Moving Tree Debris: Back To Front Yard ???

[StihlRockin']

I would really appreciate hearing how y'all would do a tree removal where you would have to move the debris from the back yard to the front yard.

I will set up some conditions:

- No craning the whole tree over the house. LOL!

- Septic tank, drain field or other possible circumstance prevent the driving of larger vehicles like a pickup or Bobcat to help move the debris.

- By debris I'm talking the logs, branches & rakings... essentially any mess that is a result of the tree removal.

- Tree can be fallen or climbed and removed, then resulting mess is in the back yard on the ground needing to be hauled to the front yard for disposal.

Here's what I'm thinking... Much of tree work is pure grunt work, or so it has been for me for years. It's the way I was taught. Much or all the wood in this situation was moved by a wheelbarrow(s). While someone is manning the barrow, others are dragging the brush. The wood is cut into small enough pieces that one person can comfortably handle it into the barrow and into the back of the dump truck.

The brush is cut into several pieces making it easier to handle, drag and chip. The brush is stacked with all the butts pointed in one direction and similar sized branches are stacked with each other... short with the short and the long with the long, etc. The brush is then stacked into piles that one person can comfortably carry over his shoulder, balanced. Sometimes branches were cut just so they could be dragged instead of carried as some tree branches are easier to drag than carry and vice versa. I also "had" a wheel barrow where I bolted conduit/steel pipes onto the sides sticking up over the barrow's edge only about an inch or two. I would place a dowel stick into these pipes making sides to each barrow. There would only be two pipes on each side, just enough to create more holding capacity. The dowels would protrude up about 18" or so on both sides. Brush could then be stacked onto the wheel barrow to be hauled away.

The wheel barrow is used to haul away the rakings too, but I hate to admit I have hauled this type debris by dragging the stuff with a blue poly tarp with excellent success, BUT haven't done it in years. LOL! Yeah, stupid, I know. Some of the lighter fluffier debris can be moved easily and quickly with a tarp and is also easier to load into the back of the truck.

The barrow full of wood is then hauled to the back of the truck where it is lifted out manually and thrown in... by hand! Sometimes if the barrow is light enough with rakings or stump mulch, it is handled by two guys and lifted right into the back of the truck.

Wheel barrows that are too heavy with rakings are often dumped into a pile where later it will be manually pitch-forked into the back of the truck.

I use to have a powerbroom to move the rakings, but that was stolen so my main method for raking now is using a hard rake to move the heavy stuff, then I'll finish up with the leaf rakes made of plastic. Shindaiwa and Stihl... and I think Echo all have their own version of a powerbroom. I used the one with the flaps, not the brush, to do the raking. It worked for stump mulch fairly good too. It worked well enough I'll be getting one again.

I also use upper end Husq's and Stihl backpack blowers to help with the smaller debris cleanup. Works slick when the grass is short and the blowin' is easy.

In a nutshell that is how I operate. I do have advancements being made this year to make the operation more efficient. I thought maybe someone might learn just one thing from what I share. If that's the case, great, but I'm also hoping others share their own things, I and others will learn too.

So, how would you move tree debris from the back yard to the front yard in this scenario?

Thanks,

StihlRockin'

 

[Bermie]

Sounds like you've got a good plan...

I like the modification to your wheelbarrow...
We use poly tarps and flat sided 30gal plastic trash cans as well. The one advantage over the wheelbarrow is the contents can be slung straight in the chipper or on the truck.

 

[beaverb01]

clean-up

I use debris containers for small stuff or a tarp. I also have a Kubota that is used to haul any and everything, from rakings to firewood sized chunks or logs being hauled to the mill. I put down plywood to run the tractor on if the ground is wet or if the HO just wants to protect the lawn. The tractor can dump into the chipper feed table or into the back of the bucket truck chip box. This works well for me. I use a two or three man crew, myself included.

Beaver :greenchainsaw:

 

[Toddppm]

I've been using those for a few years now, great little machines. Not commercial quality at all but easy to fix. They have improved the design in the last couple years and have a better motr B+G now too. I don't take them everywhere but they are indispensible for moving wood or mulch uphill or a long ways.

