Bobcat Forestry Cutter
- Thread starter thansen
- Start date
Help Support Arborist Forum:
ASD
Addicted to ArboristSite
One of the county's we do work for has a rc100 with a head and they let it sit and PAY us to mow / mulch with our T300 because our bobcat is more productive!!!!!!!! that i think sums it up
Yellowdog
ArboristSite Operative
my thought is that on the standard fecon head, you need too much hp because of the tooth setup. I prefer staggard tooth design so that you get more hp to the ground per tooth.
redprospector
Addicted to ArboristSite
That's what I was wanting to find out.
Thank's guy's,
Andy
Thank's guy's,
Andy
redprospector
Addicted to ArboristSite
Yellowdog,
What brand of head are you running?
Andy
What brand of head are you running?
Andy
I run an ASV RC100 and Fecon. It has great power but it will not hold up in the mulching world. Well, let me say in the big tract mulching world it won't. It is great for small "backyard" jobs. Everyone loves the machine they run but the ASV does have the best power and torque, also better cooling. Mine is 14 months old (875 hours) and the tracks are about shot, starting to peel at the edges with 3-5 inch chunks missing, cracked hood, missing lights and bleeds hydraulic fluid from some where...I've been trying to find for weeks. No I do not have the forestry package.
The Fecon has been bullet proof, other than broken teeth, it's holding up great.
In the long run you are better to purchase a dedicated machine...Rayco C100 or Fecon FTX100 (same machine) they will hold up better and cost LESS over the long run..I would still need a skid steer or compact loader for grapple work.
I'm not sure which way to go but this set up and any skid steer will not hold up for big jobs. We have plenty of rocks and then add in stumps and I think a tired or steel track machine would be better.
My 2 cents.
The Fecon has been bullet proof, other than broken teeth, it's holding up great.
In the long run you are better to purchase a dedicated machine...Rayco C100 or Fecon FTX100 (same machine) they will hold up better and cost LESS over the long run..I would still need a skid steer or compact loader for grapple work.
I'm not sure which way to go but this set up and any skid steer will not hold up for big jobs. We have plenty of rocks and then add in stumps and I think a tired or steel track machine would be better.
My 2 cents.
Last edited:
Yellowdog
ArboristSite Operative
I run the CAT HM312 made by FAE. 28 staggered teeth across a 48" cut width. My theory, more power to each tooth and I haven't had problems with a narrow head.
I mostly grind brush piles and large stumps and mill some bigger logs but when I brush mow, the narrow head seems to help me maneuver better.
Yellowdog
ArboristSite Operative
I disagree. Yes, I wouldn't want to mulch 100 AC of large trees with a skid but 10-20 AC is doable and you can be versatile switching to a grapple, shear, and stump grinder should the job call for it. The most expensive skids are about $65k set up for grinding without a head and the dedicated machines are over 100k plus a head. You better be doing nothing but mulching if you pick up a dedicated machine or you are giving up pay days or having to run a 2nd machine.
There is no perfect machine out there. I have run Bobcat and CAT and both have their good and bad points. I have not run ASV but the track system limits you in rocky terrain and others have had issues with some of the ASV components. Every machine has problems but I prefer to run something that is versatile and rubber tired for where I work though when tracks evolve with stronger polymers mixed with rubber, I'm switching to a CTL.
My biggest job so far has been 53 acres of rough terrain, lots of rocks, stumps and logs hidden under 12-15 inches of snow. Lesson learned.
I'm not sure but I think the the loader arm 100 HP rayco has a quick attach and can use skid steer attachments. Maybe that new Fecon 140 too???
I agree on the versatility of a tracked skid steer for smaller jobs. I wish I had never beat my machine so bad trying to do some bigger jobs, including land clearing and moving all the logs with the ASV. Lately all my jobs have been smaller and the end result is more profit and less wear on the machines..
I'm not sure but I think the the loader arm 100 HP rayco has a quick attach and can use skid steer attachments. Maybe that new Fecon 140 too???
I agree on the versatility of a tracked skid steer for smaller jobs. I wish I had never beat my machine so bad trying to do some bigger jobs, including land clearing and moving all the logs with the ASV. Lately all my jobs have been smaller and the end result is more profit and less wear on the machines..
