Need to clear 2 acres of Brush and Trees including stumps

[KCWB]

I have recently purchased 2 acres of Industrial land that I need to clear so I can make room for a 6500 sq. ft. building. I have started cutting down the shrubs and small trees but I'm at a loss when it comes to the bigger stuff and at an even bigger loss when it comes to the stumps.

My plan is to cut down the trees I can and pile them somewhere on the property to then either sell what I can for fire wood (or give it away) and shred whats left. My problem lies with what do you with the stumps and the best machine to take them out. I have been in touch with specialists in the area and they want upward of 30k so I figured Ill give it a go myself.

Any suggestions about my stump problem and other tips on what to do to make it easier to put up a building and parking lot would be great.:confused:

[Andyinchville]

30 K wow that's alot!....I had some land cleared fo $65 per hour with a 955 Cat loader...The dump truck fee was $50/HR plus dump fees....That was back then (about 6 years ago)....Since then I now clear land for myself (I buy land and put trailers on them to rent out....I do this during the winters when there is no mowing out to do) using an older case 680 Backhoe that cost me a total of 12K ater buying the machine and fixing everything to make like new minus the paint....Probably the cheapest route to go would be to buy a used Case 580 sized backhoe and do it yourself....DO NOT cut trees before you push the trees over or you will spend lots of time trying to get the root ball out.....to save more $$ a large hole can be dug to bury the rootballs (in some areas this may not be totally legal so be careful or do it when nobody is around....;-).....In the end the machine could be sold for pretty much what you have into it if the machine is decent to start so the main cost would be fuel and your time....you should definately be able to save some $$ DIY but be careful whatever you do....(light brush can be burned on site if in the country).
Hope this helps.
Andrew

[josh1981]

cut the trees down and cut them up into small pieces. As for the stumps cut then as low to the ground as you can (but leave a little on top) and use stump rotter to rot them then just rake them down.

[jbone]

A rifle and about a dozen propane tanks.

But seriously a friend of mine can pull about 30+ stumps a day with his john deere 110. go rent a backhoe and spend a few days getting the stumps out. It may even be an idea to hire an arborist to come by and fall all of your trees. They can usually lay them out nice and neat for you to clean up, and its a lot safer. just my opinion

[WALKER LANDSCAPE]

Do some research in Ontario and find a rental place that will deliver a Cat dozer what ever size you think you will need and do some demo. Cut the trees four foot off the ground. That way you can push the stumps out with the cat. Plus you can push your piles into an are to burn. If your on a buget
try to do it yourself. The dozer is easy to figure out with practice.

[KCWB]

Ive already cut down a bunch of scrub and some small trees to just above the ground. Will I be able to use the cat to remove these stumps. Or will I need a excavator for your method?

[WALKER LANDSCAPE]

When you leave them high they actually pop out the stumps roots and all.
If they are at ground level they well be alot harder with the dozer. You will have to excavate those maybe. The higher they are the more leverage you
can get on them.

[josh1981]

^^ what he said!

[muddstopper]

The taller you leave the stumps, the more mess you have to hual off or bury. If you rent a backhoe just push the tree over before you cut it. If you rent a dozer, you can dig the stumps out in minutes each. For $30 grand, I could probably comeup there and bring my equipment and clear the land, stumps included. Best advise is look for another contractor, the one you talked to must have been drunk.

[godzilla]

Odds are you can get those 2 acres cleared and stumped for under 20 G's.

[hmartin]

Do you have a lot of big trees? What sizes are we talking about? What is you terrain like? Do have a ravine to push into? Big trees can take a long time with a small to midsize dozer. If you have larger trees, a track hoe with a thumb is the best. We snatch the smaller trees up roots and all and dig up the larger ones. Make some piles and burn (maybe not for you) when they dry.

[Potchkins]

I have recently purchased 2 acres of Industrial land that I need to clear so I can make room for a 6500 sq. ft. building. I have started cutting down the shrubs and small trees but I'm at a loss when it comes to the bigger stuff and at an even bigger loss when it comes to the stumps.

