mark02tj
Platinum Member
I live on about 5 acres - most of it is woods. Or at least it used to be woods until the Emerald Ash Borer arrived. Being in Ohio, we're also pretty overrun with honeysuckle. I want to clear a lot of it out, but I also want to be pretty selective about what I'm cutting out as I want to preserve as much privacy as we can from the neighbors and the road.
I had a land clearing service come out on Monday to look things over. He has a tracked skidsteer with a 5' Fecon head on it. He gave me a price of $4000 to clear what I want cleared (which isn't the entire 5 acres, probably about half). His price doesn't include using the mulcher on any of the big stuff (10"+) that's fallen. Instead, he'll cut it into manageable lengths (10' or so) and stack it. I can then deal with it later. He said that he could use the mulcher on that stuff, but that it slows down the process - so if I want the most bang for the buck, it's best to cut it and move it out of the way.
We also talked about how close to the ground he'll get. He says that he can go a bit below the surface, but tries to avoid that as it picks up rocks sometimes. So he stays just above the surface. I asked him if that left any sharp "stumps" sticking up that could damage my R4 tractor tires if I was working in there after he was done. He said that it basically leaves it "shredded" so I should be able to drive over it without too much trouble.
So now I'm at the "Own vs. Rent vs. Hire it Done" question! LOL!
Owning - Owning is probably not an option. I have a 35hp Deere (30hp at the PTO) and that's too small to run any sort of mulcher attachment. Plus, the PTO driven mulchers that I've seen are well north of $10k. I've also considered a heavy duty flail (most of what I'm wanting to cut is honeysuckle, not necessarily the fallen trees), but I'm at the low end of the horsepower curve to run something rated to handle what I have.
Renting Option 1 - I can rent a high flow skidsteer with the safety cage and the Fecon head for about $5000 for a week. That doesn't include fuel and I'm told these are thirsty beasts. It's been a while since I talked to the Cat dealer (the only place around here to rent one of these), and I don't remember if the $5k includes their damage waiver insurance or not.
Renting Option 2 - I can rent a tracked skidsteer with a 5' "Ambusher Mower" on it for $1800 for a week. That does include the damage waiver. On their website, the rental company lists the cutting height as 0" - 3', with the 3' being due to the mower being lifted by the arms. When I talked to the guy at the rental place, he said that the lowest mowing would be about 3". So, my question for you guys is "how low can you go?" with one of these mowers? I want to get as close to ground level as possible. But my main concern is that if there is anything left when you mow/cut, that it's not something sharp to puncture a tractor tire.
Hire it done - As I said, this is going to be $4k. And I run the gamble that he clears more than I want cleared, although I will be home when he's doing the work.
Does anybody have experience with these skidsteer mounted heavy duty mowers? Will I be happy with the results?
THANKS!
I had a land clearing service come out on Monday to look things over. He has a tracked skidsteer with a 5' Fecon head on it. He gave me a price of $4000 to clear what I want cleared (which isn't the entire 5 acres, probably about half). His price doesn't include using the mulcher on any of the big stuff (10"+) that's fallen. Instead, he'll cut it into manageable lengths (10' or so) and stack it. I can then deal with it later. He said that he could use the mulcher on that stuff, but that it slows down the process - so if I want the most bang for the buck, it's best to cut it and move it out of the way.
We also talked about how close to the ground he'll get. He says that he can go a bit below the surface, but tries to avoid that as it picks up rocks sometimes. So he stays just above the surface. I asked him if that left any sharp "stumps" sticking up that could damage my R4 tractor tires if I was working in there after he was done. He said that it basically leaves it "shredded" so I should be able to drive over it without too much trouble.
So now I'm at the "Own vs. Rent vs. Hire it Done" question! LOL!
Owning - Owning is probably not an option. I have a 35hp Deere (30hp at the PTO) and that's too small to run any sort of mulcher attachment. Plus, the PTO driven mulchers that I've seen are well north of $10k. I've also considered a heavy duty flail (most of what I'm wanting to cut is honeysuckle, not necessarily the fallen trees), but I'm at the low end of the horsepower curve to run something rated to handle what I have.
Renting Option 1 - I can rent a high flow skidsteer with the safety cage and the Fecon head for about $5000 for a week. That doesn't include fuel and I'm told these are thirsty beasts. It's been a while since I talked to the Cat dealer (the only place around here to rent one of these), and I don't remember if the $5k includes their damage waiver insurance or not.
Renting Option 2 - I can rent a tracked skidsteer with a 5' "Ambusher Mower" on it for $1800 for a week. That does include the damage waiver. On their website, the rental company lists the cutting height as 0" - 3', with the 3' being due to the mower being lifted by the arms. When I talked to the guy at the rental place, he said that the lowest mowing would be about 3". So, my question for you guys is "how low can you go?" with one of these mowers? I want to get as close to ground level as possible. But my main concern is that if there is anything left when you mow/cut, that it's not something sharp to puncture a tractor tire.
Hire it done - As I said, this is going to be $4k. And I run the gamble that he clears more than I want cleared, although I will be home when he's doing the work.
Does anybody have experience with these skidsteer mounted heavy duty mowers? Will I be happy with the results?
THANKS!
