New Toy! 60" Disc Mulcher

[Flyin6]

I just purchased a 60" Diamond disc mulcher.

It is one beast of a machine capable of taking an entire standing tree and taking it down to mulch in seconds. Literally, you can take a 4" 25 foot tall tree, cut it and shred the entire thing into chips in maybe 2-3 seconds!

[Flyin6]

The disc is a 600 pound rotating mass of inertial energy arrayed with these four tooth cutting teeth. It will go through anything so fast, you barely need to slow down.

I have decided to do some land clearing work on the side a couple days a week starting in April. This cutter head will be the mainstay of the operation. My objective is to create $10K-10K a month additional cash flow which I plan to use to further develop the farm. Instead of just making it livable, I am going to make it into a very beautiful place and all that will require money. I always thought I could use the farm to create all the cash flow I would ever need and this is just another way I am going to do that.

So, the machine: Its a Diamond 60" disc mulcher with a piston drive motor sized appropriately for the Kubota SVL-97
In addition to the cutter head, I will have to upgrade the machine to a lexan-poly carbonate door to keep flying debris from literally killing me.

The disc has teeth on the top and the bottom. Inside the enclosure are more teeth, so that when material is pulled into the "chute" it is ripped to shreds instantly. In the bottom of the disc it can have either the same steel teeth or carbide bits. I have spec'd the latter because the carbide is not really affected by rocks, it just smashes through.

[Flyin6]

Here is the difference between the two styles of teeth:

[Flyin6]

A video is worth a thousand pictures...

https://vimeo.com/147856993?embedded=true&source=vimeo_logo&owner=40998281

[Flyin6]

The entry ticket to get into this business is close to $100K

$75K for the machine, and around $25K for the cutter head.

Add to that (in my case) $7,500 for the trailer and of course you'll need a 1 ton truck to pull all that

Added to that, a 100 gal fuel tank would be handy along with a grease gun and all sorts of tools to effect quick field repairs.

Now, having said all that, disc mulching pays out around $2000 a day in gross proceeds. I still have to figure out operating costs but you have fuel, tracks every 1200 hours, oil changes, insurance, then be prepared for hydraulic hoses to grenade and weird stuff to happen... Those teeth last maybe 300 hours and cost around $4000 to replace, so there's that. The head is pretty much indestructible and will last years.

I feel you can easily net $1,500 a day which is above my minimum threshold of $1000 a day. So, work this three days a week for an additional $144,000-$225,000  a year in net income. Do that until you pay off your machine, then trade in your old machine and buy a new one with a 40%-50% trade in allowance. If I make $12,000-$15000 a month, I will withhold 50% of that to pay off the machine or save for my next one.

My longer range goal is to use the money I earn to build my cabin and to purchase a KX-80 Kubota Excavator. I will then put a mulching head on that and go full commercial with a son in law. That machine will easily net $2000 a day and I already have a large company willing to hire my crews. That is down the road, but probably coming...

[Sammconn]

Wowza!

[Flyin6]

Wowza!

Yea man!

[Flyin6]

$$$$$

[dave945]

In the spirit of being helpful and giving, instead of trucking your new munching head down tot eh farm to test it out and find any issues, you can just bring your SVL and the cutter head here to my place (it’s closer to the dealer and your house) to test it out for a few days and see if your like the results. If so, great!!  If not, I’ll just need to hold onto it for a few days to clean up the mess.  ;)


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[Bob Smith]

Lots better than trying to use a cheaper brush hog system to try and clear trees. You might even run for a whole day without breaking down..

[TexasRedNeck]

Don, seems to make sense.  Having only seen the rotary barrel type of Forestry mulcher what are the pros and cons of each?


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[Bob Smith]

Company West of Elma WA builds the large heavy duty rotary heads for bigger excavators. Lots of use for them in the logging arena. Able to chip standing trees and snags.
My wifes cousin in Western Montana has two flail chippers mounted on skid steers they use for thinning the hills. Able to grow trees as well as provide grass for the cattle. 
That unit you are looking at should really do a good job for you.

[Bigdave_185]

I guess we will see if that kabota will hold up to daily use.


Those YouTube videos are a riot to watch people distort things with

Maybe a small car?


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[Flyin6]

Don, seems to make sense.  Having only seen the rotary barrel type of Forestry mulcher what are the pros and cons of each?


