd even do it.

Realistically, you could blow that out in a few days with a 4 man crew and a 12" chipper.... especially if you can get in with a 4wd chip truck once you have a hole cleared.

Who grinds stumps on a lot clearing???? 'Round here, that's the escavation contractors' job.

 

[Stumper]

I think Eyeinstine pegged it pretty well. My aproach on a job like that would be to cut and chip everything then either grind stumps or Doze/hoe them and haul stumps depending on which would work out cheapest. $5000-6000 sounds reasonable. 25k seems way out there. You are over your head-subbing could work out or you could get burnt and ruin your reputation too.

 

[NeTree]

Justin, for $25k, I'd take the trip out there and even invite you along. =)

 

[petrentz]

tnttreeman, i might just keep you in mind. let me make a few calls tomorrow. you said "equipment rental"....who would have a tub griender with it's own grapple?

 

[fpyontek]

If you have never done this work before then I think your in over your head. If you hire sub contractors for work that you bid on, you could end up loosing money or worse, with legal entanglements. Why not consider finding a contractor who has done this work before, and has references, and agree to a referral fee from the contractor you select.

 

[NeTree]

If you have never done this work before then I think your in over your head. If you hire sub contractors for work that you bid on, you could end up loosing money or worse, with legal entanglements. Why not consider finding a contractor who has done this work before, and has references, and agree to a referral fee from the contractor you select.

I'd have to agree.

BTW, Welcome petrentz.

 

[clearance]

Hope you can make some money out of it. Dont just get anyone (these guys are right about problems that could ensue) get someone that does landclearing all the time. That means thier excavator (hoe) is set up for it. This means a big hoe with a thumb,roll over protective structure (r.o.p.s.), guarding package and a clearing blade instead of a bucket. Not just any hoe operator can clear land or more importantly do tree work with a faller. Cut down lots of trees myself with the help of the "big yellow wedge" its a blast with a good operator. Good luck.