Site Prep Costs

[sjvicker]

Last year my wife and I bought 25 acres in SW Washington that we intend to build a barndominum on in the next 5-10 years. We'll need to flatten about 1 acre of property which includes digging out any stumps we find, driveway install, septic install and maybe burying a cistern.

I'm starting to shop tractors and am adding up the numbers on if it's worthwhile for me to buy a Kubota L2501 and do the work myself over a few years or hire it out. My gut tells me in the long run purchasing a tractor is the way to go since it can be used for maintenance and anything else for years to come, and this kind of work is fun. Also Kubota seems to always have amazing financing.

Can anyone weigh in on if you've faced a similar situation and how you figured out if it was worthwhile to buy a tractor and DIY? Also, based on your past projects does anyone have any ballpark cost numbers on cutting a driveway through heavily wooded terrain and grading property?

 

[rjacobs]

A quick google search says those tractors are 15-18k bucks depending on what "accessories" you get... They also look pretty light duty for what you are talking about needing to get done. Anything that doesnt take a semi truck to haul is probably a bit light for what you are wanting to accomplish.

I got a buddy that runs heavy earth moving equipment. He would laugh at your plan with a small tractor like that.

He would then suggest hiring it out to somebody with real equipment.

A big dozer is ~1500-2000 a day to operate when hired out. A backhoe is less than that(but not much less). I would guess leveling your acre would be a 2 day project depending on how much dirt needs to be moved, stumps pulled, etc... Driveway, who knows how long it could take depending on how long it is. Septic might be 2 days with a backhoe... Your "plan" doesnt give anybody enough info to make any kind of an educated guess.

 

[Richard Cranium]

With 25 acres you will want a tractor any way.

 

[LB-1911]

^

Last year my wife and I bought 25 acres in SW Washington that we intend to build a barndominum on in the next 5-10 years. We'll need to flatten about 1 acre of property which includes digging out any stumps we find, driveway install, septic install and maybe burying a cistern.

I'm starting to shop tractors and am adding up the numbers on if it's worthwhile for me to buy a Kubota L2501 and do the work myself over a few years or hire it out. My gut tells me in the long run purchasing a tractor is the way to go since it can be used for maintenance and anything else for years to come, and this kind of work is fun. Also Kubota seems to always have amazing financing.

Can anyone weigh in on if you've faced a similar situation and how you figured out if it was worthwhile to buy a tractor and DIY? Also, based on your past projects does anyone have any ballpark cost numbers on cutting a driveway through heavily wooded terrain and grading property?

Southwest Washington is a geographical area of the State of Washington, comprising roughly half of Western Washington.[a] It generally includes the Olympia area south to Vancouver at the Oregon-Washington state line


Depending on what county your in where you want to build and where you'll be allowed to bldg could very well be different especially in 5 to 10 years.

Disregard - if you have already submitted a site plan with the projected location and have approval.

 

[marineman]

That tractor would be great for maintaining the 25 acres once you're built. With what you've described it's not even in the ballpark for doing the initial work. My tractor is older but very similar weight and power (JD 955 little more hp, little less weight), I'm proud of what she'll do but if you asked me to come out and do that I'd tell you you had the wrong guy.

If you can afford both, buy the tractor and go for it until you get frustrated and give up then hire the rest out. If you can only afford one or the other hire it out, otherwise you'll be stuck beating the hell out of your nice new $20k toy doing work that's not fun anymore.

 

[sjvicker]

A quick google search says those tractors are 15-18k bucks depending on what "accessories" you get... They also look pretty light duty for what you are talking about needing to get done. Anything that doesnt take a semi truck to haul is probably a bit light for what you are wanting to accomplish.

I got a buddy that runs heavy earth moving equipment. He would laugh at your plan with a small tractor like that.

He would then suggest hiring it out to somebody with real equipment.

A big dozer is ~1500-2000 a day to operate when hired out. A backhoe is less than that(but not much less). I would guess leveling your acre would be a 2 day project depending on how much dirt needs to be moved, stumps pulled, etc... Driveway, who knows how long it could take depending on how long it is. Septic might be 2 days with a backhoe... Your "plan" doesnt give anybody enough info to make any kind of an educated guess.

