[fitzg2md]

I have a customer who wants us to clear an area in his back yard of decently heavy brush. The area is about 150 feet long x 25 feet deep. Trees every 10 feet or so. Flat area. Other than getting in there with our hands and sheers... is there any type of brush hog or something I could rent? Remember...space is somewhat limited...but not horrible. Brush is dense. Also, where should I start with pricing? I know everyone has their own factors to think of...but I dont even really have a handle for how long a job like this would take. I dont own a skid steer...but maybe it would be worth renting...any attachments? Please help! Thanks. -MF

[fitzg2md]

maybe i should have posted this in the maintence section...

[Uncle Albert]

Someone will answer you, mine is that no matter how much debris you think you have add another 30yrds.with out knowing what type of jungle she has it may go faster than you think. Do the trees come down? is there alot of leaves? a brush hog could be good , gas trimmer.chainsaw.ect. a bobcat can work well also or if not worked properly,one hell of a mess. try to leave the containers up to the consumer. If you say three and need 5 you can loose big. That is if you use containers? I hope someone has more insight on this, its hard without seeing it. good luck

[fitzg2md]

yeah, i figured its hard to comment without a visual. The trees are staying, just opening it up. Thick 2 foot brush covering the whole area needs to come out. Im thinking of some type of brush mower that way it will chip it up and lead to less stuff to carry away. Guess ill take a look at what the local rental shop has.

[fitzg2md]

without being able to see it...does anyone have a rough estimate about how many man hours this would take you? Just trying to get a feel. Ive never used any type of bush hog before, and dont know if they are fast paced, or SLOW moving.

[Uncle Albert]

give a number with out seeing it .. OKAY two days + rentals, and a good hump fee you'll earn it.

[HardDaysKnight]

What is the area going to be used for?
Are you going to just mulch over the area?
What method of debris removal are you thinking of using?
Tell us more, so we can help you better.

[JohnIV]

Since you don't have any experience in this area I would bid it time and material with a minium and maximum amount of hours and a maximum # for disposal. Be very clear in your proposal. Let them know that you will be charging from your shop to the site and back to the shop.
You could get more help with this if you could post more information size of brush, if you have to haul the debris away, grind up stumps, etc.
Let us know.

[Fine Edge]

I don't know about a skid steer. Most of the time you will be doing lots of turning to get around existing trees and that will make for many ruts which I'm sure you'll have to repair. Nothing that some good clean fill dirt can't fix, but what kind of budget does your customer have?
This seems like one of those jobs where good old fashioned labor comes into play. We used to do quite a bit of brush clearing and aside from an occasional rental ( chipper ) there is not much material cost.
Time and material cost with a maximum time would be my best guess. Some people can get a little picky when it starts to get cleared out and then want more. I would try to convince your customer that it's really hard to put an exact price on this project but let's get my crew out here for x # of days at $$$ per day and see what you can get done.
If you come to the end of alloted time and they want it cleared even more than they can expect an extra billing of T & M.
Good Luck - sharpen the lopers, gas up the brush cutter & watch out for poison ivy!

[Uncle Albert]

this might be the job that you will be able to advise others on once you do this. You know you need a profit and you can see the job area. Give a price that if you do the job and its a tough one that you'll talk about for 8yrs. Price it so your happy at the end and learn from it. If this sounds like a bad idea ... DON'T do it . Hey it's SPRING move on ..Don't become exhausted on the estimate. good luck

[fitzg2md]

Great, thanks for the advice. Looks like Im just gonna go at it with manual labor, and maybe a walkbehind brush cutter (36" wide) and chaulk it up to a learning experience! Hahaha. Ill make a decent chunk of change on it, so Im happy. Also, they just signed the contract for 92 cubic yards of mulch @ roughly 70 bucks a yard, so that was an added bonus. Hes got a lot of cash, and if he wants to spend it, I can certianly help him!

[Uncle Albert]

what mulch.. have you seen the mulch from Katrina loaded with asskickin termites.. be careful.. and at 70.00$ a yrd you knew all along what was going on....!!!

[Lanelle]

Sorry, but the termite scare is just an internet urban legend. This is being debunked in many places including trade magazines. The following is what I received from my Extension Agent and the VNLA:

Here are the facts:



· As for the possible infestation of mulch with Formosan Subterranean Termites, the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry has quarantines in 12 infested parishes (counties). No wood or cellulose materials may be moved out of the quarantine areas without approval from state inspectors, including all materials from Katrina clean-up efforts.


The Mulch & Soil Council (MSC) has been working with the industry, government agencies and major retailers to create product certification standards for both mulch and soil. One of the conditions of certification is that no treated wood from construction and demolition (C&D) can be ground for use as mulch. Thus, mixed wood from the hurricane cleanup would not be allowed in any MSC Certified mulch



· Louisiana State University termite expert Dr. Dennis Ring explained that this termite was introduced into this country after World War II; it has been around for more than 50 years. The Formosan Subterranean Termite prefers a moist environment at approximately 57°F (14°C). According to experts, the practical survivability of a soft-bodied insect withstanding the violent environment inside the mulch grinding process or the high temperatures (130°F – 160°F) of mulch packages and pallet stacks is extremely unlikely.



· Dr. William Fonteno (of North Carolina State University and program director for the Mulch & Soil Council Product Certification Program) inspected over 500 bags of mulch and soil products taken from retail stores in 2005. No products inspected from anywhere in the country had any live termite presence—not a single bag.



For More information please visit these websites:



The MSC press release can be found at the following URL:
http://www.mulchandsoilcouncil.org/I...ssrelease.html

Multiple websites have begun providing information debunking the widely circulated Internet message. Here are a few resources you may wish to

From the National Plant Board:
http://www.nationalplantboard.org/la_mulch.html

From Snopes.com Rumor Website:
http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/household/termites.asp

From Texas Nursery & Landscape Assn:
http://www.tnlaonline.org/#merchant

From Texas A&M Extension:
http://agnews.tamu.edu/dailynews/sto...O/Mar0306a.htm

From Louisiana State University:
http://www.lsuagcenter.com/en/enviro...ana+follow.htm

http://www.lsuagcenter.com/en/enviro...a+and+Rita.htm

From Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry:
http://www.ldaf.state.la.us/aboutlda...ase.asp?id=542

From Chron.com media tracker:
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/3700489.html

[Uncle Albert]

Wow thanks for the info. The local chamber of commerce felt the need to send us a download on this . So now i can correct this. thanks.