ARPlante's Adventures

[ARPlante]

Greetings all!

I have been lurking on this forum for a few years and have thoroughly enjoyed what is going on here. Man this site has grown in a few years!

Anyway, I thought I would stop lurking and finally start posting some pictures of the work my company does. For a quick preview, my company does land clearing and excavation work.

Some of you might recognize me from another site as "ARP," but I thought I would jump over here and post my story and "adventures" as well. Seems to be a slightly larger community on this site so I hope I can contribute in a meaningful way!

I have a lot of photos and stories for just this year alone and I hope to update this thread weekly, if not daily. To begin, I think I will start with my most recent work and fill in the time gaps with projects I have done before hand.

I welcome everyone's comments and thoughts- don't worry, I don't bite :D.

Thanks for a great site!

Andrew

[ARPlante]

First things first, how about a little land clearing fun! I do alot of clearing work on ROWs as you will see from my photos. This project is a good representation of what I do.

Before and after:

[ARPlante]

This hill was fun. At least I know I can "ski" with a T320 :D Just don't want to hit any moguls! Nothing like having to slide down a hill to get things done.

The sporting event with T320:

[ARPlante]

Same ROW, just another section.

Before and after:

[ARPlante]

And finally, a little bonus photo of the most recent addition to the fleet:

[bear]

nice work how long does it usually take to clear say a mile (or any other length) of ROW? How's the bobcat holding up for you? That's a smart way to do that around here they still call the tree guys even if it's in the same shape as those in your pics.

[mowzall]

great pictures, thanks for sharing

[stock]

A great thread please keep us posted .


Stock

[ARPlante]

Thanks guys.

Bear- How long it takes depends on the width of ROW, ground conditions, and density of the vegetation. For example, I cleared 2 miles of ROW in 80 working hours with one machine and a laborer from the company I subcontract to. The ROW was approximately 50' wide, but it had areas where for several spans it was grass and the next 10 were in hills, rocks, and had dense vegetation.

In fact, here are some pics of that job:

[ARPlante]

Same job, but different area. A lot of times a ROW will require the cutting of access roads to and from the ROW for trucks and heavy equipment. So not everything is production cutting on these jobs. Here are a couple examples:

[bear]

That definitely looks like a smarter way to do things. Around here the foreman will drop off a crew on one end of the right of way with their saws, gas, water, and lunch and finds a spot on the other end to pick them up at the end of the day (if one can be found). Most of our ROW's are 50 feet for dist lines and 100 feet on transmission. Many times when we'd pull up to an old line rebuild if we were lucky we had a 450 JD dozer to clear a path and if the terrain wasn't terible drag the trucks through the mud and muck and use the dozer as an anchor to keep the trucks from sliding off into a hollow or cliff. Even used the dozer behind the digger truck a few times going downhill for brakes. Looking back I think the high voltage was the safest part of the job. That would be a pretty good niche to get into around here. Do you do any spraying after you've cleared?

[ARPlante]

The company I subcontract to on many of these ROWs (Asplundh Tree) usually has the spraying contracts. As it is, due to environment restrictions in alot of the areas I mow, such as watersheds and wildlife protected areas, spraying is prohibited and mowing is the only option to remove the vegetation.

[bear]

there are a few Asplundh crews somewhere around here. not many though. I think they are based either out of Lexington or Corbin locally. It's funny you mentioned the watershed areas , here everything ends up in Lake Cumberland and many ROW's (especially trans lines) they spray every four or five years. That's defininitely a sharp rig you have. Any more pics? :D

[Heavyduty]

When do you decide to use the rotary instead of the mulcher? Nice job.:drinkup

[ARPlante]

Thanks for the compliments- I like my rig too!:D (Just need another and an excavator with a mower too...)

I generally use the rotary for the finishing passes once all the large material is knocked down by the mulcher. Doing so allows me to get everything down to ground level without having to bury my mulcher in the ground and risk damaging $$$$expensive carbide teeth. It also allows me to knock down the small stragglers that are left that take a long time to chase around with a mulcher.

And some more pics! These are from a few months ago. A small ROW that needed to be completely cleared to allow access for a skidder crew to come in and trim the trees.

[AustinPSD]

Nice work! It sounds like you're happy with the T320 and Bobcat attachments.

I'm evaluating compact track loaders and mulching/forestry mower attachments for our company. We have a D3G Cat, which is brute force and not the best choice for clearing work. The skid-steer/compact track loader packages seem to be the way to go for versatility, efficiency and maneuverability.

Most of our needs amount to mesquite suppression, clearing cedar and undergrowth in the park. Bobcat is pretty well represented locally, while the nearest Cat dealer is about 80 miles away. The Bobcat guys seem to be more flexible on negotiating package pricing than many...

Thanks for the photo set - demonstrates the capability of a small machine and team...

[devils2619]

i have a dumb question...i have never operated one of these machines before but they fascinate me. As the machine operates, obviously you would have to keep the front attachment out of the dirt? As close as you could to the ground without damaging the teeth? like a flail mower?

