small scale timber extraction costs

[Chris Sheppard]

TreeAb,

The Alstor near me goes out man & machine for £300 per day. My Alpine and trailer goes out for a bit less, especially for longer contracts ie less transport days to work days.

 

For those that think that Alstors/Alpines can only work on grant money, I'd like to see you get a county or tractor/trailer rig up some of the sub 2m wide access routes I've had to use. That said, they'll never shift the volume per hr that a big rig will shift, but they don't need the roads/ reinstatement either.

 

Horses for courses.

 

 

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That's a much more concise way of putting it

[treedweller]

TreeAb,

The Alstor near me goes out man & machine for £300 per day. My Alpine and trailer goes out for a bit less, especially for longer contracts ie less transport days to work days.

 

For those that think that Alstors/Alpines can only work on grant money, I'd like to see you get a county or tractor/trailer rig up some of the sub 2m wide access routes I've had to use. That said, they'll never shift the volume per hr that a big rig will shift, but they don't need the roads/ reinstatement either.

 

Horses for courses.

 

 

Sent using Arbtalk Mobile App

 

Again i understand the need for specialist equipment and i understand how low impact these machines are but i just struggle to see how they can be used in a commercial setting.

I look at it like this. 100 tonnes extracted @ between £5-7/tonne = £500-700 right? no matter what machine is used.

Now 100 tonnes extracted @ £300/day moving an average of 20tonne a day after getting stuck breakdowns running out of fuel and everything else that happens every week in this job despite all the experience and planning = 5 days or £1500. If it was my timber i'd put the £800-£1000 extra into sorting thr rides and roads out and pocket the rest.

Having said that these machines do exist and do go to work every week so there must be a market for them. I just cant find it

[treedave]

Treedweller,

I hear your maths! Here's some factors to add to the mix.

No low loader costs / driving between sites, my rig goes behind the 4x4.

My rig will do an 8 hr day on 30-40l, no idea how long that'll last in a 110hp rig.

 

Not sure how far £800-£1000 would get you on buying, shifting and working road stone or drains going in. My last job had a 50m "wet spot" that would've probably seen the back of it.

 

Looking for markets for the kit is easy, find small difficult access under managed hardwoods, after that its just breakdowns, timber theft and getting paid you'll have to worry about!

 

 

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[TimberCutterDartmoor]

I'll sell you one only it would cost about a fifth of it's value to ship all tway down theer!

 

interested...

 

TreeAb,

The Alstor near me goes out man & machine for £300 per day. My Alpine and trailer goes out for a bit less, especially for longer contracts ie less transport days to work days.

 

For those that think that Alstors/Alpines can only work on grant money, I'd like to see you get a county or tractor/trailer rig up some of the sub 2m wide access routes I've had to use. That said, they'll never shift the volume per hr that a big rig will shift, but they don't need the roads/ reinstatement either.

 

Horses for courses.

 

 

Sent using Arbtalk Mobile App

 

"£300 day" Shifting 60m3 a day then to make it pay?

[treedave]

If you ain't got good forest rds or an owner that doesn't mind the aftermath of bigger machines then the £5 per m3 needs to have the reinstatement costs added. If there are no extra costs to be added and the work goes out at £5/m3 then alpine/alstor ain't the tool for the job. That kind of work ain't my flavour, so no doubt some things about it beyond my ken.

Again, horses for courses.

 

 

Sent using Arbtalk Mobile App

[treedweller]

CASE INTERNATIONAL 955XL 4WD | eBay

 

Here get it bought it's your end of the world and better than my 785 (which i still havn't got around to putting the new injector pump on)

[Charlieh]

Hmmm only just logged on and thought I would have a look at this thread, Eddie

[Chris Sheppard]

Hmmm only just logged on and thought I would have a look at this thread, Eddie

 

Go on Charlie, you're itching to tell us all about it, I can tell

[Charlieh]

Go on Charlie, you're itching to tell us all about it, I can tell

 

I'm not going to get started on the machine. Yes I probably should have had band tracks on but over a long (400mtr+) extraction they make it very slow going considering most of the ride surface is pretty good. I should say a big to Eddie for the assist really as it was properly bogged and I thought it was going to go over sideways at one point had to use the crane to counterbalance it to stop it rolling