Buy a dozer?

[Dougwatts]

I sold the timber off of 70 acres. My plan is to transform as much as possible of this land into pasture, as well as planting some pines. The loggers are not taking all the timber off as some species (locusts, bois d'arc) cannot be sold. They tell me that it will be easier to clear the land with a bulldozer if the trees are left standing than it will be to dig up the stumps. They also suggested that the cheapest way for me to clear the land would be to buy a dozer and then resell it, rather than pay (say) $60/hour for a dozer with operator. I'd value your experiences and thoughts.

 

[IH_4_Me]

I'd have to agree that buying, using, then selling it would work out a lot cheaper in the long run. 70 acres is a lot of land to clear. If you buy the machine and look after it while it is in your hands you will most likely be able to sell it with very little depreciation loss. Anyway if I ownde the land thats what I'd do for sure

 

[theonlybull]

personally, i think you'd be better off with an excivator with a root rake, you'll waist less soil, do a better job, faster then with a dozor, and it will be easier to pile the stumps for burning with an excivator then with a dozor.

 

[rjp444us]

I agree with THEONLYBULL excavator way faster....

 

[MarkV]

Boy Doug you have hit on one of my favorite fantasies. I have been telling my wife for so many years that I want to get a dozer that she doesn't even respond anymore. It must be the Tim Allen thing in me.

From what I have learned in my fantasy search it would be a workable plan as long as you don't get a problem machine. Repair cost on any track machine can be enormous and eat up your savings over night. It was recommended to me to spend the $100-$200 and have the best heavy equipment mechanic I could find check out any dozer I considered buying. Seemed like good advice.

Oh, by the way, if you do it I'll be glad to come help. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

MarkV

 

[Wannafish]

"...rather than pay (say) $60/hour for a dozer with operator."
Around me the minimum cost of a dozer large enough to clear out stumps on 70 acres with an operator is $100/hr...ranging up to $150/hr /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

I had a smaller dozer (350 Case) for about 20 years.
If your mind is set on a dozer for the task at hand, you will need something in the size of an 850 or 1150 (Case)...and they do not come cheap if there is anything left of the undercarriage. Also VERY expensive to repair. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

Downside of a dozer is you will end up pushing away all your topsoil with the stumps/trees, leaving nothing for the 'pasture'. In a woodlot there is only going to be 4-6" max topsoil, and I know from experience /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif there will be none left when using a dozer.

Backhoe or excavator (hydro-hoe) is the correct tool for that job.

Good luck in whatever you decide,

 

[Junkman]

If you are planning to live to be 100, you might want to take on this task yourself, but a dozer takes time to learn how to use properly and is an expensive piece of equipment to purchase and maintain. Having owned one once, I can tell you that they are not fun to do mechanical work on. Unless you purchase new or almost new, you will have repairs to be made. I also go with the excavator opinions stated. I cleared an area and we buried the stumps. That was a long time ago and I have heard, but not confirmed, that it is now illegal to bury stumps. I do know that there are large machines that they dump stumps into that grind them up. If you are clearing 70 acres, that might be something to look into having done with the stumps. If you intend to burn 70 acres of stumps, you will be burning for many years and might possibly never complete the task in this lifetime. The type of machinery necessary is always dependent on the size of the task. 70 acres is a task for only professionals that have the know how and experience to do the job and get out. Just preparing the ground afterward is going to be a daunting task. Then there is the planting and cutting to look forward to. I wish you a lot of luck with this project, you are going to need all the luck that you can get. Get some estimates and then decide what you think you can handle yourself and what has to be contracted out. You might consider only doing a smaller section, say 10 acres at a time. That way, you will know what you are up against and will have the learning curve behind you on the next 10 acres when you do that. This is how I am doing my landscaping and it is working out well. I don't feel overwhelmed with any phase and I can see progress every year. There are going to be some areas that I will never develop because of terrain, but they will be accessible for walking and enjoying the woods. Unless you want your 70 acres to look like a future plot for a shopping center, plan out what you want to accomplish and go forward. This will also give you time to change direction for different sections for aesthetic purposes..... Enjoy the land, don't destroy the land.

 

[LarryD]

I'll have to agree with the others on using an excavator for stump removal over a dozer. I had about 2 acres of land cleared using the excavator to pile the stumps (up to 24") and burned them. The excavator was invaluable in keeping the pile high and the fires burning.
Have you looked into a stump grinder? If you're not planning on changing the contour of the land much, why not just grind the top down a few inches and throw out some seed. Sure leaves the topsoil in good shape.

 

[neilly2]

How many stumps vs. how many trees will be left after the loggers are through? Not that this will make much difference, but the only way to justify a dozer is if there are a lot of trees to be knocked down. Either way you will need a large dozer--minimum of a D-6.

Junkman is dead right---unless almost new you will get hurt with maintenance. Also a 6 will also burn 100-150 gallon a day, when let out.

Also, after you knock down the trees they have to be skidded somewhere. Jumping off that dozer to hitch up won't last long -- another machine needed. Then you have to chip them--another machine. Then you need a tub grinder to get rid of the stumps --unless you get a large tub grinder you'll need an excavator to load the tub---2 more machines.

I'm not trying to beat up on you, but that is the way 70 acres needs to be cleared. I once ran a clearing operation for a 90 acre golf course. The equipment used: 1 Timco (a very cool machine) 2 skidders, 1 trailered chipper, 1 trailered tub grinder, two box trailers for hauling chips, two men with chainsaws, 1 case 580 and 2 men for underbrush, 1 excavator for stumping, and 1 track loader for moving stumps. This took over a month and the the 90 acres was only 25% wooded.

Unless you're looking at this as a hobby you'll never finish (like my back yard) I'd look at the pros. Or better yet, like Junkman said, unless you need the land, leave it wooded.

 

[neilly2]

Let's look at this a different way:

70 acres = 3,050,000 sf.

If you average 1 sizable tree per 200 sf you're looking at 15,250 trees.

Imagine that pile of stumps and chips.

If you were to stump grind---20 stumps a day is 762 days of grinding.

If you could doze out 50 stumps to a pile for burning a day---305 days of dozer time and 305 large fires.

305 days of dozer time at $100/day averge operating cost is $30,500. That doesn't even include the matches and gas.