I just looked at the photos again. While you're giving the property a
haircut you could just as well yank out the tree stumps. The tractor I
rented had a front bucket. On the older dead tree trucks drive the front
bucket of the tractor into the trunk from a couple angles about 4 or 5 feet
up. Check to see if it's loose. If it's been dead for awhile (looks like it
has been) the roots should have started to decompose and it should show
pretty good movement after you hit it. If it doesn't move just start digging
on one side with the bucket try to clear the rocks and dirt around the major
roots and then cut them out. Then you can yank it out.

I did most of the trees myself but there were a few trunks that were still
pretty well attached and I had a tree service come in with a stump grinder
and clear them out.

Burl
"Burl" wrote in message
news:Vgqia.36536$OV.133838@rwcrnsc54...
(The local rental company loves me). I rented a little tractor (slightly
larger than a garden tractor) with a few attachements. First was a
rototiller - it's been a few years but I think it was 38" wide. I was able
to go down about 15 inches by taking it slow and doing several passes.
When
my dog died I'd buried it back there and since the soil was so hard I
didn't
go as deep as I'd have liked. When I was rototilling I kept thinking "That
last thing I want to see today is my dog." While I was looking over my
shoulder for the dog I whacked the cedar fence pretty hard with the
tractor - ouch.

Let's see, the other attachements I used were a drag behind rake to work
the
larger chunks of root to the top and a little box scraper for where I
gouged
into the earth too deep.

Actually, if the site is farily level, and you are renting the tractor
anyway, you could just rent a cutter bar to go with it. I'm not sure what
it's actually called but I've always just called the cutter bar a mower.
Anyway, they usually have a 6' reciprocating cutter bar with 2" triangle
knifes/teeth. If you took it slow AND the brush wasn't more than ... say 1
1/2" it would probably make quick work of the project.

Where are you by the way?

with a three point hitch.
"Ken_B" ken5229"at"softhome.net wrote in message
...
That sounds like a good idea...I'll check into that. Any idea what to do
with 1,000 or so little stumps?

Ken

"burl" wrote in message
news:i4nia.330601$S_4.289175@rwcrnsc53...
There's a great tool for this. It looks like a weed eater except
instead
of
the string there's a saw blade. It'll chew through anything - well,
except
any steel posts that may be in there... But it's a really fun tool to
wield.

The times I've needed one of these I rented it and they were gas
powered.

By the way, I'd probably just rent a chipper at the same time and feed
the
pieces back through right away.

Thanks,
Burl

Safe and Natural Gardening
http://www.emerysgardenstore.com


"Ken_B" ken5229"at"softhome.net wrote in message
...
I bought a house which was vacant and the yard neglected for a
number
of
years. There is heavy brush (once upon a time a hedge, maybe?)
around
three
sides of the 1/2-acre lot. It has grown completely out of control
into
a
jungle. I'd like to remove most of it, if not all, and start over. I
am
retired and on a low budge and can't afford a contractor to do it.
Any
suggestions?

Photos at:

http://kenb2000.freeyellow.com/Brush/

Thanks - Ken