Best way to get rid of huge brush pile?


  #1  
Old 10-18-15, 08:02 AM
L
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: PA
Posts: 2,221
Received 8 Upvotes on 8 Posts
Best way to get rid of huge brush pile?

burning not permitted here.

i estimate i have 2 large dumpsters of bushes and small trees chopped down. because of a steep hill with dip at the bottom it would be hard to get anything up it other than probably a 4 inch rented chipper. 2 days including delivery is about 300 an then of course its all my labor. unsure how long that takes.

buying a 3 inch chipper looks to be about 800

5 years ago i rented the big dumpster for another project and it was 275 so i guess 2 dumpsters woudl be about 600 but the idea only loading and not chipping is where i'm headed now given the weather is turning colder etc

also there is some poison mixed in with some of it so have to work that into the factor.

i cant think of any other way to get rid of this so wanted to post and get any ideas.
 
  #2  
Old 10-18-15, 09:51 AM
M
Member
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Louisville KY
Posts: 514
Received 1 Upvote on 1 Post
Why do you really want to get rid of it? Is it in a place that it's unsightly? Brush piles like that are a great habitat for animals such as rabbits etc. and they certainly appreciate it. If it were me and I had to get rid of the pile because of appearance issues I would definitely buy the chipper and chip up the pile. I would either use the chipped material as mulch (after it has time to compost a little) are just spread it around to naturalize an area.
 
  #3  
Old 10-18-15, 11:09 AM
B
Member
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: New England
Posts: 9,460
Received 47 Upvotes on 43 Posts
Anything large enough to burn in a fireplace could be cut to size and stacked out front for free. If your location isn't well traveled are there are other locations you could use.

If you prepare the chipping project it could probably be completed in a single day. Great opportunity to utilize your friends.

If it is not unsightly, in 4 or 5 years it will be gone all by itself. Years ago I cleared a big lot and created a 12' high stump dump out back out of sight. 5 years later it looked like a 4' high pile of dirt.

Bud
 
  #4  
Old 10-21-15, 10:13 AM
L
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: PA
Posts: 2,221
Received 8 Upvotes on 8 Posts
yes it is at the end of my driveway, covers a large area, and cannot stay where it is even by my own standard of not minding a jungle. I guess ill have to measure it to get a general idea of the volume of it and how many dumpsters it would take, I had a 20 yard one in my driveway a few years ago but it was 14 x 8 x 5.5 and I see online they have some 40 yard ones but I don't know if a truck can back up a 22 footer up my hill.

I really doubt just a day with an 4 inch chipper would take care of the pile . my dip/slope of my driveway is the limiting factor here. it all depends on the form factor of the equipment but I've studied the bigger ones and don't know if they could make it up top and even if they could be driven up, would I be able to move around a 1500 lb machine to maneuver it so the truck could get out of there and also so I can put it next to where the chips need to shoo out. ive gotten a cement truck up but a simple uhaul truck couldn't make it because of the low loading deck. and a flat bed tow truck had the rear bar kill my driveway when he attempted to back up.

so these are the complications of my life. half tempted to let it go until spring. great weather now but in a week who knows. snapshot of debris below.

Name:  yard back.jpg
Views: 19199
Size:  41.9 KB
 

Last edited by PJmax; 10-21-15 at 10:24 AM. Reason: reoriented pic
  #5  
Old 10-21-15, 01:26 PM
M
Member
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Louisville KY
Posts: 514
Received 1 Upvote on 1 Post
Have you called around to any of the local tree or landscape companys? It may be just a cheap to have them come in with one of the large chippers chip it up and haul it away as it would be to rent a couple of dumpsters since dumpsters don't come cheap.
 
  #6  
Old 10-21-15, 02:58 PM
GregH's Avatar
Super Moderator
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Manitoba
Posts: 9,500
Received 68 Upvotes on 62 Posts
If you wanted to do a bit of work you could use a small chainsaw to break down the unwieldy branches into straighter pieces.........an inexpensive electric one would work just fine.
It all might fit in a single dumpster or trailer to be hauled away if it can be neatly piled.
 
  #7  
Old 10-21-15, 09:48 PM
F
Member
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Wet side of Washington state.
Posts: 16,321
Received 38 Upvotes on 30 Posts
also there is some poison[ous plants] mixed in with some of it so have to work that into the factor.
THIS, in my opinion was a huge mistake. Now whoever handles that mess is going to expose themselves to the poisonous plants. You will be lucky to get anyone to do that without a hefty increase in the price.

