Land clearing - 2,500 acres

rodtg... just outa curiousity whats a daily rate for a d8k and operator over there?

Not sure about an 8K. We hired an 8N back in 2011 and with an operator it worked out at just over $5,200 a week. Operators wages are around $10 a day. Diesel is $0.93 a litre.

TBH if you're working against the clock I personally wouldn't consider an 8H or an 8K, fine tractors though they might be in the right hands and also with the right hands looking after them. Therein lies the problem in the part of Africa in which Rodtg is going to be working, unless you have expats running and maintaining the machine you're never going to have the "right hands". To me an 8N would make more sense because it's more forgiving mechanically to less-than-perfect operation/maintenance than the H/K and also it's totally non-electronic. Now what you hang on the front end of it for bush clearing is another story entirely ........

Nige said:

TBH if you're working against the clock I personally wouldn't consider an 8H or an 8K, fine tractors though they might be in the right hands and also with the right hands looking after them. Therein lies the problem in the part of Africa in which Rodtg is going to be working, unless you have expats running and maintaining the machine you're never going to have the "right hands". To me an 8N would make more sense because it's more forgiving mechanically to less-than-perfect operation/maintenance than the H/K and also it's totally non-electronic. Now what you hang on the front end of it for bush clearing is another story entirely ........

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I would agree with Nige, in Africa maintenance is a very very foreign concept. Most operators here wont even check fluid levels or run a machine to destruction so that they can sit undershade tree and wait for repairs while getting paid.

rodtg,
Putting the earthworks aside for a moment, another option might be a pair of sevens.
They would easily handle any pulling and raking in the light going you have there.
Also more agile and efficient for tidy up work such as stoking fires etc.
Could get you into newer tractors for similar money.

Nige - We won't exactly be under the gun. The contract duration is 10-12 months. Using some of the methods being banded around here, the land clearance could be completed fairly swiftly. The earth moving part of it is hardly a big task either. The other works will just involve an excavator to dig trenches for the concrete lined irrigation channels. So as for the dozers, they should only be required for half of the duration.

seatwarmer - Very true with both machine operators and also with our previous domestic drivers. They just want to operate/drive and expect someone else to take care of the work they can't be bothered with.

Queenslander - It's a serious consideration. As I mentioned somewhere along the way, I'm looking to bring in a mechanic and two operators from Asia with the view of having things run a bit smoother. The 7's have been used by many governments for jungle clearing. I know the Sri Lankan Government used them for this purpose in the civil war and its also a popular dozer generally there. So hopefully, finding mechanics/operators who properly understand them shouldn't pose too much issue. A couple of guys retired/discharged from the Army's land clearing division would be a safe enough bet.

As others have pointed out, there are plenty of reasonable deals floating about in the US on the older style 7's and probably surplus stocks of parts too.

rodtg said:

Nige - We won't exactly be under the gun. The contract duration is 10-12 months. Using some of the methods being banded around here, the land clearance could be completed fairly swiftly. The earth moving part of it is hardly a big task either. The other works will just involve an excavator to dig trenches for the concrete lined irrigation channels. So as for the dozers, they should only be required for half of the duration.

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The rest of that time could easily fly by if you have a major failure, say something that requires pulling a dead shaft. It's not just getting hold of parts it's getting hold of the right tooling and someone qualified to drive it. Try looking at tctractors threads regarding sprocket removal on low drive tractors.

Thanks for that Nige. Very interesting thread indeed. On the last effort, our maintenance setup/budget was fairly limited. Pretty much the result of people dealing with clients (the chaps who owned the machines - financial cowboys from London) who had zero knowledge of heavy plant and would question and scrutinize every penny requested/spent.

The whole thing was done on a shoestring and it showed throughout. The monthly budget for everything was around £50-60k and that covered the HP payments on the entire fleet (13 machines), diesel/lubes, expat staff, local staff, housing, transport, parts etc.

I'm not trying to frighten you here, simply trying to be pragmatic on what might be (or not as the case may be) repairable in the conditions under which you will be working. Which is why I'd steer away from the D8H/K. or even a low-sprocket D7 for that matter, although they do tend to be a bit easier on the pocket regarding high-dollar failures because of the smaller size. That's before you start thinking about the fact that, as Tony (tc) pointed out earlier, the H/K tend to have marginal cooling under high ambient temperature conditions.

I appreciate the honest advice Nige from you and all the others here. I'd rather thrash out all these things at this stage rather than be in a sorry state a few months down the line.

I've also started to look at a few 7H's as well now, after Queenslander suggesting that it could cope with our sort of work/terrain.

hey rodtg u sayed something bout ppl came and shot some ppl in truck . well what do yall do to protect yourself out in the field or even at place where you sleep ?

Well that incident was provoked by the people running the project. They disappeared in the middle of the night owing six figures in $$$ to a tribal community. Eventually these people tracked them down.

Generally things are ok safety wise where we are. It's not as bad as places like Nigeria, Zimbabwe, The Congo etc.

We usually hire a couple of regular security guards when out in the bush.

Over the years I have mentioned the possibility of keeping firearms on site and at our house in case something does kick off, but no one takes the suggestion seriously.

Firearms allowed in country rodtg ?

I did make enquiries and permits are available if you apply.

I'm fairly sure a few semi automatic rifles and pump action shot guns could come in handy if chaos brakes out.

The European settlers in South Africa and Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) are quite fond of their guns I'm told.

That's cool rod !

Something I thought about after the picture of the security guard holding the bow .

rodtg said:

I did make enquiries and permits are available if you apply.

I'm fairly sure a few semi automatic rifles and pump action shot guns could come in handy if chaos brakes out.

The European settlers in South Africa and Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) are quite fond of their guns I'm told.View attachment 144484

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If they were holding a 742 WoodsMaster, a 1100 Shotgun and a Ruger 10/22 they are just a pair of blue jeans and a Busch T shirt away from your typical Arkansas family.

You're more likely to meet your maker on African roads. My old man almost had it last year but luckily he crawled away unscathed.

rodtg said:

You're more likely to meet your maker on African roads. My old man almost had it last year but luckily he crawled away unscathed.

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True that. Like Indians, most Africans are brought up extremely superstitious, such that car crashes are regarded as ENTIRELY ordained by fate, or by any of the numerous gods in which they believe. With that suicidal delusion foremost in their minds, speed limits are generally disregarded by drivers of even the most rickety vehicles, and of course seat belts are CUT OUT of vehicles with sharp knives, since such restraints are regarded as subconscious acknowledgement that road mishaps are a possibility, which is very much at odds with the dearly held notion that simply WISHING and PRAYING to the Gods will ensure that all laws of physics are defied, assuring a safe outcome when a tire bursts at speed for example.

Obviously that crash must have just happened when the photo was taken. Those guys can strip a vehicle to a chassis in the blink of an eye.

True regarding the superstition thing. If I had $5 for every absence form I've signed that had "going to see traditional (i.e. witch) doctor" in the reason for absence box I'd be a rich man ......

Ha ha you just reminded me Nige, that the crowds who swarm accident scenes here, to gawk and "recycle" valuables are referred to in newspaper reports as "sympathizers".

Back on topic it really is a miracle that anyone survived that flip-over shown in the above pictures. If I ever walked away from a spill like that unhurt, my next stop would be the slot machines in Vegas, to try and cash in while the stars are aligned in my favor.