Removing Stumps

[D2Cat]

Using a winch to pull over a tree presents a couple of new problems.

First, you have to get the winch hooked to the tree high enough to have some leverage. Second, you have to have something extremely stable to anchor the other end of the winch. Third, if the tree is pulled over but doesn't uproot or break off, you have to cut it with a saw. Now you have a wreck waiting to happen.

Seems odd, most everyone reports enjoying seat time on their tractor (often referred to as a toy), now you want to climb a tree so you don't have to use the tractor.

Have good insurance on everything you own, including your life!

 

[ShaunRH]

We used a bow and arrow with supple string to fire up high enough in a tree to feed a rope around the upper trunk.
Then we'd feed a heavier hawser up and around the upper trunk using the rope.
Snap a link around the hawser and pull it until it cinched around the top trunk and hook to a heavy vehicle, usually a large-ish tractor or semi truck when possible, sometimes a heavy pickup.
Then pull... nicely...
If the tree came out- awesome.
If not, dig on the non-pull side a little and cut a couple of major roots.
Then pull... nicely... (never failed)
Taken down some monster trees that way and they are easy to work with once down. The Trick is, keep pulling when she starts over, don't stop or you end up with a tree on top of a vehicle! You also have to have the line about 2/3 - 3/4 of the way up the tree.

 

[koja]

We used a bow and arrow with supple string to fire up high enough in a tree to feed a rope around the upper trunk.
Then we'd feed a heavier hawser up and around the upper trunk using the rope.
Snap a link around the hawser and pull it until it cinched around the top trunk and hook to a heavy vehicle, usually a large-ish tractor or semi truck when possible, sometimes a heavy pickup.
Then pull... nicely...
If the tree came out- awesome.
If not, dig on the non-pull side a little and cut a couple of major roots.
Then pull... nicely... (never failed)
Taken down some monster trees that way and they are easy to work with once down. The Trick is, keep pulling when she starts over, don't stop or you end up with a tree on top of a vehicle! You also have to have the line about 2/3 - 3/4 of the way up the tree.

I'd like to sit on my tailgate with cold one and watch that

 

[Craiger265]

This took 4 hrs but was a learning experience on what the BH can handle

 

[bstarn]

Tips and techniques for removing stumps

I have been clearing an old beaver pond full of dead heads and old stumps - some several feet in diameter.

I have a L3800 with a towable backhoe. The technique I find that works best to remove stumps is to "corkscrew" them out rather than trying to use brute force to pull them out.

To corckscrew out a stump you find a solid root and use the backhoe to twist the stump in a circle rather than trying to lift the stump itself. The further out on the root you can go from the center of the stump provides additional leverage.

In some cases I have had to use a chain block connected to a root on one side of the stump. Its important that you dont put the chain around the entire stump, but only around a chosen root. Otherwise you will lose your leverage

Bill

 

[Tooljunkie]

I have a 13,000 lb yellow excavator in my yard for a few weeks. Last night went after a couple stumps. The spruce took 15 minutes. The double oak took an hour plus. Evere done any whittling with an excavator? Those roots are tough. When i finally got it, it was all excavator could do to carry it away. Cramped up a gainst blade and rolled root up with bucket. Machine tilted over.

 

[coachgeo]

One idea I read and am going to try was to get big, aggressive blades for your sawz-all (like 12") and cut the roots down as deep as you can before you start digging. Then it will be easier to get everything loose.

Doc

Tried that. Waste of time and I had actually dug a good bit away so root was 1/2 or more exposed as I did it. Dirt will dull anything that is sharp extremely fast. Quickly realized for me it would have taken 2 blades per 6" root they dull so fast. By the time you add it up it's not worth it. Went back to system of "excavate, ax, sharpen" REPEAT over and over and over.

 

[koja]

This helps a lot for cutting through roots . Used a grinder and cut teeth into the bucket sides . I also made a tooth for the middle of the bucket that allows me to peel through the big roots .

 

[koja]

This took 4 hrs but was a learning experience on what the BH can handle

There ya go , that's how its done .

 

[MXBX]

View attachment 16743
This helps a lot for cutting through roots . Used a grinder and cut teeth into the bucket sides . I also made a tooth for the middle of the bucket that allows me to peel through the big roots .

That is so cool! Bravo dude.

 

[Tooljunkie]

As i was gnawing through those roots, i was thinking the same thing, a few points and sharp edges and it would have made the work easy.

 

[koja]

That is so cool! Bravo dude.

Thank you . The only down side to teeth on the bucket sides is when you try to spin the stump as was suggested earlier , tends to cut the roots off , lol . But still a lot better .

 

[skeets]

This is much more fun !!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6PGKcVr-8s&feature=player_detailpage#t=74

 

[koja]

Heck ya Skeets ! That's how it used to be done . I wonder if they would sell as many tractors as they do today if you could still buy dynamite at the hardware store ? Case of dynamite and a good team of horses and you could clear a field .

 

[BotaDriver]

You should be able to find someone to sell you dynamite still. Significantly more pricey than back in the day, and unlawful to keep longer than 24hrs without an approved explosives storage locker. Also must be transported by the seller to the property where it will be used.

Cheaper route is explosives grade ammonium nitrate and finely ground Al powder. Shoot it w/ rifle to set it off. Trick for stumps is boring into the center of them and using a bag placed in the hole to keep the mix dry. 4lbs into an 18" stump with a 5 gal bucket of water on top makes for a nicely broken stump and a lot of dirt around it removed.

Explosives grade ammonium nitrate is 50 state legal and ground shippable ORM-D

 

[koja]

You should be able to find someone to sell you dynamite still. Significantly more pricey than back in the day, and unlawful to keep longer than 24hrs without an approved explosives storage locker. Also must be transported by the seller to the property where it will be used.

Cheaper route is explosives grade ammonium nitrate and finely ground Al powder. Shoot it w/ rifle to set it off. Trick for stumps is boring into the center of them and using a bag placed in the hole to keep the mix dry. 4lbs into an 18" stump with a 5 gal bucket of water on top makes for a nicely broken stump and a lot of dirt around it removed.

Explosives grade ammonium nitrate is 50 state legal and ground shippable ORM-D

That sounds like fun !

 

[ShaunRH]

Anyone try thermite?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIpa1K51os4

 

[canadianbuilder]

This is my trophy stump. I had to pull it out of the hole with the pick-up but the digging was all done with my bx25d. Used a
Bro-tek ripper to tear the roots out.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[skeets]

That's a big stump for sure,,, Soooo wheres the Chevy you used to pull it out,,,,

 

[ShaunRH]

That's a big stump for sure,,, Soooo wheres the Chevy you used to pull it out,,,,

Don't you push the Chevy in to help fill the hole after the stump got taken out?
(Joking, just joking!)