When Mitchell Swenson moved from New Hampshire to southwest Florida, he moved into the clearing and mulching business too.

Relocating from New Hampshire to subtropical southwest Florida is a big move by any standards, but for Mitchell Swenson it provided the perfect opportunity to build a site clearing and site work company in an area that had what he considered to be a particularly important characteristic.

"It's a warmer climate," he says.

The same warm climate that drew Swenson south continues to draw a steady stream of new business and new residents to the area, and that means that demand for clearing and site work is at an all-time high. One of the companies that is helping to meet that demand is Mitchell's company, Swenson Enterprises, based in Cape Coral, Fla.

Swenson Enterprises typically handles projects in Charlotte, Lee and Collier counties in southwestern Florida. Working with Mitchell in the business are his brother Cory as well as his son Nick.

"Land clearing is a typical job for us," he says, and a good example of the company's projects is a recent clearing job in Fort Myers, Fla.

The project, which involves clearing of what will become an industrial development, initially involves 36 acres of clearing with another 17 yet to come. The site presented conditions typical of those seen in this part of the state — including mucky ground and a shallow water table — and it was covered in pines and palm trees when Swenson Enterprises moved in to begin work.

To handle the project, Swenson Enterprises is using a fleet that includes a number of different machines. The trees are dropped by a pair of Kobelco excavators. One is a Kobelco SK210LC outfitted with a Geith bucket and bucket thumb; the other is an SK235 "High and Wide" excavator, also fitted with a Geith bucket and thumb.

Mitchell selected the SK235SR in part because its high undercarriage and wide-spaced tracks work well under the conditions encountered on a typical Swenson Enterprises project, he says.

"It is an ideal undercarriage for these conditions," Mitchell says. "When I saw it, I knew that it was set up for land clearing."

One other feature which Mitchell has found to be a plus on the sorts of projects he handles, particularly during clearing, is that the SK-235SR has no tailswing.

"That means we don't hit trees during clearing," he says.

Once the trees are down, several Case 821B loaders — each outfitted with a root rake — take care of piling the clearing debris in windrows.

For Swenson Enterprises, the next step is one that has helped the company succeed — and that is to convert the debris into marketable mulch. To that end, the debris is run through a Vermeer HG6000 horizontal grinder, fed by the Kobelco SK-235R High and Wide. Cory Swenson operates the SK-235R; from its cab, he also controls the grinder by remote control.

"Initially, we grind it using a 4-by-6 screen," Mitchell says. A second pass — this time through a 2-inch screen — yields a market-ready mulch product that is quickly absorbed by the growing Florida mulch market.

Besides the grinder, the excavators and the loaders, Mitchell keeps one other piece of equipment on his sites. It's a piece of equipment that helps him keep his fleet in top condition, and many folks say it looks like an ambulance.

"It's actually a fire department rescue vehicle," he says, "not an ambulance." He adds that he acquired it from the City of Tampa, and he's outfitted it not only with tools but also with a welder, air compressor, generator, and other key equipment to handle any needed maintenance on-site.

"This way we have everything we might need," he says, adding that he locks up the vehicle and "takes it home at night."

"Having the rescue vehicle is just one more way to keep production up," he says, "and in this business that's the name of the game.

By Steve Hudson
February 19, 2007
Dixie Contractor