about 1/3 acre of my lot is woods...when i bought my house 5 years ago, the brush was minimal (ie. you could see all the way through the woods from the backyard to where the property ends)

over the past 5 years, though, i haven't done squat and now it's choked with brush...mostly small, tough, scraggly trees (or bushes) and the usual crap

i didn't actually realize how bad it had gotten until i saw some pictures from the original house

anyway, i'm not opposed to paying for it to be cleaned up, but it's pretty bad (i'll get pictures up later) and it would depend on how much it would cost

so...have any of you had this done and if so, how much did it cost? or, have you done it yourself and if so, how did you do it? i purchased the brush attachment for my trimmer, thinking i could do a little bit at a time, but it's a daunting thought and last resort in case the cost to have it done is too high

6/5/2013 11:27:20 AM

I feel like you should be able to rent one of those heavy duty "brush trimmers" from a local hardware store.

6/5/2013 11:42:33 AM

find a group of mexicans to do it for like $50

6/5/2013 12:04:13 PM

Jibbles' HOA will probably cover it.

6/5/2013 12:08:50 PM

Cutting it is the easy part. Gathering and removing the debris is the hard part.

6/5/2013 1:16:11 PM

^this.

are you just wanting to knock everything down or clear & grub?

if you're just knocking things down and don't care much, as long as your trimmer and blade a good, it should be doable, though would take a whle. If you are wanting to clean it up, rent a bush trimmer (and possibly a stump grinder, chipper, and bobcat).

[Edited on June 5, 2013 at 1:42 PM. Reason : .]

6/5/2013 1:42:17 PM

that's a good point...i was/am content to just let it all rot, since my only goal is for it stop growing

i harbored the notion of burning everything i cut up, but i'm in the city limits, so that's probably not a good idea

for those of you with experience, do you think i could do a quarter acre with a bobcat in a couple of days? and how much does it cost to rent one? yes, i know i can call, but not right now, so your opinions are good enough

the overwhelming majority of what's in the woods is scrub...the largest things are very small trees or medium-large bushes, but i'm not looking to take town any mature trees...i think i could bulldoze it pretty easily

6/5/2013 3:05:13 PM

controlled burn?

oh didn't see you were in the city limits. not sure what the rules are there.

[Edited on June 5, 2013 at 3:11 PM. Reason : ]

6/5/2013 3:10:06 PM

I was just about to ask you if you were in the city limits because I would have sprayed it all, waited...burned the snot out of it and then cleared it.

What are you wanting to do with the land? get it back to grass?

you may need to kill everything underneath first.

How do you feel about goats?

6/5/2013 3:11:12 PM

No seriously... a couple of Mexicans will have this done in under 2 hours, $50 total. The value of your time alone, not to mention the effort, will more than make up for $50.

6/5/2013 3:13:49 PM

i am inclined to agree with jaybee

6/5/2013 6:10:44 PM

i actually agree with that too

my dad has a couple of hispanic guys that he calls for shit like this. They charge 15.00 an hour for side work.

6/5/2013 6:56:57 PM

saw blade on a decent trimmer. not a $100 curved shaft piece of shit. not a plastic "brush clearing" head. a fucking saw blade.

[Edited on June 5, 2013 at 8:48 PM. Reason : start first thing saturday morning and you'll be done by lunch]

6/5/2013 8:45:42 PM

i'm not opposed to hiring mexicans to do the work...but where do i find them? seems like it should be easy, but despite the stereotype, i've never seen them hanging around the parking lot of lowe's or HD

6/6/2013 8:18:09 AM

Am I the only one that gets satisfaction out of some hardcore outdoor work? I laid sod in my backyard a couple months ago and while it was a pain in the ass at the time...I got a great workout and a sense of accomplishment after seeing how good the yard looks. Kind of the whole MO about doing shit like this.

6/6/2013 8:39:41 AM

Not me... Definitely not something I need in my life to feel accomplished.

^^ where do you live?

[Edited on June 6, 2013 at 8:44 AM. Reason : H]

6/6/2013 8:44:26 AM

^^ what in this thread led you believe that you're the only person who gets pleasure out of doing outside work?

i have a full-time job, am working on my doctorate, am in the process of remodeling my house (and doing it by myself, for the most part), and doing a great deal of landscaping (not including the woods)...in addition, i enjoy having free time to go backpacking and hang out with friends on a regular basis

i have plenty to keep me busy...paying someone else to do the least pleasurable of the things that need to be done is not something that bothers me in the least

[Edited on June 6, 2013 at 8:47 AM. Reason : .]

6/6/2013 8:44:32 AM

Exactly. Or in my case, I need time to visit various museums, frolic in the park, attend Toastmasters' meetings, and write poetry. Plus, I got an advanced degree so I wouldn't have to do menial labor like moving sticks from one place to another... Not my idea of a good time.

