Mike058
Gold Member
I just bought five acres on Key Peninsula in Washington state. If you want to look it up on a map, look for Home, Washington. It straddles a ridge and runs east to west. The east end (about 2.5 acres) has a slope of 12'/100' and is thick with huckleberry and silal bushes. Based on the size of the firs, it was probably logged about 50-60 years ago. On top of the ridge we've cleared out a little over 1/2 acre for a barn and triple wide manufactured home. The west end is mostly grass, trees and blackberry's where the sun shines. Plan on putting some goats over there eventually.
The septic drain field is going on the east end where the huckleberry's are. I want to clear the brush before I have someone dig to put in the field and tank. It's going to take a long time, and time's money. I have to roughly level the area for the barn. It's mostly level, but I've learned over the years that there's a heck of a lot of dirt in a "little" pile.
We don't want a lot of steps up into the house, so the pad's going to have to be a foot or two below grade. That sounds like something I could do myself. After the house is in, it has to back filled.
The clearing process left me with a small fortune in lumber (well a small fortune for me-about 15 logs plus some older ones that I found on the property) The excavator operator bucked the trees into 20' lengths. I didn't actually measure, but that's what they look like. It's probably whatever a standard length to fit on a truck is. Anyway, I'm not looking to pick the monsters up and move them around, just lift them up enough so I can cut them into more manageable lengths that I can move around.
I want to cut some trails, make some clearings and just generally clean up that eastern side. Everything is trying to choke everything else to death and I'm looking to be the new sheriff in town.
The property lines are choked up with the silal and huckleberrys so I want to mow a path before I have it surveyed. They charge like $1200 a day if they have to do it themselves.
I know the guys that have HST think it's the best thing since sliced bread, but I'm leaning towards something with a shuttle type reverse. But I could lean back at any time.
I was thinking 25-30 HP, 4WD, FEL with a grapple on a budget of 15,600 (17,000 after tax around here). If I have to, I can wait on the mower until later. (Give me something to look forward to). It'd be a big plus if it could fit into a 7 x 14 enclosed cargo trailer, then I could save on shipping.
I'd like suggestions as to brands to check out, and things to mull over while I decide. I've really been impressed by the helpfulness of the group, but then I think shiny new pennies are impressive too.
The septic drain field is going on the east end where the huckleberry's are. I want to clear the brush before I have someone dig to put in the field and tank. It's going to take a long time, and time's money. I have to roughly level the area for the barn. It's mostly level, but I've learned over the years that there's a heck of a lot of dirt in a "little" pile.
We don't want a lot of steps up into the house, so the pad's going to have to be a foot or two below grade. That sounds like something I could do myself. After the house is in, it has to back filled.
The clearing process left me with a small fortune in lumber (well a small fortune for me-about 15 logs plus some older ones that I found on the property) The excavator operator bucked the trees into 20' lengths. I didn't actually measure, but that's what they look like. It's probably whatever a standard length to fit on a truck is. Anyway, I'm not looking to pick the monsters up and move them around, just lift them up enough so I can cut them into more manageable lengths that I can move around.
I want to cut some trails, make some clearings and just generally clean up that eastern side. Everything is trying to choke everything else to death and I'm looking to be the new sheriff in town.
The property lines are choked up with the silal and huckleberrys so I want to mow a path before I have it surveyed. They charge like $1200 a day if they have to do it themselves.
I know the guys that have HST think it's the best thing since sliced bread, but I'm leaning towards something with a shuttle type reverse. But I could lean back at any time.
I was thinking 25-30 HP, 4WD, FEL with a grapple on a budget of 15,600 (17,000 after tax around here). If I have to, I can wait on the mower until later. (Give me something to look forward to). It'd be a big plus if it could fit into a 7 x 14 enclosed cargo trailer, then I could save on shipping.
I'd like suggestions as to brands to check out, and things to mull over while I decide. I've really been impressed by the helpfulness of the group, but then I think shiny new pennies are impressive too.