# your opinion on mulching buisness



## cut'm and gut'm (Apr 21, 2011)

I have been looking at buying a skid steer and mulching head  for awhile, alot of money to hope someone will call with something for me to mulch. what do you think is their a big enough demand for this?

fire breaks 
shooting lanes 
new roads 
mulching under growth up to 6inches


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## Strych9 (Apr 21, 2011)

Not up this way.


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## Milkman (Apr 21, 2011)

I know someone who owned one until the current economic situation began. He was charging about $80 an hour then and getting lots of work from developers, farm and home owners, etc.

He sold it about 2 years ago due to no work being available.


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## mattech (Apr 21, 2011)

If you have a big enough network to stay busy, in my opinion with any business, you have to have a broad base of stuff to offer the customer. Only mulching and small jobs equals small paychecks. It would be something good as a part time income on the weekend.


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## jimbo4116 (Apr 21, 2011)

cut'm and gut'm said:


> I have been looking at buying a skid steer and mulching head  for awhile, alot of money to hope someone will call with something for me to mulch. what do you think is their a big enough demand for this?
> 
> fire breaks
> shooting lanes
> ...



Have you priced a machine.  Check around and see how many used ones are for sale by owners.

Something to remember about machinery, the machine cost the same per hour sitting idle or working.  Every idle hour requires a working hour to catch up two working hours to get ahead.  Can you charge enough so the machine can sit idle for every hour it works and go from there.


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## swamp hunter (Apr 21, 2011)

Had a Guy do My Property in N. fla. $ 1,200 for the Day. Got about 2/3 Acres done. Sure beat the Chainsaw and Machede I was workin with. Neat Machines for sure.
He,s out of Business now.  Sad . He was a Small Business owner with a Family to feed. 
Economy got Him. I think it,d be a great business in bout 5 Years or so.


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## Knotwild (Apr 21, 2011)

It is a tough business and the skid steers really don't have much oomph in big stuff. Gyro Trac heads (planer heads) are the only way to go. Do some research on that. 

With that said and in my opinion, you should go out and try to actually get some work lined up. If you are successful, rent a machine and do the work (I know Cat rents them in our area and I think they are around $500 per day, less for longer periods). 

With this economy and $4-5/gal for diesel, there is no way I would go out and buy a machine. Also, keep in mind that maintenance is expensive due to the short life of the mulching blades.


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## srb (Apr 21, 2011)

I have one and thank goodneess its paid for.One time i had alot of calls but now due to  economy things are slow, But picking up in other avenues for my company!!Try buying teeth for them$$$$$$$$$$$$$. Up keep is high to.


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## skiff23 (Apr 21, 2011)

I  have one and I am glad it is paid for also. We haven t run it enough the last year to pay the insurance for it. I have other attachments we can use on the farm and that is all we have done with it. At one time it was a hot item , but now  it is not ! I saw ne last week get real hot, s competitors machine burnt and he s not replacing it. I wonder why not ?! 

if you have the cash , you can buy them real cheap now , but I would not do it in todays economic time.


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## Miguel Cervantes (Apr 21, 2011)

It's a niche business for a niche market, and tough on a normal skid steer. The machines that are built for the mulching work hold up much better than adding a head to a skid steer. The other deterrent is the price point of the work vs. a dozer. If the price point could be managed a little better there would definitely be a bigger market for this type of work. But the price and maintenance on the equipment prohibit much of a reduction in the hourly rate.

I wish there was someone near Monroe that had the equipment. I have a small job that needs doing right now.


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## cut'm and gut'm (Apr 21, 2011)

thanks for all the response i am looking at a asv rc 100  it is a buy on this machine was thinking about traveling georgia and maybe a little out of the state.


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## skiff23 (Apr 21, 2011)

Better hava a big truck, these machines with the forestry head are heavy and require a lot of trailer and horsepower to pull. You will need a dual tandum trailer at minimum and that will need a 450 or better to pull if you dont want to constanly tear up the truck.


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## 10th Legion (Apr 22, 2011)

I'll echo what a few others have said.  I too have a mulching head and a few years ago i made some decent money with it.  But now the thing sits most of the time.  It takes a lot of maintenance both on the head and the skidsteer.  I hope you have a pretty good understanding of how the hydraulics work cause you will probably take apart, repair, replace and put back together quite often.  Also keep in mind that people don't have as much disposable cash to spend on recreation like they did a few years ago.  I used to have to hire an extra hand or two during the summer/ early fall to help with all the hunt club and landowner work i picked up.  Now i'm lucky to get more than an hand full of calls.  If you really want to get into the business, i'd try and offer the service on the side and not as a primary means of income.  Just my two cents from someone who's been down that road.


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## cut'm and gut'm (Apr 22, 2011)

thanks guys you have helped alot think i might just wait on that buisness  lol


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## dwhee87 (Apr 23, 2011)

From your original post, you said you "hoped" people will call. In business, "hope" is not a strategy. You need to have a marketing plan, and market all the time. One of the biggest mistakes I've seen is that small businesses only market when they are slow. Once they get busy, they stop. This results in a roller-coaster work cycle, which makes it hard to pay the bills and make any money. Look around at local places to advertise, get a website (cheap), join local business groups, get out and see potential clients. Many people have gone out of business sitting around waiting for the phone to ring. Good luck!


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