6/6/2013 8:50:36 AM

don't get me wrong...i DO enjoy creating things...i'm proud of the kitchen and bathroom remodels that i've done so far, and we have pretty (yes, "pretty") stone-lined flower beds that i think look great

these are just the woods...i've fenced in pretty much the entire back half of the property and i would prefer for it to look cleaned up, but i don't need anything fancy (and i figure that once i get it done, it will be easier to maintain)

someone mentioned goats...i actually built the fence with a goat in mind, but having grown up with them, i'm 95% sure they'll just eat the greenery and not take care of the tree/shrub-like things back there (they eat soft stuff, but not woody)

it sounds like a goat would be more work and cost more than a handful of mexicans hispanics

i live off tryon...the lowe's and HD in crossroads are my closest stores and i've never seen them just hanging out in the parking lot...so where do i go to find these low-paid workers?

6/6/2013 8:56:12 AM

1/4 acre with a bobcat? that can be done in a damn day. Make sure you have a way to cut/pull/etc down any trees in case the bobcat can't knock them down (you can try to dig them or pull them, but pushing them over doesn't always work ). But as long as there aren't too many trees so that you have room to maneuver, the bobcat will knock it out in <1 day if you're just straight dozing over shit and not caring. Mexicans are cheaper. Bobcats are more fun.

6/6/2013 9:03:15 AM

Quote :

"But as long as there aren't too many trees so that you have room to maneuver, the bobcat will knock it out in <1 day if you're just straight dozing over shit and not caring."

this...there's nothing out there that i care to keep except for the full-grown trees

Quote :

"Mexicans are cheaper. Bobcats are more fun."

will they rent a bobcat to just anyone? i've never used one

6/6/2013 9:08:03 AM

Capital Blvd

6/6/2013 9:17:31 AM

^^ahern, holland rent-all, united rental.

I like Ahern and holland best in the Raleigh area. I know ahern delivers; holland might, but they've never offered me that option before on some equipment. They rent to anyone, even without experience. At Ahern, the delivery driver can show you how to operate, etc. when he makes the delivery. Just be sure to ask and don't try to go all "can't-ask-questions-macho". though I don't think you're the type of person to do that. Bobcats (well, technically the general term is skidsteer or compact loader) are pretty easy to operate, though certainly take some time to get used to the operating style, depending on the manufacturer.

My first experience was on a actual bobcat brand (I think) where one stick was direction/speed control and the other stick was attachment control. the last one I used was a case brand, and both sticks were used to operate the vehicle and attachment. it was a pain to get used to, but after a while of screwing around I got good enough with it.


You'll have to decide on size and between wheel vs tracked. Size is based on what you're trying to do - I imagine you won't need a big one, so a smaller one will do. If you run into a tree you don't want and can't push/pull it down, just cut it down at the ground, or try chaining it up and pulling it out.

Wheeled vs tracked: all has to do with ground conditions. tracked loaders can handle hills better, get better traction, and are better for soft/wet soils. they are more expensive... much more... so I'd assume this would be passed along in the rental rate, though I don't know (I've always just used wheeled). So unless you have a good slope to the area and really soft/wet soils, if the wheeled is cheaper, go for it. You'll lose some traction capability for pulling/pushing over trees, but you can handle those with a saw.

[Edited on June 6, 2013 at 9:36 AM. Reason : .]

6/6/2013 9:27:30 AM

Quote :

"what in this thread led you believe that you're the only person who gets pleasure out of doing outside work? "

jimmies rustled.

Just seemed like you were originally wanting to do this yourself and now you want to hire some mexicans. I'm busy as fuck as well, but I normally put aside a little bit of time on Saturday to do some yard work and every now and then a big yard project that might take a whole/half a day. Doesn't tie up my whole life and also gives me a "got outside and sweated a little bit today...now I can feel better about getting drunk later on" feeling.

[Edited on June 6, 2013 at 9:51 AM. Reason : .]

6/6/2013 9:51:30 AM

jbrick, I think you need a therapist. I can help you find one. We are a family here.

6/6/2013 9:55:32 AM

^^^ talked to ahern...a case 420 (56hp...they only show the tracked CT model on their website) will cost $365 (after refundable deposit and delivery) for 8 hours or $535 for 16 hours, delivered on a friday afternoon and picked up monday...that's actually not bad at all and this could be a lot of fun

she did ask if i wanted a smooth or toothed bucket...i told her what i was doing and she checked with someone and they said smooth...does that sound right? seems like toothed would be better for tearing up woody plants, but maybe that's only for digging

i put in a reservation for a month from now since i don't have time to do it until then...but i can drop it at any time and they don't have my CC yet...so i can change my mind and/or find some hispanics to do it before then

thanks for the suggestion!



