Clevinger Forest Services- Forestry Mulcher Land Clearing 

This was shot with a GoPro on top of a 16’ pole saw. I videoed this to show land-owners what is possible for their over-grown fields.

Dreamster399 Thanks for that! Glad you enjoyed it. I try to show things the way I would like to see them done.

Dreamster399 gg

That's exactly how I got started on my farm. I cleared a new driveway by hand, with a machete and a chainsaw, 750' long by 25' wide through the woods. It took almost two months. Now I can clear that same area in 3.5 hours with this machine. Definitely a back saver.

jim jenks Thanks for commenting, Jim.

Rob C. I appreciate that, Rob. When you pay to fix things that break, the first rule is to try not to break anything. Forestry mulching is hard enough on equipment as it is, and things will get broken just by the nature of the work. So being a good operator avoids a lot of unnecessary expenses.

Truly.

abe frohman This is a very effective and efficient machine for clearing trees and brush. The mulching head is made by Fecon for Bobcat machines. The price of a new mulchine head in 2014 was $25,000. It gets the job done.

ㄷㅈ

How does this compare to a skid steer brush cutter? Pros and cons between the two?

jimmy vaught I'm assuming you mean a bush hog mower attachment for skidsteers. A brush mower/bush hog could have mowed a lot of the material shown in this video, but a forestry mulcher will mulch trees. This size drum mulcher is designed to mulch trees up to 8"-diameter hardwoods, but it can mulch trees a little bit larger. I know some people will say they can bush hog 3",4"5" diameter trees, but they're not made for that. Also, a drum type forestry mulcher will cut stumps down flush with the soil, so there are no sharp stauble points left over like there are after cutting with a brush mower.

@@clevingerforestservicesllc1164 Holyyy shitt 25 000$!?!?!Will you ever pay that off?

Jack Pinnell Appreciate your comment, Jack. You have an eye for skills! Lol! I do go after this in a methodical way and there are techniques that make for more effective and efficient operation. Being patient and letting the cutter work by keeping it's RPM up, and keeping that cutter engaged in the wood without wasting time driving around not cutting, is just the basic focus I always have.

srt hellcat I appreciate you watching, thanks! I have another video like this one coming out in a few days. Exterior shot and time-lapse. They really show the visual impact of forestry mulching, and are fun to watch.

It is amazing, really. Someone commented that it looked like it was just vacuuming everything up. LOL. But it is as close to getting to a one-step tree/brush clearing process as you can get. AND, its good for the soil.

Thesiko One Lol! I hear that a lot about this video. I guess its very calming to watch.

Craig Parker Thanks, Craig!

You bet. Just trying to put out info based on my experience that might help the next guy out there looking for answers. I also post these videos to show potential customers what is possible with this machine to take care of their land clearing needs.

DaveSpecter1065 This is definitely the right tool for this type of clearing. I appreciate you watching, Dave. Please Like & Subscribe so RU-vid will suggest this video to more people who may be interested in seeing it. 👍

Thanks for your comment, Brad. A forestry mulcher is definitely the most economically efficient way to clear heavy brush and trees from land. One machine, one operator, finished results with no further clean-up required.

Dennis Gannon Thanks, Dennis. Appreciate the good word.

Benjamin Schmid Very true! The cab on my machine is definitely angry bee proof.

they are also bullet proof,

Ya that's what I was going to say, but about Yellow Jackets I'm sure you've hit their nest before. Does your machine completely destroy their nest?

😂

JH Yes JH, the mulcher destroys the bees nest, and everything else. The cab is completely sealed, so I don't get bit by angry bees. When I hit a hive, I just move to a different area for a while and let the bees disperse.

I've cleared brush like this before by hand and by beating up a bush hog and it took weeks.Then I got this equipment. Its always more efficient on your resources to use the right tool for a specific job. The forestry mulcher is hands down the most efficient way to do this.

Victorious Pauper I really appreciate you watching. I'd also appreciate you Liking & Subscribing, since that makes this video available to more viewers👍

James Fulks Thanks, James. I sincerely appreciate this comment, and your reasoned understanding of the high costs in doing this kind of business. Some people think you are rolling in dough if you charge $150 per hour for your service. It blows people's minds when they hear how expensive this equipment is.

