Cunningham
ArboristSite Lurker
Good point. And it still remains to be seen if I can even rent a large enough excavator without a contractor's license.
New guy wanting to clear acreage
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It isn't just the equipment. It's mainly the expertise of the operator. I've gotten equipment requirements in contracts waived ---they limited the blade size on cats, because the operator was good and could run a big machine without much damage.
Advantages of using an excavator are getting a cleaner pile of slash if you plan on burning it. Dozers push a lot of dirt in the piles making it harder to get a complete burn. Excavators can shake the dirt out of the rootwads and burning will be easier. A good excavator operator can move fast. I have worked with a guy who was said to be able to pick yer nose with his humongus machine. And have also witnessed some efficient cat (dozer) work by guys who were also excellent operators.
I think like most things, you'll get what you pay for. Rent the equipment and you'll have a big learning curve and move slowly.
Go look at jobs that have been done in the past by contractors/operators. Talk to the people they worked for. Visit a site where they are actively working. Ask questions. Good operators don't mind this.
Also, if you plan to fall (drop) the trees before hiring someone, be sure to know what equipment will be used. It's a good practice to leave high stumps for equipment to be able to push against or pull out.
Advantages of using an excavator are getting a cleaner pile of slash if you plan on burning it. Dozers push a lot of dirt in the piles making it harder to get a complete burn. Excavators can shake the dirt out of the rootwads and burning will be easier. A good excavator operator can move fast. I have worked with a guy who was said to be able to pick yer nose with his humongus machine. And have also witnessed some efficient cat (dozer) work by guys who were also excellent operators.
I think like most things, you'll get what you pay for. Rent the equipment and you'll have a big learning curve and move slowly.
Go look at jobs that have been done in the past by contractors/operators. Talk to the people they worked for. Visit a site where they are actively working. Ask questions. Good operators don't mind this.
Also, if you plan to fall (drop) the trees before hiring someone, be sure to know what equipment will be used. It's a good practice to leave high stumps for equipment to be able to push against or pull out.
Sounds like you need a bulldozer and not piss around with an excavator. You say you got more than 3 A, time is money and any crap about dirt in the root ball or pile can be address with a good operator. I use a root rake and the way you remove the dirt from the root ball is you lift the blade up off the ground a little on the dozier and roll the tree and root ball and it will shake the dirt out. You can also shake piles and what you are pushing before you pile it. The good thing about using a dozier is as you push you also clean the ground in front of you.
I think that it's not a license but enough insurance coverage that the rental houses want. Generally part of or a rider on your contractors liability policy.
Next time call one of the national rentals places and ask about their insurance requirements. A 36,000 - 40,000 pound excavator can do a lot of clearing but if you only have 6-8" diameter trees and brush a 10 ton size machine will be very efficient. A thumb is mandatory for excavator clearing and you'll have way less ground disturbance and "cleaner" stumps (less dirt) than a dozer's results.
I just had the same guy clear me about an acre and push me about 250 yard firebreak. Did it Monday afternoon with a 9 foot blade. $330. It doesn’t take long with the right equipment and a good operator.
What experience do you have operating equipment? Google Dunning Kruger effect...
Maybe that was a little harsh, but to the OP, seriously, there is a reason they won't rent to you without a contractors license. If you don't know what is the right piece of equipment, you obviously don't know how to run it. Who in they're right mind would rent you a 500,000 dollar piece of equipment with no training? Not to mention, provided you didn't break it you would honestly trash your property in the learning process .
Another way to save money is to ask around your area/neighborhood to see if any other people are going to have work done. I told a friend of mine to do this with a logging outfit that would have to go by when moving out. She did, it worked both saved an extra move in/move out expense.
Moving equipment around can be expensive.
Moving equipment around can be expensive.
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On smaller jobs, that is often a significant percentage of the price.
Definitely.
In the earlier days, some of the larger logging equipment was moved at night to avoid having to pay for those pesky permits. We'd see fresh leaves and broken branches on the roads and figure out that a yarder was moved in during the night. It was/is called outlawing.
You didn't mention a time frame or a budget. Obviously, an experienced operator with a large excavator or dozer could clear your 3 acres pretty quick, but the transportation costs along would be out of my budget. If you need the work completed relatively soon, you might check with the local farmers. Around here, some of them have large excavators they use for this exact purpose. As they acquire or lease new farm ground, they sometimes have to make significant changes to ravines and creek crossing in order to get their farming equipment in and out in the spring and fall.
If you're not in a hurry, and you have another 100 acres to deal with eventually, I'd buy or rent a skidsteer with a fecon forestry head and use it to clear out all the small stuff so you could actually see how much work needs to be done. From there, you might find that a few weekends with a chainsaw and a mini would be enough to get the trees down, and the root balls dug up.
On the small stuff, I'd also want to push a bucket or blade of some kind through there. Hard to tell what kind of junk/trash was left in the barn lot before it was over grown.
If you're not in a hurry, and you have another 100 acres to deal with eventually, I'd buy or rent a skidsteer with a fecon forestry head and use it to clear out all the small stuff so you could actually see how much work needs to be done. From there, you might find that a few weekends with a chainsaw and a mini would be enough to get the trees down, and the root balls dug up.
On the small stuff, I'd also want to push a bucket or blade of some kind through there. Hard to tell what kind of junk/trash was left in the barn lot before it was over grown.
In that area, I think the trend now is to outlaw mobile homes around.
This varies pertaining to renting I guess by state or reigon or perhaps whether it is the dealer or just a straight rental place. I could not rent something big like that half a million dollar machine around here on my own. I could bring a guy who is an operator as a day job and say he will run it and see how it goes. Elsewhere they just make you buy insurance against possible damages which is an alternative to being responsible for any damage. Perhaps since I was in their system on the service end I did rent and they quoted me for the light boom heavy excavator with real long reach like to dig out ponds. That was probably a half million dollar machine.
I have seen youtube videos of pretty much the same thing but 3 point hitch for a Utility or larger tractor. Even put what model it was into search and found one at an upcoming auction. Did not go or bid.
With the expense of moving a large dozer or excavator and the relatively small area you need to clear, I'd be doing as much with smaller equipment then felling anything large then bring in a 10-14k lb mini for clean up/root ball removal. I've used this method a few times with good success. Even may be worth wile to get a logger in to take a look and see if there's anything worth selling off.
