# Raw land site prep: Can this be a DIY project?



## Bobbb (Jan 7, 2012)

A little while back I came across some raw land which I thought was spectacular. It's not on the market but through connections I have I know that the corporation which holds title would entertain offers and is willing to sell.

If developed, this land would be far more preferable than what I've got now and I'd immediately switch over. The trick is to get it from it's raw state to a usable state.

Rocky, heavily forested, fast moving stream with waterfall drops, on a mountain with a south facing slope, flat areas, some small meadows.

There's a part of me which wants to be Pioneer Bobbb - carving our my own little kingdom from the wilderness rather than picking up the phone and having the heavy equipment operators scrape the land and send me the bill.

Is it possible to clear your own land with a chainsaw and a small tractor with a front end loader and a backhoe attachment? I'm thinking a nice 2 years of weekends project of clearing about 10 acres of the land for a homestead and make the land suitable for crowing crops.

-Can a small tractor do the work of a skid-steer or larger loader? Not efficiently of course, but say with small loads, small tasks? 

-What's the best way to deal with the stumps?

-Is there anything you can tell me about transforming forest land into crop land?


----------



## 8thDayStranger (Jan 30, 2013)

I can tell you a chainsaw and a small tractor or bobcat can do the job. As you said, not efficiently, but it can be done if you want to put in the work. Smaller stumps the tractor can probably pull out and large stumps we always just burn out. 

I don't have a clue as to turning rocky mountain land into farm land for crops. Never tried that before. I would be interested in this myself. Our current BOL is on a mountain top. There is farm land around it but that would only be available if the inhabitants left it or I could strike a deal. 

Sounds like an awesome project if you ask me. We turned a mountain top into a nice camping/hunting spot and I could see a homestead up there one day. Good luck!


----------



## camo2460 (Feb 10, 2013)

Yeah it's possible, I did it, but it will make you an old man real quick. It's best to hire some of the work out if possible, like getting rid of stumps. the easiest way would be with a larger bulldozer and other heavy equipment.


----------



## Caribou (Aug 18, 2012)

A lot depends on the trees, the tractor, and your determination and skill. Are we talking about christmas tree size or redwoods the pharaoh planted? Obviously, the bigger the machine the faster you will do the job. Each machine has its limits. Your skills will develop over time. You can accomplish a surprising amount if you can think outside the box but there is still a limit.

Are your trees large enough to cut into lumber? I've had more than one friend buy land and sell some of the lumber to help pay for developing the land.


----------



## Bobbb (Jan 7, 2012)

Yeah, its old second growth timber, or third growth. It's clearly not a wild forest - it has a monoculture "look" to it, but many of the trees are big enough for lumber production though probably not at their most efficient yield profile yet.

Any thoughts on the appropriate tractor size for such an undertaking, noting that once this is done I don't intend to ever use the tractor for that purpose again and instead use it simply for normal chores on a small homestead, meaning that I'm not inclined to buy more tractor than I need simply to make this task easier.

Now that I think about though, I have heard of guys who've bought old heavy equipment, cleared their land, then sold the heavy equipment for almost what they paid for it, so that might be an option.


----------



## tsrwivey (Dec 31, 2010)

You can do it yourself, you just have to be realistic about how you want to spend your time, energy, & effort. Some folks like the work & will stick it out until it's finished, while others would much rather work extra at their regular job & pay those angels on the backhoe. Bounce the idea off some honest & trusted friends who know you well & see what they say. 

My friend had horrible, hard clay soil. she tried working it, adding stuff to it, etc. One day she said he!! with it :surrender: & she had a crap load of good dirt brought in. :dunno:


----------



## Wellrounded (Sep 25, 2011)

I've done it too, on a small scale (not allowed to clear much land here in Australia) with nothing more than a chainsaw (the first year or so only a crosscut saw) and rope and tackle, no tractor. It's hard work but not impossible. A tractor front end loader and backhoe would have been heaven. 
I cut until I could handle the timber, split and stacked firewood, used some for fencing and burnt the rest. I then used pigs to clean up the small stuff, 5 acres at a time. I worked on about 20 acres altogether, not completely clearing as our laws don't allow that but clearing enough to establish pasture and with a couple of small areas for cropping. The stumps stayed, I had no way to remove them and had to work around them just as early settlers would have. Took me seven years to establish that little homestead but I had no money when I started and no money during the process either so it was 'do it myself or not at all'.