I’m at $3000 per hour and that’s a bargain compare it to doing this by hand we have insurance and equipment 90,000 for truck 40,000 trailer 130,000 machine with head how anyone can be at $200.00 per hour blows my mind I do that with my $2,000.00 pieces of machinery

$3000/hr is a tad steep….$24k per day….so it takes you 3 weeks to have everything fully paid off… Plus, if you are a business, all those machines are considered business expenses and taxes will reflect accordingly….so, that may be the cost to purchase, but you are receiving tax breaks come tax time…

Marcus Houze Thanks Marcus. The machine does do a great job making the material disappear.

Thanks, Priscilla! I appreciate you watching.

cleatrampler Yes, the process you do is what most people do. Many people just do not know that this forestry mulching capability exists. It's definitely very efficient.

At one point, my home was on 5 or so acres of yaupon and pin oak. This setup would have saved me a lot of hand labor (with a DR brush mower and chainsaw.) Well-worth contracting with a service like yours to get things done.

James Ellsworth That's true. I did a lot of hand clearing with a chainsaw, etc, like you, before I discovered this equipment 5-6 years ago. Everything has a cost in some kind of resource- time, money, skills, available equipment, etc. So deciding what resource to use to get the job done is always the balance we have to figure out. This machine is definitely the right tool and most efficient way to clear land.

Another option is fence it off with electric mesh fence (temporary) and stick about 60 goats in it. It takes about 3 months for them. To completely clear 8 acres, except for the trees, which you go in the pasture with a chainsaw and cut as needed.

Peter Szamborski Thanks, Peter👍

Quanto é um triturador desse modelo

Wakeywhodat Appreciate your comment. I agree, having this equipment is much more useful than a sports car. I originally bought this equipment to work on my own land, then it turned into a business when all my neighbor's started asking me to clear their land too. For me, it was the right tool, versus a tractor. A Bobcat with forestry mulcher, grapple, and construction bucket can take care of a heck of a lot of land maintenance.

I’ve driven theses bobcats a few times. The arms are little different than an older machine. They can be kinda touchy sometimes. I’ve only ran them with forks and bucket though. The enclosed cab is awesome.

Thanks, Ronn! This machine is a beast, and fun to operate too.

Its very satisfying work solving problems for land-owners, etc, and to see how properties can be transformed by the end of the day. And most importantly, being your own boss!

joebgoodus I enjoy working in the outdoor environment, and for myself. The cab on this machine is climate controlled, and I don't work in the rain, so this all works for me. Lol!

Dave Muffoletto Lol! Glad you enjoyed the video, Dave.

Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for watching!

Thanks, Hal. Yes, it will definitely save you lot’s of hand labor.

Alpha Team Outdoors I totally understand. Before I got this machine, I cleared a 700’ x 25’ driveway through my forest with a machete, chainsaw, and a jeep with logging chains. Then burned brush piles for weeks. Never. Again. Haha!

Gearjammer Excellent! Its a relaxing video to watch, as a lot of people have told me. Be safe and watch out for the crazy drivers in cars👍

Glad you enjoyed it, Martin. I appreciate you watching.

TIM HARDIN Appreciate that, Tim.

Thank you 👍

Joseph G Lol! I hear you. These machines are fun to operate, productive, but expensive.

Thanks, Dan. Lots of practice!

G23 Yes, the industrial size forestry mulchers have been around for a little while. They are very efficient and cost effective, and leave a much better finished result than a dozer or other methods can provide. One reason you don't see many of these smaller versions of the forestry mulcher is the cost. This mulcher is 72" wide and is made by Fecon specifically for Bobcat. The 2014 retail cost of just the forestry mulcher attachment was $25,000. The attachment wieghs about 2000 lbs, so you also need a skidsteer of sufficient size, horsepower, and with high-flow hydraulics to properly and safely drive the cutter. As a land/farm owner myself, after doing a lot of research into what capabilities I needed to maintain my land, I found that a Bobcat with a forestry mulcher attachment, a grapple, and a construction bucket were the right tools for my needs, instead of the typical tractor with attachments.

David Clevinger if you don't mind me asking what model skid steer and mulcher did you buy and roughly cost of the equipment? thank you

David Clevinger if you don't mind me asking what model skid steer and mulcher did you buy and roughly cost of the equipment? thank you

Juan Rodriguez David must have somehow missed this as he's shared the info elsewhere. He'd been running a 2014 t770, and had recently updated to a 2017, at $71,000 (which I assume included the forestry kit). And the mulcher was another $24k. Do I have all that right, David? Just found your channel today and have watched a few vids and read all their comments so far. Thanks SO much for all these and your great answers. (I'm up in south central KY, about 150 miles east of you, with similar environment, so all the more relevant.) Love the info you've shared for both landowners and those considering the business aspects of the work.

Charlie Arehart Hi Charlie. You answered Juan's questions correctly for me. Thanks. For some reason I didn't get an alert to either Juan or your comments, until now. Glad you've been enjoying my videos and find the information helpful.

James Sween yes, there is just some terrain that a machine just can't operate on. Sounds like you are clearing power line right-of-ways, or something similar. I'm sure you know that they have mulcher attachments that go on excavators that have extended boom and sticks that can reach like 60 feet. But steep terrain isn't good for anything mechanical.

Clevinger Forest Services, LLC A Minzi Muck is very good for steep, rough terrain, but some areas are best left for hand clearing.

Raymond Spence I'll look up to see what a Minzi Muck is. You're right, some areas are best left for hand cutting. These machines do have limitations of where they can go.

Jay Warren And there are turkey and deer everywhere out here👍

Robert King I appreciate the good word, Robert! Thanks!

I got 39 acres I just purchased so how do you know when your in the midst of all the trees where to start cutting. Is there some type of marking system you use. I want to carve out 5 acres to build my personal resident. And I want to divide the property into four quads and cut a path in the middle NSEW, thx

Robert King Orange survey tape is the best way to mark your work area. If there are no obvious boundaries, like fences, trails, etc., then I will ask the customer to mark the boundaries with survey tape. It's best to wrap the tape around a tree at chest height, and spread out a distance where you can see from one tape to the next. Marking your work area like this ensures you will get exactly the area cleared that you want, and not cut your neighbor's property. I always talk with my customers to make sure we are on exactly the same sheet of music and get the intended desired work accomplished according to the customers plan. Sometimes when owners want to build on their land, the brush and trees are too thick to even walk on or see the lay of the land in order to select a building site or path for a driveway. In these cases, I've cleared out entire general areas so the customer could see the ground. If that area wasn't what they expected or wanted, they'd have me clear out additional areas until they found the perfect spot for their homesite.

Thank you...Where are you located? My property is in Winter Haven FL

Sorry I see your in TN

Thanks! Its a good example of what a forestry mulcher can do for land-owners. It’s the right tool for this type of job.

robert laczynski Thanks Robert. I appreciate you watching and commenting.

HAHA! Yes, operating one of these machines is very gratifying and enjoyable.

I’ve been doing forestry mulching for 9-years, and the power of these mulchers still amazes me!

graham bell Thanks for that kind comment. For those who are interested in brush clearing and/or this particular forestry mulcher technology, I wanted to give viewers an inside and outside sense of the operation, capabilities, efficiency, and final results that this machine provides.

There are lots of deer out here. I don't let anyone hunt my land anymore, though. I let a friend hunt it years ago, and he and his buddies shot 8 deer in one season, including a small 4-pointer. That was no good with me. We just enjoy the wildlife out here now.

@@clevingerforestservicesllc1164 yeah I'm not into shooting young bucks either

buzz ard Thanks, Buzz.

Nancy Fahey Thanks for the comment, Nancy. Its actually pretty quite inside of this machine. If you watch some of my other videos where the camera was inside with me, you can clearly here the radio playing. So the outside noise is really insulated out. And you'd have fun crunching some trees down!

Everything start with a dream, TB. Just add some steps to getting to that dream, then you have a plan.

@@clevingerforestservicesllc1164 100% Correct. Thoughts (Dreams) turn into believes, believes turn into actions, actions turn into results.

Hi Mihail- Да, эта возможность открывает множество возможностей для преобразования области, заросшей деревьями и кустами. Это наиболее экономичный способ, а также очень хороший для земли.

Tex Smith Thanks for the comment. I'm editing a new video now. Should have it posted in a couple of days.

The true American dream!

Haha! You got it! That's just about how I do it. Just add some mini-cigars.

Thanks!

I was going for peaceful zen. Lol.