I know my "plan" isn't really a plan but it's been enough to get some solid opinions so far.

Sent from my Nexus 9 using The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[sjvicker]

That tractor would be great for maintaining the 25 acres once you're built. With what you've described it's not even in the ballpark for doing the initial work. My tractor is older but very similar weight and power (JD 955 little more hp, little less weight), I'm proud of what she'll do but if you asked me to come out and do that I'd tell you you had the wrong guy.

If you can afford both, buy the tractor and go for it until you get frustrated and give up then hire the rest out. If you can only afford one or the other hire it out, otherwise you'll be stuck beating the hell out of your nice new $20k toy doing work that's not fun anymore.

Good idea. Maybe purchase one to use on the lighter projects and hire out when/if the job gets too big. This doesn't help justify the cost of buying one but knowing that I'd probably rent one every few years anyways and I could most likely still do the septic and a few other projects with it helps.



Sent from my Nexus 9 using The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[thehighwayman]

No way I’d even consider doing that with a tractor. Rent a dozer for a weekend and have some fun. Buy the tractor a little later, you can use it for the finish work eventually.

 

[yucholian]

You will need a tractor anyway, but will be a pain to prep an acre with it, rent a smaller dozer and a mini excavator. To maintain 25 acres, get a bigger tractor than 25HP. Kubotas are awesome, I have one. But you can save few bucks by going with Kioti or Mahindra if there is a dealer near by.

 

[joe--h]

And what about the tractor for 5 - 10 years? Going to leave it on site or trailer it home with you?
If on site how do you plan to secure it and cover it?

That little tractor is not up to doing what you're planning, a full size backhoe isn't either. Mine weighs more than twice what that Kubota does & I wouldn't consider it.

Joe H

 

[speed bump]

I would start saving and have someone else do it. A tractor is only one piece of the puzzle, a dozer, a dump truck, an excavator, loader, grader, and roller compactor will come into the play.

 

[ace10]

A 25hp, 2500lb sub compact tractor to do site prep?

 

[minytrker]

Growing up on a 100 acres in the country with lots of time on tractors a 25hp tractor wouldnt even be close what you need for your project. I wouldnt buy less than a 50hp with 4x4 and a loader.

I would hire a professional to do the site and road or atleast rough it in. It would take forever without the proper equipment. I run a dozer sometimes (no professional) and I would still pay someone for what you need done. A professional with do so much faster it will save money in the long run.

 

[James-W]

I tend to agree with the "hire it done" crowd. Trying to do a job with equipment that isn't big enough to do the work isn't the best idea.

 

[MushCreek]

I tried to clear 1/2 acre of stumps, small trees, and brush with my old Ford tractor- 48 hp and 4,000 lbs. I couldn't budge any tree more than 4" or so. I had a guy come in with a track loader, and he had it cleared and pushed into a pile in 4 hours. You will need a tractor for other stuff, though.

 

[JamesW84]

you don't say anything about removing trees. Without a couple pictures, you're getting guesses. You can dig stumps with a backhoe, but I wouldn't want to try it with a tractor mounted backhoe. The backhoe won't grade well at all. How long will this road be?

I'd look at paying a pro for the driveway and maybe rent a backhoe or dozer to play with for the stumps. A mini x for the septic. Don't try a mini-x for the stumps.

How much dirt do you have to move to "level" the site? I had to move about 400 yards to level mine. It involved a lot of seat time digging and then moving with my full size backhoe. Do you want to spend a year or two working on this project in your spare time or have it done in a week or two and write a check? That question is only valid if you have the proper equipment, which we're not sure of yet.

 

[sjvicker]

Looks like the feedback is all leaning one direction and I over estimated what can be done with these little tractors. But it still sounds like I wouldn't regret the purchase and still get lots of use out of it.

Right now it's a camp property and we spend about 8 weekends a year out there. If I bought a tractor I'd get a container dropped off to store it in.

