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boreality

boreality

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boreal forest
Could this little beauty be a tree guy's new best friend?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W100G7zOwBo

I've been running equipmentless for 7 years. Not that I want to do stumps but sending in my competitors to clean up my work doesn't seem like a good idea. I'm thinking this before a bucket, crane, chipper, grinder or grapple truck. I do only removals and development lot clearing so lots of material handeling. I don't prune because I don't know how or don't like it - all native trees up here that don't need pruning is the problem Mr. Dendro (in case you were wondering).
 
Why would you want a backhoe? From your description of the work you mostly get, a skid steer or articulating loader would be all you need.
7 years with no equipment? Dude you gotta look into lease financing.
 
Gotta go where the money is. Might as well dig the basement while I'm there and for proper stump removal. You could put a grinder on the unit. Debt = slavery. We got a megaboom going on for the long term. Maybe some landscraping.

The chucklehead that buys a bucket truck and calls himself a pro and competing with other pro/ams just doesn't seem to have that bright of a future. What differentiates a trained and skilled guy from the guy that got it done in the end doesn't seem to matter to the customer. The most popular question to qualify someone as a pro is "do you have a chipper". So I look like the least pro to the public even though I've been owning the market and getting it done quicker and better than the equipment jockeys. I think they'd pay a higher hourly rate if they smelled a little diesel. It's a weird world these days.

The big reason would be to develop my own properties. I could spin my wheels and make the 3%? profit for the next thirty years or I could see a few million $ profit in real estate development. Hmmm.
 
I thought you were talking about that machine for tree work. Multi use tool, sure. If you need to diversify to stay busy, sure. Pick your package. Trees and ???
 
I'm still just doing trees and was thinking it would the best single piece of machinery other than my faithful Suburban and trailer. Next would be a grapple truck then the bucket. I really don't want to do stumps but what can you do? I wanted a crane until I was told you can't ride the ball in Canada. No point to a crane then unless assisted by a bucket.
 
I'm pretty sure you'll be grossly displeased trying to dig stumps or basements with that backhoe, although the loader's 1345lb capacity is fair, skid steering isn't very friendly on yards.

It's a 6klb machine with a practical digging depth of ~6'.


An articulated loader, followed by a mini ex, then a compact track loader have proven to be a logical progression from tree work to both tree work and site contracting for myself. I'm thinking my next step is going to be a 12-20 ton excavator.


http://www.youtube.com/user/rutherfordconllc
 
Articulated would be good and an excavator that pivots 360 also good but I don't want to spend that much. I've had skid steers volunteer to take my logs and for sure after going to large effort not to leave a divot they come in and trash the lawn in one pass. I rarely see turf though. It's coming no doubt.
 
Weren't the angels singing during the video? Ahh JCB backhoe. I've always been recommending excavation over grinding. Primarily to keep the vultures out (greed) but also it leaves a better result than grinding in tree time. Mushroom growth from wood debris and future dips in the leveled ground. With no turf and boreal luvisolic soil the wood debris is irrelevant but like I say turf's coming. That's what humans do like my David Byrne's quote below.
 
Your probably right. How about the skid steer grinder attachment, it must compete with a purpose built grinding machine? Could still pimp out the bigger jobs.
 
The Kubota articulated loaders have a backhoe option.


Gotta pay to play! I've put 349 hours on my mini ex since 2/14, 227 hours on my CTL since 6/13, the price really doesn't matter, within reason.
 
I'm replacing my Kubota KX121-3 with a cab/air KX057-4 next week.

I can still use it for tree work, and the extra capacity and comfort will be nice for clearing and other niche work. I plan on making a second dipper for small scale long reach work as well as a stump grinding and mowing/mulcher attachments.

A forwarder (Gehl wheel loader(s) in my case) and the mini ex can sure slam out handling tree debris. The way I see the ex is as a small-medium log loader/knuckleboom that can drive around the job site as well as dig holes and run attachments. It also frees up payload on the truck since you're not hauling the loader to the dump.

By comparison:

KX057-4 weighs 13klbs, is rated to lift ~5klbs at a 10' radius, and costs ~$75k.

Prentice 2124 weighs 5700lbs and is rated to lift 8500lbs at a 10' radius. I couldn't find a price for them new, but I'm betting half of the excavator's cost.

A Serco 8500 weighs 7500lbs and can lift 8500lbs at a 10' radius.

Loaders can reach further than the mini ex and have a stronger lift chart, but are limited to being utilized as a loader where the truck can drive.

I plan on adding ~2-3' risers to my dump trailer's sides, giving me 35-41 yards of capacity for hauling tree debris. About half of Eric's or Joe's monsters without their pup trailer, however for a similar investment I have my 06 F550, dump trailer, new mini ex, new Gehl AL540 (or 140) and attachments, and have a bit over 10% of the money left over.


Still... for doing bulk tree work, those trucks are tough to beat! I want one if/when I get to the point of doing that much work!
 
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