Would I choose to do it all again.... NO WAY. That place is why I'm disabled now, seemed easy enough at the time but I've worm myself out. I would have been 100 times better off buying land with established pasture. Not just to save the backbreaking work but I would have had feed from DAY 1 and just got on with homesteading. I could have gotten something half decent with the little money I had. Not as many acres and more isolated (we were 30 miles from town so another 20 miles wouldn't have mattered much) but cleared ground, grass and fences would have meant my lifestyle was established a lot sooner.

Now I'm living on 170 acres of virgin land that needs clearing and pastures established and we live in barn half turned into a house and sleep in a room with no walls, just a bit of builders cloth between us and the great outdoors. I didn't choose to live here, it's the only option I have so I'm just getting on with it, a lot slower than last time. DH loves this place so I'm learning to love it too. Still have no tractor, we use a chainsaw and hand tools to clear the ground and as the stumps are smaller here we can use our little farm truck to pull them out.

In a perfect world I'd contract out fencing, clearing and initial pasture work, just pay the dollars and get it all done. Then I could get on with the other stuff, outbuildings, planting the orchard and vineyard, building pig and stock yards, planting and growing crops, that's enough work for me at this stage of my life.

After saying all that only you know what you're physically capable of. You know your finances. If I had any money it would go into getting some of the first stage set up here finished so I can get on with turning the place into a fully functioning homestead.


----------



## oldvet (Jun 29, 2010)

Bobbb you betcha you can do it with that chainsaw and tractor. Don't try and overwork your tractors ability, if you tractor is powerful enough to use the frontend loader or backhoe to up root and push over small tree's great. If not then after you drop the tree (cut it down) go back and cut the stump as close to the ground as you can, then dig around it and burn it the rest of the way out. 

You will be surprised how much scrubbing (taking out the small trees, bushes, and some rocks) you can do with that bucket and then use the bucket and or the backhoe to pile it up (what you don't cut and save for fire wood) to burn.

I have used a backhoe to till up a garden plot, dig trenches, put in septic systems, move heavy items and a lot more. Yep you may want to hire out some of the "grunt" work, but I think that once you get started you will be surprised how much you can accomplish with a tractor that has a bucket and a backhoe.

I wish you the best of luck in getting that property and if you do get it, I hope you can accomplish what you want done without it costing you a mint and even have some fun doing it. You will be amazed at how much joy and pride you will have when you are able look back and say "I DID THAT".


----------



## Bobbb (Jan 7, 2012)

oldvet said:


> You will be amazed at how much joy and pride you will have when you are able look back and say "I DID THAT".


That's exactly it. This isn't really a cost-saving issue for me, it's me wanting to carve my place out of the wilderness with my own two hands. The opportunities for doing this in modern civilization are rare. Even when the opportunity presents itself it's likely more expensive to do it yourself than to have the pros do it. So it really boils down to pride and satisfaction and what price I'm willing to pay to wrest from nature that which I want. But just on weekends mind you, which is why I'm thinking long term. I'm fairly certain a professional crew could come in and do the work in a week or less.

If the task really does begin to wear out my body, then I'll just stop and pick up the phone and call the pros.


----------



## Tirediron (Jul 12, 2010)

After you clear your trees, you may have to adjust the soils PH level to grow crops or vegitables, there are lots of videos on you tube about small scale logging. it all depends on how much satisfaction you would get out of your pioneering work.


----------



## FatTire (Mar 20, 2012)

"Theres nothing you can do that cant be done" -- John Lennon


Bobbb, im working very hard right now towards what you are describing. Im going to do it


----------



## oldvet (Jun 29, 2010)

FatTire said:


> "Theres nothing you can do that cant be done" -- John Lennon
> 
> Bobbb, im working very hard right now towards what you are describing. Im going to do it


Good on ya, getter done. :beercheer:


----------



## piglett (Dec 10, 2010)

*i think i'll jump on in & put in my 2 cents worth boys & girls
the wife & i are thinking of doing more or less the same Bob
but ours will be on a smaller scale (a little over an acre)
we want pasture to put the chickens on but instead we have trees
so i have started to cut those trees down
i did a 50'x50' area this spring
next spring i'll clear out the same size again.
i'll keep at it till it is mostly all cleared out.

now let me ask you this
if your not planning on keeping the tractor 
why not go with a lightly used excavator with a thumb?
you can cover a whole lot more ground than a tractor with a backhoe on back
but a bucket on the front of a tractor sure is nice for moving piles of dirt.
but if you are looking to move lots of rocks & stumps 
i would go with an excavator.

