It has finally begun...

/ It has finally begun... #21  
I just looked up your location...deep in a National forest...nice! Do you have any creeks or springs on your place?
 
/ It has finally begun...
  • Thread Starter
#22  
Thanks, y'all. Land was passed down from my dad's dad to him. One of several pieces of property he had. There's a cell tower on the property, too, which now sticks out like a sore thumb with the trees gone (not an issue, really, as it generates some income for us).

Have a guy with a dozer that claims he will do stuff for $50/hr so we may see what all he can do. He's retired...

Motor, I live in Awendaw. This property is in Walterboro, SC. The cleared area is the higher part of the land (Grandfather bought land with high/low areas and had the government come in and dig drainage ditches and whatnot when they did a lot of that back in the day). There's a nice low area that stays fairly wet and last time we walked through marking the path for road, noticed a big oak had uprooted. Underneath the oak was standing water so it is either a natural spring or a shallow water table. Thinking that will be where the pond will eventually be dug (if time and money allows). There is a ditch on one side of the property that usually has water in it and is sometimes almost like a creek. Marked on road with culvert and those yellow/black signs signifying a ditch or bridge or whatever they are. Buddy from that area who hunts "injun" rocks all the time wants to walk it looking for artifacts from revolutionary/civil war artifacts. There was a camp nearby that nobody knows exactly where it was, but he figures with a water source like that, they may have traveled along it at one point.

I'll try and get a Google Earth shot of property and post it when I get a chance. Don't think I can do GE on the work comp.
 
/ It has finally begun... #23  
If you can get a dozer in there for $50 an hr...go for it. That's dirt cheap. My guy is $100 an hr, uses a JD650, does not wast one penny of time and is darn good. So I consider his $100 an hr a bargain.
 
/ It has finally begun...
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#24  
If you can get a dozer in there for $50 an hr...go for it. That's dirt cheap. My guy is $100 an hr, uses a JD650, does not wast one penny of time and is darn good. So I consider his $100 an hr a bargain.

Hopefully, the guy will work out.

Looking like we may go the Armour Metals route for the pole shed and then eventually close it in. Price seems to be good for what it is.
 
/ It has finally begun...
  • Thread Starter
#26  
Wow, a company that actually lists all of their prices w/options right there for everyone to see it...very refreshing. I have seen those trusses before, very clean and very strong. The prices are not bad at all.
Armour Metals Pole Barns - Metal Roofing and Pole Barns

Buddy just had them put up one for him and he seems happy with it. Another fellow with the same last name as us has put a few up (got his name from Armour and called him to ask a few questions) and seems to be pleased with them.

We have upgraded the roof to 26ga and all the wood will be treated. Waiting to hear back from them for final quote. Looking like a 24' x 40' with 20' lean-to's on each side will run about $12,500 or so (installed). Pretty sure this is right, but we've been getting some other quotes from others as well. I'll post the official price once they get back with us.

Guy who built my parents' dock and who will stick build it (wooden trusses, etc) with hurricane clips and whatnot is about $2k more. We'd end up helping him out a bit as he is a one man show for the most part (I don't mind doing that as I would love to learn as we do it).

Fellow who built my parents' house came in at $20k plus, but would be more substantial than the other two. Won't be going that route, but figured we'd ask.
 
/ It has finally begun...
  • Thread Starter
#27  
Well, between pops and I, neither of us can add!

Got final quote (final for now, at least) back from Armour Metals. Here it is attached.

The dockbuilder was around $20k (price he gave for lean-to was only for one)
 

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/ It has finally begun... #28  
I'd love to get an aerial shot of the cleared area to help map out locations of trees and whatnot.

Google satellite resolution of that area is pretty good, but you may have a long wait for a new photo.

You could buy an R/C photo helicopter:

[ame=http://www.amazon.com/CAMERA-HELICOPTER-DEFENDER-YIBOO-HELICAM/dp/B005FN318U]Amazon.com: SPY CAMERA RC HELICOPTER MINI DEFENDER YIBOO UJ 405 3 Ch HELICAM 9" Video Photo: Toys & Games[/ame]

Bruce
 
/ It has finally begun...
  • Thread Starter
#29  
Google satellite resolution of that area is pretty good, but you may have a long wait for a new photo.