[devils2619]

additionally, i just thought of this, you would have to be constantly paying attention, focused really. Because at the end of the day, you do all the maintenence on your own machines. Thats when I stopped beating the equipment up...when i have to do the maintenence on the machines I run!
sorry newbie poster

[ARPlante]

Thanks for the kind words Austin. So far I am very pleased with the T320 and the attachments for that machine. I can go from land clearing like what is pictured above, to doing a large dirt and hardscape job the next day. As a strictly land clearing machine, I think Bobcat offers one of the best packages for that line of work with the additional guarding that protects the machine and operator. While Supertrak makes another great land clearing machine, I couldn't justify a price that is about 40% higher than what I paid for my setup.

Devils- Not a dumb question at all. You got it right on the money with your observations. You really don't want to run the head into the ground (you can though), because it increases the wear on the head exponentially. So yes, the job does require a lot of focus, especially in areas that are very rocky or have difficult terrain as it is a constant battle to keep the head from hitting the ground as the main machine bumps back and forth over the ground contours.

[jimmyjack]

nice pics....hey what part of mass are u in? what your doing is just the thing i was lookin to do with my skid,i just need to get my foot in the door with one of those companys

[bill5362]

A.R. nice pics thanks for sharing. I have 2 T300, a rotary cutter, and a Loftness G2 Mulcher and they are hard to beat for speed in the type of clearing that you do, and the leave a very eco friendly bi product. Nice work and keep the pics coming.

[ARPlante]

You're welcom guys. Glad you like the pics. Got a bunch more to pull off my camera and get posted up here.

Jimmyjack- It's a great thing if you can get in with one of the utilities. However, it is next to impossible to get in with one unless you have demonstrated a history of performing such work and have a massive amount of insurance. Additionally, the large guys like Asplundh and Lewis Tree control the majority of the contracts for the area. I got in past the experience part by being a subcontractor to Asplundh and getting attached to several of their crews when I started out. I should also mention, that getting connected with Asplundh was purely "the right place at the right time" kinda thing. As of right now, I believe I am the only subcontractor to Asplundh in this region as they perform the majority of their work in house. It's possible, but the hurdles to getting in are definitely there.

Bill- Thanks for the kind words. More pics will be up here soon. How do you like your setup? I'm looking at adding another T320 late this year or sometime early next year.

[bill5362]

A.R. I really like my bobcats, I have had a few different ones over the years. Each time I go to buy a new one I try the competition to see if I'm missing anything, Bobcat will really have to fall behind or screw up their product before I would switch (This is just my opinion). As far as my set up goes I love it, we put in new subdivisions and land clearing and the T300 we have are awesome. I really like my mulch head (Loftness G2) I looked at the bobcat brand when I bought mine 18 months ago, and it was nice but I like the features a little better on the G2, plus it was $7000.00 cheaper from my dealer. I have a skid steer solutions mower and it works well, the only thing I don't like about it is it has a tendency to dig in on the front edge, if fact I getting ready to install a single wheel on the front to see if it helps.

[AustinPSD]

A.R. - I'm interested in your choice of the rotary cutter/brushcat over a flail cutter. I know the flail cutter costs a bit more - does the rotary cutter offer an advantage in your finishing pass?

[jimmyjack]

A R thats for the info:beatsme i guess i'll just have to see what coming down the road

[ARPlante]

Austin- I chose the rotary cutter for two reasons: low cost and high durability. I would rather hit rocks with the reversible blades of a rotary than with the carbide teeth on my mulcher head. I just use the rotary to knock down any remaining small stalks that are left after the first pass with my mulcher. Additionally, I felt that since the cutting action on a flail was vertical like a mulcher, that the horizontal cutting action of a rotary would get those pesky small stalks from saplings that are left standing after going through the mulcher. This setup allows me to make fewer passes with the mulcher (saving me time and money) and still get a product that is mowed to ground level.

Jimmy- Not trying to discourage you, so I hope you didn't take it that way. Just wanted to let you know how challenging it can be to get in with and then work for utilities on these types of jobs. I find the work enjoyable and rewarding and that is why I keep doing it.

PS- How is your new ASV treating you? I have enjoyed reading your threads on the work for the environmental company that you are connected with.

[AustinPSD]

Thanks A.R. - that makes sense. I'm evaluating an equipment package for similar applications, hence the question. The rotary cutter is substantially less expensive, and repair due to rock damage would be simpler and less expensive as well.

[jimmyjack]

thanks , i didnt take it that way ,i figured it wouldnt be easy....no worrys:)

um the company im with now is going good , i got some more pics to post i'll get them up in the next day or two...nothin to complain about yet with the asv, but its cherrys getting popped soon with the first 250 service coming up so i'll find out how easy thats gonna go

[pigpen60]

dumb Q, hows it handle rocks?

[ARPlante]

It's best to stay away from rocks ;-) Plowing into a boulder will cause damage to the drum and teeth. Bouncing off rocks hidden under brush will usually just damage a tooth if it is a solid hit. If you can't see the ground really well, it's best to keep the head about a foot to a foot and a half off the ground. That way if you do hit a rock, it's more of a glancing blow, and you might be able to get away with more damage being done to the rock then the head.

[bigcatpip]

how many hr are you getting out of the teeth before replacement?

[ARPlante]

The number of hrs depends on the type of terrain I'm working in. If I'm working in real rocky terrain I can put a new tooth on and ruin it by the end of the day. If I'm in grassy or plain woody terrain, I can go for several weeks at a time with the same teeth. All depends on the terrain.