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OK, I'll try and tackle some of this.

First of all there is a huge difference between the cheapo disc cutters and the old Blue Diamond Severe duty disc cutter. It does a great job on grass, but also can handle a cedar tree up to around 8".Now it can probably cut a tree larger than that, but you take forever making pas after pass chewing up the tree trunk. It will do the job but processing trees takes a bunch more time
From the commercial aspect, time is indeed money.
Let's say you have an acre of scrub brush with a few standing pines and smaller hardwoods. I might bid $1500 to do that job thinking I can do it in a day. Early start and able to finish into the night if necessary.
With a head like the Diamond I just purchased, I could do that job in roughly half the time. Instead of topping the tree, then cutting it off at the ground, then making pas after pass over it back dragging, I would instead just make one cut at the base, hoist the entire tree, then feed it into the cutter head in it would be instantly destroyed. Then on to the next tree.
I make the same $1500, but I put half the hours on the machine and I use the remaining hours in that day to shuttle the machine to the next job site.

A traditional rotary head like the one Fecon builds costs 30%-40% more. It is not nearly as fast, but it does produce a finer mulch. But it can't cut grass and is not all that great on brush. A disc mulcher is considerably faster than a drum style, so again, its the choice that makes sense.

Another way to look at it in the scenario above is to use the bonus time to sharpen the teeth, and do some maintenance on your machine

And Dave (185), this head and the Kubota SVL-97 are made for each other. Very likely, more Diamond cutters are powered by the Kubota machine than any other combo.

Dave 945: NO!

[JR]

Think we'll start calling you Andrew,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Not that I have been real good either,,,,,,,,,,,

[Flyin6]

Well it has arrived at the farm.

I haven't run it yet because they gave me low-flow fittings when it requires high flow.

So off we go to the Kubota store where I purchased it to get the correct fittings.

Meantime back at the ranch, here it is in the barn:

[Flyin6]

This thing will make any axe murderer proud!

The steel is super thick and yes, it's berry-berry heavy

[Bob Smith]

That stay back 300 ft is almost useless unless using high power glasses. Most of the trucks and pups down here have those stickers on the rear of the rig. along with we don't pay for windshields. Not sure that will help but got to try something.

[Flyin6]

That stay back 300 ft is almost useless unless using high power glasses. Most of the trucks and pups down here have those stickers on the rear of the rig. along with we don't pay for windshields. Not sure that will help but got to try something.

Ahh, if they get hit maybe they'll think about it more the next time they come around! ;-))

[EL TATE]

That stay back 300 ft is almost useless unless using high power glasses. Most of the trucks and pups down here have those stickers on the rear of the rig. along with we don't pay for windshields. Not sure that will help but got to try something.

Ahh, if they get hit maybe they'll think about it more the next time they come around! ;-))

kinda how i feel about it too. maybe don't come creepin up behind a large piece of equipment shredding the ground and you won't see damage huh.

[Atkinsmatt]

Too bad it is so far away, I can think of a spot for a test drive.

[JR]

Very nice, how long until he breaks it?

[Flyin6]

Very nice, how long until he breaks it?

nebbah

[JR]

 

[Bigdave_185]

I’ll giver it a month!


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[TexasRedNeck]

Awesome, Don


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[JR]

It does look stout. Don just seems to find things that things aren't made to cut, just say'n,,,,,,,,,,,

[dave945]

I guess it’s probably safe as long as the Kobelco is no longer there. That would have been a fun video too, like robot wars.


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[Flyin6]

I’ll giver it a month!


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Ah, ye who have so little faith!

[JR]

History repeats itself,,,,

[Bigdave_185]

History repeats itself,,,,

Do you have an old stihl saw? I’d like to see that thing blast something


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[Sammconn]

I’ll giver it a month!


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Ah, ye who have so little faith!

Oh I think we all have faith…
 
This one does look tough.
Time will tell if it is Big D tough.

[wyorunner]

Curious how this worked out now being a year later.

Never saw pictures of it with out rust, which tells me it is probably in pieces turning back to earth

[Flyin6]

Curious how this worked out now being a year later.

Never saw pictures of it with out rust, which tells me it is probably in pieces turning back to earth

I used it to test its capability. Maybe 5 or so trees grenaded, then I just detached it and it still sits there today. It should sell soon.