I have used a 28,000lb excavator that did in fact have a front blade.

 

Sorry Double post.

Which brings up another question, anyone else having the website completely lock up during posting? I have made other posts and they didn't show up so I just gave up.

 

Sorry never saw a blade on anything but a mine excavator.
In different areas people call each different piece of equipment something a little different.
I'm calling a big track hoe an excavator. Some call loaders/dozers and pans excavators. Some call a pan a scarper. I D K. lol

 

No, really. What about dynomite? There are people/companies that do this sort of thing. You don't do it yourself. I imagine you would need a special license or something. I'm thinking a demolition outfit. Just a thought.

 

IDK what advantage (other than the cool factor) TNT would have over an excavator.

 

Much smaller and lighter. Would make for a better video, but I guess that's all part of the cool factor. Not that there's anything wrong with the cool factor!

 

THE FIREWOOD splits itself

 

I am not sure on the ground conditions you have there but if it is somewhere a truck could drive then you will want to hire a company to grind them down for you. They don't need to be all the way out, do they? Most people grind them down 8-10". That should be enough for you. If it isn't really a property you could drive a truck on then you will want to hire a tree company that has a self-propelled stump grinder. One on tracks would be best.

Using an excavator is fine except you have to get rid of the stumps. Using a stump grinder will chew them up into wood chips. Much easier to get rid of (spread them around).

Call around. You may be surprised on the cost.

-Matt

P.S. By the way, I am an Arborist by trade. So, I know what I am talking about...ask Jake00.

 

I was actually thinking of leaving the trees standing and hire a bulldozer to come out and push them over, as long as it wouldn't cut the price on the timber.

I would think that a timber company would pay more for an oak that's been pushed over, stump and all. All they would need to do is cut the top and trim the branches. Sound logical?

I've got a few more things that a bulldozer could do around here, so I think that would be the best route. Pushing over a full-standing tree with a D8 Cat shouldn't be a problem at all.

Nightrain

 

ive seen attatchments for front end loaders, bobcats, trakhoes and such that slid 3 or 4 claws down around a tree and twisted (cut the roots) and then moved the tree. if its a 20+ yr ld oak i doubt it would work, but for wsmall trees it shouldnt be a problem

 

Yeah but the daily rental on a D8 might be a little hard to take.

 

Nope, shouldn't be much of a problem at all. It is kind of fun too.

I'm in the same spot as you, in that I have 20+ stumps to remove around my pole building. They range in size from 6" to 30" at the ground, all oak. I've contacted a couple different outfits that do grinding, but have never heard back from them. I'm looking into renting an excavator and doing it myself. If I can't find one to rent, I'll most likely hire it out and have whoever does the work haul the stumps away too. I need to lower the grade on 2 sides of my shed 12" or so, so the excavator can be used for that as well.

 

Ain't that the truth!

I've got a cousin in the dozing business that does different jobs state-wide. I used one of his D3 Cats a few years ago at my dad's farm to cut a new fence line through the woods. I had it for a week in between jobs and to borrow it, all I had to do was pay the haul bill at the local trucking outfit from the finished job site to dad's farm. It was $375, and I had it for 6 straight days. All I had to do was put diesel in it and fill it up when I was done. I forgot now how much I had in it when it was all said and done, but it wasn't bad. An equipment rental place 70 miles away from here wanted $220 a day for a D3, plus insurance, delivery/pickup, and diesel with a full tank on return.

So, in that experience, I wasn't bad off at all.

Now, if I could catch him in between jobs with, say a D6 or bigger, I'd be in business as well!

Probably be winter time before that, though... That's when he's at his slowest.

Nightrain

 

You could always get you a TONKA toy or 2!

 

I heard that. Just sit down in the dirt and go right to work.

Nightrain