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Has anyone had to knock some trees down before? I need a 20 ft wide 2,000ft long path knocked down and so I dont know if I can just use a dozer and how long something like that could take. It looks like minor brush but it turns into some trunks up to 24 inches. What would a good hourly rate be charged for this work in your area if you are familiar with this?
Here are some pictures of the woods needing cleared.
[ December 19, 2010, 10:50: Message edited by: Bob Frey ]
-------------------- It isn't so much that liberals are ignorant. It's just that they know so many things that aren't so.
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quote:Originally posted by glassman: i prefer stihl to husqvarna, but other people i know like husquies better... it's like ford or chevy back in the 60's...
Stihl, Husqvarna, Echo: all good stuff, once you get to the pro lines--just becomes a matter of which one is the best deal.
Another way to go--especially if you don't know how to do your own maintenance--is just get a couple of Craftsman saws, and go ahead and buy the three-year warranty, then ASAP replace the "safety" chain with a full-chisel chain, and learn enough to keep it sharp.
-------------------- Nashoba Holba Chepulechi Adventures in microcapitalism...
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There was a sawmill in the area but I think it closed down last year. Not sure how else I could sell the wood or where to look for people to buy it. I will probably go to someplace like Home Depot to buy a saw, but instead of selling STIHL they have some kind of Home Depot brand they use.
-------------------- It isn't so much that liberals are ignorant. It's just that they know so many things that aren't so.
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well cash. i dunno how much a rush you are in...
if you take a lightwieght inexpensive chainsaw and "ring" each tree to a depth of two inches two or three times about 6 inches fromt he ground and hten a foot anove the groned and maybe again 18" above the ground? the trees will die and nature will take care of them.... i've done that a few times...
but i do like dropping trees when theres not a tight space to drop them in ( i don't want to try to fit it between a couple houses ) ... after you drop 'em throw a 25 foot chaina on the trunk, put it in 4wd and take it away to a bonfire for a party with a keg and a few dozen friends... or one good friend and Mr Jimmie Beam
i don't like schnappes and bonfires tho,. for some reason people on schnappes seem to be attracted to firewalking, and it can end bad
-------------------- Don't envy the happiness of those who live in a fool's paradise.
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quote:Originally posted by IWISHIHAD: If there is much decent wood (bigger trees etc.) then a logging company would be ideal.
Lots of money in good trees, but most of what i see in the picture is mostly underbrush type.
A good controled fire would be a great way to take out, depending on how many acres need to be cleared.
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I know thats what it looks like in the picture, thats why I also wrote that there are trees up to 24 inch. That is just by the road where that picture was taken, the other one of bigger trees was too big. starting at that picture you see, I need to push through a 20 ft wide by 2,000ft long path to be cleared. It gets thicker the further you go in. That brush only goes back about 100ft and then bam.
We dont have any logging companies around here, and the sawmill I was posting about earlier is out of business. So I might try to call the state ag dept to get some advice because I am sure some of those trees could be put to good use. There is a lot of dead oaks and hedge. There are some walnut trees back there though too.
It isnt like a block of acerage, we need a path cleared 20ft wide so a fire would catch or spread to nearby grasses that would blaze out of control with how dry it is. I would like to use some dynamite like in that video, but it might be overkill. The trees are say, 25-35ft at their tallest. I guess im just going to have to get the dozer in there and just ram through.
I appreciate the tips from everyone as I have never had this kind of issue before to deal with.
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Depending on the size of the trees we can't see in the picture, a decent operator on a D5 or D6(if you are dealing with some bigger stuff) would prolly get the job done...Up here you are looking at about $125hr or so for the dozer/operator...Buddy of mine gets $90-$100hr for his D4 doin demo work and basic stump removal and grading on the weekends...
If you have never done this kind of work before I would be very cautious about going in and dropping the larger trees on your own...Especially if there is a chance you could get one leaning into the surrounding trees...Don't want to be caught on the wrong side once that bottom kicks out...jmo
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quote:Originally posted by IWISHIHAD: If there is much decent wood (bigger trees etc.) then a logging company would be ideal.
Lots of money in good trees, but most of what i see in the picture is mostly underbrush type.
A good controled fire would be a great way to take out, depending on how many acres need to be cleared.
-
I know thats what it looks like in the picture, thats why I also wrote that there are trees up to 24 inch. That is just by the road where that picture was taken, the other one of bigger trees was too big. starting at that picture you see, I need to push through a 20 ft wide by 2,000ft long path to be cleared. It gets thicker the further you go in. That brush only goes back about 100ft and then bam.
We dont have any logging companies around here, and the sawmill I was posting about earlier is out of business. So I might try to call the state ag dept to get some advice because I am sure some of those trees could be put to good use. There is a lot of dead oaks and hedge. There are some walnut trees back there though too.
It isnt like a block of acerage, we need a path cleared 20ft wide so a fire would catch or spread to nearby grasses that would blaze out of control with how dry it is. I would like to use some dynamite like in that video, but it might be overkill. The trees are say, 25-35ft at their tallest. I guess im just going to have to get the dozer in there and just ram through.
