Mulching/clearing opinions

[cbturf]

This is all that I do. I am a full time land clearing contractor.

 

[john_bud]

cbturf,

He can BUY the land for 700-1000 per acre. What approximate cost would it be to mulch an acre of the type he described?

jb

 

[cbturf]

jb that is a tough question because of all the variables. Based on my interpretation of his description and what I think he wants it will run from $400-1000/acre. I would not guarantee anything until I have a chance to see the job.

 

[john_bud]

OK, that's reasonable. I just had a JD 700J dozer out and he cleared about 3.5 acres and did 5-700 yards of road work and that was $2100. That is right about in the center of your guess. My land is similar with 12-15 years since it was logged flat by the prior owner. Soft stumps and small trees.

Oddly enough, there are very very few people doing mulching around here. The ones that tried it have left town for greener pastures. I wanted to have my land mulched for the reasons you list, but couldn't find anyone. Dozer guys on the other hand are easy to find. I'm guessing it has to do with the amount of granite rocks that are in the ground.

jb

 

[cbturf]

To be perfectly honest I should be more expensive than a guy on a dozer. Since mulching is so much better than using a dozer it should be more expensive. When your dozer operator left you still had a lot of work to do, when us mulchers leave you are done.

 

[john_bud]

To be perfectly honest I should be more expensive than a guy on a dozer. Since mulching is so much better than using a dozer it should be more expensive. When your dozer operator left you still had a lot of work to do, when us mulchers leave you are done.

Yes, that's the basis of "value pricing". Higher customer value should result in a higher product cost. That is weighed against the cost of the closest competitive technology, product or service. Convincing the customer to pay the higher price for your part of the project (and have a lower overall cost) is the job of salemanship.


jb

 

[finspop]

Very intrigued by this post. I'm trying to clear about 5-acres of woodland in VT for pasture. I've done about an acre thus far, cutting trees with chainsaw and having an excavator stump. It was too time consuming and too expensive.

I had been thinking I'd buy a backhoe or excavator and do my own stumping (posted earlier today asking advice between the two), but this whole chipping/mulching thing sounds really good. The trees are mostly poplar 8-12", with some hardwood and a few much larger fir/spruce/hemlock. I'd pull out all the firewood and sawlogs first.

Since I'm looking for pasture, not hayfield, couldn't I just get the trees sheared at ground level and then have the chips spread to build organic matter? Avoid stumping and the loss of topsoil. Let the chips rot for a while, then seed it down? Or?

Cbturf, you seem very knowledgeable on this; I would very much appreciate your insight (or anyone else's).

Thanks!

 

[RobJ]

Yes, that's the basis of "value pricing". Higher customer value should result in a higher product cost. That is weighed against the cost of the closest competitive technology, product or service. Convincing the customer to pay the higher price for your part of the project (and have a lower overall cost) is the job of salemanship.

jb

If you can sell it and people will buy...by all means! But my thinking is it should be cheaper, less costs up front (purchasing equipment new), less fuel cost to operate, and you can haul a decent size skid steer on a bumper pull trailer. It's also a lot faster.

If you mulch, do you still have the stumps that will pop back up? I talking aobut those 1-1.5" junk. I guess a dozer with a rake might remove more of this. You can see in the pic where I went over some small saplings with the RC. they have begun to strout up again. The stumps are only a couple inches up and a little rough on the finish mower. You can see a few in the front of the pic and some in the back.

 

[cbturf]

I am pretty biased on the value of mulching over any other form of land clearing so guys with a dozer and an excavator may disagree with my opinion but we do live in America after all. When you have your land cleared with a mulcher you do not have to spread the mulch it is already done by the mulching process. Next you do not have to worry about erosion and losing your topsoil since the mulch bed holds the soil in place. When you try to re-establish your ground cover the mulch bed acts to retain moisture and moderates soil temperatures allowing you new cover to establish. The biomass will decompose quickly in a pasture adding organic matter to your soil.

The only added expense with mulching is soil testing and adding nitrogen since the decomposing wood will lower your N levels.

When I clear your land there are no stumps, I either grub them and grind them up too, or plane them off to gound level. After I have cleared any job you can drive a truck or tractor thorough there with no worries of puncturing your tires or getting hung up on stumps and such. If I just level the stumps you want to keep your ground engaging implements out for a few years though!

Also if you want 100% mortality on the stump you can put a coating of Roundup and veggie oil or deisel fuel and the roots will die right a way. If you kep the top growth mowed of they will die in a couple of years as well.

 

[cbturf]

If you can sell it and people will buy...by all means! But my thinking is it should be cheaper, less costs up front (purchasing equipment new), less fuel cost to operate, and you can haul a decent size skid steer on a bumper pull trailer. It's also a lot faster.

If you mulch, do you still have the stumps that will pop back up? I talking aobut those 1-1.5" junk. I guess a dozer with a rake might remove more of this. You can see in the pic where I went over some small saplings with the RC. they have begun to strout up again. The stumps are only a couple inches up and a little rough on the finish mower. You can see a few in the front of the pic and some in the back.

I am afraid that you are making a few incorrect assumptions. I run a dedicated purpose built mulcher that cost over $155k. In heavy material it will guzzle a 52 gallon load of fuel in 7 hours. And I would not reccomend pulling my 15,300 lb machine on a bumper pull trailer.