clearing palmetto palm field - loader or dozer?

[rlee6]

I need to clear 2-3 acres of palmetto palms, about 3 feet tall. No tall trees to fell, flat, sandy, typical of central Florida.

When I called a rental place, a loader (wheeled) with root rake was recommended. Now after waiting one month on their waiting list, a 3 or 4 cybic yard unit is available. I need to get it before they rent it to someone else.

But the store clerk is telling me a different story. Palmetto palms are tougher than looking and a dozer would be better.

Has anyone pulled palmetto palms? Will he kindly pass me his experience? Thanks.

 

[kubotadan]

I am from Fla. Monticello. If you can rent a JD 644 with a root rake it will be faster than a dozer. They are pretty tough to pull out of the ground.

 

[Soundguy]

I agree.. nasty buggers... but the sandy soil is to your advantage.. and yes.. a 644 is a decent achine.. we have quite a few of those at the GC I work for... loaders do the bulk of our clearing, and dozers do the dirt work and shaping.. occasionally we let hoes dig the big trees out, and use a dozer to knock some medium trees over.

Soundguy

 

[rlee6]

All I know is that it is 3 or 4 yard loader. It may not be as large as JD644, which is 180 hp according to jd. I am afraid it's either what they have or wait for another few weeks for a 180 hp machine.

By the way, how do you do it actually? Do you push the palms laterally or lift them up out of ground? Or try and error? Thank you.

 

[JoeR]

Don't underestimate the palmettos or the skill it takes to pop them out. Most operators I have seen go forward until they get resistance then lift up. Palmettos are messy, and their roots hold dirt. You will need to shake them out if you plan on burning them. Dirt doesn't burn, and if there is too much dirt in the pile, you will not get a clean burn.

By the way, is the rental company requiring you to have liability insurance? I was looking at renting a large loader, but decided to pay someone to do it. They did it faster and with more skill than I have.

Good luck!

Joe

 

[rlee6]

I wasn't going to do it myself until I got a quote of $2000 per acre. That was too much for me to absorb. Rental is about 800 for 2 days + 140 delivery + 120 damage/loss insurance + 100 fuel + 80 tax. Still it's less than $2000 and I assume I can clear 2 acres, fence line, and road tie to main pavement.

If you know someone who can do it for less, please let me know. Thanks.

 

[Dargo]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I have seen go forward until they get resistance then lift up. )</font>

I do not know about Palmetto trees at all, they just don't thrive in Indiana. However, I've dropped some huge oak trees with a dozer in the same manner mentioned. I did have one big problem though. On one particular oak, I powered against it, pulled back on the joystick to lift the blade, and stood on the power spinning both tracks. The big oak cracked and went over just like I expected. However, the root ball came up between the tractor and the blade. Being that this tree was much larger than the others (I was using a D9 - BIG), the stinking root ball stuck firm between the tractor and the blade. No problem, right?! Just back up until it comes out. Not! After dragging that stupid tree around for nearly 2 hours I finally had to go get a chain saw! /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

You would think that after 2 hours of bouncing, dragging, beating, and cussing, that there wouldn't be much dirt left in the roots either. Wrong again! /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif What a mess. Not only did I waste a lot of time, but I ruined a good chain saw blade. Man, I felt like a kitten with a ball of string stuck to my claw. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif I could shake the heck out of that tree, but it wouldn't let loose of me. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

 

[EddieWalker]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I wasn't going to do it myself until I got a quote of $2000 per acre. That was too much for me to absorb. Rental is about 800 for 2 days + 140 delivery + 120 damage/loss insurance + 100 fuel + 80 tax. Still it's less than $2000 and I assume I can clear 2 acres, fence line, and road tie to main pavement.

If you know someone who can do it for less, please let me know. Thanks. )</font>


The math sounds good, but you're basing it on how fast you can clear an acre. I've never seen the trees you're talking about, so I can't comment on them, but from what others have said, they sound like tough buggers.

Just knocking everything down is one thing, cleaning it up and building piles can really eat up the time. If you do this yourself, be sure to have a plan on where you want the piles. Clear that area first, then work your way out, always moving your debri into the burn pile, or piles.

If you create a huge mess, then expect to clean it up in a few passes, you'll be in for a huge suprise. I know from experience. Always clear and clean up in small patches at a time. It's faster and less destructive to the machine.

Pay attention to what Dargo said about that root ball getting stuck for two hours. Something totally unpredictable WILL happen. If your lucky, it will be easy to fix, repair or you can adjust to it, but if not, you could spend a whole day or more dealing with it.

$2,000 might not be such a bad price when you consider he'll be dealing with all the headaches and issues that will arrise. He'll do it faster, cleaner and better then you will. Sometimes spending more up front is MUCH, MUCH cheaper in the long run.

Good luck and post photos,
Eddie

 

[OkeeDon]

I can't offer any help this time, because I like palmettos and wish I had more of them. I have just a couple of clumps that provide a nice backdrop for landscaping. I guess if you have too many they could tend to get in the way.

We did all of the clearing on our 5 acres with a Cat 416C loader, equipped with a root rake. The root rake is the key to clearing anything in Florida. Get down under and curl it up. I would think the dozer might tend to break them off rather than getting htem out, but then, I've never used a dozer. The size of the tractor for the rake is not as important as the lifting power of the loader, although the two are often somewhat related. I made a root rake for my TC18 that works much better than what you would expect from my (approximately) 750# lift capacity,

 

[Soundguy]

Yep.. Ideally, You could use a bucket to put pressure on them, then pop them out. Then use a root rake to grouse around, and haul the debri to the burn pile.. the rake really helps get the dirt to drop before the pile.

Soundguy