Cost of clearing land

[weitz]

I have a parcel of 5,000m2 that I need to have cleared prior to construction. It is fairly thickly forested with a lot of undergrowth. I know how much it would cost to rent a bulldozer per hour and just get rid of everything (inexpensive and relatively fast) but that's really not the point of what I'm trying to do. The plan is to carefully remove all the undergrowth and leave absolutely as many of the healthy trees as possible.

I've been asking around to find someone to clear it for me and although I've found a few people interested in the job no one really wants to commit to a final cost which seems like an obvious red flag to me. I did find someone who would commit to a final cost and he said he would do it for 1.000.000 which would cover 25 days of labor for two people to clear and close the property. He claims it normally might only take a couple weeks but that I should expect it to take a little longer given how intense the rains have been.

Considering how hard it has been to get solid quotes for this, I'm curious if anyone on here has experience with clearing land in this way and whether or not this sounds about right in terms of the cost. I'd prefer not to part with a million pesos without making sure it's reasonable to do so.

Thanks all

[admin]

What do you mean by "close the property"?

Do you mean fence it?

Assuming they are not fencing it, then that is a high price. If they are fencing it, might not be that bad depending on what kind of fencing. Fences are expensive, for what they are, no matter how you run the numbers.

O.k. well, to run some numbers.

Had some friends that cleared some land in the States years ago, with 40 foot pine trees, done with a backhoe, took 1 day, plus another day to turn the trees in to firewood. That also included re-contouring the land.

We use to clear over a acres of super thick brush and trees in about 2-3 days in MN with a brush cutter and a power mower, where the brush was about as thick as any jungle. About the same speed for the campground that my family owned when clearing camp sites.Typically 2-3 people, working most of the day, including burning the brush. A a couple camp sites, with access and all, was about 5,000 square meters or there about.

Just kind of putting a reference on the amount of work involved.

Now, a full time person working for you runs about 200,000 to 250,000 pesos a month (someone just doing whatever sort of grunt yard work, general handyman). Two is 500,000 to 600,000 pesos.

Add in gas for machines (assuming they have a brush cutters, lawn mower), perhaps another 100,000 pesos (generous 80 litres of gas for mowers and brush cutter is way more than they would likely need ).

Does it really take them 25 days and two men to do it? Are they really going to work 25 days out of month?

Think the price is high, and the workers are slow. 25 days, is more like they plan to do it with hand tools, unless they are pricing a new brush cutter in to clearing it (then not sure what the other guy is for).

Don't forget the 'my cousins, brother's, friend's, cow got out last night, so we had to try and find it while watching the world cup' hassle factor. Employees have a way in Chile of trying to turn you in to the worker if you are not watching close.

By the way, one thing to watch out for is how they dispose of the garbage. I have seen them dump the garbage in the neighbours lots. I have also seen them nearly burn down a house, just dumping gas on a pile of stuff, and walk away on a high wind day.

Think you could get more backhoe time than you need for 1 million pesos.

[chucao_ambar]

That kind of work is harder than it looks when you have the goal of leaving the larger healthy trees and you aren't just indiscriminately clearcutting it. It can often be difficult or impossible to maneuver anything that isn't hand-held depending on how dense it is. And with that amount of land you could end up with a giant mountain of brush to dispose of, quite possibly too much to think about burning easily all at once and a lot of which you're going to have to drag out by hand.

Clearly a lot of it depends on the nature of the vegetation. I've done this in the states with a bunch of 10- to 15-year-old cedar trees to clear plus all the littler stuff and it was a real chore.

I haven't lived here long enough to offer a decent opinion on the price. That being said, I would have gladly done that work over the course of two weeks for 1000 usd a few years ago as a typical college student with nothing to do. Well, like it or not, that makes me think it's a bit pricey for here. I sure wouldn't have worked at a hotel desk full time for a month for four hundred bucks. Maybe that's apples to oranges, but not quite.

Actually, I did get paid about that rate to cut multiflora rose bushes out of bog turtle habitat - wet fields - in NJ one humid summer. That remains one of the most engaging, life-affirming experiences I've ever had.

[jamie_m]

personally i think you have a good deal. if they plan to clear 200 square meters everyday for 25 days for 2k let them do it. but watch them and watch what they leave behind. you want stuff cut off at ground level, not 2 inch sticks 200mm above the ground. and be sure to tell them not to touch any other tree. they will grab anything sell-able/burn-able. and yep, been there.

[weitz]

I found someone who is happy to do the job for half the cost (500.000) and he did a property up the street so I was able to get a sense of how he clears. Guess it wasn't such a good deal after all.

[El Lechero]

I found someone who is happy to do the job for half the cost (500.000) and he did a property up the street so I was able to get a sense of how he clears. Guess it wasn't such a good deal after all.

Yeah thats more like it, I can clear farmland, leaving some trees behind for about 500000 a hectare with a 15 tonne excavator

[admin]

I found someone who is happy to do the job for half the cost (500.000) and he did a property up the street so I was able to get a sense of how he clears. Guess it wasn't such a good deal after all.

Yeah thats more like it, I can clear farmland, leaving some trees behind for about 500000 a hectare with a 15 tonne excavator

alternatively, a brush cutter and a pair of gloves will set you back about 300,000 pesos. A pair of brush cutting hand clippers and gloves, will set you back about 30,000 pesos. Just letting nature take its course, priceless and free. Also, one less square meter of grass you will have to mow.

[ABIII]

I recently saw a company in the X region that has one of those German carbide tooth land ripping machines...
probably not what OP was thinking about, but interesting all the same

http://www.elreinal.cl

to find the machines in english, I went o an English website, http://www.ahwiuk.co.uk/products/
pretty amazing machines, though you wouldn't want to be caught on the wrong end

[admin]

yea, you need about 100 hectares of brush to fire one of those things up.

[ABIII]

yeap.. looks like Satan's hedgetrimmer

[El Lechero]

Awesome grunty. Drinks about 70 lutres diesel an hour. Bout 900000 pesos per hectare but you gain time by being able to get crops in sooner. Still thinking about it. Think ill go with the excavator.

[El Lechero]

I must be thinking of the machine that incorporates it back into the soil. The mary crusher my neighbour calls it. I didnt really look at the link properly just assumed was the same. I was just thinking about no till this evening driving home looking at other peoples farms. By no or zero till you mean direct drilling right? I have just tried last week. I put some dry cows in a paddock to eat right down for a few days and the sewed the grass and will leave a few more days t