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I'd agree, learning the basic fundamentals is not that difficult, its honing the skills after getting some hours in the seat, that takes years in some cases, everyone is different. Learning how to use the blade, controlling material flow, but not over controlling your blade, having the feel for when the machine is nosediving in etc. is the key to it. 1. Safety Safety & Safety, did I mention safety LOL, kidding aside, remember it is a dangerous machine, more so if you do not familiarize yourself with the controls of the machine and know them well, if you don't practice safe operating methods ie; always look while backing up, lowering ground engaging implements when not in use, newer ones have good features, so that when you get off the machine, you can lock out the controls, so you do not put it in gear accidentally by bumping a lever etc. Just remember, you must be attentive, not intimidated by the machine, and know how to stop it immediately on a moments notice. Also, USE THE SEATBELT, at all times, if you ever fall out of the seat, things happen quickly. Also, although you may just be scraping the surface, clearing/grubbing etc. you should make a call to what is referred to here as "One Call" Call Before You Dig, for underground utility locations, one spark from a blade contacting a rock will ignite a severed gas line, even sparks from the undercarriage ( tracks ) can do the same, they can start forest fires in dry conditions. Trees are very dangerous, especially larger ones, like in the old days when dozers did not have engineered roll over protection structures, which also provide overhead protection. Even small trees in dense brush can jab you through a protective brush cage, so you have to be attentive and react quickly. There is more to safety than I'm covering here, but it's all about awareness and common sense, thinking/planning your moves carefully. You need to learn correct procedure and practice it, a good experienced operator can instruct you, and is the best way to learn. Back to the work, clearing & grubbing is fairly easy, but an inexperienced operator can make a mess quick, and not be productive. The first thing you will learn is that when the blade engages the ground, its going to start cutting, if you try to take to much, the tracks will spin, more so in sand and hard ground, then you will lift up on the blade and you will ride up over the hump and then when you try it again, you will start a perpetual roller coaster effect, " nosediving " is another term for it, scallop effect etc. Experience with blade control eliminates this problem, and some machines will be prone to do this a little easier than others, that combined with an inexperienced operator will make this occur more frequently. It's just a learning curve, every dozer operator has gone through this when learning how to cut properly, after your good at it, its another sense, you can feel the machine nosing in immediately ( you feel it in the seat ) and make quick corrections. Being that you are clearing and grubbing, just clearing the surface, you'll want to keep that blade just on top of the surface, in the sand, vegetation should pop out easily. I've spent a lot of hours in the seat, have always enjoyed the work myself, remember learning many years ago. I agree, not to put the contractors out of business, but rental equipment is a cost effective option, especially if you have the skills to run the particular machine, you get max. production, a finished job you like because you did it yourself, and a cost that a contractor cannot compete with, meaning, for 1300/week {does that include the Ins. Waiver?) + fuel you can get a lot of work done. I recently rented a CAT D-4G to complete 2 moderately difficult jobs, and it worked out great, the jobs came out great, the cost was unbeatable and I got a machine with 2.4 hours on it, never been used. I own 2 larger CAT dozers, but this job called for a nice little machine like the D-4G to be effective and get it done right. I took some nice digital photos, enjoyed 4 days in the seat, and got the jobs done right, on time, and cost effectively within budget. If I was not that far away, I'd offer to come over and do the job for a fair operators wage, but would need air fare & some expenses to do it etc. ( enjoy the work that much ! LOL ) I spent many years in my career as an operator, which was enjoyable and allowed me to master a skill I'll have for a lifetime. Even paying an operator on a rental machine, you will come out ahead, compared to a $10,000 contractor cost, if you rented it for a week, paid the operator $1500, + fuel, it would cost you roughly $3000, operator makes a decent wage, job gets done right, and you save yourself $7000. Even if you decide to just give it a try yourself, remember some people learn fast and others never learn, as far as operating equipment is concerned, I've always believed either you have it or you don't! It's hard to say but to really screw that job up, I'd think you'd have to do it intentionally, LOL, even for a novice you could get it done, may be sloppy though and take you longer. If you were building a pond, dam, a foundation, building slab, road, or other gradework, I'd not recommend doing it yourself, even at rental cost, it could get expensive if you do not know what you are doing. 10 acres, light brush clearing and grubbing, won't take long, ( would have to see the job to confirm) but even with a small machine, good operator, it could be done quickly especially if its a dry site, just been let become overgrown, sand, no rocks, obstacles, or old building debris/fill etc. Stay with a tracked machine, rubber tire will not be nearly as effecive, mostly all bulldozers are on steel tracks and will do the best job for this kind of work. You must be referring to another type of machine, not too many rubber tire bulldozers around, at least in my experience, sometimes people call all earthmoving equipment bulldozers, like the media, as a generalization I suppose. Hope this is some help & best of luck on the job !
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