Sent from my Nexus 9 using The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[HoosierMark]

You bought the property to enjoy it. Right now it seems like a great adventure to clear the land and build on. What it really becomes is a job for you. Listen to people who have been thru it. Make a decision about what you want cleared and hire a pro. Then spend your time fine tuning the site for your enjoyment. You will have fun but not be overwhelmed. The last thing you want to do is work every weekend and not make much progress. When you see how fast and easy a pro does the work with the right equipment you will be glad you spent the money. Do not forget about septic sites, any utility lines, future building sites etc. when you hire the work done. Clean out more then you think you need. Vegetation grows fast. Do you want fruit trees, garden, etc, do not forget about space for this stuff. How about an RV site for when your friends come to visit? plan, plan, plan.

 

[finn]

I have a 40 hp Kioti ck4010, about the size of your proposed tractor, maybe a little bigger.

These tractors are fine for maintenance, but not designed for heavy earth moving.

Before I bought my mini excavator, I looked at a 4wd JCB tub. By memory, it weighed in the vicinity of 14000 lb, and could put a dent in your project, at least. You would still probably need a doser.

Part of the fun of these projects is learning to run the machinery. I bought a skid steer for a project, and instead of reselling it a year later, as per the original plan, kept it for ten years.

Ended up selling it for the original purchase price.

 

[larry_g]

I would never consider that small of a rig to do much more than garden work. Now if your on the flat valley floor you might get away with it. However SW Washington covers anything from sandy loam to rock shale to granite that produce boulders 2x the size of that rig. Between my son and I we have a full size backhoe, small crawler, 15k excavator, and a couple of tractors. That said when he built his house he brought in a big excavator and Cat to do the hard work as there were a lot of trees and digging through shale that our smaller equipment would not touch. For digging work an excavator is easier to use but for moving materials the backhoe does it better.

Like said above without knowing the terrain and soil type it's impossible to say what you need to prep the site. A few pictures and location would help.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[kj_mustang]

I bought a new tractor this year to use on my 10 acres. Before that I rented/borrowed skidloaders, mini-backhoes, and mini-excavators to do work on my garage and home building project. What I figured out before buying, you need to look at the future uses of that equipment and what you really need short term and long term because they cost a bunch of money. If you need to move a lot of dirt and gravel, a less than 3500 lb tractor with loader is a total waste of money. It doesn't have enough weight to get traction at the wheels to fill the bucket. You will make a bunch of partially full trips. A small backhoe doesn't have enough power to dig through the hard stuff and is short in reach. A small tractor can't handle a 5' or 6' bushhog without the weight of a loader or counter weights on the front to hold it down. Wet, soft ground or hilly terrain better buy 4WD. I bought a 40 hp 4wd LS tractor that weighs over 4900 lbs with the loader so I have enough PTO hp to run the hay equipment if I have to in the future. It has done everything I need so far. If I need a trench dug in the future, renting a mini excavator.

 

[TractorJeff]

You bought the property to enjoy it. Right now it seems like a great adventure to clear the land and build on. What it really becomes is a job for you. Listen to people who have been thru it. Make a decision about what you want cleared and hire a pro. Then spend your time fine tuning the site for your enjoyment. You will have fun but not be overwhelmed. The last thing you want to do is work every weekend and not make much progress. When you see how fast and easy a pro does the work with the right equipment you will be glad you spent the money. Do not forget about septic sites, any utility lines, future building sites etc. when you hire the work done. Clean out more then you think you need. Vegetation grows fast. Do you want fruit trees, garden, etc, do not forget about space for this stuff. How about an RV site for when your friends come to visit? plan, plan, plan.

True the Erie Canal was dug with shovels and picks, dirt was loaded into scoops to be dragged with horses.
It is "Fun" for you and your wife to go up a couple of weekends to do this kind of work.
But!
When it comes time to really dig, then hire it done!
You won't regret it as you will still enjoy being there verses never ending weekends of moving small amounts of dirt.

 

[onlyn8v]

I had an old Case 580ck with a hoe. I started clearing my property a few years ago with it. It would take forever just to remove stumps. I sold it, and got

My suggestion, Rent Dozer for original site prep then buy a tractor for day- to-day

My father in law owns a general contracting company on Whidbey if you need someone and you are near there.