Lucky dog at $250.00.....off to craigslist to search!

 

[lxt]

The DR power wagon doesn't come close to being a mini skid but I got lucky and picked one up for $250 off of Craigslist. Mine is 6.5hp and rated to carry 800lbs. Works very well for moving wood, stump chips, and rakings around. 32 inches wide and 4 speed with the highest speed faster than a fast walk. It goes almost anywhere. The bed dumps easily even fully loaded. If I could just figure out a way to carry it on the chipper I'd be set.

Absolutely!! even a lawn mower with trailer is quick & you can pick em up cheap.....of course gettin it there requires another towing unit!! but what Treeco shows is a wonderful unit & at a nice price.....Id have bought that in a heartbeat for that price........Nice find!!

LXT...............

 

[arbor pro]

tracked mini skid

stihlrockin'

A tracked mini skid is absolutely the way to go if you can rent or buy one. The tracks disburse the weight so the ground pressure is about the same as a riding lawn mower. I am a small part-time tree service and work alone. My mini is my entire ground crew! Absolutely the best purchase I've ever made.

I put a 'thumb' grapple on mine to handle bigger loads and brush. A used unit with grapple runs around $7500-$10,000 and you won't regret it.

The only downfall to minis whatsoever is that they won't load as high as a regular skidsteer will. I have a 1-ton dump truck and a 14' dump trailer which I load into. Sometimes, I have to throw the last few branches on by hand because the mini won't reach high enough. Still - just like a good Stihl chainsaw, a good mini is a tool I won't ever work without again!

 

[TreeBot]

Much or all the wood in this situation was moved by a wheelbarrow(s). While someone is manning the barrow, others are dragging the brush. The wood is cut into small enough pieces that one person can comfortably handle it into the barrow and into the back of the dump truck.
StihlRockin'

Rolling the wood out on a log dolly and up a ramp onto a trailer is a much more efficient method. I have the green one sold by Sherrill, it has a 1500lb capacity so it is only limited by the collective muscle of your crew. A gentle downhill path will make for a fun days work, a flat path and you will get a monster workout, and an uphill path will have you wishing for the mini-skid. Always beats dicing it up into barrow size though.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

Look around and see if any company is renting the Gehl mini loader. It is a rider with and telescoping fork. They fit through most gates, articulate and are turf friendly.

 

[masiman]

The other options are better but if you don't have luck finding or getting them, an ATV with trailer hookup can get the wood from A to B. Of course you'll still have to do double duty of loading and unloading.

Depending on the lay of the land you can get the tailgate low enough that you can have a shallow ramp right into the bed of the truck. That would save you alot of time and energy.

 

[Themadd1]

Check your local rental yard. They may have something to help you out. It might save you money based on hours. Good luck.

 

[treeman82]

Depending on how far away the debris has to go, and what kind of debris we are talking about... like whether it's LOADED with vines, or if it's just branches and wood.

Odds are I'd use my tractor and log arch to bring out as big of pieces as possible. Leaves no trace for the most part, and it's plenty light. On level ground I can move a 1000+ lb log without any trouble. Once it gets to where it has to go though, I either have to cut it and load it by hand into a truck... or I've got the option of rolling a bunch of 4 - 6' long pieces into the back of the trailer. However once the trailer is loaded with logs, I have to dump it and come back for the tractor / arch.

 

[teamtree]

How big of a tree are we talking about? How far from back yard to street? How big is your crew? Sounds like you are putting to much thought into it. But hey, here is my two cents...

I use the "wittle" plan. I just keep looking at how to make the debris pile get smaller and "wittle" away at it.

Why can't you use a small utility tractor? A 30hp would work great and they would not damage the septic field. Mine tractor weighs about 3000lbs. I am sure the customer is probably overly cautious about his precious turf.

