Cost of Clearing Farm Land of Hedge Trees?

[Anegada12]

Hi!!

Just found this site so I may not be posting in the right spot...just let me know.

We have a good size fgrain arm in Western Illinois and have about 100 acres that used to be pasture that is really overgrown with Hedge Trees. We want to start clearing the land and farm it (corn/soybeans). Any idea what it would cost/acre to hire a dozer to clear it?

I am also wanting to find out info on my other option...which is...I have a lot of time on my hands, so I was thinking of buying a dozer, OR leasing a dozer, and clear it myself...maybe 30 acres per year. I know...granted they say a good dozer operator is worth the money...BUT...I have all the time in the world and want to keep the money in my pocket, so even if I am not good at dozing compared to others (after having spent my life running equipment and after doing a 100 acres, I should get some good skills built up).

Being a farmer, I can write off the cost of the lease on my taxes.

What would be the cost to lease a dozer? Do you think a root rake would be the best over a straight blade? What size dozer...D-6...D-7? How long do you think it would take to clear 30acres...or roughly how many acres per hour. These are mature hedge and I need to get them root and all out and can just push them into a ravine and don't have to bury or stack them very well.

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!!!

 

[Egon]

Bigger Dozer usually always works a little faster. Are you gonna get a big disk for after the hedge trees are out.

Or could a big disk munch up the hedge trees.

 

[WarrenF]

Since you have the time, and apparently the money, I would suggest you do it yourself. It seems to me that you would be wise to make sure you have a riper attachment to the back of your dozer. I would think it would break up and pull up the roots of the trees.

Sounds to me that you are embarking on something that would be complete and total fun!!!

 

[Oldchuck]

If by Hedge trees you mean Osage Orange then pushing them off into a ravine might be a big waste. They could be valuable trees, for firewood if nothing else.

 

[eddieb1965]

Buy the biggest dozer you can, something current Cat,John Deere,Komatsu(parts will be more available).Sell the hedge for posts or firewood,posts bring good money at consignments around here.Guy down the road was selling a Komatsu( D-7 or D-8 size),I think he still has it,it is located just outside of Winchester,il. I just had a D-7 clear a hillside @100.00 an hour,a good operator can do alot in 7 hrs. Eddie

 

[sunnyside360]

If you buy/own a dozer or any track machine, it can get very expensive for parts/service -- been there and done that. So, I now rent that type of equipment when needed. I have rented a D4 Cat for about $1000/week to clear old pasture land that had been left vacant for 40 years. That was three years ago so rates may be a little higher today. I didn't have to worry about the parts/service expense like when I owned the JD dozer.

 

[BruceWard]

I had 30 acres of dense ten year old locust and sweet gum converted to pine a few years ago. The first step was to backpack spray the trees to kill them. Then several months later a D4H ripped 24" rows for the pine trees. The D4H ran with its blade above ground pushing the trees down leaving them where they were. After the trees were down they could have been disked up (if they had not been thorny locust). The D4H only worked 18 hours.
The backpack spraying was around $1500 including labor and chemicals.

 

[Anegada12]

Some interesting info...Thanks!! I hadn't thought about fence posts or that the hedge-Osage Orange would be wanted. We used to cut them all the time for our own fence posts, but nobody has lifestock now in our region, so the fences are all gone. There are a ton of these trees there 40-50 years old and 18"-24"'s thick at the trunk. I'll have to check to see if anybody wants them. That could pay for the cat.

They have shallow roots with a long tap root, so it sounds like they are easy to push over.

Yeah, it sound like renting a cat is the way to go. If they are that easy to push over, then it sounds like you could use a D-8 or 9 with a ripper on the back...just put it in gear.....and just drive to bring them down...then after you get plenty down,...then just go perpendicular to the first pass through to push them off too the side. I've never knocked down hedge...so dows that sound like a do able way...or have I been sucking to many diesel fumes parked in idle?

 

[Egon]

How will you protect yourself from that odd tree that will want to sit beside you when your piling them?

 

[Wesdor]

Renting a dozer can be cost effective and is a LOT of fun.

If you are just clearing hedge, then push it in a pile and burn it. BUT if you have Osage Orange (the same tree), then consider getting the big trees cut into lumber. It all depends upon what you call something. I have a few hundred feet of osage lumber drying and it is a real conversation piece.

Where are you in Western Illinois? There are some good sawyers around here that could help you turn the wood into lumber or at least square posts. Just depends on how big the trees are.

Be careful with the thorns - they can really flatten rubber tires on a tractor (don't ask me how I know that).