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

Get a small chainsaw and wade into the brush. Cut it back hard to the
ground and let it come back from the roots. If you prune it you may have a
nice planting.

Derryl


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

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

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

Ken_B wrote:

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










IF, you can cut them low enough, then you can keep it down by mowing it.
I've cleaned up the fields around my house. and now I mow them just a
couple times a year.

Kevin

"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

I didn't have a thousand, but had several small stumps that I dug out using
a grubbing hoe. Helped the weight problem too.

Shepherd

(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

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

Well you could as Resident Bush to clear it since he spends so much
time doing so in Crawford Texas...besides maybe he can do that well,
unlike running the country.

On Tue, 1 Apr 2003 14:03:34 -0600, "Ken_B" ken5229"at"softhome.net
wrote:

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

Here you go if your going to spend any money renting ,most people are not
very handy with equipment they don't own or use on a regular bases.In my
area Oklahoma you can hire a back hoe operator if you look around for about
60.00 dollars a hour sounds like you got about three hours of back hoe work
in a small yard. that and brush killer works well if your not in a hurry or
on a real tight budget .I hope this helped Tom C.







"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

burl wrote:

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.

My choice.

Be wary of kickback, and pay complete attention to what you're doing. Stop
frequently to check for hidden debris.

Good point Chuck!

Speaking of safety I forgot to mention that eye-protection is absolutely
essential for this tool. The blade really throws debris around.

"Dr. Rev. Chuck, M.D. P.A." wrote in message
...
burl wrote:

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.

My choice.

Be wary of kickback, and pay complete attention to what you're doing.
Stop
frequently to check for hidden debris.

I'm in northeastern Texas, not that far from Crawford. Maybe I could get W
to come on up and help out.

Thanks for all the suggestions, especially the safety issues.

I learned my lesson about eye protection when I tried thinning the brush
with a small chain saw a year or so ago. Took my glasses off because I was
having trouble seeing through the sweat, and within a couple of seconds
something bounced off my left eyeball. I thought I had a huge chunk of
something trapped beneath my eyelid, but the doctor said it was a scratch,
and gave me a very expensive eye-drop prescription. Now I ALWAYS make sure
to wear eye protection when there is any danger of stuff flying at them.

Ken

"Dave Fouchey" wrote in message
...
Well you could as Resident Bush to clear it since he spends so much
time doing so in Crawford Texas...besides maybe he can do that well,
unlike running the country.

On Tue, 1 Apr 2003 14:03:34 -0600, "Ken_B" ken5229"at"softhome.net
wrote:

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

Ouch... touché Dave!
--
Tammie
Zone 2b-3a Far Northern Ontario
http://community.webshots.com/user/_tammie57

"Dave Fouchey" wrote in message
...
Well you could as Resident Bush to clear it since he spends so much
time doing so in Crawford Texas...besides maybe he can do that well,
unlike running the country.

On Tue, 1 Apr 2003 14:03:34 -0600, "Ken_B" ken5229"at"softhome.net
wrote:

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