We use the wheel barrow quite often and if you are producing firewood it works out great. We had to pack out / off a steep hill 2 red oaks the other week. We got 7 cords of wood out of the trees. We had to split the lower sections so we could move them. If they rolled they would have tore the hell out of the place so we had to be extra careful.

There is a powered log dolly advertised in the Tree Trader. I think they look like they would be a good thing to have. I think they are $2495. I will get the website and post later.

 

[Thillmaine]

Speedline?

Speedline ove rhte house an option? I would much rather be standing on spikes then running butt logs all around the property.. Or winch on a chipper with some redirecs, and plywood or alturna mats ont he grong. SUr eit s a pain in the ass to put all the mats or plywood ont he ground, but think abotu how quick the skidsteer would move the wood and branches out...

 

[hermit63]

stihl rockin

I think that all the suggestions are helpfull, i am thinking because of steep grades and small access man power is how this man has accomplisihed his tasks and what he is asking is how to do it without, an y slave is beter than a machien its productivity- expence=profit and he dont know or would allowthe time to speed line or any other method.

 

[ropensaddle]

Well the last one I dollied, it stunk up hill, so I fixed my old cub cadet 125
and the tires on the matching cart and wow the difference for 3 dollars
in fuel, it will move a lot of wood brush etc. Is not the prettiest thing on
eight wheels but sure is a work saver I may paint it in spring !

 

[2FatGuys]

Rope - Do you have any pics of that setup?

 

[hammerlogging]

Fella- I've done lots of low budget/low impact removals. Mechanization, even rental, is very important to look at, think long term, investing in your business is a big important step, if you put your mind to it you can make the payments. But, its not always possible. I 2nd the winch w/ redirect pulleys method, try choker large bundles of brush at once. But, for the logs, I've leap frogged "rails" of 10 ft. X 4" diameter branches for rails to roll the logs toward destination, whether to be chunked into firewood or rolled onto trailer. A chunk of firewood thrown below the middle of the log and slightly rolled onto makes a nice log pivot too. Use cant hooks or peaveys. Are you familiar with parbuckling to get wood up on a trailer (or decked)- another good use for a winch but other stuff (comealong) can do it too. Ain't nothin wrong with going oldd fashioned, but you're thinking right, trying to improve.

 

[ropensaddle]

Rope - Do you have any pics of that setup?

If I get in earlier tonight I will snap one and post but you guy's
must promise not to laugh and go hard on me k ?

 

[Themadd1]

I find the best way to move brush is to hire four times as many guys as I need from the local labor ready. That way you have one to sneak off, one to hold the rake up off the ground, one to ##### and moan, and the fourth one actually works. It is a great trade off at 60 bucks an hour. plus my back hurts less and my voice get raw from yelling "lets go, move it." "Where did "John" go?" or "use the rake dont lean on it"

Last time I used labor ready I got one kid who really like the work. When I called him at home and said I could give him a good job at really good pay he said sure. Next thing you know he just stopped coming to work. It was maybe two days into his career, learning the ropes.

I just dont get how people can be so dang lazy and still collect unemployment. Dont get me wrong we need it for a reason but there are a lot of lazy sacks of crap out there drawing money from our pockets.

 

[arbor pro]

I just dont get how people can be so dang lazy and still collect unemployment. Dont get me wrong we need it for a reason but there are a lot of lazy sacks of crap out there drawing money from our pockets.

Amen to that. I guess that's why I decided to minimize my workforce to just me and to maximize my productivity by buying good productive equipment. I'll repeat my earlier response to the original question posed - I would suggest the purchase or rental of a tracked mini skid steer to move debris from back yard to front. I've been doing so with my bobcat mt-50 for a year now and have yet to damage any turf any more than excessive trips by foot or wheelbarrow would - and I can complete the cleanup in a fraction of the time that manual labor could. In the long run, it means more money in my pocket and fewer headaches. I'd rather deal with equipment breakdowns than with AWOL or lazy employees - been there and done that and will not be going back!

I love my mini skid so much that I've even considered marketing used ones in my area as no local dealers have caught on yet. I get contractors stopping by my worksites all the time to watch it at work.