Clearing land options...

popeye · May 31, 2003

We paid $60 per hr. Got back home and found a buddy of mines phone # he had just bought a dozer and charges $45 an hour. If you think hard enough you can make a good enough case for that tractor. Because after that dozer is gone there is still work to be done with a tractor. Dragging (landscape rake),leveling (box blade) moving the burn piles around ( FEL)...... See where I'm going?

If my wife sees this I'm a dead man. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

Mike

shade2u2 · May 31, 2003

Your situation sounds very similar to mine, including the clay soil. I recently cleared 3+ acres that was wooded & thick with brush in order to build. I had a tractor & chainsaw, hired a dozer and trackhoe.
From my experience, I would clear the brush with a tractor & chainsaw. You also need a couple good chains. Then I would try to timber out the trees if there are enough of the larger hard woods. If you cannot find someone interested in the timber then have your friends take them down if you have confidence in their abilities. Downing trees is not for the novice. Save & cut the wood to burn in the new fireplace or woodburner in that new house. Burn the brush only in the field if you're going to do any of that. Once only the stumps are left, then hire a trackhoe (or rent one for your budy to operate - if insurance is covered) to come in and take the stumps out. A trackhoe can also push over trees if needed. I think that it is the best equipment for clearing trees. Your building escavator may take out the stumps for a decent price. That's the easy part for them in comparison to clearing & disposing of the whole tree.
One issue with the bulldozer is that you can end up with alot of topsoil scraped away. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif If you have trees and thick brush growth, then your soil may be better than you think even if there is alot of clay. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif You can save alot of it if you use the trackhoe(backhoe) and you wont have all the dirt scraped up into the brush like would be the case with a dozer which makes burning more difficult.
Good luck.

adegiulio · Jun 1, 2003

Thanks Shade, that makes great sense and sounds like a great way to go. The way the land is, there is too much brush to cut down trees, and too many trees to just have a dozer come in and scrape away the brush. To me, it seems like the thing to do is just as you described: mow down the brush with a Rotary cutter, opening the area up so we can cut down trees. I am not an expert on cutting down trees, but it seems like the best way to learn is with a friend who is an expert by my side, and no buildings to smash by an errant tree felling. Once the trees are down I can take the branches off, move the logs to an area I can work on them, and bring the dozer in.

Looks like I am going to get that tractor after all..

/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

shade2u2 · Jun 1, 2003

Yes go for that tractor. I've had mine 3 years as of this month. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif We started clearing 3 years ago and built our house last year. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif
One thing that I failed to mention about the trackhoe also is that once the trees are down, the trackhoe can pick up and place the trees where you want them. As you stated, you could cut the tops out, then have the trackhoe stack them in a pile for you to cut into firewood there.
You can drag trees with the tractor & chain and push them some with a frontend loader, but the trackhoe (with thumb) moves them around like you would pick up sticks... /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif
How many trees are you taking out?... closer to 25, 100, 200? /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif
Also, don't forget about the stumps. Are you thinking of burying them, burning, grinding? The stumps are a pain in the "unowut". /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif
If you have time, cutting down, cutting up, and moving stacks of wood with the tractor would be the best for the soil of your land, but of course this takes some time & labor...
it is rewarding though. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

adegiulio · Jun 1, 2003

I would say to start off there are between 100 to 200 trees, mostly sumac and locust. Not much value there. The stumps I was planning on burning with the rest of the brush, but there is plenty of room to just stick them and let them rot until i get to them. We have 14.5 acres of heavily wooded and overgrown land. I only plan on doing a few acres to start and as we live there and have more time we will clean up more and more. I plan on planting several gardens and a vegetable plot, so I am going to need some "mechanical help" eventually anyway. Might as well get the tractor now and get a head start on the clearing and land work. We arent planning on starting the house till next year anyway ($$$ permitting).

shade2u2 · Jun 1, 2003

The Locust trees are great for firewood or fence post. They burn long & hot and are resistant to rot. If you have them set the stumps our to rot or at least let the rain clean the dirt off so they will burn better in a couple of years.
There will be busy, nervous, and memorable times ahead for you... /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif enjoy... take lots of pics...

John_Mc · Jun 1, 2003

( I am not an expert on cutting down trees, but it seems like the best way to learn is with a friend who is an expert by my side)

A very good plan, if you don't have much experience yourself. Remember, there is more to being an expert than just having dropped a few trees in your day. Make sure the habits and procedures you are learning are good ones.

( Once the trees are down I can take the branches off)

Don't let down your guard on this chore. There are an awful lot of accidents that happen while "limbing" trees. Those branches can be under an awful lot of tension. When they finally let go, they can smack you pretty good, or knock the chainsaw around and do some real damage if you are not careful. Limbing and using a chainsaw to clear underbrush are two chainsaw activities that are often underestimated.

John Mc

popeye · Jun 2, 2003

Once the trees are down I can take the branches off, move the logs to an area I can work on them, and bring the dozer in.

I would not cut the trees down first. The dozer will take the trees out stumps and roots. Yes, he will take off some topsoil but he will also if he is good at his trade fill the holes. I rearrange the piles of trees and roots to get at the topsoil and use my FEL to put the topsoil back and spread it out. There are no stumps to contend with after he is through. In some cases it is easier for him to remove the tree intact than work with a stump. I was asked point blank "do I have to take out any stumps?"
I have another 20 acres to clear but I am doing it selectively and bushogging as much as I can before I bring the dozer back in. Hope this helps.

Mike

BrettW · Jun 2, 2003

FYI, Locust is a fantastic wood in the wood stove. One of the best. If you dont want to mess with it, put an ad in the paper for free locust, it will be gone fast. bw

MarkV · Jun 2, 2003

Just to add to the other good advice. If you pre-cut the trees leave the stumps a couple of feet high so the dozer can get some leverage when he has to remove them. Much less dozer time means much less money.

Being new to chain saw use, do a search in the safety forum and read some of the cautions. A helmet and chaps are a cheap investment for saw work and it is hard to drive a tractor without both legs.

MarkV