Large Dozer costs

[skyking1]

What the Australians said. They do some cool stuff I have not seen anywhere to huge plots of land, some of it crazy steep.

 

[Camshawn]

D8 on Vancouver Craigslist
https://vancouver.craigslist.org/rds/hvo/d/delta-cat-dozer-d8-for-sale/7507486550.html

the T0 sticker means that the machine has to pay a tax to run in the Vancouver area that is very steep. It can only be run commercially here by paying the tax. Cam

 

[nicky 68a]

I’m thinking that if you have enough money to buy a plot of land that size in the first place,you’ll have the money to buy a newer D8 as Epirbalex suggested.
It will give less problems and you’ll have an asset to sell.

 

[nicky 68a]

As for fuel.
An older D8H/K working hard enough will burn 60 litres an hour approx.
A D8R will match that easily.
A D8T will burn no more than 55 litres flat out.
Don’t buy a D8L if you’re bothered on fuel consumption..It’s nearly as big as a D9N/T.

 

[56wrench]

In my opinion, and i speak from personal experience, unless you are a qualified HD mechanic, for a job that size you need to hire a contractor. It is hard to find a good operator for what you are going to do- the good ones already have a job and us old retired guys don’t need it or want it. You want to get the job done with no delays so you can start cropping it as soon as possible to start getting a return on your investment. Most operators will not treat your machine as well as you will. One or two hundred acres a year is enough for one guy, let alone 4 thousand. Then, there is the cost of disking after it is all cleared which in itself is expensive. Around my area, bush is walked down first, then piled into windrows. Piles have to dry down for at least a year to get a good burn. Then, there is the cost of re-piling and burning the piles. Most times, the disking is done between the windrows for the first year to speed things up but then areas have to be disked after the windrows are burned. The best plan may be to do only 500acres a year but it will drag it out for a few years. I doubt if even a Hutterite colony would attempt such a big job all at once and they have very deep pockets and a lot of people to pick roots

 

[56wrench]

One more thing, the method of clearing i described is only done in winter and the best temperature for windrowing brush is at about -20c when all the small stuff shears off better and the ground is frozen. You want to keep the dirt in the windrows to a minimum to allow better burning.

 

[Mquinista]

1600 soccer fields.... not wanting to highjack but that is no job for 1 D8 size machine, its a huge job...
in my country we own farms 10 times smaller...(mine is 16 times smaller) to clear land when it is aproved by the autorities, we remove large trees and heavy brush and leave only the remains, or brush that can be harrowed over with heavy florestal disk harrow. The harroying does not deal with stumps, usually an excavator with stump digging atachment is also needed.
Burning vegetable matter is like a "crime" against the land .... besides the CO emissions also destroys the soil equilibrium. not a good thing to do.
One year into the first harrowing a deep plowing usually sufice to burry the rest of matter left on the surface and leave the land in condition to seed, whatever one is going to seed...
Very often the deep plowing is enough to brake the soil open, depending on the crop deep ripping might be needed.

2 D8 size machines series H are very though machines last for 30 40 thousand of hours, easy to repair and no electronics.
2 heavy custom disk horrows for the D8´s to trash all that brush dwn... like something with 24 disks of 32"
1 25/30 Ton size excavator, will help a lot , digging stumps , drainage canals , etc the stumps need to be moved... for that construction trucks sufice, if not a Volvo A35/cat 730 is the best bet.
For Plowing usually a farm tractors is much cheaper and faster.

And of course time span , i bet with this outfit u can clear 1000 acres a year... on the easy side. wich in itself is a huge task.

wich u luck for this enterprise.

 

[.RC.]

Just needs this

 

[ianjoub]

I’m thinking that if you have enough money to buy a plot of land that size in the first place,you’ll have the money to buy a newer D8 as Epirbalex suggested.
It will give less problems and you’ll have an asset to sell.

I agree. Why not buy a new one and sell when done. Your 'loss' would be quite manageable when compared to hiring it out.

 

[CM1995]

I agree. Why not buy a new one and sell when done. Your 'loss' would be quite manageable when compared to hiring it out.

Well the $1.2-1.5 MIL purchase price up front might be a swaying factor...

 

[ianjoub]

Well the $1.2-1.5 MIL purchase price up front might be a swaying factor...

I thought it may be a little less than that, more in the $800k neighborhood. But with something like that, put 20% down and finance it. When done, it should sell for what you owe on it. You are less likely to have extensive downtime and expensive repairs with the new one, so possibly a break even with the cost of the used one.

 

[CM1995]

I thought it may be a little less than that, more in the $800k neighborhood. But with something like that, put 20% down and finance it. When done, it should sell for what you owe on it. You are less likely to have extensive downtime and expensive repairs with the new one, so possibly a break even with the cost of the used one.

Sorry I had a brain fart, I was thinking D11 for some reason - probably the heat or that big assed rake in RC's post.

You're closer in price. The last time my salesman and I talked about it, a D8 should be in the $900K - 1M price range.

 

[savman]

Buddy of mine just priced two D8's with waste package (whatever that entails) and I think they were in the 1.1 range per.

 

[Tyler d4c]

That big rake if you bumped the tilt to much one side would be mining coal and the other would be hitting low air craft

 

[skyking1]

New is not necessary. Just not a clapped out 20K hour machine.

 

[Sparkiefarmer]

One more thing, the method of clearing i described is only done in winter and the best temperature for windrowing brush is at about -20c when all the small stuff shears off better and the ground is frozen. You want to keep the dirt in the windrows to a minimum to allow better burning.

The plan is to pull drainage tile in the summer and push bush in the winter. Will be hiring the easy part of the job done, as it will be the most dollars out of pocket but also get the most productive land ready right now.
Have you ever seen anyone use the anchor chain method in our conditions?

 

[Sparkiefarmer]

I agree. Why not buy a new one and sell when done. Your 'loss' would be quite manageable when compared to hiring it out.

Depreciation is the big stumbling block on that one. Looks like its going to spoil 1.2m, and ones traded with 8000 hours on auction history sell for about half that. Cant find any that hour range on dealer lots. I was thinking if I bought an old one that has had x, y and z done to it I would be furthur ahead. With farm machinery either buy new or old but with confirmed work done.
But i get it, old stuff breaks down more often, bottom line.

 

[56wrench]

I’ve never seen anyone use the chain method anywhere here

 

[StevenG]

I’ve never seen anyone use the chain method anywhere here

5 min vid on chain clearing for elk habitat in Kentucky.

 

[Queenslander]

I might have some pics of a pulling project we hope to get into in a week or so.
Will be using a D6R and a 7H and 400ft of chain.
Good chance I might have some bogged dozer pics as well, as this has been one of the wettest years in living memory here.