Advice on how to clear land

[ATH]

Depending on where you are, chips are either an asset or a liability. Nice to have a power company that wants them/pays for them.

 

[capetrees]

I'm looking at clearing 28 acres of land. The land was clear cut about 9 years ago, but has grown up in oak/sweetgum regeneration. I'm planning on planting a fruit tree orchard and need it to be cleared decently well. What is the best reasonable way to clear the land on a budget, and what equipment would be adequate? I was looking at possibly buying a used Komatsu D21/D20 dozer to clear the land with, but I'm afraid it might be too small for this task. Would a small dozer like that be way to small? Also looked at renting. A John Deere 550 is $2600 for a 40 hr week to rent here in Louisiana where I live. I've attached some pictures of the land. (For the pics where there is a powerline right of way, the part I will clear starts where the taller brush begins at the edge of the powerline right of way.) Any advice on the best way to go about doing this? Also, any clue on how long it would take to clear if I hired this to be done by an operator with a Cat D6 and root rake?

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Bulldoze it and then you have a MASSIVE pile of brush and junk to get rid of, not to mention the old stumps and any potential boulders underground that would be pushed up. What a mess and additional cost!!

The mulcher is the better idea for the regrowth areas. It keeps the soil intact where t is and destroys anything it is path, turning it into mulch which, over time, will compost back into the ground. Aftrer mulching everything, plant the trees and maintain with the same attachment. I point out that it's an attachment and that's a good thing considering all the other handy uses a skid steer would have on an orchard as opposed to simply a bulldozer. Here's a link

from there, watch the other videos and you choose. You can also look up Fecon mulcher or Brushcat. The Fecon is a dedicated machine for one thing and the bobcat or other skid steer can use different attachments.

 

[hayboy]

Search" Brown Tree Cutter" It is a super heavy duty bush hog with 4 cutting blades on heavy flywheel, 3 point hitch for min 40 hp tractor. Will cut 8 in tree by backing up to it. and will make splinters of it when down.

 

[northmanlogging]

I'm looking at clearing 28 acres of land. The land was clear cut about 9 years ago, but has grown up in oak/sweetgum regeneration. I'm planning on planting a fruit tree orchard and need it to be cleared decently well. What is the best reasonable way to clear the land on a budget, and what equipment would be adequate? I was looking at possibly buying a used Komatsu D21/D20 dozer to clear the land with, but I'm afraid it might be too small for this task. Would a small dozer like that be way to small? Also looked at renting. A John Deere 550 is $2600 for a 40 hr week to rent here in Louisiana where I live. I've attached some pictures of the land. (For the pics where there is a powerline right of way, the part I will clear starts where the taller brush begins at the edge of the powerline right of way.) Any advice on the best way to go about doing this? Also, any clue on how long it would take to clear if I hired this to be done by an operator with a Cat D6 and root rake?

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I done skipped the rest...

Dozers are fine and all, but give an excavator thought, especially one with a thumb attachment.

Dozers shove everything into a wad, dirt, top soir, rocks everything

With an excavator you can pick and choose quite a bit, as well as shake the dirt and rocks out of the stumps. As well as make really tall stacks wut to burn into nothing with.

Excavator rentals will be about on par with a dozer, but I guarantee you will get a lot more done in a week with a good excavator, and have better results.

A mid sized machin 12-18 tons is sufficient fer what yer lookin at a bigger machine will get more done, but cost more to do it.

As for running em, don't take too long to get the swing of things, probably harder to learn a dozer well then it is for an excavator...

Anyway good luck.

 

[X 66 Stang347 X]

Not that I would want to clear that much land with it but I recently bought a td7 to do some clearing with. I've been clearing it with a bushhog and a clamshell bucket on a bobcat. Now that was slow going but I got a lot done. So I got this for $5k from a friend that got in to bad of shape to run it anymore. Only 2,800 hrs

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

Seems like you should be able to get a crew to come in and take it for you if you're just going to chip it all up. Maybe not that small though.

The outfit cutting my sale has a 28" chipper - whole tree goes in with a loader. Something like 400hp. Power company buys the chips to get trash hot enough to burn clean at the incinerator.

400hp for the hydraulics maybe. 28" would be more in the 1000+hp area for the chipper section.