Bill, mine was the same way - I doubt any box made of cardboard stands a chance with that thing.... Judging by the looks of the box, it had been run over by a D-9 Cat. ....
It works really well if you can "hook" a part of the stump between the "Vs" of the bar, then curl. I dont cut roots any more, I just expose them enough to wrap a chain around them then snap or drag em out with the tractor, too.I gave mine a light workload yesterday for the first time, took down a few small 2-3" diameter pines. No problem at all.
Anyone ever try to lift out small stumps with it? I'm in all sand, so super soft soil. I may give it a try with some smaller stumps just to see how it does, start with little 6" diameter and see how well it lifts...if all goes well work my way up a bit in size. Anything "big" I'll have to dig out first (no backhoe unfortunately) and cut the roots first.