I’ve always been curious about how much land a bulldozer can clear in a day. After doing some research, I found that it depends on the size of the machine and what kind of terrain they are working with.
What if you wanted to build a home in the middle of nowhere and your first thought is that it’s too expensive to buy a lot? I mean sure, you can get a tractor to clear an entire acre for you in a single day.
We’re all familiar with the iconic image of a bulldozer clearing land for new construction, but how much can one do in an average day? The answer may surprise you! In just 1 day, a bulldozer operator can clear about 3 – 5 acres worth of trees and brush.
That’s one hundred times faster than it would take to cut down each tree by hand.
Heck, a backhoe can dig up loads of dirt at one time making building itself far easier too.
And heck, you could always hire someone to do it for you.
Lots of companies offer bulldozing services and everything!
You might be wondering: how much does it cost per hour for this kind of service?
The average hourly rate for land clearing services depends on what state or country they are being offered in.
If you live in the US, to clear land and prepare the construction site where you want to build the house will cost about $3,160, according to Homeadvisor. This is about 1 dollar for every square foot.
In places like India or China, the rates are going to be significantly cheaper because labor costs are way lower.
But is it possible for a single machine to do all the work? Read this blog post to find out.
Table of Contents
What does a bulldozer do?
A bulldozer is a heavy construction vehicle with an attached blade that scrapes and pushes materials, like dirt or sand.
It’s capable of pushing objects as large as the smallest house in your backyard to a pile for removal.
Though it can be used by homeowners, its primary use is on major construction sites where there are buildings being torn down and structures built up.
Bulldozers have blades at the front end which push material away from the moving treads in order to clear space below them.
The dozer’s box-shaped body gives protection from contaminants such as dust, snow, rock fragments – even fireballs created by blasting operations; also called “caterpillar”
Controls for the bulldozer are typically in an “armpit” on either side of the operator’s seat, which allows use when wearing heavy protective clothing
The machine has tracks with treads that can be raised and lowered to match uneven surfaces – a dozer is used primarily for construction work such as grading near earth surface.
What makes a bulldozer so useful?
So, bulldozers are heavy.
But they’re not too hard to operate if you’re trying to move something.
There are two things you can do:
- Use a traditional track dozer and
- Use a wheeled or mini dozer for smaller spaces where different types of terrain might be an issue.
For small projects like residential, a small bulldozer might be better.
Generally, dozers do the following:
- Bulldozers can be used in ground and dirt removal to make way for construction projects. They are highly effective for rock and boulder removal – a tilted blade makes them capable of removing the materials embedded into the ground
- A bulldozer is a machine that pushes large amounts of earth in front of the blade. The distance it can push depends on how far the blade reaches, with a medium-sized bulldozer pushing up to 500 feet. This technique is also used for clearing construction debris piles
- Dozers are an excellent choice to level out the ground with rock or soil
- Bulldozers are powerful and do an excellent job of grading, but they are not as precise as motor graders when it comes to finish work
- You can use a bulldozer to move things that are not too heavy and are short distances
Why it’s important to know how much land a dozer can clear in one day
So let me just say, first off, you have done a great job.
I mean, look where you’re planning to live.
It’s the home of all the happy little trees and the beautiful flowers and honeybees and things like that.
You want to make this home for yourself and do a good job of it too.
You love coming home to your sanctuary after a long day in the office.
But no matter how much you want it to be, that yard isn’t going to stay untouched forever.
Whether for new construction or renovation purposes, there will come a time when clearing land will need to take place on your property.
If this is news to you, don’t worry.
I’m here with some information about what exactly needs to happen if you decide this is necessary moving forward!
Why estimate how much land dozer can clear
One thing worth noting before we get into why knowing how many acres can be cleared per day by a bulldozer might not seem like just another statistic you can forget about, is that all of this information comes with a price tag.
Depending on the type and size of your project, for example, if you contact a contractor, it will either be by the hour ($150-250 per hour), or by acre for a flat rate of $250 – $400.
The cost to clear an acre might range anywhere from $950 – $1700 USD per day (and these are just estimates)
So, it’s important not only to make sure that land clearing is necessary before initiating any work; but also carefully consider what other areas in life will be impacted by this decision.
How much land can a bulldozer clear in a day
It is a question that I often see people asking a lot and when thinking about the way that they want to clear land.
I find that when people have a piece of land, they often get the urge to clear it up and exhale a large breath of relief.
When really looking at your piece of land from afar, you’d wonder how to go about clearing this land.
Sometimes the need can be urgent, or it could just be something someone thinks of doing because they have an empty lot and want to know what projects might work on it in the future.
There are no set rules as far as how much land one bulldozer can clear in a day; this depends on many factors including:
- The type of terrain being cleared (flat versus hilly)
- The size of the bulldozer’s blade
- The height at which the ground needs to be cut
- How closely trees need to be removed from each other before cutting them down
- How long you would like to spend on the bulldozer
Now, we’re ready to calculate how much land a dozer can clear in one day or hour!
Here’s a rundown on how much land we can clear with a bulldozer each day.
This is also based on an average size job, which includes clearing and leveling your property as well as putting down topsoil.
So, this number can vary depending on what part of the process needs more time spent on it.
On average, a bulldozer can clear up to 3 acres a day and occasionally, 5 acres in a day. This is an equivalent of 0.375 acres of an hour’s work (slightly more than a quarter of an acre), if the bulldozer is operating 8 hours a day.
We have the equivalent of 4 football fields to work with.
That’s a lot of space – more than most people even need in their backyard!
With such an expansive area to work with, you’ll be able to do all your landscaping dreams justice and not feel limited by its size.
How long does it take to clear an acre with a dozer?
Most people don’t know the specific time because they’re only given estimates of weeks or months.
So, they never think about those numbers on their own.
But in reality, clearing one acre typically requires an average of 2.67 hours spent working on site (so that’s 2 hours and 40 minutes).
That means if you work 8 hours per day on average, you can usually get through 3 acres by the end of the day.
How can I clear land cheaply?
I bet you have a dream to clear your property of trees and brush so that you can better enjoy the outdoors.
If this is something you’ve been wanting, but haven’t been able to afford, then I think I have some good news for you!
There are ways to clear land cheaply and in a way that won’t hurt your wallet or back.
Here are three options if this sounds like something you want to try out!
1. Financial aid
One of the cheapest ways to clear your property of trees and other natural elements is financial assistance.
For example, if you are struggling with land management in your backyard and would like to remove cacti, there are a couple of ways to go about it.
Your first option is to get in contact with a local US Department of Agriculture office where they can suggest other agencies that might be able to help such as the National Resources Conservation Service.
Secondly, explore any federal grant assistance for brush control or removal.w
2. Do it yourself
The cheapest way to clear land is by doing it yourself.
You can if you have the manpower, equipment and will power.
But there are some costs as well that need to be taken into account when renting expensive machinery like the bulldozer, backhoe, and tractor.
So, clearing your own land can be an option if you’re willing to make use of some of those pieces of equipment that would need professional rental fees anyway.
3. Sell trees
When you have plenty of logs at camp, they can sometimes provide payment to lumber companies in the form of firewood or whatever high-value lumber you don’t need.
This system can be tempting for those who do not care about logging as a gig.
But it is very hazardous to homeowners if laborers are inexperienced and aren’t insured.
Give your land a total makeover!
One operator can clear up to 3 – 5 acres per day of trees and brush with a bulldozer.
A dozer is an incredible tool for clearing land quickly and efficiently, but it’s important to know the cost before making any decisions on how to handle your property or what type of investment you want in equipment.
We have discussed several options that may work better than hiring a contractor like selling off trees or seeking financial aid from the government, if you’re looking for less expensive ways to get started with this process.
With this information, you can strategize on how to give your land a shift in how it looks today!
