I am wanting some help bidding a job Ok it's someone's yard that had trees took out by a pulpwooder and left the stumps cut off close to ground the yard is about the size of a football field sloping up but not steep it has about 40 to 50 stumps about 18-20 inch dia. No haul off just dig and pile and haul 4 loads of topsoil in to fill stump holes and just smooth out entire area
What are you using to dig stumps and what type of stumps? How picky are they about ground disturbance? To mean do you have to walk a machine around on mats or can you drive through the yard and push the stumps? Around here to take 50 stumps out of a football field yard you could gave it turned upside down and have to regrade it all before you got done, or you could just pluck em out depending on the type of tree. John
There mostly pine stumps it's a wide open yard just diggin em and pile em I'm thinking of renting and a 160 size track hoe and use my skid steer to push to pile and smooth up yard after stumps are dug up
For those of you from other parts of the country, a typical southern yellow pine that size will have a 10 ft tap root, and many other roots. You will typically dig down about 5' on three sides before pulling it out. I use a 200 class hoe and will usually do one every 10-15 minutes, including filling in the hole. Be careful with these, they may think you will pile it and leave it; then they'll toss in a match and it''ll burn up clean. When it doesn't, they might show everybody in the county and tell them you left a terrible mess.
I agree with Mitch504, the pines I pulled had what I called feeler roots they run for a long way and usually connect with each other. I started a fire on a root once and burned it down to where I was happy, I then doused it heavily with water. 2 days later a fire sprung up out of the ground about 60' further back into the woods, it followed the root system. The scary part is that this all took place during the rainy season in the Adirondacks. If the roots are covered in clay they can be as tough as nails and last that way for years even though they're dead. I'd use an excavator with a ripper, makes much less of a mess and you won't need near as much fill when done.
Yes I'm very familiar with the pine stumps I've been clearing and grading for 16 yrs and told the people who want the work done that it would be a big pile of stumps that would a long time rot and burn ,they said they was aware of that .the reason I was asking since the depression it's hard to make any money on a job so I put it on here to get opinions on what you guys think it should cost its kind of a long haul for me and I got other work going on so I was gonna bid it the way it should be to make decent money and if I don't get it fine with me renting a hoe I've got to be covered I'm figuring 2 days on a hoe and a day to dress up with a skid plus my skid will be running to push stumps and pile
Sounds about right to me. A 160 costs about 800 a day just together it on the job here, plus fuel and labor. I'd think prolly 2 days on the akod by the time you push the stumps very far and regrade it all. I'd be looking to pair that job with another to use the 160 on. If you rent it three days you get th last 2 days of the week for nothing. Makes the profit better at the end of the week. I'd figure at least $1300 a day on the 160, $750 a day on the skid steer, plus the top soil. Just my thoughts. Now let's see where I stack up. Bidding stuff is the hardest part for me. John
When I have to rent I like to make sure im.making a killing because allot of times ill pay the rental way before I get the final payment and that 160 class machine will burn the fuel plus mobilization how much will.it cost to bring it in? id be closer to 1500 for a single day on the trackhoe and I think you are fine at 750 on the skid steer And make sure you draw up a contract about the trash you dont need a guy to Not pay you and then call the cuty.that you left a muntain of trash on his property and lots of before and after pics
I'm with monster here, I also like to figure a little on the high side when using rental machines. Its way too easy to run a day behind schedule on the rental for whatever reason and wind up upside down on the project. Sometimes its completely out of your control and just the way it goes. Tons of variables here to give an accurate bid here..... Like what is the 160 rental rate? Whats the transport cost? How far are you hauling the skid? How far are you hauling yourself? What does the top soil cost? Using you time estimate and guessing on some of the other cost I think I would personally be around the $5k mark.
why not rent a stump grinder, or get some one with a grinder, and you clean up the debris piles, and surface roots, a lot easier than big machines. Some times smaller is better, a lot less painfull, the grinder charge can be high but he may give you a deal on that many stumps, or a box of dynamite and caps. LOL.sam.
I would be inclined to go with the excavator and a skid with a rake on it. I am thinking 2 days with the ex & skid and a third day with just the skid for clean up and final grading. Bid around $6500. Tim