[Edited on June 6, 2013 at 10:09 AM. Reason : image]

6/6/2013 10:06:36 AM

^ That looks fun as hell!

I also feel like I'd fuck up and run that shit into my house/car.

6/6/2013 10:21:12 AM

^^nice. that's similar to what I paid (fri-mon). I think I had a little bigger model that was wheeled plus an extra attachment. Smooth bucket should be fine for just mowing over stuff. If you think you may want to dig some to really tear things up and knock'em down, get the second, toothed bucket. That won't run you much money to have both on site to fit your needs. Nothing says you can't rent both buckets. Switching attachments is theoretically easy. The difficult parts are/can be: lining up the forks with the attachment and undoing the hydraulic hoses - the slip fittings can get stuck and be a pain to undo (the hose connects to a male joint on the skidsteer; you pull a sleeve/collar back to allow it to connect/disconnect - this sleeve gets stuck easily due to debris). If you do get both attachments and make a field switch, have a hefty hammer with you and don't get the connections dirty.

6/6/2013 1:10:46 PM

Ask for a 4 in 1 bucket so you can grab stuff and move it around. Also makes it easy to grab something and pull it up.

6/6/2013 1:50:47 PM

renting a bobcat? what the fuck mane!!

6/6/2013 2:10:58 PM

It's not cheap, but you can always call someone with a small hydro-ax. It will eat up that property in a matter of minutes and turn everything into mulch.

6/6/2013 3:04:01 PM

shit, didn't even think about the 4-in-1. would work well if you are moving and piling stuff. could also be good on small diameter trees that you can't push over.

[Edited on June 6, 2013 at 3:49 PM. Reason : .]

6/6/2013 3:49:14 PM

Dude, I'll bring my Bobcat out and do what your trying to do for like $200 as long as you are somewhere in the Raleigh area.

Or......I'll come run that pretty Case for free. I love equipment, so any chance I get to run something like that I always offer running it for free.

Serious offer, I am experienced on a Bobcat.

[Edited on June 6, 2013 at 4:50 PM. Reason : .]

[Edited on June 6, 2013 at 4:50 PM. Reason : damnit]

6/6/2013 4:48:48 PM

^ mexican?

6/6/2013 4:59:23 PM

Uh, no.

6/6/2013 6:29:58 PM

There is a bobcat chipper head attachment, I'm assuming you can rent, that would keep you from having to remove the debris. It would knock down your brushy stuff like a bushhog and leave your bigger trees. We use these in surveying from time to time.

6/6/2013 11:04:38 PM

^We've been looking to rent one of those chipping heads for years now, and cant find anyone in the NC area that rents them. You can get someone to come out with their machine and do the work, but last I checked it was some stupid silly amount of money per hour to get them to operate.

6/7/2013 7:42:28 AM

Harley rake.

6/7/2013 9:18:22 AM

Anyone have experience picking up one of these said laborers for doing shit work in Raleigh/Cary?

Please advise

6/7/2013 9:30:25 AM

just start yelling "la migra, la migra!" once they all start running, just catch one and take'em home.

6/7/2013 9:36:44 AM

Id pay Brandon1 to do it.

Cheaper and he knows what he is doing...plus im sure he wouldnt mind letting you drive it a bit.

6/7/2013 2:32:17 PM

Goats

No joke, they will have it cleared in a weekend.

6/8/2013 11:14:40 AM

but then you have to hire tigers to get rid of the goats.

then lions to get rid of the tigers

then africans to get rid of the lions

see, just start with Mexicans.

The time it has taken to type in this thread they would already be done, you would be down $50-75 and you could have spent the entire time enjoying a tasty adult beverage on a deck somewhere watching the city life pass you by... much better than digging around in some dirt and moving sticks around.

6/8/2013 12:24:53 PM

My wife wanted goats because they are cute, and I wanted them to clear about 1.5 acres behind the house. The amount of time and money I've spent on clearing a fence lane, buying fence, building a goat shelter, running water and power to the goat shelter, etc., made me realize...goats for clearing land is expensive! We still don't have goats. I've moved, temporarily, to another project.

My vote is to pay brandon1 to do it.

6/8/2013 8:56:32 PM

just tie him to a cinderblock and move him around

6/8/2013 9:35:05 PM

Quote :

"i'll get pictures up later"

6/9/2013 7:42:34 PM

Why do goats need power. Its not like they have fucking face book or anything.

6/9/2013 10:26:56 PM

I put lights in the shelter, and a couple of night lights up. It was a dark corner of the yard.

6/9/2013 11:05:50 PM

What a nice and gentle goat-herder you are...

6/9/2013 11:33:20 PM

Quote :

"Why do goats need power. Its not like they have fucking face book or anything."

lol

6/9/2013 11:49:25 PM