Thanks for watching and commenting. I still use a Bobcat T770, but I trade my machines in every three years when the maintenance warranty expires. So I’m on my third Bobcat in 2022. It does a great job for all of my uses.

redsuperduty1 I hope you are a boss, because you have an eye for spotting talent!😂😂 Thanks, Red, I appreciate that!

@@clevingerforestservicesllc1164 lol..was an opperator for years..now retired..

redsuperduty1 That explains it! Enjoy everyday of being retired👍

Erik Boit Thanks for watching👍

@@clevingerforestservicesllc1164 your welcome From Hungary :)

Colin C Fun as the operator, too👍

Hi Don- I use the drum style mulcher, and have never used a disk mulcher. Having said that, I researched both when I got into this business. Mulching wood is a very dynamic and violent process. The forces involved are tremendous. I think the design of disc mulchers came from the felling cutters used in the logging business. These logging fellers grab onto the tree and push the cutter straight through the tree. Those are predictable forces that are engineered into disc shaft and housing. Personally, I just can't imagine that a single shaft and bearing holding the weight and inertia of a spinning disk, and then smashing it into hardwood trees, dirt, etc, could ever hold up mechanically for any length of time. Speed of cutting is only one factor in the overall ownership costs of equipment. Time, parts, maintenance, and your maintenance support supply chain are also factors. When I think of all of the cutting situations I get into as far as different types of material, the terrain, ground debris such as fencing, wire, etc, I just think a drum is more compact, flexible, maneuverable, durable, and requires far less maintenance time and cost than a disk. It looks like you have to cut trees primarily into the right side of the disk. This is not practical in the forest environment. How do you get wire, fencing, tarps, rope, etc etc off of the shaft of the disk that is hidden in brush? You will inevitably catch this type hazard no matter how vigilant you are. I was clearing a right-of-way yesterday and wrapped a telephone guy-wire around my drum that apparently the power company linemen didn't want to take back with them and just discarded it in the brush. These disks will also spend a lot of time contacting the dirt grinding the topped trees, so I'd want to know how often and the man-hours required to keep the cutters sharp. What is the hour life of a cutter blade? Personally, I don't think a disk mulcher is robust enough to hold up mechanically. Also, I would guess that the life-cycle costs of a disk would be much higher than a drum, both in man-hours doing maintenance on it, and parts. To me, these are more important considerations than just speed of cutting. That's my 2 cents.

Glad to hear it, Pawel. Appreciate you watching.

This is the right tool for this type of clearing. Fast, and one step.

jamesfl1968 Thanks, James. I appreciate you watching.

Thanks for watching!

@@clevingerforestservicesllc1164 Welcome 😊

Kurt Sweetser Thanks, Kurt, I appreciate that👍

Allen Hansen I haven't had to replace any windshields. When you are operating with a forestry mulcher, the machine gets a forestry kit installed for protection. This includes a door with 3/4" polycarbonate glass (with no windshield wiper, and an electrical interlock door latch to automatically disengages the forestry mulcher when the door is opened), a ROPS reinforced roof protection, a hardened exhaust pipe cover, and flexible covers on both rear boom hydraulic cylinders opening to keep debris out of engine compatment. I would not recommend using a forestry mulcher without at least the protective polycarbonate glass door. As far as power, more power is always better of course. However, I've used my T770 for 3-years, and I've used a T870 forestry mulcher loaner a few times, and although I did notice a power difference, it wasn't enough of a difference in my opinion to warrant paying the extra cost, and the 870 weighs about 2500 pounds more than the 770, which for me operating in the uneven, soft forest terrain environment is more of a negative. I push my cutter head into material and try find that optimal point of speed versus mulching production, so I push the cutter until I hear it slowing, pull it off to quickly recover RPM, and then push it again. If I had a 200 HP machine, I'd probably tend to push it until it bogged too. This T770 has been getting the job done very effectively in my experience. As a matter of fact, I'll be trading it for a new 2017 T770 next month. Couple things definitely recommende: -tracks much more stable than tires when operating a 2,200lb forestry mulcher -machine needs the forestry kit -high-flow hydraulics required to operate the forestry mulcher -use a machine that has sufficient weight to provide stability against tipping on uneven terrain when lifting the 2,200lb mulcher head. The T770 weighs about 10,500 lbs without the mulcher head, and the tracks provide a very stabile platform.

DC: Thanks for the reply. The T770 and T870 are vertical lift machines but I wanted a radial arm and the T630 is the largest one they make so I went that route. I almost went with a Takeuchi, sorta regretting that I didn't. I'd prefer the overhead door and controls are hydraulic instead of electro-hydraulic (less to go wrong). I'm in the central Texas hill country where these are primarily used for cedars, and cedars thrive where there are lots of rocks. I looked at a large mulcher last week and they had a heavy cage surrounding the cab. It was a 200hp machine and he said they could mulch an acre the heaviest cedar we have at about 30 minutes. I'm currently using a tree shear. It'll snip a 10" tree in about 5 seconds; it takes longer to move from tree to tree. However after I'm done cutting I have to pile them up with a grapple and then burn them. Productivity is maybe 3-4 hours total per acre on the thick stuff. What I like really about the mulcher in that when you cross a piece of ground you're completely done. It takes me several months to clear an area because I cut as far as I can, move the cedars to a burn pile, cut some more including the ones I missed, and repeat. The brush piles need to dry out and then you wait for the right conditions to burn. Anything you're going to change on the new T770? Or maintenance you wish you'd have done more often on it? The one modification I'm glad I did was to put a backup camera on mine. I made a bracket for it that replaces the backup alarm. Thanks!

GoldFish Ninja Mulching this size brush is very satisfying as the operator too. This was a very relaxed day for me, and very satifying to see the improvement it made.

Sí, la máquina realmente domina los árboles.

chuckyar15 Just give me a call at: C-757.871.5026 or W-931.802.5910. We'll talk a minute about what you have to clear, and get your property address, I'll schedule an onsite visit to discuss details and look at the terrain and access, and give you a cost estimate then. If you decide to go ahead, I'll put you on my work schedule.

Yes, this size machine is designed to mulch hardwood trees up to 8”-diameter.

When it gets out of range for a bush hog, this size forestry mulcher is the next level up of tool that is needed. These skidsteer-sized mulchers are designed for everything up to 8"-diameter hardwoods. My website is www.cfsmulching.com if there is something I can help you with if you're within 70 miles of Clarksville, TN.

I was here first These things are fun, and work like magic.

SCOTTISH PRIDE Hey there ScottichPride- Yes, this equipment capability does exist out there. Most people don't know it exists. These skidsteer-sized forestry mulchers have only really been available for the last 8-10 years or so, but the bigger, industrialized sized mulchers have been around longer, but they are used by power companies and the construction world. The clearing I did in this video took me 2:15 minutes to complete. It was about 3/4-acre of mostly heavy brush, with a small area of trees. This was a small, over-grown pasture area on my own farm, so I was able to set up a camera on the top of a 16' tall pole saw. When I'm on job sites, I typically do not take the time to mess around setting up cameras while a customer is paying me. After this material was all mulched down flush with the surface, it is ready to disc up and prep the ground for planting. I do this for farmers all of the time. Yes, there is lots of demand by customers for this type of service. I have been in the business of forestry mulching since 2014, and business is going well. Thanks for your questions and comments, and thanks for watching.

Philly Cheese Take It depends on who's driving the machine. It's very effective at making many types of material disappear.

Russell Parkins Thanks for that kind comment, Russell. I haul my machine using an equipment trailer that has a 20,000 lb weight capacity. It is a 25' long, goose-neck style with a dove-tail back end, with drop down ramps. I selected this size trailer since I occasionally also carry a grapple and construction bucket with the machine at the same time to job sites. It all fits nicely and total loaded weight is about 16,000 lbs. The vehicle I use to pull this equipment is a Dodge Ram 3500 4x4 with a Cummins 6.7 liter diesel engine which can haul 20,000 lbs with no problems.

David Clevinger

The Undertaker Thanks for that. I used two GoPro cameras.

Good deal Sir.

Obrigado! Agradeço seu comentário. Fazer um trabalho de qualidade sempre cria mais negócios!

This kind of work definitely gives you an instant gratification. It can have a very high visual impact between the start, and end, of the day. I've run dozers on my farm, and they take skill to efficiently work them. I rented an excavator one time, and I was just glad no one was around to watch. I probably looked like a blind man working in that machine. HAHA!

james dickson Sometimes it's just unavoidable that you will run into something that is completely hidden under the brush. It takes a lot of focus and awareness. I never go charging full speed into areas I can't see through. Most of the time you can see fine in the material you are working in. I always walk through the area I'm going to mulch before hand just to get an idea of what's there.

ampar wingate Yes, its a perfect private and picturesque spot for a home.

HAHA! I hear that! It'll get away from you in a hurry.

Thanks Malcom. This size machine with the high-flow hydraulics pushes that forestry mulcher cutter head pretty easily though trees up 8" diameters. So it gets after it.

Garry Kelso Thanks Garry. If there are any particular areas of this forestry mulching that you would like answered or demonstrated let me know and I can address it in another video.

How much would someone charge to do some land clearing like that.

Garry Kelso I'm in the Nashville, TN area, the cost ranges for a skidsteer type machine with a forestry mulcher are between $110-$150 per hour. A 'typical' density of forest growth on level terrain will take about 7 hours to clear everything with 8"- diameters and smaller.

David I need some mulching done do you do small jobs

chuckyar15 I do, and I have a 4-hour minimum charge plus haul fee, which currently would be $565. You can find contact and further information at: cfsmulching.com or Facebook\ClevingerForestService

Nick Edwards I've run into plenty of hidden stumps that you just can't see. It doesn't damage the mulcher head, but it will jerk it because the teeth bite into it to aggressively. This is not a stump grinder, but obviously it can grind stumps down. A 12"-24" stump just needs to be shaved off about 1" at a time. Usually just takes a few minutes for this size stump. I don't like doing big stumps, and I don't advertise that I grind stumps, because it bogs the head down too repeatedly and for too long and I don't like putting this kind of stress on the hydraulics. This can increase the hydraulic temperature and also creates a lot of torquing stress on the frame of the mulcher head.

The attachment is called a Forestry Mulcher. Skidsteer sized forestry mulchers are designed to mulch hardwood trees up to 8"-diameters. The larger, industrial sized machines can mulch full grown trees. I have two other videos on my RU-vid channel that show and talk about the capabilities of the forestry mulcher attachment.

The chains are only to stop debris from shooting back towards the cab of the machine. This mulcher works by rotating the drum at about 2000 RPM. The drum has a series of cutter tools on it, either carbide tipped teeth or knife-type teeth. The teeth cut through the brush and trees and mulch it into small pieces.

jwesley0909 This was about 3/4 acre. It had about 80% brush and 20% trees from 2"-7" diameters. It took me 1:20 minutes to clear it as you saw.

Over The Hill Singletrack Rider The size material in this video took me 1:20 minutes to clear about 3/4-acre. I recently did a fallowed field that had grown up for 8-10 years and was densely over-grown with most material less than 4"-diameters, and I cleared about 3-1/2 acres in 8- hours. I don't have any over-heating with my machine, but I keep the screens, cooler radiators, and air filters very cleaned off when I operate. I'm located in Clarksville, TN and travel out to about 70 miles, if you're interested in me coming out to take a look and give you an estimate. (931) 802-5910.

This machine is a huge time saver, and it’s great for your soil if you plan on growing grass or crops after it’s cleared. It’s also the most cost efficient method.

Hi Byron- Your information is all correct. The only thing I would add is that after an area is mulched down, it will have to be maintained either by regular mowing, or grazing by livestock.

Sí, es muy eficaz y divertido de operar.

Here are a couple of my videos that answer your question... ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-FbEwge9AVKA.html ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-VbFnRg6Sg-0.html

Keith Tucker Hi Kieth. This video showed 3/4 acre being cleared. It took 1:15 minutes to clear this sized material with this forestry mulcher. If you have 3/4 acres of mostly trees and brush under 6"-diameters, that would take me about 5-6 hours to clear at a cost of about $750-$850. If you can rent a skidsteer with forestry mulcher, and you have some experience operating a skidsteer, I would guess it would take you 8-12 hours to clear it with a forestry mulcher. A quote of $5K and 1-week, sounds like a crew hand-cutting it. Where are you located?

ralpha112233 😂 And the front windshield is bullet-proof, too, so I'm ready!

I do forestry mulching full time. Since 2014. I've been very satisfied using the Bobcat T770 and a Fecon FGT mulcher with carbide teeth. I run my machine and mulch the size trees that it is designed for, and it has been very reliable and capable.