First Time Clearing - Could use Some Advice / Direction

[FLRA_Dave]

I would suggest buying some weights for the front of that 8n. When pulling lots of weight the front end likes to come off the ground with those. Or as previously stated find a loader for it. It will help with weight on the front and increase productivity.

Loader would be ideal. I have had the front tires dangling a few times. If I can remember, I got the suitcase weights for my X534 to hang on the front bumper.

 

[zogger]

The deutz tractor I use has 5 times the mud traversing capabilities with a carry all tote on the rear. Pick that up, you got some mambo weight on the rear wheels. It does have front weights though, but a bucket would work for weight.

I know you will figure it out, thats a lot of wood there to score!

The bottom line is though, in gushy ground and moving weight, tracks rule....they just cost bunches, even the cheapest...

 

[FLRA_Dave]

What about something along these lines??? I have an old wheel and trailer axle… could use tractor to pull up the logs…

 

[strangersfaces]

That lawn is WAY too nice to be digging it up with logs...

Keep "Equal and Opposite" in mind. Unless the trailer has been somehow fixed solidly into position, the log is more likely to pull the trailer off the track bed.

Could'nt you back the tractor up the incline to load?

 

[reaperman]

I didnt see any mention of whats going to happen to the stumps. I know its probably not your problem, but I'd assume the homeowner is going to want them to disappear. This is going to require a decent sized excavator and dump trucks to remove and haul them, or have them ground. Either way its going to cost him a decent chunk of money for their disposal. Hopefully he appreciates what you are doing for him for free. He should be bending over backwards to help out in any way he can. Keep up the fight.

 

[FLRA_Dave]

That lawn is WAY too nice to be digging it up with logs...

Keep "Equal and Opposite" in mind. Unless the trailer has been somehow fixed solidly into position, the log is more likely to pull the trailer off the track bed.

Could'nt you back the tractor up the incline to load?

Nice lawn... I like that one. Never needs cutting - best part about it.z

It was more for pulling logs to trailer from this mess. It's the old dumping (car parts, toilets, garbage, and other odd ball stuff) ground and a bit hilly.

The truck would be attached to the trailer and about 45 degrees to tracks. I was on a time constraint and couldn't get the model set up exactly how I would use it. Was more of the concept that I was trying to show.

 

[FLRA_Dave]

I didnt see any mention of whats going to happen to the stumps. I know its probably not your problem, but I'd assume the homeowner is going to want them to disappear. This is going to require a decent sized excavator and dump trucks to remove and haul them, or have them ground. Either way its going to cost him a decent chunk of money for their disposal. Hopefully he appreciates what you are doing for him for free. He should be bending over backwards to help out in any way he can. Keep up the fight.

He was telling me that he wanted to get a doze and excavator in there to dig a hole and put all of the stumps and garbage in, then cover it up. Can you image what those will do to the yard???

 

[bert0168]

He was telling me that he wanted to get a doze and excavator in there to dig a hole and put all of the stumps and garbage in, then cover it up. Can you image what those will do to the yard???

Ha, do to the yard? How about do to the spot it's buried on in about 5 -10 yrs.

I know it's free wood but this landowner (or the son) sounds like a jackwagon.

But kudos to you for effort.

 

[philoshop]

flra dave,
Got your PMs and phone no. tried to call but got an answering machine for Mike?...no returns.
That's a tough area. I have friends that live around there and looked at property there myself. It'll probably be wet until July or August, if it dries at all. Sorry.
Cutting is no problem. Have saws, will travel. Removal in any volume is another story.
The RR is owned by () and leased by (), and may or may not be currently active. The companies use them as sidings for gravel hoppers from the local quarries so that someone can make the price when road construction starts.:msp_ohmy: Be careful with that. They won't shoot at ya or anything, but they could get nasty.
I'd like to help out, and good ash is hard to find.:msp_tongue: Cut, buck, limb, drag (within reason, I'm an old guy) guide, steer, hook, etc. (I'm not that old) Let me know what you decide.
Good luck.
Mark

 

[computeruser]

A 45 min drive each way, with less than a cord. No way is that worth it. Charge him or leave.

Amen.

When I started scrounging wood, I'd take on stuff like this. No more. It just isn't productive enough to be worth my time, since I don't own equipment or a big enough trailer. I'd sooner buy a tri axle load of stuff and have it delivered. Or do it as a paying job with someone else's skidding kit and keep some of the wood as a bonus.

You asked early on what you needed to do to be productive and effective. The answer is to have proper equipment and to manage the job like a pro. Trees marked, felling done, skidding done, logs removed, skidding tractor goes home. Otherwise the job is over, pack it'd up and call its quits. Unless these folks are good friends or kin, life is too short to fuss with this stuff.

As for helpers, the pay has to be right or you won't get safe, skilled folks. I wouldn't do it for less than $20/hour, and even then only with the autonomy to get the job done right. This shouldn't take a lot of hands, though. All you really need is someone to fell and buck, and someone to skid the logs to the landing, and maybe one more to block the wood up and pitch it in the trailer.

Anyway, that's my 2c for what it's worth...

 

[Dieselbreath]

I think your bottleneck is all the cutting, splitting, & hauling. I would cut the trees down and call in the u-cutters for whatever your market will cover, probably around $50-$70 a cord. If you want, skid them to a few common areas and let someone else to most of the work.

 

[imagineero]

From the pics, that whole area looks a little less than a days cutting for a good faller. If your falling skills aren't that great you could hire someone in for a day for less than what you might think. They'll come with saws, fuel, chains, and leave lower stumps than you are. They'll lay the logs out real nice, easy skidding. You'll probably learn something from watching it.