You could buy an R/C photo helicopter:

Amazon.com: SPY CAMERA RC HELICOPTER MINI DEFENDER YIBOO UJ 405 3 Ch HELICAM 9" Video Photo: Toys & Games

Bruce

I actually have a semi-buddy that takes aerials, but haven't bothered to ask him yet. There is an airport just across the street (few miles down, really) that I may be able to get someone to snap a few photos, too.

The helicam is pretty cool, though!

I really want one of these.... :)
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNPJMk2fgJU&feature=g-logo&context=G2084d6cFOAAAAAAAAAA]Prototype Quadrotor with Machine Gun! - YouTube[/ame]
 
/ It has finally begun... #30  
Thanks fo the pictures
 
/ It has finally begun...
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#31  
Will add more as it progresses. So far, it's just a bunch of trees/limbs on the ground starting to form in piles. I'm starting to think that we should burn the big trees off and let the smaller limbs rot away. Still not sure what to do about the stumps. I want them out, but have been reading that having a dozer come in can strip soil. Soil out there isn't all that great and the more organic matter I can get into it, the better it will be...or so I think.
 
/ It has finally begun...
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#32  
Went back out to property Saturday and Sunday. Saturday was the perfect weather and we decided to start burning. Overcast and a good breeze, but it had rained a good bit the prior week so we lit some piles and once the straw on the ground dried up a bit more, lit it, too. Went back Sunday and burned some more. Ground was still somewhat moist, but worked against the wind hoping to have a slow burn to take care of some of the limbs. Burned well where the piles of pine limbs/pine needles were, but not so much in other areas.
 

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/ It has finally begun... #33  
Nice progress. Quite the clearing you have now!

That Rhino looks mean. How does it do with a full trailer of wood?
 
/ It has finally begun...
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#34  
Nice progress. Quite the clearing you have now!

That Rhino looks mean. How does it do with a full trailer of wood?

Thanks!

I think the Rhino (450) is rated to tow about 1,500 lbs or so, but I've had much more on the back and have never encountered a problem. I put it in low and just go at a reasonable rate of speed. It used to be at my parents' house and pops would sometimes use it to trailer his 17' Montauk (17' center console boat) down to the neighborhood ramp ~1 miles down the road. I'd probably say the boat/trailer weighed about 3k lbs. max.

Those are also 27" tires on it so that probably affects bottom end a little bit as well, but I've never really felt I needed more power (even though I'd gladly welcome it :))
 
/ It has finally begun... #35  
You NEED a rachet rake.



You can windrow all that slash and cut your handwork by 95%.
 
/ It has finally begun...
  • Thread Starter
#36  
You NEED a rachet rake.



You can windrow all that slash and cut your handwork by 95%.

I think one of those is in the very near future.

Will they attach to a WR Long 4n1 just as easily as the reg buckets?
 
/ It has finally begun... #37  
I think one of those is in the very near future.

Will they attach to a WR Long 4n1 just as easily as the reg buckets?

Not sure why it wouldn't go on as long as the rake fits over the cutting edge of the bucket....... just don't open the bucket with the staps in place.


I clean up slash behind logging jobs all the time...... the rachet rake will make short work of your job once you get the hang of it...... and you'll be able to get taller piles which will burn the slash much better (keep the straps out of the fire). You can use a old box blade on the back of the tractor to keep the piles pushed up and burning good.

A grapple might be better..... but they are expensive and I use the bucket a great deal too.
 
/ It has finally begun...
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#38  
Thanks

The cutting edge of bucket isn't that thick, but it does get thicker just behind the edge, I believe.
 
/ It has finally begun...
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#39  
Met with the guy that will be prepping the area for the pole shed today. Asked him about getting the stumps out the small field (the one we've been working on) while he was out there and gave us a price of $2k to get stumps out of pole shed site, bring in 4 loads of dirt and get most of the stumps out of the field. Will have a dozer and track hoe out there.

I'm getting a bit more excited now. May have a "field" before the end of year and can really start playing around with it.
 
/ It has finally begun...
  • Thread Starter
#40  
Saw where TSC carries the Ratchet Rake so will probably pick it up in the near future.

Dozer and trackhoe are out there today (of course Beryl is about to dump up to 7" of rain in the area) so we'll see what all gets accomplished today.

Pops decided he doesn't want to live with any second guessing so the guy who built his house is building the shed. Will only do the 24' x 40' part right now (freaking $15k) and add lean tos later as time/money allows.
 

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