Land Grubbing: What is it exactly?

[Gamma]

I've been spending a lot time on-line the last few days researching federal, state and local government contract oppurtunities. Specifically looking for past, current & future contracts for land clearing. One of the terms that I've been seeing used is called 'Grubbing'. What is it exactly?

From what I've been able to find out, it is the process of removing all plant life above ground and then also removing all the roots and stumps too? Is that correct?

Rayco offers a rear mounted ripper as an option on their tracked mulching machines. Do they offer the ripper for the expressed purpose of removing root systems? What about using a root rake mounted on the front of a skid steer machine?

As far as removing stumps in the ground for grubbing... Will grinding them out instead of pushing or pulling them out satisfy the grubbing requirments?

BTW: I came across what sounded like a good potential contract down in South Carolina at the Savannah River Site. They need 27 acres logged of marketable timber, then cleared & grubbed, and then seeded with grass. They estimate the contract will be worth between $100,000 to $250,000. I downloaded the RFP that was 60 some pages long and started reading it and came across a paragraph mentioning that all equpment brought on site must be scanned for radiation contamination prior to being admitted on site. Then it must be scanned again prior to being allowed to leave the site at the end of all the work. So of course I started imagining equipment getting contaminated on the job and being confiscated and started Googling the Savannah River Site and found that the exact location of the 27 acres is a contaminated site itself!!! LOL

 

[JoeinTX]

"Grubbing" is removing a tree and as much of its root system as possible to deter regrowth. This is opposed to simply scraping the ground off while leaving roots and stobs which resprout.

A grubber is a tool (can be tractor mounted, attached to a dozer blade, etc) that digs below the surface and grabs or shears off as much of the root as possible. Here, especially for mesquite, it is the only way to effectively clear a pasture and minimize the possibility of quick, thick regrowth. Combine it with chemical control afterward.

Do a Yahoo Image search for "grubber" and you will get an idea. Also, the link below displays the rear-tractor mounted version, but it's essentially the same unit for a dozer/loader, etc.

Jones Machine Shop

 

[tlbuser]

I downloaded the RFP that was 60 some pages long and started reading it and came across a paragraph mentioning that all equpment brought on site must be scanned for radiation contamination prior to being admitted on site. Then it must be scanned again prior to being allowed to leave the site at the end of all the work. So of course I started imagining equipment getting contaminated on the job and being confiscated and started Googling the Savannah River Site and found that the exact location of the 27 acres is a contaminated site itself!!! LOL

There should a clause somewhere in the contract concerning that. IF the equipment could not be decontaminated and returned to the owner, then the fed. would be on the hook to replace it. The trick is whether you get a like kind exchange or a brand new one

 

[swines]

There should a clause somewhere in the contract concerning that. IF the equipment could not be decontaminated and returned to the owner, then the fed. would be on the hook to replace it. The trick is whether you get a like kind exchange or a brand new one

Not necessarily. There are companies that specialize in remediation of rad contaminated sites. The equipment is often priced as part of the cost and disposed of after the work is done. Just like remediating asbestos, the firms doing the rad remediation generally specialize in that work and know how to decontaminate the equipment and/or dispose of it after use.

As an example, an ex-employee of mine specializes in remotely controlled digging equipment (tracked excavators) for use at highly contaminated sites - when done with the work, the equipment is decontaminated and shipped to a disposal site for burial.

The feds won't "be on the hook" to replace equipment - if you don't have experience doing work at a rad site - don't even consider bidding the work.

 

[Gamma]

Wow, I'm can imangine a burial pit out at the Hanford site in Washington that is full of fairly new equipment that isn't even close to being worn out, just a little contaminated.

 

[Highbeam]

If I put a contract out to include grubbing then I expect complete removal of surface vegetation including stumps. Not just grinding. Bare soil when done. Excavator type work.

 

[JoeinTX]

"If I put a contract out to include grubbing then I expect complete removal of surface vegetation including stumps. Not just grinding. Bare soil when done. Excavator type work..."


I've read many of the recommendations for an excavator when needing brush clearing done but it sincerely puzzles me. I have never seen an excavator being used for general land clearing......always dozers (or trackloader.) Dozers using blade-mounted grubbers are extremely efficient in clearing large pieces of land in a timely manner and then, with pin-mounted rakes, raking the material for piling/burying/burning. An excavator can not do that.
I can see an excavator being used for small pieces where disturbing the surface at a minimum is important, but, not for taking on a 100 acre pasture that needs to be grubbed, raked, plowed, and re-seeded. An excavator simply isn't any good at this.

 

[jmfox]

It would seem to me that grubbing should proceed the cutters/grinders. I plan on clearing my 40 acres with a rubber track dozer and making piles to burn or chop. Excavators equipped with tree cutters seem do a good job on removing the large trees and digging out the stumps with a bucket. I guess it depends on what you expect to do with a site. For those of us who have finished landscape a site you know how important it is to clear the roots along with the sticks and greenery.

jmf

 

[JoeinTX]

"For those of us who have finished landscape a site you know how important it is to clear the roots along with the sticks and greenery..."


Of course, and I see dozers do a very good job of it with grubbers (as well as plow, smooth, finish, and seed) for reclaiming brush land.

I still don't get it.

 

[JerryG]

"For those of us who have finished landscape a site you know how important it is to clear the roots along with the sticks and greenery..."


Of course, and I see dozers do a very good job of it with grubbers (as well as plow, smooth, finish, and seed) for reclaiming brush land.

I still don't get it.

I'm with you. I don't get it either. A dozer is much faster. Most in this area have a pusher above the blade to get up higher on the trees when they are clearing large trees. Then the grubber on the blade will clean everything up fast.