Nasty jobs

[Reach]

Obviously it’s an expenditure for work that might not be the most fun. Have you considered a forestry mulcher / flail mower head for your avant? Could just mow into brush piles and plow the chips around.
Granted I’m using my imagination of your work area, eterra seems to have some good (not cheap) options.
One of their sales reps lives on the island and I tried demoing one, unfortunately some hydraulic safety valve went off on the head, and it wouldn’t work.
When I get around to it, I’d like to give it another shot.

Can an Avant effectively power one of those? Mulchers require a lot of horsepower, we run one on an SVL97, and in my opinion it barely has enough power.

 

[Mick Dempsey]

Can an Avant effectively power one of those? Mulchers require a lot of horsepower, we run one on an SVL97, and in my opinion it barely has enough power.

My 760 runs a flail nicely.
Wouldn’t compete with a tractor with a PTO, but clears brambles etc really quickly.
80 litres a minute btw. Don’t know what that is in American Quail bladders per moonrise or whatever you use.

 

[Serf Life]

Don’t know what that is in American Quail bladders per moonrise or whatever you use.

Made my day, freaking hilarious

 

[evo]

Can an Avant effectively power one of those? Mulchers require a lot of horsepower, we run one on an SVL97, and in my opinion it barely has enough power.

The one I attempted to try was for a mini skid.. very steep price if 10k and rated for 3-4” material.

Something I would certainly try before I buy.

Sidewinder Mini Skid Steer Brush Cutter

Our Sidewinder Mini Skid Steer Brush Cutter features a high-speed dual-blade system and rugged design for cutting heavy brush on any job site.

www.eterra-usa.com

I’ve thought it might be good for dropping a Doug fir, limbing it, yanking the log and run this over the limbs a few times

 

[Reach]

The one I attempted to try was for a mini skid.. very steep price if 10k and rated for 3-4” material.

Something I would certainly try before I buy.

Sidewinder Mini Skid Steer Brush Cutter

Our Sidewinder Mini Skid Steer Brush Cutter features a high-speed dual-blade system and rugged design for cutting heavy brush on any job site.

www.eterra-usa.com

I’ve thought it might be good for dropping a Doug fir, limbing it, yanking the log and run this over the limbs a few times

That makes sense. The one we run is rated for 8” material, I think it cost about $40-50k new, but I don’t remember for sure.

That flail mower looks like a good option for high grass and brush mowing, but flails don’t really do trees, I’m not too sure it would work real well to shred up Doug Fir limbs. Might be worth a try, but im just not real confident it would work well.

 

[evo]

That makes sense. The one we run is rated for 8” material, I think it cost about $40-50k new, but I don’t remember for sure.

That flail mower looks like a good option for high grass and brush mowing, but flails don’t really do trees, I’m not too sure it would work real well to shred up Doug Fir limbs. Might be worth a try, but im just not real confident it would work well.

Gotcha, the motivation was more small saplings, black berries, Scott’s broom and the like. Hoping for some versatility with some limby brush.
All along the lines of wildfire mitigation work.
I never got a chance to run it, but wasn’t impressed with the 36” width on a wide track machine

 

[Reach]

Gotcha, the motivation was more small saplings, black berries, Scott’s broom and the like. Hoping for some versatility with some limby brush.
All along the lines of wildfire mitigation work.
I never got a chance to run it, but wasn’t impressed with the 36” width on a wide track machine

That makes sense, and it would probably handle that. I would expect it to be narrow though, due to the horsepower required to run it.

We run a 72” rotary brush mower on a 74 hp skid loader, and it handles it well. Never run a flail, but I would expect the power to be similar. Keep in mind, when dealing with hydraulic drive attachments, only about half the engine horsepower is available at the attachment.

This is the mulcher we run, it gives that SVL97 a serious workout.

 

[96coal449]

That makes sense, and it would probably handle that. I would expect it to be narrow though, due to the horsepower required to run it.

We run a 72” rotary brush mower on a 74 hp skid loader, and it handles it well. Never run a flail, but I would expect the power to be similar. Keep in mind, when dealing with hydraulic drive attachments, only about half the engine horsepower is available at the attachment.

This is the mulcher we run, it gives that SVL97 a serious workout.

Wish we had that today.

Spent today on commercial property, pushing the "woods" back to the previous line. Property sat abandoned for several years. New owner investing and wanted the grass line reestablished. All bush work, small saplings, Low branches with a pole saw, and vines. Oh god, the vines ..... I hate vines.

We all wore long sleeve shirts and gloves to protect from ivy. I'm normally unaffected by it's oils but, followed suit anyways. In the heat, sun blaring, and all work done by hand.

Skidsteer, with A/C, brush mower, a commfy seat would have been heaven sent. Want to come up north?

LOL

 

[Reach]

Wish we had that today.

Spent today on commercial property, pushing the "woods" back to the previous line. Property sat abandoned for several years. New owner investing and wanted the grass line reestablished. All bush work, small saplings, Low branches with a pole saw, and vines. Oh god, the vines ..... I hate vines.

We all wore long sleeve shirts and gloves to protect from ivy. I'm normally unaffected by it's oils but, followed suit anyways. In the heat, sun blaring, and all work done by hand.

Skidsteer, with A/C, brush mower, a commfy seat would have been heaven sent. Want to come up north?