As per all the good advice you already got, limb in the woods and skid the logs out. Maybe a couple days work for 2 guys there. Get in a log truck with a loader and be done with it in another couple days.

You really poured way too much $ and time into this for what you got out of it. You could have hired in skills and equipment for less than what you outlayed on gear, and made some small profit on it. Alternatively you could have just bought some triaxle loads of logs and enjoyed your life, or worked those 200+ hours for someone else and made some decent money. If you're at the point of selling of vehicles to pay your bills then then probably shouldn't be taking out loans to buy equipment so you can get free (?) firewood. I run a full time tree company and give away truck loads of firewood all the time.



Shaun

 

[blacknightwolf]

agree mistakes made along the way ,, but 1st experiance and lessons learned ... seams no matter you have to admire the commitment to finish the job that he was committed to. sure in the future lessons learned this time around will lead to different approach in the next undertakeing .

 

[Jredsjeep]

Did you just call me lazy? Hahaha.... Only if I had to.

nope not at all, just trying to make sure a simple obvious answer is not being overlooked. i have been in deep enough on figuring things out sometimes i miss a simple fix LOL

you got your work cut out for you!

 

[FLRA_Dave]

From the pics, that whole area looks a little less than a days cutting for a good faller. If your falling skills aren't that great you could hire someone in for a day for less than what you might think. They'll come with saws, fuel, chains, and leave lower stumps than you are. They'll lay the logs out real nice, easy skidding. You'll probably learn something from watching it.

I’m sure a more experienced person could have done it faster… 1 day? Maybe – I guess I’ll take your word for it. I know you guys can only see what I have posted from the later stages of this, but at the beginning it was fairly tight… not a lot of room to drop trees so they wouldn’t hit the neighbors trees – we used the truck to pull while falling (even then we snapped a few branches). The undergrowth was thick too… lots of vines / poison ivy tangled in it.

As per all the good advice you already got, limb in the woods and skid the logs out. Maybe a couple days work for 2 guys there. Get in a log truck with a loader and be done with it in another couple days.
Shaun

The pain about limbing in the woods is going back into the woods to get all of those limbs.

You really poured way too much $ and time into this for what you got out of it. You could have hired in skills and equipment for less than what you outlayed on gear, and made some small profit on it. Alternatively you could have just bought some triaxle loads of logs and enjoyed your life, or worked those 200+ hours for someone else and made some decent money. If you're at the point of selling of vehicles to pay your bills then then probably shouldn't be taking out loans to buy equipment so you can get free (?) firewood. I run a full time tree company and give away truck loads of firewood all the time.
Shaun

If you don’t count the tractor and time… I’m still ahead by about $350 - $400. Out of those 200+ hours about 152 of them are my hours. Moving wood from this lot was my “excuse” for buying the tractor – I’ve been wanting it for a while for use around the house (but get my wife to let me get it is another story – hence put myself in a pickle to get it). Can’t count the full price of the equipment anyhow… it’s used for so much more than this job – hard to quantify it at least.

And about the loans… I know debt free is the way to be, but I figure there are a lot of things that one shouldn’t do in general. I got it by refinancing an existing loan, which raised my monthly payment by less than $3… more money in the long run for sure, but gets me through what I need for right now.

 

[jrider]

He was telling me that he wanted to get a doze and excavator in there to dig a hole and put all of the stumps and garbage in, then cover it up. Can you image what those will do to the yard???

He is willing to pay for that but not pay you? I would tell him to pound sand.

 

[FLRA_Dave]

He is willing to pay for that but not pay you? I would tell him to pound sand.

I don't know what his connections are, but he was telling me that he used to operate heavy equipment and that he would be doing it...

 

[FLRA_Dave]

Was just messaging back and forth with my brother on skid steer options.

Steel tracks optional:

S175 or S185

Rubber tracked:

T190

May or may not be available:

S650


If I went this route (how I’d pay I don’t know)… what would be better – steel or rubber tracks? No tracks at all? Or would they all sink in the muck?

 

[reaperman]

Was just messaging back and forth with my brother on skid steer options.

Steel tracks optional:

S175 or S185

Rubber tracked:

T190

May or may not be available:

S650
If I went this route (how I’d pay I don’t know)… what would be better – steel or rubber tracks? No tracks at all? Or would they all sink in the muck?

All of the machines above are more than suitable. If the conditions are muddy, steel tracks are the way to go. If not muddy, the t190 would be nice because you wouldnt have to worry about getting flat tires and leaving ruts. The 650 would work also, but is most likely going to be more expensive and the other machines. The other machines will work as fast as the 650 and burn less fuel, but their lift rating isnt as much, but more than capable for what you are doing.

I assume your wanting to use the bobcat for carrying out logs. If your just renting one to pretty up the guys woodlot, save your money. Especially if he's going to bury stumps. Which is going to be a much larger undertaking than he thinks.

 

[FLRA_Dave]

I assume your wanting to use the bobcat for carrying out logs. If your just renting one to pretty up the guys woodlot, save your money. Especially if he's going to bury stumps. Which is going to be a much larger undertaking than he thinks.

I was thinking that one of them with forks (I don’t think they have a grapple) could drive right into the water / mud and we could load 4’ lengths onto the forks (to make it between still standing trees) and dump onto the truck / trailer / stage for easy pickup. 4 footers could be loaded with 2 guys without too much of a hassle if the trailer was right next to them.

Then after that’s done the brush piles could be picked up and put on top of the burn pile. I currently can only push the piles against each other with makes for a much longer burn. My current pile is roughly 30’ long by 15’ wide and 4’ tall or so.
I think that the bobcat with a few ground guys that the rest of the work can be done within a day. Probably not haul all of the wood off the lot, but if it’s staged for easy loading, then it’s no big deal.