Any opinions on what size excavator would be "just right" ( if that is possible ) for custom land clearing? What size machine would be most efficient at stumping? Ron L
A 200 or 300 size would work fine. It depends on how much you will be doing.
I make my living with a 330L CAT doing just that and much more.
330L Cat? Must have some big stumps in northern Cal. I was thinking that a 315 size machine might be just about the right size. I had a logger clear about two acres. I'm stumping it with A Cat 416C backhoe and a D3G dozer. It's a little slow. And, it would go better with a thumb. I'm thinking of one at a time custom clearing for individual houses rather than clearing large tracts. RonL
id say the largest you can move without a permit , maybe a 210 class but if your stumping only, bigger is better, i like the 160 class for just about everything
160 Case With Hyd Thumb I used to run a 210 Case but droped back to a 160 for mostly Clearing. A 8 and half foot wide machine is a lot easier to get around in the woods than a 10 and a half foot machine. IMO. If I wasn't going to run a 315/160 machine I would get a 240-300 sized machine. If your going to be a Bear you might as well be a Grizzly.
What ever size you go with make sure you have a bullet proof hydraulic thumb there worth there weight in gold but beware not all thumbs are created equal.
I don't think that if you are going to be mostly stumping with this machine that it has to be a hydraulic thumb. The hydraulics are nice but it's really just one more hose, cylinder, wear point on the machine. You can dig and grub stumps just fine with a solid thumb on a machine. Heck you can do most anything you want in the woods with a solid thumb. They aren't as convenient but they are cheaper and if you're working around branches and logs and other things that stick out and can be hooked with a machine you just don't hafta worry about the cylinder and hoses.
When you consider all aspects of the puzzle, it's as CT stated: as big a machine as can be moved without special permits.
Is there a 210 that you can move in Ct without a permit???
Ron, I'd have to agree with Rhino that a 200-300 series would work just fine. I've used a 200LC and a 330LC Deere without probs. however again it all depends on the size area, you might need to go a step up to 400 series but that is starting to get into some heavy digging.
i think something in the 315 or 160 size would be perfect...
Hell, you guys sure think big. I have done many lots with a Cat 307, now have a 311CU. Not to many stumps around here slow that down. Last year I donated a day of stumping to my towns recreation dept for new athletic fields, did not feel like fetching the 311 over in Maine and used the 307, some of the big Bull Pines I dug around and got it loose and had a Komatsu WA 500 loader come and push it out of the hole. Rest of the stumps were easy. Did about 1 acre in a day. 2 acreas may take 2 days with a 311CU. Why not hire a local for a day or two and not spend $100,000+ to do $1600 worth of work!
:iagree yeah what he said
not that i know of:usa
A large part of picking a ex size has to do with how hard you wanna make it to move the machine. That aside, I would use a 240 to 330 with a stump harvester. This winter a clearing/grinding contractor did the new walmart site. He had a 270 with a stump harvester handling the stumps and splitting trees for the grinder. I watched the 270 work and was impressed with how much got done, made it look easy. Woulda taken some pics, but it was way to cold to get outta the truck to watch someone else work. Someone spoke highly of the nye stump harvesters not long ago, your a better man than me if you can find the post though. :beatsme to make up for that i got you a video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BK-aq5jjE18&feature=channel_page
That's one bad mamma jamma!!!:notworthy:notworthy:notworthy Sure wish i had that on a job awhile back.
A guy I used to work for had 2 Case 210's that were 8' 6" wide, he used to move them on the 35 ton detach or the 25 ton tag-along trailers.
You need a permit to move a 210 down there? In Mass the PC400 is right at the limit depending on your truck and trailer. 130,000 lbs is the gross weight up here with a tandem tractor and tri axle trailer. Anything more you need a super permit which costs about $7,000 Its cheaper to pull the machine apart than get that. But to answer the question a 300 is probably want you want in Mass thats what most guys use.
I have a 240 that i use for clearing, and all i can say is if you are dealing with elms, you better have a seriously heavy machine. There were 3 stumps i failed to remove for years using a jcb 215. Even the ec240 had to struggle to move those things. And then, moving a tree after its on the ground is a function of tree size and machine size. Between, the stump, dirt, log, and limbs with leaves attached you gotta move a pile of weight. So you walk into a tree stand thinking it should be easy to move all these saplings , and there hidden in the corner is a 4' oak that was around to see the glaciers recede. 'the question you gotta ask yourself is do i feel lucky, well do ya, punk?' ha
Caterpillar has made a few models over the years. The newest is the 319D LN. It's a 43,000 lb machine that is exactly 102" wide with 24" shoes. This machine is really popular in Southeastern PA because as anyone with Penndot experience will tell you they are itching for trucks with signs and flags on them. The 319 replaced the 318C LN and prior to that the 320B N. The nice thing about these machines is they are legal move... take traditional 320 buckets / tools... have enought reach to set / handle 20' lenths of ductile or plastic pipe and are actually pretty stable. They are a pretty big step up from a 315. I think Case is the only 1 still making another Narrow machine. Volvo had one but when they went to the C-Series their 210 was tipping the scales at over 50,000 lbs. That makes you heavy on a 25T tag or 35T lowboy with 2 axle tractor. PM me if you need more info... I'm happy to send spec sheets / comparisons.
I have found that for my jobbing,a machine 20t and a bit smaller makes less foot print and is easier to get around with,and your fuel bill is livable.I use root rakes and mulchers(brushcutter) on the same machine and can't get along without a thumb.I currently use a New Holland EC130 up here in New Brunswick Canada.
I would think the questions would be; How big are the stumps? How many are there? How fast do you need to get it done? And, of course, how much do you want to spend? I've done quite a bit of land clearing in Mass and R.I.. For the most part I have used a cat 320 with a thumb, and it's been fine.
UUH - we are talking the 8'6" limit, not the OVERSIZE limit. If you try to move a 400 in MA without a visit to the permit store, it will be the last time you try it.
Kobelco bladerunners are awesome for land clearing 2 sizes as well . i have only used the ed150 but man it was a pleasure to use. six way dozer blade pushes well for a Track Hoe
If you are serious and want to do a couple 100 acres a year. A 330 with hyd thumb and quick attach is needed. Will need as big of root rake for it as you can handle. Need a Stump harvester bucket like in the video above. A skeleton bucket. Digging bucket. Ditching bucket. A D6 or D7 with root rake as well as the regular blade. 3 dump trailers/trucks. At least around here we have a lot of stones to haul away. Comes in handy for moving what won't burn too. I also think a mid sized track loader with root rake and grapple would come in handy as well. It can't push as much as the dozer but it can shake what it pushes out. I just described exactly what a land clearing company just north of here uses. Warren
You need the overweight permit, but not a permit everytime you make a move just an annual one.