LOL

I share your opinion of vines. With a mess like that, I usually push hard to get the property owner to let us “mulch in place” the whole works, and then refer a landscaper who can rake it and seed it.

I’m sure you can find a rental company with a mower or mulcher you can rent, it’s definitely worth it for some projects. We are a bit equipment heavy, so we try not to take on projects that are too terribly labor intensive, but we will if necessary. We also have a couple great rental companies locally - I can hook you up with one to rent a mulcher if need be, they send machines all over the place, so I’m sure they can ship it to you, but it might be a little expensive…

 

[Mick Dempsey]

Here’s the flail on my 750 which moves 70 litres a minute. This was hard work, but 20x faster than using a brush cutter. You can forget woody saplings etc. it just strips the bark.
I would hesitate to sell work like this as a stand alone service, But this was part of a bigger tree job and client was very pleased.

 

[96coal449]

I share your opinion of vines. With a mess like that, I usually push hard to get the property owner to let us “mulch in place” the whole works, and then refer a landscaper who can rake it and seed it.

I’m sure you can find a rental company with a mower or mulcher you can rent, it’s definitely worth it for some projects. We are a bit equipment heavy, so we try not to take on projects that are too terribly labor intensive, but we will if necessary. We also have a couple great rental companies locally - I can hook you up with one to rent a mulcher if need be, they send machines all over the place, so I’m sure they can ship it to you, but it might be a little expensive…

I was just an Indian on that job. Helping my buddy who's semi ''retired.'' He still does work for his better clients. Sold chipper, truck, and all the heavy equipment, save the log truck.
Job went fairly smooth, overall. The edge of woods follows a ravine, where all the debris was tossed. We had the man power for it. Made for a short day, and everyone got paid well.

Thanks for your reply, Reach. I will keep your advice in memory.

 

[Mark Chisholm]

@Mark Chisholm posting pictures and videos in the swamps working with his guys has been inspirational to me.

Appreciate that Ryan. I'm glad it's useful. I will say that I learned it all from my father though

 

[Mark Chisholm]

Appreciate that Ryan. I'm glad it's useful. I will say that I learned it all from my father though

I just bid this fun job. Large oak out front with 34.5 kv lines along the front of it and a dead Oak over obstacles that is out back and all of that has to be brought through a gate with an arch way.

 

[Reach]

I just bid this fun job. Large oak out front with 34.5 kv lines along the front of it and a dead Oak over obstacles that is out back and all of that has to be brought through a gate with an arch way.

Looks like great fun! I hope you sent an air mattress along with the quote, to catch the guy when he falls over after he sees the number!

 

[southsoundtree]

Would it be cost effective for the arch/fence to be removed?

We just did some backyard work with a 2' gate. PITA, but just minor pruning.

 

[Serf Life]

Get @oceans over with his back yard crane

 

[Bendroctanus]

I just bid this fun job. Large oak out front with 34.5 kv lines along the front of it and a dead Oak over obstacles that is out back and all of that has to be brought through a gate with an arch way.

 

[oceans]

Get @oceans over with his back yard crane

That would be a treat!

 

[cory]

I just bid this fun job.

Keep us posted on this beefy job!

 

[oceans]

I’ve been having an interesting dilemma since I started doing my own work instead of doing mostly contract climbing. Especially this year when work has been challenging to line up and bidding has been tight at times, I’ve had a hard time saying “no” to any type of work even if it is unpleasant and not “tree work.” From nasty chipping projects, to removing huge clumps of thorny rose hedge, to weedwacking, we have done quite a few things that normally I would have said “call a landscaper.” I think that part of this has been that we have inherited a huge number of clients from a local arborist who now only does consulting. It is my impression that he did a lot of things for his clients that I would’ve normally passed on. But these are clients that we have been given and they were his clients for 10-25 years so they go with whoever he recommends.

Do you find that as you become better established as a company that you start to get to be more picky about what you do? Do you do things for good long term clients that with a new client you would pass on? I think I might just be stuck in a scarcity mindset and just want to make sure my guys have plenty of hours. Being an employer for the first time has been challenging for me. Finding that balance between keeping people busy and working too much is tricky especially in a feast or famine year where the work flow has been sporadic.

My opinion is that if it is even close to being in your wheel house, say “yes”. I also think if you’re interested in a type of work that you may not be totally equipped for, say “yes”, as long as you can follow through. Some people definitely like leaning toward one-stop shopping, and if they are absentee for part of the year, they can find comfort In leaning on fewer companies they can trust, rather than a pile of specialists. Saying yes to more than just one type of work can also lead to referrals in veins you want to be in, or onto properties you want to be on.

This is my opinion, but I live in a rural enough area that I can “cross-train” until the cows come home. Literally. I could likely survive on strictly tree work alone, but I absolutely LOVE some diversity in my working life, and I’ve been able to equip in a way that’s truly diversified. I think this is helpful in economic swings. If one type of elective work is slower, you can probably stay busy with something else.

For instance, when it came time to mechanize, I leaned on years of prior experience with operating large excavators. I bought a mini excavator instead of a skid steer. Now I can offer brush mowing, invasive management, stc…never mind how awesome it is for chipping crane picks.

In the end, the way you set yourself up is your vision, but I have found that the values that led me to become the best arborist I could be have lent to people seeking us out in other avenues that I truly enjoy, and in which I can flow with the same convictions.