I appreciate the tips from everyone as I have never had this kind of issue before to deal with.
You're on the right track with the state ag dept.
You don't need a local sawmill, although I understand the reasoning; however, if there's enough big guys in the stand, a dealer will factor in his transport costs, and you still can come out with income instead of outgo. For example, they may say, well, we'll have to clear these trees to get to that one. Then you say, "OK, within these boundaries, knock down whatever you want."
-------------------- Nashoba Holba Chepulechi Adventures in microcapitalism...
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quote:Originally posted by Happy Valley: Depending on the size of the trees we can't see in the picture, a decent operator on a D5 or D6(if you are dealing with some bigger stuff) would prolly get the job done...Up here you are looking at about $125hr or so for the dozer/operator...Buddy of mine gets $90-$100hr for his D4 doin demo work and basic stump removal and grading on the weekends...
If you have never done this kind of work before I would be very cautious about going in and dropping the larger trees on your own...Especially if there is a chance you could get one leaning into the surrounding trees...Don't want to be caught on the wrong side once that bottom kicks out...jmo
Exactly: you got your hourly for the operator, but you also get the machine charge.
And there's reasons for both.
Conceivably, one might buy a decent, used machine...then hire an operator--if you're confident about your expertise in contract law, re: maintenance, insurance, etc.--then use the machine in low-danger, clean-up, then re-sell it.
-------------------- Nashoba Holba Chepulechi Adventures in microcapitalism...
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quote:Originally posted by IWISHIHAD: The big question is not how much they will charge him to clear the area, it's how much we will charge him for all our great advice!
posted
OK, now that i can see the picture? i see you have way more undrbrush than you do big trees....
you can buy yourself a good used medium duty tractor for abut 5000 to 10,000 dollars. you can often get a bushhog attacment with it for that price.
find yourself a respected farm implement dealer ( i assume you are not living in LA or NYC)
you must get yourself a CAT-1, 3-point hitch with hydraulics...
you must get yourself a CAT-1, 3-point hitch with hydraulics... i repeat that for a reason
make sure you have the proper front weights and look for an articulated bushog...
the articulated hogs can cut around trees....
after you cut the brush? run an add selling the trees for firewood, somebody will come and do it.
make them pay you more than the wood is worth up front and give them the deposit back after they leave teh property the way you and they agree to...
firewqood is very profitable and the guys will usually look like th eguys in the video i showed you... but they have money, in fact we have a lot of rich hillbillys in this country, and they chhose to remain the way they want to be...
a good woodcutter makes 40 dollars an hour and owns his eqpt outright. if you pay someone to cut you a 2000 ft road 20 feet wide? that's 40,000 sq feet.. that's how get price quote..
if this road is for heavy epqt? you will still need a dozer to come in and grade and a backhoe to "borrow" your grading material...
if you do not have suitable soil, gravel, rock for grading on your place? then you need to buy it, i suggest crush and run as th eonly way to build a decnt road. I've done roads with sand, gravel clay and crushandrun, and crushandrun is dachit..... it's usually about 200$ per dumptruck load, based on how far it has to be hauled... and the more you buy? the cheaper it is...
if you are on clay of th eright type? that's one thing that can be better, but if you get just one truck in there and stuck while you are building a drilling rig? that can cost you a grand to have pulled out real fast and a grand is nothing if you are in a hurry, they will look at how upset you are and tprice goes up with every twitch ....
find a good eqpt dealer is my suggestion, and ask them if they can lease the various eqpt you need to build your road as yo need it... they will prolly work with you as long as you are returning the leased epqt in good shape... the stuff is just sitting waiting to be sold otherwise... tear it up and it will cost you a fortune tho, so be cautious and learn by doing very slowly and steadily... anybody with half a brain can run a bushog and a backhoe... the dozers take a little more time to get down cuz they have so much more power that it takes some real dicpline to not overdo it...
hiring people to run them? they can help there too, but why pay somebody else to have all that fun?
-------------------- Don't envy the happiness of those who live in a fool's paradise.
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one more caution? i've seen a CAT d-9 have to be hired to get a smaller dozer (i forget the model) off of it's side. As i watched? hte lighter dozer pushhed a locust trr over. Locust is great wood for fence posts, and that's about it. The trres were 120 feet tall with very few branches...
The root was shallaow and at a 90 degree angle to teh trunk, when the dozer pushed th etree? The tree began to roll down, the root lifted the right track of the dozer and the driver jumped stright outt he back. The dozer was on an incline and the tree was just tall enough and the root was just under the proper spot to all combine for that wierd incident. They happen all the time... the lesson is that you don't want to hurry and you can only save so much money by goin smaller or cheaper or with less experience...
-------------------- Don't envy the happiness of those who live in a fool's paradise.
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quote:Originally posted by CashCowMoo: Ill let you know how it goes, we got 3 chainsaws and a bucket and dozer for Monday morning. I will try to take some smaller pics.
Whatcha doin??? That's my question.....
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I used to do a little bit of this type of work about 10 years ago......if the dozer is of decent size, I think you will be amazed how fast this gets completed (assuming you dont run into anything too large).
