best way to clear trees?

[newgarageguy]

Hey guys i have to clear a bunch of trees for my drive up to the area where i will build my garage and clear that area too. My question is what is the best method to clear the trees? for the "drive way" area i can prolly just cut them down and grind the stumps since i'm just putting gravel over it. but what about where i am going to need to grade/pour concrete for my building? any tips tricks or methods that would well? I'd like to keep the cost as low as possible on the project. I'm not sure what type of trees they are i like outside of sanford NC if anyone knows the types of trees.

 

[5lima30]

Hire or rent a trackhoe! I would avoid grinding the stumps for a driveway. They will decompose and you will have holes in your driveway. Been there done that!

 

[oscar80]

Most are pine in our area. Some oak. The pines are really easy with a trackhoe. How big are the trees you can rent a trackhoe in town and knock them over pretty easy. I am being told about 3k to have a lot cleared with the stumps removed.

Dave

 

[PaulR]

I'd find a friend with a wood stove myself.

 

[TurboCup87]

C4?

 

[7echo]

What 5lima30 said.

 

[trbomax]

I push them over with the JD 7730. Dont cut them down,the leverage that the whole tree provides makes pushing them over relativily easy. The maples are the toughest because they have a tap root. A maple over 15" or so I will usually dig around the stump with the hoe a little first. Like others said,dont grind them unless you are just putting grass over them,they will come back to haunt you!

 

[Buford T. Justice]

This worked for me...

 

[GeorgiaHybrid]

Wait for a friendly F3 or better tornado. 10 seconds per acre to knock them down and then a nice skid steer or crawler excavator to pile them up......

 

[Greatbear]

Daisy cutter.

 

[K'ledgeBldr]

A 953 works really well.

My grading guy depending on the size of the tree would either hook a trunk or just push it with the bucket up high for leverage. That would usually bring the tree down and the rootball up- kill two birds with one stone.

 

[larry_g]

The drift here is to push them over. You don't want any woody materials under your slab. The driveway if left with roots will have to have grading redone till all the woody material under it rots away. Once you have the trees out with a big hole where the root ball was then you have to fill and compact in 'lifts' or else the fill material will continue to sink till it compacts and this will ruin your slab.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[Falcon67]

You want as close to zero amount of organic material under the area where your slab will go. Get it all out. If there is a lot, you may have to water and pack the ground. IF it settles out from under it can weaken the slab.

 

[Steevo]

Get a big tractor and pull them roots and all.
You don't want to leave stumps/roots under a paved or concrete area.

 

[TruckJunkie]

I used a winch truck to clear my lot before building a garage and driveway. Placed a chain choker around the trunk 15' to 20' up, hooked the winch cable to it and pulled them over which brought up the roots as well. The biggest tree was a triple stemmed Maple with an average DBH of 8"-10" that had a root mass 12' across. I used the truck in my avatar, which weighs 8500 lbs and I did not use a brace or anchor, just the brakes to hold it in place.

 

[theoldwizard1]

Cat D9.

Push them over. Come back with the ripper claw.

 

[nehog]

... for the "drive way" area i can prolly just cut them down and grind the stumps since i'm just putting gravel over it. ...

Do not grind them in your driveway area... You will regret it as holes will open up after a few years, and continue to open for what seems like forever. That gravel on the drive won't matter one bit...

Dig out all tree stumps that are not in open areas where you can refill as needed when they rot!

In order to prevent rotting stump subsistence you must bury them about six feet down! Ask my neighbor, who has a 'stump dump' in his yard--every three or four years another truck load of loam to fill the hole! All because they were not buried deep enough by the original builder of the house.

 

[NUTTSGT]

The cheapest would to cut down the trees and burn out the stumps. Then have somebody dig out what is left when they dig the foundation. The biggest problem is time, it'll take a while to get this accomplished. Sometimes it's better to spend little to save a little time.

 

[SuperSocket]

Daisy cutter.

You get a swimming pool out of the deal too


Just get a large track hoe or dozer and mow them down.

 

[countryroad82]

Cat D5 did great for me, plus built my road and my house seat.

 

[1Garageman]

Make sure you take some pictures, and maybe even record it, and put it on this page!!!!

 

[CoyoteLL]

Bobcat can take out cedar elm trees. 9 of 'em, 20' tall. Took a bit of digging around them, but they are out, rootball and all. Took about 3.5 hours with a semi-experienced guy.

Just 3 weeks ago.

 

[f2hatch]

work for public works use their equipment and get paid to take down your own trees.

 

[newgarageguy]

^ wish i could! there is a guy down the road from me that has a 953 i think that has a sign on it that reads "for hire" so maybe i'll give him a call and inquire about his experience and price. I'm not going to hire just the cheapest "ol' guy with a dozer" unless i am confident he can do it safely, and the way i want it done.

 

[NUTTSGT]

^ wish i could! there is a guy down the road from me that has a 953 i think that has a sign on it that reads "for hire" so maybe i'll give him a call and inquire about his experience and price. I'm not going to hire just the cheapest "ol' guy with a dozer" unless i am confident he can do it safely, and the way i want it done.

Looks like you might be able to have the guy do it as some side work.

 

[Yotaforce]

Daisy cutter.

Lol

Just get a large track hoe or dozer and mow them down.

Dozer worked great for me as well. Best $600 I spent in the whole new home/garage construction/driveway process. Big truck shows up, unloads large dozer, spends 2 hours pushing ground, loads up, collects check, and I move onto paying the gravel trucks dropping stone on my new driveway less than 30 minutes later.

 

[f2hatch]

^ wish i could! there is a guy down the road from me that has a 953 i think that has a sign on it that reads "for hire" so maybe i'll give him a call and inquire about his experience and price. I'm not going to hire just the cheapest "ol' guy with a dozer" unless i am confident he can do it safely, and the way i want it done.

And remember with guys like him cash talks. A lot of the old timers know their stuff. And cash always gets the better price.