there are plenty of contractors making payment of large equipment in the U.S.
if the guy is behind on his payments you might be able to buy it from the bank for just whats owed on it
might be a good way to get a $60,000 machine for about a third of that 

one of the things i want to do is 
my land is very rocky so i'll dig a whole into the side of the hill 
about 10' square then pile up some of those rocks on the back & both sides of the hole . the top will have timbers going from side to side which will be covered with 6 mil plastic sheeting doubled up then about 3 feet of earth. add a couple wooden doors to the front & you have a great place to put your pigs for the winter.
i would say put some pallets on the floor then hay so they are not rite on the cold ground.

also like someone already said a good mess of pigs will clear stumps 
there is even a book on it...here ya go
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0865717176/ref=rdr_ext_tmb

i would also like to add that finding someone in your area
who has already done some of the things you would like to do might be a big help
some things are different from state to state 
what works in new hampshire might get you put in jail in california
seek out some locals & ask them what they would have done different if they had it to do all over again. give their place a good look & then go from there

good luck
piglett

*


----------



## smaj100 (Oct 17, 2012)

Someone mentioned amending the soil, another great and free resource is a local farmers Coop. You can get soil sample bags and fill them drop them off and they will send you a report of what the soil contains and depending on what you tell them you want to plant they will even provide recommendations of lime, fert's and so on. Draw a map of the property and mark where you take your samples from each area could be drastically different. We've got 110acres we are working. We had a pulp company come in and clear 3 -15-20 acre pastures they drove through with mulching type machine and shredded the trees right into a dump truck type truck and sold that to a power co. Cost to me nada, now that left the ground in a real ruff condition lots of roots and stuff nothing some manual labor, a winch and shovel couldn't snatch outta the ground as we found em.

I'll tell you even using heavy equipment fencing and so on can still be back breaking work. But it is extremely satisfying when you step back and see your animals grazing on pastures you created.


----------



## Marcus (May 13, 2012)

I've been thinking about a number of issues related to your orginal question.

My first idea, similar to smaj100, is to contract out to a timber company those areas you wish cleared. Depending on the layout of the flat areas and the small meadows, it may not be economical for a timber company to clear the desired areas. If it is, you may end up with enough cash from the timber to defray the cost of the equipment you desire.

The second and much more important issue is the depth of the topsoil in the meadows and flat areas. You'll want at least a foot of topsoil for sustainable farming. Anything less and you'll experience a lot of equipment breakages due to the plows hitting underground rocks. As smaj100 mentioned, you'll want to get the soil tested both before the timber is cut and afterwards. You'll probably also want to plant something like clover in the cut areas to fix nitrogen in the soil and hold the ground from erosion until you're ready to plant.

I'd also look at damming up the stream for hydro power.

I'd recommend a 30-50HP tractor with backhoe over a trackhoe. The reason is the caterpillar tracks on a trackhoe require *a lot more servicing* than a wheeled vehicle. One word of caution: Learning to operate a backhoe competently requires about 80 hours of practice time. A backhoe can kill you if you make a mistake by overestimating your abilities. In addition to a bucket, a backhoe can be equipped with a thumb for picking up large rocks and logs. There's also attachments for breaking rocks which replace the bucket and can also be used on the stumps. You'll probably also want some sort of rock rake. A 39HP Kubota with front end loader and backhoe runs ~$25K new.


----------



## Bobbb (Jan 7, 2012)

Marcus said:


> The second and much more important issue is the depth of the topsoil in the meadows and flat areas. You'll want at least a foot of topsoil for sustainable farming. Anything less and you'll experience a lot of equipment breakages due to the plows hitting underground rocks.


This is the kind of gems of information that I'm looking for. Now, can a forest exist if there isn't at least a foot of topsoil there or is it the case that the dirt that all of those trees are anchored in doesn't meet the quality of topsoil?



> I'd also look at damming up the stream for hydro power.


Damning would be a bear to get through environmental approval but a run-of the-river facility, especially with the waterfalls, would be much easier. This is one of the features of the land which most caught my eye.

A derivative question arises here - If my hunch is correct (I haven't run the water flow data down) there is year round flow on this creek and my back of the envelope calculations show that I should be able to get enough juice to run a robust household. Now this land is far from power lines. So, I could either undersize the generating plant and smooth out my usage with a battery bank and then face replacement and maintenance issues over time or have enough generating capacity to lower my battery bank requirements and then dump the excess power into something. But what? Are they any folks here with their own solar/wind systems who generate too much power? If so, and you can't sell it, then what do you do with it?



> I'd recommend a 30-50HP tractor with backhoe over a trackhoe. The reason is the caterpillar tracks on a trackhoe require *a lot more servicing* than a wheeled vehicle. One word of caution: Learning to operate a backhoe competently requires about 80 hours of practice time. A backhoe can kill you if you make a mistake by overestimating your abilities. In addition to a bucket, a backhoe can be equipped with a thumb for picking up large rocks and logs. There's also attachments for breaking rocks which replace the bucket and can also be used on the stumps. You'll probably also want some sort of rock rake. A 39HP Kubota with front end loader and backhoe runs ~$25K new.


Do tell, how can an inexperienced fellow kill himself besides doing obviously stupid things?

Is it worth buying new or better to buy used but larger in size?


----------



## zracer7 (Apr 17, 2012)

When I worked for the auctions I witnessed many tractors sold for a fraction of the prices you'd see new or used. Try looking for these auctions in your area. You could clear your land and sell the equipment used for more than you bid on it making a small profit out of it. Also, if the forest that you are clearing could be used for timber have you thought to use it on building your own home? There are a vast array of books out there detailing how to build your own log or timber framed homes. If you feel that you would get a sense of satisfaction in working your own land think about how much pride you would have if you built a home as well. Look up Wrangler star on you tube. He has done a lot of clearing on his own homestead and I believe his info is right up your alley.


----------



## SierraM37 (Nov 2, 2008)

Lots of good advice here. I'll chip in my tractor experience on my 12 acres. Bought the land raw but it had mostly been cleared to run cattle. I bought a used New Holland 1920 4x4 with a removable frame mount back hoe. Its a 32 HP diesel. Don't get a gas tractor. The BH option is about $5k and it paid for itself when I dug my own power and well line trenches. The bid just to trench the power line was $5k. I use the backhoe to push around large rocks, pick them and other trenching work. 

Learning backhoe skills. Rather than hours, I measured my capability in feet. I'd never used heavy machinery or a backhoe. The BH does not have a thumb, it's a two lever and it took about ten to twenty feet of 4' deep by 2'wide trench to learn how to operate efficiently and then another 10-20 feet to get a straight line consistently. I ended up trenching about 800 linear feet, back filled with the required sand and then pushed dirt back in with loader and leveled with box scraper. 

Post hill digger. Get one. I used it to drill holes for my perimeter fence. About 60 posts and I did it all myself. Also used to drill 220 holes for my wine grape vines. That way you can amend the holes rather than an entire area. 

Mower. Where I live in NorCal, weeds make good fire material so I mow early and often. The 5' PTO mower cuts through tall stuff very easily. It will take out saplings easily up to about 2"-3". I finish it off when it's dried out with my husky ride on. 

Disc. The disc I use to till the soil. I bought a used really crappy one but it works. It helps to weight it down to cut down into the soil. 

Loader. This is the most handy on a tractor. Get a couple of chain hooks welded to the top front lip and have that top lip reinforced with bar across its entire length. I can pick up about a max 3'x4' boulder when chained to hold it. That's about all the hydraulic force you've got but I've built some fairly decent rock walls this way. Get the rock close and position with a long bar. You can chain on a bundle of long logs, irrigation pipe, you name it. Get those chain hooks welded on. Used it to move DG, sand, soil, scoop up rubble rock etc....

Box scraper with removable tiller (scarifier?) attachments. The tillers allow you to dig down and pull up small size rocks. This is where 4x4 comes in handy. The scraper allows to smooth out areas or drag to fill low spots etc...

What it can't do. It won't be good to remove stumps or take out a really rocky field. Use the tractor to define your growing area and then hire someone to come in with a real big d4 or better to do this heavy work. It's just not possible on a compact tractor. 

You can get the 3point PTO wood splitters and other things that can help with the clearing. Cut the trees and chain drag to pile up somewhere then hire a big machine to move the rocks, stump and rough level. 

Hope this helps. I am very happy I got the tractor and use the heck out of it.


----------



## Tribal Warlord Thug (Jan 27, 2009)

Bobbb said:


> A little while back I came across some raw land which I thought was spectacular. It's not on the market but through connections I have I know that the corporation which holds title would entertain offers and is willing to sell.
> 
> If developed, this land would be far more preferable than what I've got now and I'd immediately switch over. The trick is to get it from it's raw state to a usable state.
> 
> ...


...........we bought our 'mountain' back in april of last year. we have cleared a nice south/west corner that we have started our orchard in and planni' to clear more so we end up with about 2 dozen fruit trees.......have plenty of other fruit and nut bearin' trees that grow wild on our property too....

...clearing the land isn't hard when it's rocky soil....roots dont run deep, just spread over a large area below the surface.....our ol' ford truck does a right nice job of pullin' stumps out or pushin' 'em over.....of course, i've used the fire dept. 5 tons winch a couple of times fer stump duty but them was some big damn stumps...

...as far as clearin land fer crops, we just are goin' with a rasied bed system of gardens and serveral container gardens fer herbs and such, plus the wild grapes, strawberries,black berries and such are almost invasivly abundent here so we have a good stock of wine makin' fruits too....

....fer scrub brush and such, we have goats that love to munch on it...plus they give milk to be made into yogurt, butter, cheeses and..................milk!:factor10:

.....we also have lots of chikin'z free rangin' the property eatin' up the bugs and producing good manure (as do the goats) for our rasied beds to be added when needed........we can git good black dirt/compose mix fer $300 for 12 yards delivered so thats what we do fer our boxes...goin' to be addin' in a small scale aqua culture soon to this summer so will be up to our azz'z in food producin' and poop makerz....:laugh:

...........the biggest hurdle i have always seen with anyone plannin' to 'Homestead' is they just don't have the mindset(?) or sumthin' like that) that it takes to actually DO IT...........

yer either a homesteader or a dreamer....ya cain't be both.....:laugh:

.................life IS very good on the mountain top Bobbb, good luck on yer new way of life is you truly are ready fer what it takes to commit to it....:beercheer:


----------



## Onebigelf (Sep 17, 2011)

Yes you can do it. Our forefathers did, with no power tools at all. The flowing streams with waterfalls means you could likely do micro hydroelectric- an enormous potential benefit for long-term prepping. Don't ignore the possibility of chainsawing the trees and then renting or buying a stump-grinder. I bought a DR years ago for work on our place. I'd come home from work and grind one or two stumps before dark, working out from the house. When I felt I'd gotten enough I put a new engine on it and sold it to someone else for about 75% of what I paid for it. As for the rock, if it's mostly smaller rock, the usual method is to plow and stack. Makes for nice stack-stone fences. If it's buried boulders that's different.

John


----------



## Marcus (May 13, 2012)

Bobbb said:


> Now, can a forest exist if there isn't at least a foot of topsoil there or is it the case that the dirt that all of those trees are anchored in doesn't meet the quality of topsoil?


Yes. The type of trees growing there along with their size will give you an indication of the depth of the soil. You'll also want to observe to see if there are a lot of trees that have been blow over at the root by the wind. That's an indication of insufficent soil.



> Damning would be a bear to get through environmental approval but a run-of the-river facility, especially with the waterfalls, would be much easier. This is one of the features of the land which most caught my eye.


I meant a ROR type facility.



> Do tell, how can an inexperienced fellow kill himself besides doing obviously stupid things?


Operation on unlevel ground, overestimating your abilities with the equipment, operating too fast, failing to understand the physics of a backhoe with regards to stability.

Digging a trench on level ground is about the easiest task you can do with a backhoe. Learning to propel the backhoe with the backhoe bucket is another skill as is pivoting with the outriggers down. You also learn to develop a touch with the backhoe bucket so that it becomes an extension of yourself.



> Is it worth buying new or better to buy used but larger in size?


It depends on your skillset and resources since one bought at an auction may require quite a bit maintenance just to be useable. The number of hours on the tractor will give you an idea of how much it has been used (no odometers on tractors.)

Sierra has some good advice if you intend to keep the tractor. Tribal Warlord too has some valid points about the critters and the raised bed gardening. I also suggest you might consider a greenhouse for growing crops year round.


----------



## Caribou (Aug 18, 2012)

As for what can kill you, pulling something over on you or rolling the machine are two good ways to accomplish that. I've had a couple sobering experiences especially working hillsides.


----------



## Bobbb (Jan 7, 2012)

My wife just pointed out one huge drawback - no internet. My work requires that I be connected. 

Don't need a water company for water, I can have a well.
Don't need a power company for power, I can go with ROR or with solar/wind.
Don't need sewer, I can go with septic.

I can be disconnected from the grid except for broadband. Ouch. Satellite internet is a no-go for both security and bandwidth reasons.

Now the question comes down to whether to buy and hold for the long term, buy and develop just to have a BOL that is self-sustainable because if we NEED to use this land for a Bug-Out, then having broadband simply won't matter anymore, buy and not develop and just sit on the land, or pass it up.


----------



## cqp33 (Apr 2, 2012)

you mentioned a backhoe, we use a small backhoe to remove stumps. We have a 6" wide bucket that we have sharpened the inside edge, we dig around the stump using this sharpened edge to cut through the roots all around the stump then it can easily be pushed out with the front end loader of a mid sized tractor (say 60HP). 

You are also correct on this is not the efficient way to do it, but we use that method because we only use it a few times a year when select cutting our land. We only remove the stumps on the area of the land we don't want them around, it works but it is time consuming compared to using a dozer that would just "muscle" them out! Good luck though, sounds like a great project and if you have the time, it would save a lot, dozers aren't cheap by the hour!


----------



## tsrwivey (Dec 31, 2010)

We have Internet through Verizon. It's been very reliable for us, would something like that be an option for you?


----------



## mosquitomountainman (Jan 25, 2010)

We use a Jet Pack when away from home. Works anywhere you can get a cell phone signal.

I can testify from experience that trees can grow from some very poor soil. We have about two inches of top soil with clay and rocks below it. It takes us an average of three years of intense work to get truly fertile soil in our garden area. Our future plans will be only raised beds.

A backhoe is a marvelous invention. Be careful though. We have a neighbor with a Kubota who broke the frame on his tractor trying to work it too hard.

Rocks can be a real difficulty depending upon how large that they are. A disc is practically useless in rocky fields. Old discs can be a problem. When the bearings wear out the discs don't turn and it just piles dirt in front of it until the tractor bogs down. 

Logging only gets rid of the trees. You'll be left with a field full of stumps and logging debris. If you want to sell the timber go for it but realize that it will still take a pile of work to get usable land from what's left. Also, the timber industry isn't doing well right now so prices may be quite low. You may want to talk to a logger about swapping the timber for landscaping work. Let them have the timber but they bring in the equipment to clear (stumps and all), level, and build roads. Check references. We can tell you some horror stories of people who took the timber, sold it then the landowner never saw them (or his money) again. If they're a local family you might be better off taking the loss that fighting them in court or otherwise. Again, check references. 

Watch for burnout. It sounds "romantic" to clear your own land but it's an unbelievable amount of hard, physical work that few "modernites" can sustain for long.

It does bring a lot of satisfaction though!


----------



## cnsper (Sep 20, 2012)

Some additional options....

Yes you can clear land with a small tractor. Hell they used to do it with mules.

You can rent a stump grinder for those areas you will not be tilling to get rid of the stumps.

As for the garden area, whether you use raised beds or till the soil, craigslist and free CRAP (literally) Chicken, horse and cow manure are listed for free all the time. Use that to amend the soil. 

Make sure that the trees are far enough from the house so that in a wildfire situation, they can not fall on the house.

The chances of the work killing you or disabling you are very slim unless you are a candidate for the Darwin Awards... LOL


----------



## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

Bobbb said:


> Are they any folks here with their own solar/wind systems who generate too much power? If so, and you can't sell it, then what do you do with it?


NOBODY... ever - - has "too much" self generated power.

If you actually find yourself in that situation, heat a hot tub, boil water for canning, pump water to other locations (or to hilltop storage tanks), run a machine shop, or hell, get creative!! Set up a used motor-oil-into-diesel refinery, or a large brine tank to make H2 and O2 (by electrolysis). The possibilities are endless.

Rural areas in Texas have broadband through the air and local towers, no satellite needed. I could check into it more for you if you like (like Air Net LLC).


----------



## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

What do I use to dig out stumps? A digging bar from Harbor Freight and a Rigid Shop-vac to suck away the dirt. Laugh all you want, it works.


----------



## dirtgrrl (Jun 5, 2011)

If I couldn't get a satisfactory broadband connection, I'd buy, develop slowly, and hold. 

You may not need nearly as much cleared land as you think, particularly if you can raise crops like brambles or fruit trees within the woods. Before you build, visit and get to know the land in all seasons. I've had my BOL for about 9 months, but this spring I discovered a beautiful patch of mariposa lilies exactly where I was going to place the barn. Since the lilies are very valuable to me, I will now move the barn. If I had not waited I never would have known the lilies were there (mariposas are notoriously secretive). 

Also, don't try to get too much done at once, or you'll burn out. Mosquitomountainman's book on low cost homesteading is very valuable even if you don't need to go low cost.


----------