For larger tree removal a backhoe actually comes in handy......just take the bucket and start digging the ground around the base ripping apart at the roots. Be careful though, rip a little and then push it in the direction that you want to fall.....repeat as necessary (the idiot i used to work for actually hit the equipment that I was sitting in with trees on different occaisions).
And always be careful pushing trees with anything.....even a healthy tree can have the top snapped out if you slam into it.....it can create a whip effect and send the top portion headed straight down at you.
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Well, we got a small loader in there to clean out the smaller stuff, found a problem, lots of rocks near the surface. Pain in the rear, but somehow it seems like it helps the trees to come up. Surfer I am getting ready to drill a well and the acreage is wooded...never had to deal with so many trees before.
We got started on clearing the first site, but havent messed with the road building yet.
[ December 21, 2010, 09:02: Message edited by: Bob Frey ]
-------------------- It isn't so much that liberals are ignorant. It's just that they know so many things that aren't so.
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are they the big northern bobcats? or the little southerns?
i kinda freaked the first time i saw the big bobcats in Ne. it was winter so they had their heavy coats but they looked to be about the size of a 70 pound rhodesian ridgeback, which is a very "dense" and powerful dog with no fur just 3/16th to 1/4 inch hairs. I know cats are lighter boned and built different but if those cats didn't 40 pounds i would be shocked.
I used to sit outside at night (smoking a 'boro) in winter and on full moons and about 4 days on either side watch them hunt rabbit. It's amazing how much you can see in black and white with snow everywhere and some moonlight...
I got to thinking about why the northerns are so big and it is prolly just the ability to retain body heat that selected for it... But it could also be that the great horned owls have eaten the small one on the plains, while they can't get to 'em easy dayown heyar in the wooded south.
the bobcats here in MS are so small that they arent much bigger then housecats. I have seen Maine coon housecats that are bigger than these bobcats we have dayown heyar.
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quote:Originally posted by glassman: are they the big northern bobcats? or the little southerns?
i kinda freaked the first time i saw the big bobcats in Ne. it was winter so they had their heavy coats but they looked to be about the size of a 70 pound rhodesian ridgeback, which is a very "dense" and powerful dog with no fur just 3/16th to 1/4 inch hairs. I know cats are lighter boned and built different but if those cats didn't 40 pounds i would be shocked.
I used to sit outside at night (smoking a 'boro) in winter and on full moons and about 4 days on either side watch them hunt rabbit. It's amazing how much you can see in black and white with snow everywhere and some moonlight...
I got to thinking about why the northerns are so big and it is prolly just the ability to retain body heat that selected for it... But it could also be that the great horned owls have eaten the small one on the plains, while they can't get to 'em easy dayown heyar in the wooded south.
the bobcats here in MS are so small that they arent much bigger then housecats. I have seen Maine coon housecats that are bigger than these bobcats we have dayown heyar.
To be honest I am not sure, I have never seen one alive in person. I have found their tracks in soft dirt on the land all over the place and they seem rather large. The local TV station showed someone who took a home video of one walking around their backyard and it was rather large. Some people call them in and report them as a mountain lion to the local sheriff, but I think they cant really tell if the cat is at a far distance. Obviously there is a tail for the mountain lion but from far away it may be hard to tell.
Within the same month the local news also showed someone who took a photo of a mountain lion at night in a tree. It was pitch black in the background, but the flash got it good. It was about 20 miles north of me.
Here is the local mountain lion picture that was sent in last month on the news:
And here is the bobcat that was sent in last month as well that a local mistook for a mountain lion
Supposedly from locals where I am taking down these trees are saying there is a mountain lion that follows the train tracks north and south for a few miles because there are so many deer in the area. There is a decent sized creek that runs along the tracks as well so its perfect for the mountain lion to navigate on.
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if you guys have cougars there? that's a good sign for the cats and the health of your habitat...
we had cougar sigtings in NE five years agao, but they were cosnidered an oddity out on the plains... they prefer woodlands and heavy cover since they are ambush predators..
if people mistake them for a puma or a mountain lion? then they are definitely the larger bobcat...
in Canada they have lynx which are big too, but i dunno if they are the same animal, Lynx have the tufted ears and the bobcats i saw did not. the bobcats i saw did have the shortie tail.. Lynx also have bigger feet relative to their body for the snow...
down here in the deep south? all the bobcats i have seen (including mounts) are not much bigger than a regular housecat...
at dusk? you can see them sitting and watching you if the light is just right... you need a backlighting that is soft to throw a shadow in front of them so their natural camo wont work. I have literally had them disappear right in front of my eyes and leave me questioning if i had actually seen them. However, i have often seen them eating later or seen the blood from their kill the next day, so i knew i had not been hallucinating....
when they take rabbit? i've looked over the scene of the "crime" and the tracks carefully, and it appears to me the they can cover over 25 feet in one bound... (that would be the big ones) i have seen house cats cover 20 feet and jump 15 off the roof and land running so i bet they could do more in pinch... do not mess with them... they might prefer to avoid you, but they can take your face off before you know it, and they will go for your eyes first...
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