A driveway on a wooded parcel closes in a few feet a year. First the branches scrape the truck, then the saplings crowd the edges, then the propane delivery will not come down it. The same thing happens to the two-track back to the barn, the lane to the back forty, and the access road a utility or a builder needs to reach a site. Opening it back up is a mulching job, not a chainsaw job.
We run the mulcher down both sides of the drive, grind the saplings and brush to a chip layer at the edge, and trim the overhead so a box truck or a dump truck clears it. The chips stay at the shoulder and hold the edge, so the drive drains instead of channeling. A new drive on a wooded lot is cut the same way: a clean corridor from the road to the house site, ready for gravel.
Driveway work is priced by length, width and how dense the growth is, as one project. Most are a half-day to a day. Send a photo down the drive from the road and one from the house end, and we can usually price it from that.
What we clear
- Saplings, brush and grapevine on both shoulders, back to the width you want.
- Overhead branches to the height of a delivery truck, a fire truck or a dump truck.
- Sightlines at the road so you can see traffic both ways when you pull out.
- New driveway corridors on wooded lots, cleared for the gravel crew.
- Two-tracks and farm lanes to the back of the property, wide enough for a tractor or a side-by-side.
- Access roads for builders, well drillers, septic installers and utilities.
What you get
- A drive at full width with a chip shoulder that drains.
- Overhead clearance you do not have to think about for years.
- No brush piles along the drive and nothing to haul.
- A clean edge the mower can run along.
How the Job Goes
Two photos
One looking down the drive from the road, one from the house or barn end. Tell us how wide and how high you need it.
Set the width
We mark the edges with you, including any trees along the drive you want kept.
Grind and trim
The mulcher works down each side, and the overhead is trimmed to the height you need.
Drive it
The drive is open the same day. Gravel or grading, if you want it, comes next and is not slowed down by anything we left.
When to do it
Any season. Winter is the best time for a drive through wet ground, and fall is when most people notice the branches on the way to deer camp.
How it is priced
By the project: length, width, density and overhead work. A typical driveway or two-track is a half-day to a day. Our pricing guide explains what moves the number.
The Ground This Work Happens On
Where We Do This Work
Counties and townships where this job comes up most. Every page covers the local ground and the common jobs.
Questions About This Work
How wide should a driveway corridor be?
Twelve feet of surface with the overhead trimmed to fourteen feet works for concrete trucks, propane trucks and moving vans. We can go narrower for a lane you only drive a pickup down, and wider at the road for the turn.
Can you open a drive through wet ground?
Yes. We schedule it for frozen ground or the dry end of summer so the tracks leave no mark, and the chip shoulder we leave helps the drive shed water afterward.
What is the drive ready for when you finish?
Gravel, grading or a delivery truck. The corridor is cleared to a chip layer at the width and height you asked for, so the next crew can start the same day.
Will you clear just the overhead?
Yes. Branch trimming down a drive is a common half-day job on its own.
Other jobs we do
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Read the guide →Ready to Get This Done?
Send the address and a few photos through the quote form, or call. You will get one project price for the whole job.