Yellowdog
ArboristSite Operative
That's the niche that I found. Turnkey homesites 1-10 AC and trails on larger acreage plus I can build, grade, and compact a road at the same time I'm doing everything else because I invest in attachments instead of larger, dedicated machines.
redprospector
Addicted to ArboristSite
Hmm, I'd better do some re-thinking. One of the jobs I'm looking at bidding on is 250 acres 7200' elevation, mountanous terrain.
Funny thing is that the state forestry is specifying a compact machine for the job. Once again the government don't have a clue.
Andy
Funny thing is that the state forestry is specifying a compact machine for the job. Once again the government don't have a clue.
Andy
Mowingman
ArboristSite Guru
Wow, I would not even think of doing a property that large, with a skidsteer-mounted head.
Maybe you can convince them that a Fecon 140 is a "compact" machine.
Even with the Fecon 140, I am only getting 4 acres/day in thick, medium-sized mesquite. and, I am working my butt off to get that much/day.
Jeff
Maybe you can convince them that a Fecon 140 is a "compact" machine.
Even with the Fecon 140, I am only getting 4 acres/day in thick, medium-sized mesquite. and, I am working my butt off to get that much/day.
Jeff
Hmm, I'd better do some re-thinking. One of the jobs I'm looking at bidding on is 250 acres 7200' elevation, mountanous terrain.
Funny thing is that the state forestry is specifying a machine for the job. Once again the government don't have a clue.
Andy
The Gov bids are going for so cheap it doesn't seem worth starting the machine. I would not plan on starting a buisness with the hopes of landing one. I bid on a 90 acre tract and a Hydro Axe won the bid at $157 per acre...
redprospector
Addicted to ArboristSite
I don't know how he'd pay for fuel at that rate.
I'm not starting a business, just looking at expanding the one I already have.
Right now we do it all by hand, cutting, skidding, chipping, etc. This just seems like a lot better route to go. But looking at the bid's you're facing....... Well, if I'm going to starve to death I'd rather do it at home, playing with the baby's moma.
Andy
You have to cut down a lot of acres per day.
That was my one and only try at Gov work, I do keep an eye on them but the number of interested companies is going up daily. I have landed some state work at a much better rate but the best way to go is private land work.
Good luck to you.
That was my one and only try at Gov work, I do keep an eye on them but the number of interested companies is going up daily. I have landed some state work at a much better rate but the best way to go is private land work.
Good luck to you.
redprospector
Addicted to ArboristSite
Yellowdog
ArboristSite Operative
You are probably on to something. I have worked with a 6 man chainsaw and dragging crew and kept up with everything they could cut running a CAT mulcher on a Bobcat s300. We were getting just over an acre a day on hillsides and we doubled that on easier terrain. To be the most effective, I think you need a machine like that, a chipper, and the hand crews.
redprospector
Addicted to ArboristSite
Yeah, I wasn't thinking about getting rid of anything, just adding to it.
The Forest Service & State Forestry are doing a field trip to a ranch in Timberon, NM to see some of these machines work. They have a Hydroax, a skidsteer w/head, and a dedicated machine. That should help me make up my mind.
Andy
redprospector
Addicted to ArboristSite
Well, it was an impressive demonstration. Especially for someone (me) who has never seen one of these machines in action. The machine demoed was a Lamtrac with a Tushogg head. I didn't think the chip size was great, but this head turned the chip's into the ground, so the overall look was good.
I've found what some of the state & fed job's are going for, and I'm not sure how some of these guy's are paying their fuel bill.
I guess all I have to do now is to decide if I want to buy a job or not. The price of this job is about $180,000.00.
Andy
I've found what some of the state & fed job's are going for, and I'm not sure how some of these guy's are paying their fuel bill.
I guess all I have to do now is to decide if I want to buy a job or not. The price of this job is about $180,000.00.
Andy
Yellowdog
ArboristSite Operative
I had a tushhogg for a few years. Tooth change out is a pain in the rear! Can really eat up time plus the teeth are prone to fly off to god knows where. The head is way out of balance with a missing tooth. You can hit just about anything, though, and teeth are cheaper than other makes but because the teeth can contact the ground when the skids are on the ground, you can suck up wire, cables, rocks, and other nasty stuff plus you can mill roots if you aren't careful. They excel at grinding stumps, however, at least to 3" below grade.
