What Machine to Clear 4 Acres of Forest?

[Olympus]

Ok, so I've been working with my state conservation department about doing what they call "permanent forest openings" for wildlife food plots on my hunting land. The conservation department will cost-share $700/acre, but they have to approve the sites, sizes, locations, etc. Which is all fine by me. So the conservation guy went out to my property with me and approved two separate sites that are roughly 2 acres each for openings. My property has some decent logging trails to access these two locations, so there would not be any need to develop new roads or anything. But essentially, I'm looking to see whether it would be feasible or cost effective for me to rent a machine and do the work myself versus paying an excavating company to do the work.

So my main question is what kind of machine would be better for this job? Dozer or excavator? Trees in these areas varied with a lot of small stuff all the way up to a few trees that are pretty good size. Pretty sure the trees are too big for a mini-excavator or something that I could pull with a 3/4 ton truck. I just don't know which machine would be better. I need to clear the trees with root balls all together because I'll be tilling the soil to plant food plots. There are no stumps in these locations, only full trees.

My second question is what size of machine would I need for this endevour?

Essentially, the conservation department will be paying me $2800 (after the work is completed). I know that won't be enough to cover all of the cost, but I'm just trying to get these 4 acres cleared as cheaply as I can.

 

[TractorGuy]

If you want this done on a timeline I would first get estimates from known reliable excavators to do the job for you. By the time you rent equipment, learn to use it, and complete the task on this size project you could have hired someone and had it done and over with.

Another option is to buy a machine. In that case the best multi-task machine is a backhoe. It doesn't do anything great but is very versatile at doing a lot of things. You could do it with a 15,000 lb 80-100HP machine. You might get by with a good used unit you could sell after you are through. Plan on it taking 2 or 3 years to get 4 acres done in your spare time. (ask me how I know)

What are the stipulations on the cost share? Are you faced with having to allow others access to the land? I'm not sure how that stuff works but subsidies are always linked with a price of some sort. Nothing in this life is FREE. Years ago I looked into digging a pond and getting it stocked by the government. Then I read where I would HAVE to allow access for the general public to fish in it. NO FRICKEN THANKS!

 

[Olympus]

Buying a machine is out of the question and I'm pretty sure a backhoe would take a long time to clear this 4 acres. I've spent a lot of time on a 580C backhoe. I can run a dozer easy enough and I know the mechanics of an excavator, but I'd have to get used to the joystick controls versus the individual levers on a backhoe.

Only stipulates on the cost share are that the sites have be exactly where the agent says they need to be and they only pay for a certain number of cleared acres based on your overall property size, conditions, neighboring properties, etc. My property evaluation worked out to two different sites approximately 2 acres each.

 

[jeff9366]

An excavator will take out the trees with root balls but leave big holes. You can stipulate in contract that holes are to be filled but contractor will likely want to trailer in a second machine, most likely a Bulldozer or a tracked, heavy Skid Steer.

A Bulldozer will take out trees the way you desire and you can stipulate in the contract holes are to be filled.

A spring-protected Field Cultivator is a good tractor implement to rake out smaller debris after tress are pulled and holes filled. Dirt Dog makes Field Cultivators with three shanks to fifteen shanks for light tractors with Cat 1 Three Point Hitch to heavier tractors with Cat 2 Three Point Hitch.

LINK: http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/a...tml?highlight=

VENDER: Dirt Dog APP
Iowa Farm Equipment

 

[TractorGuy]

Buying a machine is out of the question and I'm pretty sure a backhoe would take a long time to clear this 4 acres. I've spent a lot of time on a 580C backhoe. I can run a dozer easy enough and I know the mechanics of an excavator, but I'd have to get used to the joystick controls versus the individual levers on a backhoe.

Using the joysticks vs levers is no problem. Joysticks are a little less fatiguing. Other than that they can be configured to most common lever actions.

The problem I see with renting an excavator is you only get a grader blade on the minis. Mini excavators are pretty limited in ability from my limited experience with one and would only be marginally faster at felling trees and digging stumps than a backhoe. A mini won't handle some of the larger trees/stumps a backhoe can dig out. Larger excavators are pretty much just digging machines. Once the root ball is out you need to fill, pack, and level the hole. Excavators are just not that good at doing that. You can do some packing with the heel of the digging bucket but not as good as you can do driving a 15,000 lb backhoe over the hole repeatedly. I don't have any experience with a dozier so nothing to offer in that respect. I honestly think you could hire the work done for less than you could do it yourself with a rented machine.

 

[Oldoak]

I honestly think you could hire the work done for less than you could do it yourself with a rented machine.

I agree.

Before attempting the job myself with a rented machine, I would at least get an estimate or to from a contractor to do the job. A contractor would have more than one kind of machine to do the job more efficiently and most likely much faster.

You also need a plan for what you are going to do with all the trees and other debris.

 

[Olympus]

I actually think a dozer is probably the best bet also. If the woods were fairly open then an excavator might be ok. But there is a lot of smaller trees and brush that need plowing through.

I went to my local Deere construction dealer and got some pricing. A Deere 650K is 100hp, 19,750lbs, 105" 6-way blade. Total cost including delivery and insurance would be $1200/day. The also have a policy where they drop off on Friday afternoon and pick up again on Monday and you get the whole weekend for the price of 1 day as long as you don't put more than 8 hours on the machine. So you get more flexibility that way and don't have to worry about keeping the machine running and operating constantly to get a much done in one day as you can.

Two days would be $1850 total including delivery and insurance.

 

[Thomas]

Good dozer operator save you time and money,than use your equipment for the final touches.

 

[Snobdds]

I had the Forrest service do something similar with the forest here in Wyoming with the Pine Beetle. They would pay $1,200 per acre to remove dead pine trees. Now I understand one can't just look at the cost and forget the benefit I would receive over the next many years with the dead trees gone. In a nutshell, the price was way under than what it actually cost me to remove the trees. I had quotes from logging companies to clear it for $240K. Now the Forrest service would reimburse about $48K, and there was about $80K of lumber, leaving a $100K plus deficit.

So I had to do something else. I went and bought some big stihl saws, and a 7 inch tow behind chipper. Me and 2 guys went in and cut all the dead trees down. I then hired a company to take out the good lumber and stack slash. I then took the chipper in with about 2 guys every other weekend for a summer and chipped and cleaned up the area. I left some dead fall for animals and just left the chips wherever they laid. I only had to eat a 20K bill insted of 100K+. So all in all, I paid $20K, but got some nice saws, a super nice chipper, and a healthy Forrest. Not bad in my book.

Now, 5 years later, it's amazing how healthy the Forrest is again. Just letting in sunlight has the Forrest floor alive with life.

 

[treemuncher]

Hire someone like me that mulches for a living. If it is a big machine, it can handle anything and keep the cost per acre reasonable. Small machines won't handle big or dense forest, efficiently. Log off everything that makes you money, then call in a machine that can clean up the mess.

This red oak was 5'4" at the cut. I already ate through most of the crown prior to taking the pic. It was too big to handle or do anything with, so I ate it.