If you have some time, do a search as there is a bunch of stuff from Minimax and others recently.

 

Hello. I read your post and thought I might reply as it is my everyday job to consult people who are current mulching contractors or those who are considering it to diversify their existing business.
Your excavator is a bit small for mulching anything other than very light brush. There are mulching attachments (Fecon does not make one that small) that will fit your excavator but performance will be minimal. I might suggest a better approach to test the waters would be to rent a mulcher, either on a skid steer or excavator for the first job and then see if it fits your desires. I can refer distributors who rent them. The smallest excavator mulcher fecon makes fits a 7-15 ton machine.

 

I'm not sure where the fecon guy is located but if he's mulching trees for $450/acre and it's anything more than very light, sparse brush, I think he's lowballing. Down here we get about $1200-$1600 per acre. I recently saw a contract that averaged $1100 per acre for over 1000 acres using bigger machines.

The specs on your machine are not too different from my Bobcat 335? I think that would allow me to mulch only light 1-3" brush. If you got really good, you might be able to make the machine do more but it would still be slow.

 

I'm not sure where the fecon guy is located but if he's mulching trees for $450/acre and it's anything more than very light, sparse brush, I think he's lowballing. Down here we get about $1200-$1600 per acre. I recently saw a contract that averaged $1100 per acre for over 1000 acres using bigger machines.

The specs on your machine are not too different from my Bobcat 335? I think that would allow me to mulch only light 1-3" brush. If you got really good, you might be able to make the machine do more but it would still be slow.

I don't know the mulching/mowing business very well, but I also thought $450.00 and acre is pretty low. From the projects I've seen him do, it looks like thick under brush and trees up to 6".

The type of work I was hoping to do, would be to work along with this guy doing the "surgical" removal of the places he can't get to. Again, it would only be the smaller stuff.
I got a price on an RDM mower for my bigger excavator, but at $28,000, I don't see the work around here for a machine like that....yet.

 

I don't know the mulching/mowing business very well, but I also thought $450.00 and acre is pretty low. From the projects I've seen him do, it looks like thick under brush and trees up to 6".

The type of work I was hoping to do, would be to work along with this guy doing the "surgical" removal of the places he can't get to. Again, it would only be the smaller stuff.
I got a price on an RDM mower for my bigger excavator, but at $28,000, I don't see the work around here for a machine like that....yet.

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What size is your larger excavator? I may know of a better solution
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What size is your larger excavator? I may know of a better solution
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Kobelco SR135.....
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Kobelco SR135.....
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Most excellent! Thumbs Up

 

Most excellent! Thumbs Up

It's been a great machine. I ordered it with a hydraulic coupler and hydraulic thumb. Does everything I need and its pretty easy on fuel too. :drinkup:

 

It's been a great machine. I ordered it with a hydraulic coupler and hydraulic thumb. Does everything I need and its pretty easy on fuel too. :drinkup:

I had an 135 with lots of hours, was a great hoe.

 

That machine will handle the fecon CEM36 and will mulch 6 inch diameter material all day. This attachment is about 20K. Check it out on you tube. Search fecon cem 36
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That machine will handle the fecon CEM36 and will mulch 6 inch diameter material all day. This attachment is about 20K. Check it out on you tube. Search fecon cem 36
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That's a pretty slick unit. I also saw the Advanced Forest Products "mulcher" too, that is the most interesting to me so far. Fecon makes good stuff, for sure. Do you know of any dealers in Michigan who work with theses types of units?

How much does it take to set one up on my machine? I have the plumbing in place and the controls in the joysticks, as well as the nibble/breaker circuit.

 

It should run well off of a hammer circuit if you have one. Most excavators in this size class can run them without a priority valve installation so its just a matter of a case drain line and guarding for the front of your excavator (1/2 Lexan or poly carbonate equivalent). It should be under $2,000.00 for the case drain and guarding and the unit itself is $20,750.00. I know Vermeer Michigan is a distributor for this unit.
The AFE is a decent performer too but tends to throw material laterally and doesn't mulch material nearly as well. The CEM36 directs material downward and doesn't leave the baseball bats. It also can be purchased with a thumb receiver so you can use a thumb with it.