Clearing 3 acres with a mulcher???

tallyho8 · Dec 20, 2013

I bought 3 acres of wooded property that I would like to clear most of the small trees and brush off of. It is very thick brambles with many small trash trees close together and quite a few fallen large trees.

I got a quote of $2500 from a man with a large mulcher to clear the property and just leave a few of the larger nice trees standing.

I have never even seen any property that was cleared with a mulcher and am wondering what kind of condition the property would be left in. I know there will be tons of mulch left on the property and don't know how large the pieces will be or how long it will take them to decompose.

In spring the trash trees will start sprouting up rapidly on this fertile land and I'm wondering if it will be in good enough shape for me to bush hog to keep it cleared.

Can anyone give me some of their wisdom on having property mulched?

AlanB · Dec 20, 2013

I have been doing mine with bush hog, front loader, burn piles, etc. Have looked a lot at having a mulcher come in, it sure is tempting. Sure would be nice to just have it done. They leave the property looking great everywhere I have seen them work, and they definitely leave it in a condition to bush hog to maintain it.

tallyho8 · Dec 21, 2013

Its good to hear that they leave the property looking nice and able to bush hog. It appears that not many people get their property mulched because I haven't had many replies to this thread.

I had a neighbor get a property bulldozed to use for pasture but he wound up with lots of deep craters in the ground where the stumps came out with big root balls and he has a giant dozer pile on the back of his property that will take years to decompose and it cost him more than the quote I got.

CarlR2010 · Dec 21, 2013

Dudley,
I think if you re-post this question in the land clearing forum, Land Clearing Equipment you will see more responses. At least one of the regulars is from Louisiana.

A question, can you be more specific about how closely spaced and how big the trash trees are?

I believe mulching is the cleanest cost effective way to clear land. The trees, scrub and all are returned to the soil. The finish can be course or very fine; pieces smaller than your thumb tilled into the soil a few inches. There are no brush or stump piles and no cost to haul away. Make sure you agree with your contractor about what the finish product should look like.

The limitations are how big the trees are and whether you can stand the stumps rotting in the ground. If the trees are large, then the layer of chips can get deep and take a year or two disappear. If the stumps are large then the eventual holes are not compatible with horses.
Carl

JD 4520 · Dec 21, 2013

The price quoted you is too good to be true (at least around here) but I don't know what your property looks like. I would think you will be quite happy with the result for the cost.

tallyho8 · Dec 21, 2013

CarlR2010 said:
Dudley,
I think if you re-post this question in the land clearing forum, Land Clearing Equipment you will see more responses. At least one of the regulars is from Louisiana.

A question, can you be more specific about how closely spaced and how big the trash trees are?

The limitations are how big the trees are and whether you can stand the stumps rotting in the ground. If the trees are large, then the layer of chips can get deep and take a year or two disappear. If the stumps are large then the eventual holes are not compatible with horses.
Carl

Thank you, I have been on this forum for many years and did not even realize they had a Land Clearing Forum.

Most of the trash trees average about 3 inches around at chest height and are about 2 feet apart. If the stumps are ground off at ground level, I have no problem with them rotting in the ground and I have a steady source of fill dirt to cover the holes as they appear. I just want to be able to bush hog twice a year because with our rainfall we have trees that can sprout and grow ten feet tall in a year.

PS. He has a Tigercat mulcher.

RDrancher · Dec 22, 2013

$2500 is a more than fair price for 3 acres. There are a few mulching photos on the work thread link in my sig on page 35.

dragoneggs · Dec 22, 2013

Personally I think I would get (rent) a big machine (operator) and strip the trash trees, and bushes if it is pretty heavy. And then go from there... chipping/burning. At least around here, you will be fighting with the new growth quickly as mature roots re-establish their greens. Of course if you don't plan on doing much landscaping other than maintaining a rough mowed patch... a mulch plan might work for you.