Tablerock Ranch eastern Wa | We have a 400 series Hitachi that weighs 50 plus tons "overkill" but I have rented many smaller machines so lets use a 250 class machine for example as I feel that size machine would work well and save fuel, if I did your job being a fast and efficient operator I figure I could process at least 2 acres a day, this may be just short of a WAG "guess" and I would allow 7 to 8 gallons per hour, lets say 10 hours for 2 acres or 40 gallons per acre. The process I would use would require a ground man with chain saw separating the stump and root ball from the sectioned trees, I would punch roads straight though from point a to point b and work 50 feet on either side creating bunks periodically down the length of the access road, I would keep the log bunks a full reach from loading road so as to be able to reach pile from anywhere in the fifty feet, this would create 100 processed feet when cleared and every 430 feet would represent one acre, when finished one could drive trucks or tractor pulled trailers down each road removing either both log bunks or stump piles, I would bunk in as even log lengths as possible ? maybe 20' ? my swing power on my 400 would probably push trees over but I would push straight on with a 250, if you rent the machine and are new to this you will want to face the tree with tracks straight towards tree and push with stick boom and bucket curl, never use track power to push tree ! and of course your rental machine will need a thumb or don't even try ! I would allow up to $4000 rental for 160 hour month rent plus fuel so one acre could be done for say $160 per acre during this aspect of clearing. I would shop hard at getting hourly prices to hire outside contractor, who knows maybe you will get lucky and save money ? a good operator will be needed to keep rental time in check if you keep it in house !
best of luck sounds like fun ! |
Clearing wind blown trees
