Demolishing a 220m2 timber cattery ?

[Russell griffiths]

Watch the 1 tonne dumper, they fall over regularly. 

[scottishjohn]

8 hours ago, Russell griffiths said:

Watch the 1 tonne dumper, they fall over regularly. 

they certainly do --to high and narrow 

 not like my old benfoerd its wider track than the digger and it don,t complain when filled with granite --which is alot more than 3ton -- but its not hydrostatic drive its clutxch and gears 

 and simple 

 30-40 deegree tilt no problem,

 your modern 1 ton --is very easy to tip it over   not for sloping sites

 

[scottishjohn]

8 hours ago, Bozza said:

If first time with a digger deffo a week.  Don’t go near the foundations or big roots until you’ve spent a day on lighter work and getting use to the machine and its controls.  Spend first day playing just shifting light soil a-b and back, and driving around your site.
 

if you go straight in at heavy work you’re at risk of toppling the digger.  Diggers are brilliant fun but take your time and ensure you take breaks the hours rack up quickly when you’re having fun.   It’s surprising though how decent an operator you can become after a few days.  
 

with big roots dig around them before trying to pull them out would be my tip.  Depending on your plot size  do you have anywhere you could dig down and bury the concrete, or build up land with it.

 

 

 

 

If you got tree roots to rip up ,even a 5ton is abit small if the tree is over 15" diameter --lots of knibbling at roots around it before you will get it out .

I do not know of nay hire company that will supply you a ripper blade ,whivh is what you really need to get stuborn roots out ,

 my site with lots of old ash and beech trees which started off as hedge   15-24"  -took all day with a 7tonner and ripper to get them  out and htat after iahad assaulted them with a 5tonner the week before 

 If you don,t need them out now --cut them  down drill hole instump and fill it with weedkiller  and go back in a year or more  when roots have died back  a bit --lot easier

[scottishjohn]

things you can do with a 3ton digger and decent dumper

and my ground is allclay+rock and quarry waste

 

so you can a alot with practise

[flanagaj]

12 hours ago, Bozza said:

If first time with a digger deffo a week.  Don’t go near the foundations or big roots until you’ve spent a day on lighter work and getting use to the machine and its controls.  Spend first day playing just shifting light soil a-b and back, and driving around your site.
 

if you go straight in at heavy work you’re at risk of toppling the digger.  Diggers are brilliant fun but take your time and ensure you take breaks the hours rack up quickly when you’re having fun.   It’s surprising though how decent an operator you can become after a few days.  
 

with big roots dig around them before trying to pull them out would be my tip.  Depending on your plot size  do you have anywhere you could dig down and bury the concrete, or build up land with it.

 

 

 

 

I'm on a three day one on one course in October.   On the basis of that, I'll decide whether I'll feel competent to do all the groundwork myself.  Hoping, I do get on ok as I'm looking forward to doing it.  I did groundwork and steel reinforcement when I was fresh out of school, and before I went to uni a few years later.

[Conor]

7 hours ago, flanagaj said:

I'm on a three day one on one course in October.   On the basis of that, I'll decide whether I'll feel competent to do all the groundwork myself.  Hoping, I do get on ok as I'm looking forward to doing it.  I did groundwork and steel reinforcement when I was fresh out of school, and before I went to uni a few years later.

Good plan but you just can't beat hours in the machine. Was the fourth hire or so before I came what could be considered competent. Just keep at it and get the feel. Fyi the larger the machine the easier it is.. more stable. It's fun. Enjoy.

[flanagaj]

Quick question.  If I pull all of the hedging out with the excavator, how do you go about getting ride of it.  It takes up a lot of volume, so not cost effective to skip it?

[Russell griffiths]

27 minutes ago, flanagaj said:

Quick question.  If I pull all of the hedging out with the excavator, how do you go about getting ride of it.  It takes up a lot of volume, so not cost effective to skip it?

November the 5th. 
baked potatoes and a few beers. 
invite your neighbours 😂😂

[saveasteading]

1 hour ago, Russell griffiths said:

how do you go about getting ride of it. 

If mulched it will reduce to 5% of the volume and you have  lot of mulch.

The domestic ones only take one branch at a time, maybe 20mm dia, but then drag the secondary twigs through behind.

hiring a commercial mulcher will cost a bit.

 

If you have time and/or help, snipping the branches down into 30cm lengths the volume also reduces a lot. to 10% perhaps?

Then you can dispose of it or pile it up to rot.

 

How much the volume reduces never fails to amaze me. Plants are good at taking up lots of space with minimal ingredients. It follows that hedges don't make powerful bonfires and they need constant feeding and attention.