And you NEVER burn poisonous plants because the smoke will carry the oils from those plants quite a distance.
 
  #8  
Old 10-22-15, 03:19 AM
M
Forum Topic Moderator
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: USA - N.E.Tn
Posts: 45,659
Received 835 Upvotes on 732 Posts
NEVER burn poisonous plants because the smoke will carry the oils from those plants quite a distance.
..... and inhaling that smoke can really be bad! Folks have been hospitalized from inhaling smoke from poison ivy
 
  #9  
Old 10-22-15, 05:23 AM
W
Member
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: USA
Posts: 6,395
Received 63 Upvotes on 55 Posts
Brush

Rent a brush chipper. Rent a tracked skid steer with a brush grapple to handle the brush. Chip into mulch.
 
  #10  
Old 10-22-15, 06:03 AM
A
Member
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: U.S.A.
Posts: 1,902
Received 73 Upvotes on 66 Posts
We have a 3 point chipper for the tractor, so pile up the brush and branches to do about once a year, sometimes twice, and it still amazes me the volume that we get through in a day. One luxury that you probably don't have at this point is that we always try to pile it with the big ends on the side of the pile where the chipper will be and cut the Y's that won't fit through the feeder as we pile it. Still, you will probably be surprised at how fast it goes. I bought hard hats with full face and hearing protection for the wife and myself, but, regardless of how you do it, make sure to at least wear good eye and hearing protection. The way that we do it is she hands to me and I feed the chipper, so she's freeing more pieces from the pile while I'm working them into the feeder, and we don't trip over each other that way. We keep an axe and pair of loppers close by to nip anything that won't fit, and toss aside anything that warrants a chain saw so that we can cut them later, rather than slowing up production to run the saw.
 
  #11  
Old 10-26-15, 05:37 AM
L
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: PA
Posts: 2,221
Received 8 Upvotes on 8 Posts
I called someone that had high rating in angies list and when he got to my house turn out he did work on my neighbors. basically he said the pile I got is a big problem. better if I left It all up so they could cut it down to the size they need and put right in truck. first question was how long is the pile here. I said 2 weeks. cause some people have years of stamped down stuff impossible to move. he said this is 2 or 3x the work for him now and its at least 4 of his truckloads to take and 45 per hour per man here and he would have up to 4 guys her. what also sucks is where he dumps it is cheap but its at least 20 to 25 min to get there so I have to pay for that. he said would just do by hour but said could be over 1000. he also walked around my yard and told me what certain trees were and what was in good shape and not so he was very helpful there.

I said what about chippers. he said the big box ones are all garbage. I said theres a 4 inch rental one that would fit up my driveway and he said with my pile it would be so cumbersome but if I wanted a project to take a very long time it may be ok but he said he would never do a 4 inch one. he picked up a branch and showed me all the places It would have to be cut just to fit in. then I said what if by some miracle a 12 inch chipper could fit up my driveway. he still pointed to all the vines and other stuff and that you have to be really careful you don't get sucked in because they are so strong. and said only thing he would do here is haul away.

so next time I guess I have to have him come out and just do the work. if I hit the lottery. I asked him how much this one big tree would be to cut haul away and he said 750. at least I know what that will cost down the road.

so I could call around but my guess is this is just a labor intensive pile I made. I guess if 2 dumpsters can haul it for 600 that's probably what I will wind up doing.
 
  #12  
Old 10-26-15, 06:15 AM
P
Temporarily Suspended
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: NY
Posts: 10,265
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
Leave the heavy stuff, for last. Start with one dumpster. Make sure that it's positioned so that you can open the door. It's much easier to pack that way, to save space. Hire 2 day workers. They will go through the smaller branches, in a flash. Sometimes it's better to have the extra man power than a machine. By the end of the day, you'll know if you need a chipper or not.
 
  #13  
Old 10-26-15, 06:53 AM
G
Member
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: MI
Posts: 2,364
Upvotes: 0
Received 2 Upvotes on 2 Posts
Is there a level area at the top of your drive where a chipper could be de-coupled and manually turned around? That way a truck could haul it up forward, back down your difficult driveway & back up to take it away.

