500K_773
Well-known member
- Joined
- Mar 5, 2004
- Messages
- 342
Just my feelings on the brushcat attachment. I recently purchased one, but have been so busy finishing up other excavating projects that I haven't used it as much as I planned. That may change next year. I usually charge $60 for my skidsteer services. With the brushcat attachment I have been charging $75, mostly because this is a specialized service. I also factored in the price of the attachment ($5400) and cost of replacement blades (~$135). I have about 20 hours on the attachment and the blades still look good. You can also swap the hydraulic lines to reverse the direction of the rotation and extend blade life. I burn less fuel while brushcutting because the engine doesn't load up like when digging. I burned half a tank yesterday when I would normally burn about 3/4 - 7/8 of a tank moving dirt. I am not working in dusty conditions, so airfilter life should be extended also. The machine doesn't get dirt packed in the zert fittings either so daily maintenance is easier. I need to build a root rake to clean up the area afterwards and get it ready for planting. BTW, I removed the safety device that prevents the blade from spinning without the rear roller of the attachment on the ground. I was working in soft, mossy terrain and the attachment had to be all the way down to work, but then the blades were bogging down in the thick moss. Now, I can keep the blades at optimum cutting heights and not have to worry about the substrate. Now with thick clusters of alder or willow, I can cut of the top branches about 3' above the ground and mulch up the remaining stumps. Timesavings here was incredible. I normally don't override safety devices, but this is something I felt OK about because I am the only operator. You just have make sure you don't cut anything up high that could result in a limb or blade (in the event of a failure) seriously injuring the operator. The polycarbonate windshield does offer some protection, but I would not totally rely on it. If I go into full time brushcutting, I may build a metal screen to cover the windshield like the larger Hydro-axes. I am having my wife come over with the video camera this afternoon to get some good video footage to post on the site.
