Important to remove all stumps from under pad. Even the ones you don't know are there.
A good excavator operator can get a lot of work done in one day. IMO nothing smaller than a Cat 316 with thumb attachment. If you have room, cut down the trees and drag them out of the way. A good sawyer can...
Found this site while researching lifts. Hope to use garage for transition from workaholic to retirement. Fantastic site with many great builds. Thanks.:thumbup: