Let's Talk Forestry Mulching! Operator Tips - Part II

Ride along on the jobsite and talk about all of my hard learned lessons on the best operating techniques for forestry mulching.
This is a good "How to operate a forestry mulching machine" video.
Clevinger Forest Services, LLC
Located in Clarksville, TN
Office: [phone]
Cell: [phone] (call or text)
www.cfsmulching.com

[@lambertpropertyservice3629]

No better education than from an expert in the field! Great stuff 👍

[@clevingerforestservicesllc1164]

Thanks! I appreciate that comment. 👍👍

[@stevedulaney3744]

Enjoy your videos! A business I’ve thought about for a while now. Wish I had a job where I could sleep in my own bed ever night instead of being all over the US.

[@clevingerforestservicesllc1164]

Steve Dulaney I appreciate you watching, Steve. Everything starts with a dream. Hope you get there.

[@Bphengvongsa]

I've been watching both Part 1 & 2 of your Operator tip videos for the past 3 weeks for study purposes. A friend of mine needed to clear some cedar and hedge trees on his land so I made him a deal that if he let me use his land for practice I'd rent the machine. HA HA HA! I've operated Skid steers before, but this was my first time doing forestry mulching. I went down to my Bobcat dealer today and they didn't have any T870's or T770's available for rent at the moment so they gave me a T740 with a Loftness Battle Ax mulcher head. I was a little timid and rough to begin with, but after 45 minutes or so I started to get the hang of it and became more confident. Your videos gave me great tips and information, but I definitely need more seat time to work on the approach, use of the pusher bar, back dragging, and the feed as i come down on the tree. ! I'll be watching these videos over and over then head back out to the field for practice. :) :) :)

[@clevingerforestservicesllc1164]

Bobby Phengvongsa Excellent! Glad my videos helped. There is definitely a learning curve to operating these mulchers efficiently, just like anything else. I practiced on my own farm for about 50 hours to get comfortable with the machine and figure out a good routine before I started working on customers property. So it's good you have a friends land to practice on. That's a win-win. Be safe, have fun, and good luck to you.

[@poorfarm-nn6ii]

I really enjoy your videos. Very informative. This is something I want to get into. Ive cleared many acres with brush hog and tractor and a lot with skid steer and a perfect tree saw. But with the tree saw it’s a lot of back and forth and you have to deal with the brush afterword. Covid killed my job and my new job is excavation. I’m saving money, and preparing to sell something things so I can get a better skid steer and some type of mulching head. I farm hay on many places so I know a lot of farmers who want this kind of work done. Places that have just gotten away from them and overgrown. I think it would be a good start in getting my name out there too. I find cutting grass and clearing land very peaceful. And I can fix most anything. I think this is a job I could enjoy every day. And something I could pass down to my sons. Keep up the good work.

[@clevingerforestservicesllc1164]

Thanks for that comment. It is very peaceful working on farms and land. As you already know, there is no easy (or cheap) way to clear land, but forestry mulching is definitely the most efficient. No mess left when you’re finished. I do a lot of work on farms, and rehabbing old farms that grew up. Farmers love this machine. It’s expensive to get started in, so it’s a very niche service. It sounds like you have all the experience you need with equipment, that this would be easy to transition in to. Don’t sell your excavator though. Those things are a good complimentary piece of equipment to have with a forestry mulcher. Best of luck to you!

[@poorfarm-nn6ii]

@@clevingerforestservicesllc1164 thanks for the reply man! I’ve been in business for 2 years now. It’s going well. I work in natural gas as my day job and I’ve been getting to do some ROW clearing work from that. I’m actually reaching a point now where I think I could safely transition to my business when I’m ready. I do excavation and grading as well too. Helps to have all that in my pocket to keep me busy and it’s way less hard on my machine. I purchased a new caterpillar 289d3 in 2021 and it’s been fantastic. Could always use more hp but it’s great on fuel and almost no debris gets in the machine. I can rinse the belly out with a hose without even pulling the pans. Mostly just dust. You really go in depth with you videos. I enjoyed them a lot. I learned a lot of what guys need to hear before stepping into this kinda work. I’ve got a channel as well and I’ve tossed a few mulching vids on it. Thanks for all the great information. I think you had a lot to do with setting me up for success. Keep up the good work!!

[@fasnuf]

I have one of these coming tomorrow and this technique lesson help greatly. Thank you.

[@clevingerforestservicesllc1164]

Great! Congrats on getting your machine. Have fun and good luck to you👍

[@johnearhart8811]

Excellent work. I enjoyed watching. Keep them coming

[@clevingerforestservicesllc1164]

John Earhart Will do, John. I appreciate your comment.

[@dewboy910]

A lot of folks leave too many trees on a house lot. I was guilty of this. I have cut down many trees since I built my house that I should have taken out when I cleared the lot. At the time, I was trying to save every tree that was close to the house. Now I am hiring a Forestry Mulcher operator to come in and REALLY clean up my property. This time, I won't make the same mistake. Unfortunately, many of the trees that I would still be wanting to save got bugs and are dying, so I will have to take them out anymore. I could not have seen that coming though. I've done a lot of chain saw work, but atleast now I don't have to worry about getting up the limbs and tops since the Mulching machine will do that part. Leaving only the biggest and healthiest trees sure is making the property look better already. Can't wait to see what it looks like after the mulching!

[@clevingerforestservicesllc1164]

A property done right should look like a park. Leave the larger, healthy trees. Thin them out enough to get sunlight through to the grass, and the canopies of the trees have room to spread out and not touch each other. The trees will grow healthier. Increased airflow helps many things. It sounds like this is what you are getting to with your place, Joe.

[@galehess6676]

Summary: Maintain your machine by keep radiator, engine, etc. clean. Watch temp on hydro fluid, his is running at 198F and 230F would be hot, so it's keeping cool. Work clean, clean up debris so you don't lose a track/damage, or get stuck. Plan where you are going to be working, he prefers to work downhill so when you lift, you aren't unbalanced; if you are forcing machine to go uphill, it may rob hydraulic power from the mulcher, or may increase fuel usage to keep power up to both drive and attachment motors (they share hydraulic power). Know there are no holes around you, keep your boom down until you are inches from your target, so you don't have accidents tipping forward/damage other ways. Records hours on site. Fuels up from cans (gets lots of comments asking why he doesn't run a tank on the truck).

[@clevingerforestservicesllc1164]

Gale Hess 💯👍

[@mandolier]

Your generous service to us viewers is greatly appreciated!. Do you have an idea of how operating a wider head, such as the Fecon 72" cut vs your 61", would affect your work? Have you heard how Bradco or FAE compare in performance to the Fecon? How much do you think small differences in supplied Gallons per Minute and Hydraulic Pressure make? Thanks

[@clevingerforestservicesllc1164]

mandolier All great questions. I'd say the primary difference between using a 61" head compared to 72" would be the weight. My Bobcat/Fecon 61" head weighs just over 2,200 pounds. The environment I work in is mostly clearing trees up to 8" diameters in forest settings, where the terrain is often sloped or uneven. So, personally, I would not want to use a heavier head since it has a greater effect on center-of-gravity and would be more limiting on slopes. Also, when you are cutting trees individually, you are only using less than 1-foot of the width of the cutter 90% of the time, so the extra width is over-kill in these situations. I could see a wider drum width being advantageous if you do more "mowing" type clearing, where the material is smaller than say 3" diameters. When the material is small enough to drive over with the drum on the ground, in a mowing fashion, then this is when you can take full advantage of getting the full, wider width of the drum engaged in cutting and mulching. FAE and Fecon basically started the forestry mulching equipment industry, so these are the battle-tested, most durable, and reliable mulching heads. Operators also like the Cimaf heads for their cutting speed, but I'm personally not sold on their durability and life-cycle maintenance costs. From what I understand, Bradco is in the business of making attachments for all uses, so I would only guess that they are not as battle-tested as FAE and Fecon. Everyone has a budget though, so you have to use what you can afford. Small differences in high-flow GPM do not make a great difference. There is a formula for figuring "hydraulic horsepower" which is: Hyd HP= GPM x PSI / 1714 It's also the PSI that the high-flow pump puts out too. So when looking at the specifications of machines, look at both the GPM and the max PSI that will go to the attachment. The other part of this puzzle is the mulching head. They all have internal hydraulic flow pressure regulators/utility module, and also a hydraulic drive motor that spins the head. All heads are designed to run optimally at a specific PSI input, to make the drum spin at its optimal RPM. Whichever head you choose, ask the sales rep what the PSI the head is designed to work at, and ensure your machine and head are "tuned" to work together. By tuned, I mean that when the head is attached to the machine and running at full throttle, the mulching head has adjustment valves on the regulator/utility module that can dial in the correct PSI input to the heads drive motor. Hope this all makes sense to ya.

[@mandolier]

@@clevingerforestservicesllc1164 Thanks very much, very informative. We're in N Central Florida, so not many steep inclines, and our first big project involves 4-5 yr regrowth so I'm leaning toward the wider head. I've heard about complaints that the FAE tends to bog down, and thought it might be due to its substantial row of tines on the back wall, but more likely I think its due to mismatches in hydraulic HP. Concerned that we could be frustrated by an 82 HP hydro rated CTL.

[@clevingerforestservicesllc1164]

mandolier Yes, the wider mulcher head may be just fine in your work environment then. Again, just ensure your machines specs can run whatever mulcher head you purchase to its optimal operating specs. F= ma. Force = mass X acceleration. So a larger/heavier mass drum will require more force (HP and PSI), to attain a specific acceleration (RPM) of the drum. How's that for geek talk?! Lol!

[@stephenlindsey9233]

Excellent video learned alot

[@clevingerforestservicesllc1164]

Great to hear it, Stephen👍

[@mr.gtmsworld2494]

Great footage! I want to get into this type of business.

[@clevingerforestservicesllc1164]

Thanks! It’s a pretty good business to be in, and it’s really good working for yourself👍👍

[@mr.gtmsworld2494]

Didn’t you have another brand skid steer before bobcat?

[@mr.gtmsworld2494]

What do you think about the disc style mulchers?

[@clevingerforestservicesllc1164]

I have only owned Bobcats, no other brands. I’m on my third machine, since I trade them in for new ones every 3-4 years.

[@clevingerforestservicesllc1164]

For a forestry mulching business, drum-type mulchers are the best way to go. They mulch material better, and are more effective/versatile than disc-type mulchers. I’ll just say that I actually had a customer who owned a farm, and a John Deere 333D with a Diamond disc mulcher, and he called me to do his forest thinning to open new pasture. He said his disc was good for cleaning up edges of his fields that were a little too big to bush hog, but not good for mulching trees from 3”-8” diameters.

[@granelandworks9655]

Great video! They must place that radio auxiliary cable in the same place on all T770's because mine is still hanging there just like yours is.

[@clevingerforestservicesllc1164]

GRANE LANDWORKS Haha! That's funny you noticed that. Maybe the next owner will like to use it when I trade this one in after another 1000 hours.

[@daveh4106]

Another great video - thanks from a fellow ex-Norfolk-ian! I don't recall you ever hitting the float function? Thanks again

[@clevingerforestservicesllc1164]

Dave H Thanks, Dave! Appreciate you coming back and watching my videos. I don't use the float feature when forestry mulching. When I back drag, I'm constantly raising and lowering the head a bit because the mulch will pile up behind the head if you just drag it along the ground.

[@daveh4106]

@@clevingerforestservicesllc1164 yes, I've bounced over a few of those . Any way to cut down on the dust buildup on the lexan?

[@clevingerforestservicesllc1164]

Dave H I don't know about anything to keep dust off the windows. Maybe wiping the glass with a dryer sheet would help since it's an anti-static, but I never tried it. I carry a dust pan brush in the cab, and wipe the glass of when it starts bothering my view.

[@daveh4106]

@@clevingerforestservicesllc1164 I'll let you know if I find anything. Where do you find aftermarket teeth? The dealer is almost twice what you are paying. Thanks again.

[@clevingerforestservicesllc1164]

Dave H I've been getting carbides from XtremeWearParts.com for $79 delivered. (Includes tooth, 2x bolts, 2x washers, 1x centering bushing). Office located in Canada, not sure where teeth are manufactured. I just ordered a set of new carbides from KingKong-Tools for $72 per tooth (no bolts included) plus $77 shipping charge to my location. I want to try out these KingKong teeth since they're manufactured in Germany, office located in Georgia. Both of these companies make teeth for all of the different brands of mulcher heads.

[@fernandoamaya6142]

I just started my own business here in tx you have very great info How high do you keep the mulcher off the ground the first time I mulched I kept make hills of dirt and mulch it didn't stay flat

[@clevingerforestservicesllc1164]

Fernando Amaya When I drive in reverse to back-drag the mulch, I lift the drum up and down a few inches. This will allow the excess mulch to get out and not pile up. If you watch closely in this video, you'll see the drum going up and down a little bit as I go backwards. You can also try tilting the head forward just a little bit as you back-drag. This will keep the back bottom of the drum frame from acting like a dozer blade pushing up all the material as you drag backwards.

[@fernandoamaya6142]

@@clevingerforestservicesllc1164 have you ever used a bradco mulcher what is the best mulcher you believe you have used

[@clevingerforestservicesllc1164]

Fernando Amaya I've never used a Bradco, Fernando. I ran a Bobcat mulcher head for 5 years, now I run a Fecon BH74. The Bobcat head worked good. Just wanted to try a new brand. I like the Fecon better. Fecon, FAE, and Cimaf make the best mulching heads.

[@TheLuigiTech]

Nice video keep making them like this.

[@clevingerforestservicesllc1164]

TheLuigiTech Will do. Seems like I get a lot of positive reactions from these Operator POV videos, and talking about operator and business details.

[@shanenelms9740]

Another great video spot on

[@clevingerforestservicesllc1164]

Shane Nelms Thanks, Shane. I appreciate you watching👍

[@bnewbs6820]

Nice job!

[@clevingerforestservicesllc1164]

B NEWBS Thanks, B Newbs👍 Appreciate you watching.

[@hhazelhoff1363]

Looks like your leaving a lot of trees. Don’t they need to come down in order to build the house ?

[@clevingerforestservicesllc1164]

I get hired to clear all brush and trees up to 8”-diameters. This is normally 80-90% of the growth. Builders then only have to take down the bigger trees within the footprint of the house and some yard.

[@MrPancake0825]

How did you determine that you like the middle position on your push bar?

[@clevingerforestservicesllc1164]

Terry W Good question, Terry. I like the middle setting on the push bar because it allows me to put the drum teeth right up against a tree without the bar hitting the tree first. This allows me to clear brush right up against trees, fence posts, etc. This position still lets the push bar to be forward enough to gather in the brush and bring it in front of the drum as I drive forward.

[@credmon3346]

I want to run this machine.

[@clevingerforestservicesllc1164]

It's very satisfying running this machine. Instant satifaction at the end of the day when you see what you did.

[@Labyrnthdom]

Hey fella can you help me out here with something please? I’m in Texas and want to do this type of business on the side and work my way up. However, I’m noticing a lot of conflicting information about hauling the machine. If you need a CDL Class A license to move the machine. Can you share anything on this subject and if in your state you need this or not?

[@jaxturner7288]

It’s dependent on location, so conflicting information should be expected from people all over the country. It’s best to figure out exactly what you plan on using , find the weights for each and go talk to your local DOT office, they will tell you exactly what you will and will not need without confusing you with other states irrelevant laws.

[@clevingerforestservicesllc1164]

Jax Turner had exactly the right answer...

[@CenTexAg]

Forgive me if you mentioned this already, but do/did you have your case drain line plumbed straight to the tank? I have seen guys that run bobcats talk about bypassing the return block and upgrading the drain hose to 1/2” or 5/8”. It supposedly prevents blowing seals on the mulching head pump?

[@clevingerforestservicesllc1164]

No, I’ve always run a Bobcat T770 since 2014 and have never had any issues with the case drain pressure, and have used mulcher heads by Bobcat and Fecon. I don’t know why some people do the things they do. People put after-market oil coolers on the Bobcat cab roof, too, for some reason. My hydraulic temps stay within limits, and when the temp does rise, I clean off the leaves and debris on top of the screen for the oil cooling radiators to keep good air-flow going.

[@CenTexAg]

@@clevingerforestservicesllc1164 Great info! Thanks for the reply

[@jakesbackhoedozerservice7010]

What do you charge an hour?

[@clevingerforestservicesllc1164]

Texas Digger I charge $150 per hour, where I'm located in Clarksville, TN. This price is driven by my cost structure, and the market I'm working in. The price that a forestry mulcher operator business charges depends solely on their specific cost structure and location. But for customers, the most important thing to consider when hiring a forestry mulcher service is the bottom-line cost, which is directly related to the production rate of the operator. This is normally talked about in terms of Cost-per-Acre.

[@kurtdenny8446]

I’ve noticed the ground you work doesn’t appear to be rocky. I live in the ozarks where the ground can get fairly rocky. What would be your approach on rocky ground, and how well do the teeth of the drum hold up in those conditions?

[@clevingerforestservicesllc1164]

Kurt Denny These cutter teeth are made to work in cherty soil, but obviously not for contact large rock. You can closely work around rock out-crops or ledge rock as much as practical. If the ground is littered with boulders everywhere where it would be even difficult to drive a machine, then this is not the right piece of equipment for that environment. I have passed on jobs like that in the past. I recommend an excavator and or dozer. But in my experience, if the land-owner is not able to maintain areas after they are cleared by mowing or livestock because it's too rocky, then they don't spend the money to clear it with a mulcher. If they want rocky ground cleared to build something on it, then it's better to use other equipment to remove the rock and or cover it up with soil.

[@davidberry214]

Why do you prefer carbide over blades?

[@clevingerforestservicesllc1164]

I like carbides for their durability and I don’t have to sharpen them before every job. Also, I have used both carbides and blade-type teeth, and I just didn’t see a significant difference in the end product mulch size to compel me to want to use blade teeth all of the time. The production time is slightly faster using sharp blades compared to carbides, but that is not a factor for my business since I work by the hour. The region I work in has a cherry/rocky soil primarily, so carbides are made for this.

[@coldcaribbean]

Who makes that pouch/phone holder on your left window. I've been looking for something like that to hold my cell phone in my skid steer?!?

[@clevingerforestservicesllc1164]

ColdCaribbean Oh man! I love that pouch! It holds my phone, notebook, pen, a lock-blade knife, adjustable wrench, my lunch, and swishers. It's actually a carpenters utility pouch. Got it at Lowes. It was perfect because it has a heavy duty belt clip on the back, that clips right on the window screen. You're very observant👍

[@coldcaribbean]

Fantastic! When I saw that in your cab I knew exactly what it was for! I have the same problem with my Cat 262D. Great idea, I'm headed to Lowes.

[@mueckenhoeffer]

Part 1 has been digesting, and I took your recovery tutorial before jumping into part 2. There just isn't 10 seconds of any of your videos that isn't critical knowledge for an aspiring operator. Has anyone pointed out how generous you are to take the time to get all this information out to people? I doubt I would get this depth of knowledge from a commercial course. Now I do have one question. I do not believe I have ever heard you say you let the mulcher "float" when mulching along the ground. Is this something we should not do? In the bonus footage, did you say you had done 8 acres in 3 days? The terrain itself did not look particularly challenging, so is 2-3 acres per day an average? It's good to hear you bill only hours worked. The operators I've contacted want to work and bill for a day rate (based on 8 hours). Should one bill travel time at the same rate, or do you have a lower rate for travel? I'll go back and review your cost of owner/operator videos either way.

[@clevingerforestservicesllc1164]

Your comment makes all the time it took to make this video, worth it. Thanks!

[@wnewman1869]

gREAT vIDEO!

[@clevingerforestservicesllc1164]

Appreciate that, Will !

[@renato4002]

What temp does your Bobcat hyd run at, on average?

[@clevingerforestservicesllc1164]

It runs in the 190’s F when mulching, when the airflow to the coolers are clear of debris.

[@renato4002]

Thanks. I have a bobcat t870 with a high-flow disc mulcher that I use for my self on Ranch. In August it's about 100 deg was seeing hydraulic temperatures of 200 plus. I'm either going to buy a different skid steer or put a hydraulic oil cooler on the cab.

[@BANDEDJESTER]

On average (high end and low end) how many gallons of fuel per hour does you machine use?

[@clevingerforestservicesllc1164]

Jesse Hinton I run at full throttle when doing forestry mulching. Fuel burn is between 4.7-5 GPH. This is on a 92 HP Bobcat T770.

[@BANDEDJESTER]

Clevinger Forest Services, LLC Thank you Sir, really wanting to get into forestry mulching but just doing my research first. Thanks again

[@clevingerforestservicesllc1164]

Jesse Hinton Doing thorough research into your business is very necessary for prudent risk management. Good luck.

[@TheAffectedRyan]

Thanks for the info! :)

[@clevingerforestservicesllc1164]

Affected Ryan You bet, Ryan. Thanks for watching. Hope it was an informative video for you.

[@spikemorbid7159]

Informative video. But I personally think your blades need sharpened.

[@clevingerforestservicesllc1164]

I run carbides, not blades.

[@copperworks]

Why dont you have a tank on your truck to pump diesel into your machine

[@clevingerforestservicesllc1164]

copperworks I haul other stuff in the bed of my truck so I don't want to lose the bed space. Also, it's just not a big deal for me to use fuel cans with one machine.

[@copperworks]

Hows the bouncing around on your back. Any issues? I live on Longisland NEWYORK and there would be great money around here reclaiming overgrown properties

[@clevingerforestservicesllc1164]

copperworks Honestly, I don't notice a lot of bouncing. Maybe because this is a tracked machine with an air-ride seat. I hear that wheeled skidsteers tend to bounce a lot though. I try to keep the area I'm working in cleared of trees and stumps, so I'm not bouncing over that stuff, and if I see really rough terrain in front of me, I slow down to a good speed to drive over it. I'm 57 and have no issues due to rough rides.

[@copperworks]

Im 50 and banged up. Trying to find another living. Did roofing and construction work with tree removal. Got hurt bad in 2001 had spinal fusion and went back to work to blow another disc out. I owned a skid steer years ago. I want to get back into machine work. Thanks for all the videos. In 2000 i was charging $700 a day for a 1700 pound capacity skid steer

[@clevingerforestservicesllc1164]

copperworks I understand all that. Spinal problems are not easy to deal with. Hope you get into something that works well with you.

[@arnoldromppai5395]

the main over heat and over worked on any equipment is not running at wide open throttle plus the damage you do starving pumps, you work these the same way as a dozer, you want the blade, ot head cutting or pushing with every move, parts are wearing whether there working or not, if your running a dozer that blade better be pushing with every move, not just walking around high balding, same with these cutters, it dont mateer how many times you tell a worker keep that boom low when moving around, they just keep running around with it up in the air, and you just have to fire there dam ass

[@clevingerforestservicesllc1164]

Arnold Romppai True statement 💯👍

[@michaelgarza3198]

so you have a gas engine not diesel I guess diesel is more expensive more maintenance

[@clevingerforestservicesllc1164]

These machines are diesel engines.

[@jaxturner7288]

What makes you think this is the only gas powered bobcat on the planet?

[@drvinson8947]

Disk mulcher works better for me.

[@clevingerforestservicesllc1164]

Disk mulchers definitely have their place in land clearing and maintenance. I know several people that run them.