The big box rentals are not junk and are fine for anything a homeowner can pile up. Local HD carries Vermeer chippers and the one I rented never slowed down no matter what I fed into its maw. I towed it to the back of my property where a couple trees had come down in a storm and this was uneven lawn, down a grade. I had help from a friend and a neighbor that both wanted the big stuff for firewood.

I can't imagine why a tree trimmer would be reluctant to use a chipper to reduce the pile to a fraction of it's current "fluffy" dimensions. You might want to approach some utility crews to see if they want any side work.
 
  #14  
Old 10-26-15, 08:39 AM
L
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: PA
Posts: 2,221
Received 8 Upvotes on 8 Posts
top of driveway is fine but low things like a uhaul have NOT been able to make it up the dip at the bottom of the driveway. and a flat bed tow truck scraped it bad. but something like a van or 22 ft Penske truck has made it. but i'm don't know if you can back UP a truck that big. we pulled it up and backed it down and some kind of warning lite came on while he was backing it down . but I have to back it up if I do that

i'm also seriously considering a uhaul van for 20 bucks plus 60 cents per mile. i'm 6 miles round trip so I can go a lot of miles before to the 600 bucks 2 dumpster would cost me. just something tells me NOT fun to empty out the van or load it. but pickup would be too small and not worth it. stuff flies right out, I did it before.

the trimmer told me cause all my stuff was settled and packed together that this would take more time. looking at it myself it appears it wont be very fun I agree.
 
  #15  
Old 11-02-15, 11:47 AM
L
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: PA
Posts: 2,221
Received 8 Upvotes on 8 Posts
well after seeing how much it compressed since it was cut down. we are going to rent a 20 yd dumpster for 325 and just jump up and down on it and hopefully most will fit in the dumpster this weekend if not ill just pile the rest up until..............
 
  #16  
Old 11-03-15, 03:56 AM
GregH's Avatar
Super Moderator
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Manitoba
Posts: 9,500
Received 68 Upvotes on 62 Posts
If you cut the unwieldy branches into shorter pieces it will all probably fit in a single load.
You can buy an inexpensive electric chain saw for about $50.00.
 
  #17  
Old 11-03-15, 04:11 AM
B
Member
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: New England
Posts: 9,460
Received 47 Upvotes on 43 Posts
I recently took a pile of tree branches to the dump and that pile was bigger than my truck. But 30 minutes with a battery powered reciprocating saw and a brush blade (not the fastest way) and it all fit in the back bed with room to spare. Some branches were 3" in diameter and 20' long, but once trimmed and quartered they were 1/10 the volume.

Bud
 
  #18  
Old 11-03-15, 05:19 AM
GregH's Avatar
Super Moderator
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Manitoba
Posts: 9,500
Received 68 Upvotes on 62 Posts
My own experience with this is I am currently clearing trees and brush by hand and loading it all into a 7' x 14' trailer with 2' sides.
The trees are 50' high but with careful cutting and stacking I can get two trees into one load.

An off topic comment is that because of how long it takes to unload this at the dump I have put my tree cutting on hold to build a 6' x 12' x 3' side dumping trailer.
 
  #19  
Old 11-09-15, 12:45 PM
C
Member
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 2,503
Received 350 Upvotes on 293 Posts
And you NEVER burn poisonous plants because the smoke will carry the oils from those plants quite a distance.

Furd -
Let me tell you a story about my city friend and fishing buddy Ed. He moved to the country and one day decided to clear all that brush in his yard. He made a big pile, tossed on some kerosene and burned it. Three days later he was in intensive care because he had inhaled so much of the burning oils that it affected his ability to breath - on top of just being miserable. He was in the hospital for a couple of weeks. A month later he still looked like a jack o lantern. One thing to know even though the poison ivy is "dead", the oil is still there.

OTOH - Most tree/landscape guys know how to deal with it.
 
  #20  
Old 02-03-16, 10:01 AM
L
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: PA
Posts: 2,221
Received 8 Upvotes on 8 Posts
i realized i never followed up. gf spent hours in the dumpster jumping up and down on stuff and compacting it very well. it will just need one more dumpster in spring to be totally done

bad news is i have zero privacy anymore lol. especially in winter. geez. i cant wait until all the weed trees grow back. there are still some very large cumbersome stumps sticking out of the ground. one namelly being about 4 or 5 large branches sticking out sideways from fallen bush..but that will take heavy duty chain saw and bulldozer to get out someday
 
 

Thread Tools
Search this Thread
 
Ask a Question
Question Title:
Description:
Your question will be posted in: