Day 12 — Grinding Trees
California’s Central Valley is a visual representation of society’s appetite. Citrus trees, nut trees, and grapevines cover the landscape as far as the eye can see. One can drive for hundreds of miles without leaving farming behind.
Does this mean we cover farming now? Not exactly…
We awoke to the sound of a monster moving about the yard. We’d parked our RV at the headquarters of McCahill Bulldozer Services, a business specializing in tree and vineyard removal for the Central Valley.
The monster was a new Astec Industries grinder, McCahill’s latest tool in clearing land for new crops. We watched the operator with an iPhone-sized remote guide the beast to the field adjacent to the yard. It was time for her first meal.
Farmers could pile up and burn their old trees and vineyards in the past. But over the past few years, the California Air Board has said enough with the bonfires. Their only other option? Grind every tree and vine, and mix the chips into the soil before replanting.
Josh McCahill had ordered the machine one year ago and coincidentally took delivery of it the day before our arrival. Powered by a Cat C32, the same power plant as a D11 dozer, it’s a fierce piece of engineering.
Once positioned in the field next to a pile of old trees, they extended the conveyor, and the engine roared. A Cat 330 excavator with a rake and thumb grabbed the wood and placed it into the feeder. Within seconds, chips began to fall from the conveyor at the other end of the tree-eater.
After twenty minutes of feeling it out, they offered me a try. Despite the dust and glare from the early morning sun, I didn’t ruin the seven-figure machine. Success!
Once the grinding party was over, we drove to another site where one of McCahill’s D10 dozers was deep ripping.
The dozer makes tight passes across the entire field using a single shank connected to a plow. The ripping helps the water drain better and stirs the chips from grinding into the soil. Once complete, the area is ready for a new crop of citrus, nut, or other type of tree.
We returned to the yard, but before leaving, Josh taught me how to load an excavator “West Coast” style over the back of the trailer rather than disconnecting it and loading it from the front. He says it drives people nuts on the internet, and after I posted a video of the act, he’s right. I love driving people nuts on the internet!
I had so much fun that I might consider being a farmer if I didn’t have this BuildWitt thing going. Who knew they had such neat equipment at their disposal?
And with that, the curtains are drawn on week two of the BuildWitt Roadshow!
