Looking out the backyard through the kitchen window, you are suddenly very aware of the state of your backyard. The land looks unkempt, it is heavily overgrown with brush and fallen trees after the storm last fall.
It would sure be nice to check this off the to-do list before next year. Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and the cold weather will be setting in soon. Maybe you can do some clearing of all the debris, get some firewood to burn for the winter, and in the spring, you can make plans for some landscaping projects.
You silently nod your head and start thinking about what needs to be done:
There is that section around back that could use some culling, as there are some diseased trees that have since fallen, and it would be nice to have more open space for the sleds to come out for hunting.
The more you think about it, the more ideas you can come up with.
The kids could make a bigger rink for some hockey fun games, or boot hockey.
Could even make a trail down to the lake and put a fishing shack out there in January.
Make a little cross-country ski trail for a fun activity that would be safe for the kids and their friends.
So let’s get to it.
This beginner’s quick guide can help you create a more usable space and some mouse landscaping surrounding.
The Plan
This is a good time for you, the avid DIYer, to call on the people around you who may be in the same situation you’re in, or have already done this kind of clearing of their property.
They may have some hints, tips, and tricks that you could use.
In fact, the last time you saw Bob, he mentioned that he had a little compact tractor and you could borrow it for the job if you would like. The local dealer was telling him of all these new attachments you can buy for your little tractor, and they are super easy to attach and would speed up the process for you.
He and a couple of others would be interested in investing in some of these attachments, and you can share the cost and use them for their own projects.
This would save everyone some money as well.
Safety Tip: With an undertaking of this magnitude, ensure you have contacted 811 before you dig to ensure that any underground utilities or wiring are marked, so that nothing will be damaged and no one will get hurt by accidentally hitting a gas line or something.
Call before you Dig!
Specialized Equipment = Efficiency
If you have some machinery that can do all the heavy lifting and move great piles of materials around, it’d make the job so much easier and less labor-intensive. But for some jobs, that ‘standard’ compact tractor bucket won’t be too (or at all) useful. What you need are specialized attachments.
But where do you get them?
Specialized compact tractor attachments (e.g., grapple rake) you can usually get from specialized companies such as Earth and Turf Attachments. These types of businesses sell and – even better, because they’re expensive – rent various types of attachments depending on what your particular situation requires.
Act like a giant, powerful hand that can claw, lift, and grapple vast amounts of material in one pass, significantly speeding up the whole process.
Small Area? Do it manually
When the big jobs are done, you can concentrate on the small things that’ll be more labor-intensive but will feed the pride of a job well done:
- You can now finally take out your trusty chainsaw for a spin. Just make sure the chain is properly attached and isn’t dulled out. And make sure there’s enough lubricant. All that wood can be cut down into firewood – why let it go to waste? Just make sure to cover it with something waterproof (e.g., a tarp) if you’re in the rainy season.
- You can use a weighted roller (or a stomper) to compact the earth down, especially around the edges, where it was dangerous to do it with the tractor.
- Pile all those leaves and debris into a safe spot and burn them. Obviously, don’t forget to get a burning permit, so that you don’t end up fined. And make sure you’re burning non-toxic materials (e.g., don’t burn plastic).
When you’re satisfied with your new ‘blank canvas’, you can now move on to the fun and more personal part of the project.
The Finishing
You might be postponing the next stage of landscaping til spring, but now that all this hard work is done, you and the family can have fun planning your zones, brainstorming all the ideas, and spend the next few months shopping at the thrift stores (and maybe the John St Dump if you are allowed).
You now have a blank canvas to work from; anything is possible.
Conclusion
When you’re preparing for a big landscaping project, it only makes sense to clear the whole area first. You don’t want to deal with that mid-way through the project. But the basic bucket that comes with a compact tractor won’t help you in many situations.
Think about it – how do you remove all the brush, roots, vines, and fallen branches, logs, debris, rocks, shrubs, or any bulky waste, without spending the entire day doing manual labor? Easy, get a grapple rake attachment. Or, how do you easily shape the land? Easy, get a box blade attachment.
There are so many specialized attachments that could help you with your specific situation, so that it doesn’t turn into a time-consuming, energy-demanding, and stress-generating mess. And what’s best of all – you don’t even have to own them.
Rent them out for the day, and that’s it.
Landscaping prep done the easy way!