My plan is to cut down the trees I can and pile them somewhere on the property to then either sell what I can for fire wood (or give it away) and shred whats left. My problem lies with what do you with the stumps and the best machine to take them out. I have been in touch with specialists in the area and they want upward of 30k so I figured Ill give it a go myself.

Any suggestions about my stump problem and other tips on what to do to make it easier to put up a building and parking lot would be great.:confused:

Are you gonna put up the building your self?
or how much are you gonna contract out?

[tallrick]

I would just take the money and buy a dozer or excavator if you can find a good dela on one. While I did not clear my land before building ( I like trees) I did help a neighbor do his lot. The land clearing companies wanted 10K to clear and haul debris from a 2 acre lot, not bad but I found a D6 track loader, around 8K. He was reluctant but the machine was good, undercarriage ok so I talked him into it. Anyway it took some doing to move the crawler, had to hire a lowboy and truck but once on site the job was surprisingly easy. all trees were less than 20 inches and push over easily with the bucket up. Considering that I had never operated a dozer before it only took 4 days to clear and grade the lot, as well as remove the debris. I took the logs home to use as firewood and used the loader for demolishing a burned out house on the lot. Also built the driveway and filled the roads with it. Someone close by decided to buy it after we had finished. The only bad thing is that it eventually broke down as the new owner didn't maintain it and blew the engine. (rod through block). Track loader is a good machine if you can find one. Never used a trackhoe though..

[gammon landscaping]

well me and dad spent 3 weeks this winter clearing 18-20 acres this winter. loggers had come in and logged it out a year ago. i think our bill was around 22 grand. we used a 953b and a 312 to dig stumps. the right way to do it is dig around 2-3 feet and then just push it over, you have the whole wight of the tree pulling up on the root ball. but if you cut it off it is a bugger to get it out. i can drop a big tree 20-30 inches in around 15-20 mins, digging the same stump will probablly take 45mins- to an hour. if you take tree and all you can do it easy with a case backhoe that you can rent anywhere. if you cut it first it is alot harder to control and it will take a track hoe to get the stumps up

[topsites]

I would call around some rent-a-centers (or by any other name) and ask them about renting a larger unit skid steer loader or 4wd tractor w/ a bucket and if possible, grappling hook attachment and maybe a backhoe.

Because here's the thing: You can forget cutting down the trees unless they're huge and you're afraid they'll fall on you... I would just as soon see if the loader don't flat out push them over, maybe use the backhoe to help excavate some and then the grappling hooks to haul them around, you might need to cut it into a few large sections with the chainsaw due to weight and sheer size.
Hopefully you don't need but such a big machine, or you may find out why they were quoting 30k, or maybe they were wrong, idk...
But you'll need something more than a Toro dingo or an R-type, more than likely a midsize to large Bobcat and maybe even some smaller Caterpillar unit.

Cheap it ain't, it will likely run you several hundred / day (at least 300-400 but probably more like 600 - 700 i dont know but thereabouts) and if you rent this for an entire week you might get a small discount but it's still going to cost 3-5 grand, probably.
Usually they can deliver it and pick it up for you, thou this will cost extra but a few hundred maybe, then you have to pay for the fuel.
So, 4-6 thousand? I dunno, if my math is right, but those big machines are not that hard to operate, it just takes some time and patience, start out slow and become one with it. Seriously, it's nothing more than a couple of handles and foot pedals in most cases, the roughest part is adjusting to the learning curve but so long you start out slow it's no problem.

Just take it easy with the machine at first, go up to trees slow and bump them nice and easy and once you make solid contact then gradually increase power and see what happens. Some you may have to push and bump with a bit more persistence, but I think within a few hours or a half a day into it you will have got the hang of the machine for the most part.

Likely you can clear all that land in a few days, but I'd check on the price of a weekly rental to be on the safe side, and ask if you get some money back if done early.