Dozer work -- How much will it cost me?

[20 20]

Now there is a compo that is hard to beat tractor with FEL and a mini ex. The issue I had with a BH was turning radious. When I need to clean my pond{or other work} It is hard to do it with a BH. With the mini ex I can get right up allmost in the pond and swing full scale to load trailer or FEL with muck{cat tails etc}. Plus with the ex I don't have to mess around with how to park and setup. The only problem I have now is that the wife found out how handy the little machine is . Like I said mine is small, but it is worth it's weight in gold{atleast to me}.

On to your question "Who makes a good mini ex?" Well if your buying used a better question might be who was/is the better owner With that said I own a JCB and believe it is a great machine, BUT can be hard to find parts???? I do like Yanmar they seem to be wide spread and cheap. Kubota is nice but harder to find and can be pricey. Bobcat I was told to stay away from, I was told they lacked power. I am not knocking Bobcat and when/if I get another I would be willing to check them out. There are plenty of machines out there, search a few out, then start a thread on here as to how well they are liked.

I can give you one place to start a search machinerytrader.com. Once you get into the site you can narrow your search to size, price, and even area. Hope this helps and keep us updated. probably should start another thread

 

[roamerr]

I paid $4000 to clear approx 6 acres and take off the stumps and trees. This was for my new home. Probably 75 to 100 trees 15" to 25" diameter with 1/2 being pine. Graded and compacted a 60 x 80 spot for a building and did quite a bit of soil leveling. Took around 50 to 60 hours of Dozer (had a scoop) work. Pretty Large Dozer. Along with approx 25+ dumptruck loads. At all times there were around 3 guys working and the dumptrucks went to the Loader Operators farm.

I had 3 other quotes and they ranged from $5500 just piling up the stumps to burn (not easy in my area) to $9600 grinding the wood and carrying the stumps. At first I thought $4000 was high...

 

[scoutcub]

I bought a 312 to dig stumps, move some big rocks, dig the foundation, and eventually sell. You're taking a chance buying the equipment, I've already put 2K into repairs welding the stick and replacing cylinder seals, etc. which I knew about before buying, and reduced the selling price that much more. If you buy it at the right price, you can work it for a year and break even when selling, unless you run into a major repair.
For a smaller job you would spend 4-5K on, I don't know if it would be worth it....but, it sure is a lot of fun, and pretty easy to pick up. Some great seat time....

Good luck!

 

[vettemanwight]

I bought a used mini 5 1/2 yrs ago to do some work around the house. I figured Id use it get the work done and sell it for what I paid for......... well 5 1/2 yrs later i still have it , have got LOTS of things done with it that keep needing to be done. I really dont have a plan to sell it and my wife isnt saying anything about it now ......... I did say now ! LOL She first said WHAT THE &$@# did you buy that for!!!!!!!!! she was not happy but since she has used it and saw the things she can do with it she is happy with it. Yes she operates it and does well with it. Plus it is fun to use !!!! I have put 400 hrs on it and have spent about $150 in repairs. I would go with the excavator with a thumb on it and take your time and do it yourself.

 

[robs660]

I rented a Volvo ECR 145 with a dozer blade and thumb to clear about 7 acres of wooded mixed land. I rented it for a month and my Volvo guy threw in free delivery and pick-up. We were able to get through 1/2 acres a day stumps pulled, holes filled and rough graded with the blade. Ended up finishing well before we had to return the machine. I was amazed by how powerful and really well designed the machine was. It's about a 33k lbs machine and we were able to pull 24" stumps no problem and digging the larger ones was a joy. Month cost me $3,500.00 with insurance and a damage waiver. I had 2 quotes in NJ both were over $5K to do the same work. I think it was worth it! If you have the time do it yourself.
Good luck

 

[SARG]

Several years ago I hired a contractor who wanted to be paid by the eight hour day. He had two men that worked for him and provided an excavator and a large loader.

They would do whatever I wanted done for $2500. for the day. I paid him $7500. and he cleared 4 acres of huge willow trees ( about a dozen ) around some ponds and a grove of pinetrees.

 

[herd]

I rented a Volvo ECR 145 with a dozer blade and thumb to clear about 7 acres of wooded mixed land. I rented it for a month and my Volvo guy threw in free delivery and pick-up. We were able to get through 1/2 acres a day stumps pulled, holes filled and rough graded with the blade. Ended up finishing well before we had to return the machine. I was amazed by how powerful and really well designed the machine was. It's about a 33k lbs machine and we were able to pull 24" stumps no problem and digging the larger ones was a joy. Month cost me $3,500.00 with insurance and a damage waiver. I had 2 quotes in NJ both were over $5K to do the same work. I think it was worth it! If you have the time do it yourself.
Good luck

robs, how long ago was this that the cost was $3500/month. I am very interested in doing what you did and I also have about 7 acres of stumps to clear, no trees, just stump and a 700' windrow.

 

[tlbuser]

Must have been fairly recent. Sunbelt charges extra for a thumb. AND, monthly to a residential customer might be limited to 40 hours /week. Make sure you know the details before signing a rental agreement. Check the fine print on the back of the forms too. HYDRAULIC EXCAVATORS Equipment Rental, Rent HYDRAULIC EXCAVATORS | Sunbelt Rentals

 

[Carl_NH]

This is an appropriate point I guess to interject - got 65-70 mostly pine stumps with 35 @ 30-40" at the butt, and another 25-30 @ 15-20" over three cleared acres, along with ledge and boulders to be moved. Yes its a nasty job esp with the boulders and ledge. With a large machine this is probably 2-3 days stumps and 2 days rock realignment.

The goal is to have the stumps removed and gone, then the stone/boulders - the large stuff arranged in a rock walls and in treeline area so I can then come in and replant trees and grade the area with my unit.

I have done this before on the property but in a smaller scale 15-20 stumps for $2500 range so now we are looking at a much larger task along with hauling the stumps and quantity we have (burning is not an option with just 6 Ac and multi days of burning needed).

I am getting a first bid and will see how that shapes up - I can get a sunbelt rental 30K excavator for $3K for the month. Then i need to deal with probably 4-5 log truck loads of stumps @ $350 ea...+- . My gut is telling me to hire this out to the big machine 60K excavator with thumb and a 100 yd trailer to haul away the stumps.. Dont know the numbers yet but he said a week roughly so I would estimate this is going to come in @ $5-6K give or take for pulling the stumps, removal and rock re-alignment..

When does one "have it done" vs "doing it" I guess is what this comes down to. Time will tell once I have the bid (s) to get it done..

 

[gerard]

A little specialized and probably tought to find someone who has one of these but this would do the trick

YouTube - John Deere 8100 and Rotor S stump grinder