land clearing and mulching times

[Chain rated]

I'm new to the mulching business and trying to line up work before I buy the machine(299d xhp with denis cimaf ) but giving quotes is hard without any actual experience. Can yall post pictures or description of mulching jobs and how long it took. Also include machine a type of head and teeth.

 

[GreensForestryMulching]

I'm new to the mulching business and trying to line up work before I buy the machine(299d xhp with denis cimaf ) but giving quotes is hard without any actual experience. Can yall post pictures or description of mulching jobs and how long it took. Also include machine a type of head and teeth.

You honestly need to get in the seat and practice on your own land or friends and families. There are entirely too many variables to shoot quotes just by looking at some pictures. I know for a fact from when I started to now I can do twice the work in half the time and make it look 4 times better. You have to take into account your skill level, what kind of finished product the client wants, types and thickness of material being cleared, topography of the terrain being worked, ect ect. Doing it the way you are talking your taking a $100k+ gamble that you can give your clients what they want in a manner you yourself can make money, based on some pictures of someone else's work.

 

[Chain rated]

I agree that I need experience but I also need work lined up before I make this big purchase. I have 2 acres of my own to do before I go to a customers place. I need to move forward from here.

 

[fishfactor]

+1 to what Green said. It's a niche business and difficult to break in to. We started with a separate company backing the mulching business. It took 2 years before we could get a paycheck from the mulching business. You won't even begin to learn the techniques or production on 2 acres.

When we started, I under quoted some jobs by huge amounts. You just smile, suck it up, and do whatever it takes to make the customer happy. 8 years later, I rarely miss by more than an hour, and typically give the customer an invoice for less than the agreed not to exceed amount. They remember that.

If you can afford the payments, repair bills, and fuel out of your pocket for a year or so, go for it. Do some small jobs for free to get practice and production data. Leave a GREAT finished product, not slabs of wood everywhere, and leave a sign with your company info on it.

 

[Chain rated]

Thanks for the advice. I know I can't achieve the production that experienced hands can do, but it would help to get my prices in line. Just something to go off of.

 

[fishfactor]

There just isn't anything generic to go off of. We have done jobs ranging from $150/acre to $13,000 per acre. There is no shortcut. Good judgement comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgement.

Do not expect to buy a machine and be able to find enough work to pay for it. It takes time to build the business and your reputation. There are some mulching contractors out there that do terrible work. Sometimes this leaves a bad taste in a customer or organizations mouth, and they just assume that that's what all mulching looks like. This makes it hard to get a foot in the door, but easy for repeat business if you do a good job.

Consider it a very expensive hobby for the first few years. If you have the financial backing to support that, do quality work, and sometimes takes a loss to make the customer happy, you can build a successful business.

If not, you could go to work for a reputable mulching contractor in your area. Honestly, you will probably make more money, and you can decide if it's something you like without going in debt for $125K.

 

[Marek]

There just isn't anything generic to go off of. We have done jobs ranging from $150/acre to $13,000 per acre. There is no shortcut. Good judgement comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgement.

Do not expect to buy a machine and be able to find enough work to pay for it. It takes time to build the business and your reputation. There are some mulching contractors out there that do terrible work. Sometimes this leaves a bad taste in a customer or organizations mouth, and they just assume that that's what all mulching looks like. This makes it hard to get a foot in the door, but easy for repeat business if you do a good job.

Consider it a very expensive hobby for the first few years. If you have the financial backing to support that, do quality work, and sometimes takes a loss to make the customer happy, you can build a successful business.

If not, you could go to work for a reputable mulching contractor in your area. Honestly, you will probably make more money, and you can decide if it's something you like without going in debt for $125K.

Very sound advice ! You left out that you must enjoy working on stuff all the time ! If we get thru a job without something breaking or going wrong then it was a rare good day.

 

[Chain rated]

If I don't make a dime with the machine, I can pay the bills for about 1 year. It's a risk, but if I never take a risk I'll never get anywhere.

 

[Reg]

I think the POINT is that there is a MUCH BETTER way to get the knowledge and experience, e.g. work for someone else for ...a while.
I have no idea, maybe 3 months, perhaps a year.
At least you would be getting SOME money in, vs paying a LOT of money out.
Get to know the shortcuts as well as the going rate for your area, etc.
If there is nobody in your area doing this work that you could work for, that might indicate something.
Hauling equipment 50+ miles cuts into profit and THEN some, so be very very sure that there is enough work in your area.

It may turn out that this just isn't the right thing for you.
Probably best to find that out while making minimum wage than while going into a 6 digit debt.

 

[Rio_Grande]

What we did was lease a cutter for a year. We were using the machine for other things. At the end of the lease we made enough to buy the machine then based on the business I was getting I picked up a rotary cutter instead. People in my area just won't pay for the drum machines.