Clearing Land/Trees- Dozer?

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With a lil work a good dozer can do anything you ask of it(sides load trucks). Take your time, plan out your attack and keep things neat as you go. I run equipment for a living and when taking down trees I still prefer a good dozer. I am more handy on an excavator but I'll run circles around even a good excvator cleaning timber and being able to keep things clean and dirt out of the piles. Like a few others said, don't be afraid to look at dresser equipment and alot of times you are WAY further ahead to rent, pay a lil more but you have it when you need it, and dn't have to worry bout any breakdowns, etc.
Good luck.
Trbo
 
With a lil work a good dozer can do anything you ask of it(sides load trucks). Take your time, plan out your attack and keep things neat as you go. I run equipment for a living and when taking down trees I still prefer a good dozer. I am more handy on an excavator but I'll run circles around even a good excvator cleaning timber and being able to keep things clean and dirt out of the piles. Like a few others said, don't be afraid to look at dresser equipment and alot of times you are WAY further ahead to rent, pay a lil more but you have it when you need it, and dn't have to worry bout any breakdowns, etc.
Good luck.
Trbo

Lol and I go behind you in two years and take the trees down your dozer killed :)
 
Lol and I go behind you in two years and take the trees down your dozer killed :)

Ok, went back and read a few of your post on the compaction issue, etc. I have grown up around equipment all my life and family has done a ton of dozer work in yards, timbers, tree farms, etc and you are quite right on the compaction but you must take care to NOT do that. However the right dozer will have a lesser PSI on the dirt than even say a small skid loader. More times than not its the operator, not the machine that does the damage!

Trbo
 
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So what are people's thoughts on using a backhoe, say a JD 310 (or similar)? I have taken out small stumps with a backhoe before, by nipping off the roots on one side, and then pushing the stump over and plucking it out. Now I am looking into clearing an area that may have 30-50 stumps when done, and am wondering if a backhoe would still work. The trees are all pines, with dbh of 6-10".
 
Ok, went back and read a few of your post on the compaction issue, etc. I have grown up around equipment all my life and family has done a ton of dozer work in yards, timbers, tree farms, etc and you are quite right on the compaction but you must take care to NOT do that. However the right dozer will have a lesser PSI on the dirt than even say a small skid loader. More times than not its the operator, not the machine that does the damage!

Trbo

Want the truth? It will compact if measures are not applied to counter it. What an operator can do to help is not bang into trunks skid logs around them etc. However most operators I have seen are not concerned one bit about the trees that are being left and gouge up the stems rip off bark etc. I am not saying you do so please don't take offense its just my experience. If you ever need to work near large trees that you want to save place a lot of mulch down first then take up excess after work is performed just so you know what will prevent the issue.
 
Rope,

No offense taken...cause i KNOW excatally what you are talking bout on the NOT caring bout scaring up trees, roots etc. Grandpa's biz platform was to give customers the best bang for their buck but also making sure that each job was our personal advertisement and billboard to how we do work. For over 60 years in the area if you wanted somthing done and done right and have it look perfect you called him. I'm not bragging, just stating what type of work we did. Today i am around other companies due to the job i now have and when i tell them who i am, that is the first thing they ask and most all of them have commented on one project or another we have done. I see so many "operators" that don't care about how things look, just making the $$$.

Trbo
 
Think track hoe with a thumb. Some have blades on the front.

I think you will get a much cleaner job done with a hoe.
 
Great for removing those small apples as well. Just pull up to the base of a tree, sink the teeth of the bucket down a couple of feet to cut the roots on your side of the tree, and raise the bucket up about three or four feet on the trunk and push it over. Just as slick as can be. Line the removed trees in a row, cut the firewood. The stumps go in one pile, and the tops in another to be burned.

The loader makes all the difference. Get yourself an old single axle dump truck, and you can do about any hauling you will need for your house.

Years ago I used to buy up rows of walnut, and almond trees from a contractor who cleared orchards. He used that same method, and this made cutting wood fairly easy. The trees would suck air for several months, thereby starting to dry out, and be laying at decent levels for access.

Single axle dump trailer? Really?
 
I would like to say, have you ever build a house before? You are a little ahead of what you want to do house building is labor intensive and will cost more then any budget.YOUR home is what maybe your most important investment getting it in the right spot and with the right house is a big investment. I would vote for a tractor midrange the attachments and the financing are the reasons. good luck.
 
I would like to say, have you ever build a house before? You are a little ahead of what you want to do house building is labor intensive and will cost more then any budget.YOUR home is what maybe your most important investment getting it in the right spot and with the right house is a big investment. I would vote for a tractor midrange the attachments and the financing are the reasons. good luck.

Man twenty poles and buffalo hides are expensive :)
 
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