mulching buisness?

[circle a farms]

where would you start. i think there would be a market in my area because noone has one. I have a T300 already that i use around the farm and looking to try to help it pay for itslef. What would be a good head for this machine.

[Robbie Hegwood]

Two questions and the answers will lead you to an answer. Does your Bobcat have high flow? If any way possible try to line up a job or two and see where you get. It sounds good on paper but getting customers to pay 150.00 per hour is alittle harder.
Then after that there are alot of things to consider.

[yellowdogsvc]

whatever you do, don't practice on someone else's property unless they know up front what you are doing.

There is quite a learning curve for the mulching business. You will be asking your machine to the most demanding job there is for a compact machine. A t300 will operate a mulching head "okay" if you have a K series with 37 gpm. Cooling will be an issue and that is part of the learning curve to keep the radiators clean.

Must haves:
-air compressor to blow out engine compartment, radiators, and cab
-a lot of patience with dust entering the cab (plugging holes takes hours and testing and more hours)
-fire extinguisher
-good insurance
-fuel transfer tank (figure using a day's worth of fuel in 4-5 hours)
-absolutely clean hydro oil and filters to get started
-ditto on radiator
-lexan door is a must have or you are playing with your eyesight and life
-plenty of tools for changing teeth (impact wrench) etc. extra teeth depending on the type of head
-you need to demo the heads for your type of terrain and cutting conditions. Some heads like Robbies take less hp and will probably be more efficient in many conditions but I like carbide for rocky conditions
-a good relationship with a dealer so you can demo before you settle on a head unless you can find a good deal on a used one (and make it work).
-a place to practice..that's one of the biggies I see to getting started so you can see machine limitations, get used to keeping it running cool, and learn how far debris can be ejected so you can gauge how close you can work to people, houses, cars, roads, etc. Hope this helps.

[Heavyduty]

Originally Posted by yellowdogsvc

whatever you do, don't practice on someone else's property unless they know up front what you are doing.

There is quite a learning curve for the mulching business. You will be asking your machine to the most demanding job there is for a compact machine. A t300 will operate a mulching head "okay" if you have a K series with 37 gpm. Cooling will be an issue and that is part of the learning curve to keep the radiators clean.

Must haves:
-air compressor to blow out engine compartment, radiators, and cab
-a lot of patience with dust entering the cab (plugging holes takes hours and testing and more hours)
-fire extinguisher
-good insurance
-fuel transfer tank (figure using a day's worth of fuel in 4-5 hours)
-absolutely clean hydro oil and filters to get started
-ditto on radiator
-lexan door is a must have or you are playing with your eyesight and life
-plenty of tools for changing teeth (impact wrench) etc. extra teeth depending on the type of head
-you need to demo the heads for your type of terrain and cutting conditions. Some heads like Robbies take less hp and will probably be more efficient in many conditions but I like carbide for rocky conditions
-a good relationship with a dealer so you can demo before you settle on a head unless you can find a good deal on a used one (and make it work).
-a place to practice..that's one of the biggies I see to getting started so you can see machine limitations, get used to keeping it running cool, and learn how far debris can be ejected so you can gauge how close you can work to people, houses, cars, roads, etc. Hope this helps.

Nice write up. I would see if you can line up some work through a couple of channels first before you spend alot of time and $$$. Real estate and construction connections would be a must. If you are depending on Joe Public calling, you are taking a big gamble. Good luck, it is and can be a tuff business to be in right now.

[Robbie Hegwood]

Yellow well put. I would even seriously consider trying to visit with a mulching contractor (like Yellow) and run one of these units. Outside your territory and see what its like to run one all day and help with the daily maintenance. That will give you a good look at the other side of mulching. The blade/tooth maintenance, tractor cleaning, what to look for as far as debri, what items will give you the most trouble and expense.
If you can do that and come out the other side still excited about mulching then it just may be in your blood. OR you will see why so many startup mulchers fail. You have to be extremely adaptable and a very quick learn in this business. Yellowdog has alot of experience and knows what works where.
And yellow thanks for the honerable mention.

[AX MAN]

You will also need plenty of money and tools so you can fix all kind of stuff. You also must be willing to go to where the work is, at times work 10 hrs a day with hunting club members or property owners watching you wanting you to be balls to the wall. Also be able to make your payments during slooooow times. This is only based on my situation.

[bontai_Joe]

A different method of getting in the mulching business as done by an outfit by me. He has folks haul in their brush and limbs, and charges by the load to dump it on his site. He mulches it there and sells the mulch by the cubic yard. He gets paid on both ends, and avoids the hassles of transporting his equipment. BUT it's not the only thing he does there, also sells landscape rock, crushed stone, and storage sheds.

[yellowdogsvc]

Originally Posted by bontai_Joe

A different method of getting in the mulching business as done by an outfit by me. He has folks haul in their brush and limbs, and charges by the load to dump it on his site. He mulches it there and sells the mulch by the cubic yard. He gets paid on both ends, and avoids the hassles of transporting his equipment. BUT it's not the only thing he does there, also sells landscape rock, crushed stone, and storage sheds.

He's not using a brush mower, is he? Is this some type of horizontal or tub grinder?

[bontai_Joe]

He has a big commercial wood chipper.

[Heavyduty]

Originally Posted by yellowdogsvc

whatever you do, don't practice on someone else's property unless they know up front what you are doing.

There is quite a learning curve for the mulching business. You will be asking your machine to the most demanding job there is for a compact machine. A t300 will operate a mulching head "okay" if you have a K series with 37 gpm. Cooling will be an issue and that is part of the learning curve to keep the radiators clean.

Must haves:
-air compressor to blow out engine compartment, radiators, and cab
-a lot of patience with dust entering the cab (plugging holes takes hours and testing and more hours)
-fire extinguisher
-good insurance
-fuel transfer tank (figure using a day's worth of fuel in 4-5 hours)
-absolutely clean hydro oil and filters to get started
-ditto on radiator
-lexan door is a must have or you are playing with your eyesight and life
-plenty of tools for changing teeth (impact wrench) etc. extra teeth depending on the type of head
-you need to demo the heads for your type of terrain and cutting conditions. Some heads like Robbies take less hp and will probably be more efficient in many conditions but I like carbide for rocky conditions
-a good relationship with a dealer so you can demo before you settle on a head unless you can find a good deal on a used one (and make it work).
-a place to practice..that's one of the biggies I see to getting started so you can see machine limitations, get used to keeping it running cool, and learn how far debris can be ejected so you can gauge how close you can work to people, houses, cars, roads, etc. Hope this helps.

How well do you think a s300 could handle a mulcher? Would steel tracks be mandatory?