Biker1mike
Well-known member
Equipment
B6200, Kubota 2030 Front Blade, King Cutter 60" finishing deck
Stumps I hate them.
- Thread starter Mlarv
- Start date
With a burn barrel you don't need a big pile. It concentrates the heat.
I might have to try this on my next one. The natural gas line is about three feet away from it, so no digging. The line is about 20 inches down so I should be good to burn it out. If you hear of a gas explosion in TN you know what happened(-;
Agreed, but I have far, far, far too much wood/stumps.
Had 4 piles burning simultaneously on two different occasions.
Awww…. Admit it! You LOVE STUMPS!
Otherwise none of you would so enthusiastically show-and-tell how you use your equipment
Otherwise none of you would so enthusiastically show-and-tell how you use your equipment
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nbryan
Well-known member
Equipment
B2650 BH77 LA534 54" ssqa Forks B2782B BB1560 Woods M5-4 MaxxHaul 50039
My neighbour's 4'+ diameter at the base spruce tree stump in the middle of his yard got treated 1 1/2 years ago with epsom salts poured into 1" diameter holes drilled at least 6" deep all over the top surface.
I was helping auger fence post holes for his dog yard with our PD15 digger, and at day's end I hit the stump with the tips of my pallet forks a few inches below the surface, and drove the forks easily straight through the stump with practically the whole fork then curled a bit and the stump bits popped right out of the totally punky wood.
So epsom salts definitely rots wood fast. He also kept it wet by covering with a poly sheet after treatment. That way it didn't dry out over some hot dry spells we get every summer.
I was helping auger fence post holes for his dog yard with our PD15 digger, and at day's end I hit the stump with the tips of my pallet forks a few inches below the surface, and drove the forks easily straight through the stump with practically the whole fork then curled a bit and the stump bits popped right out of the totally punky wood.
So epsom salts definitely rots wood fast. He also kept it wet by covering with a poly sheet after treatment. That way it didn't dry out over some hot dry spells we get every summer.
I did 3 over the weekend using the BH of my BX23S. I'm getting better at it. Learned that starting further away is better that trying to find a sweet spot near the old trunk. Earlier this year I had to dig a 165' trench for pool wiring and I quickly learned how powerful that bucket curl can be and about the optimum distance to do the job right. I still had some loam left over from the trench so once the stumps came out and I got them to the brush pile, filling in and smoothing the hole was a piece of cake.
I hate stumps too. I can't burn them as there's usually a burn ban going at least 9 to 13 months at a time. Sending them up with energetics draws too much attention altho completely legal.
So I built a 13 inch, 13hp stump grinder.
By far the most dangerous thing I have ever built.
So I built a 13 inch, 13hp stump grinder.
By far the most dangerous thing I have ever built.
The covering is what did it. Keep it wet and it will rot. Epsom salts doesn't do anything. I've tried it.
Ten years ago I cut down some 20-inch dia Live Oak trees to get them away from my runway. I cut them about 3” above ground. Those stumps are today in exactly the same shape as the day I cut them. They may still be there when the pyramids are dust.
They don’t bother me, but I am surprised they haven’t displayed at least SOME type of rot.
They don’t bother me, but I am surprised they haven’t displayed at least SOME type of rot.
In my part of the country, it takes about 35-40 years for an oak stump to rot away. Much more for hedge.
Burnt three more black locust trees/stumps yesterday. By this evening there will be nothing but ash.
One more cedar pile ready and one or two more locust piles to cut/stack.
An easy way to get stumps out for the way for mowing is to take a pointed shovel or for a small tree, a straight claw hammer and get the dirt away from the bark. Get it cleaned as good as possible 4-5" down and 4-5" back from the stump. Take the chain saw and begin the cut at just below ground lever (where you cleaned) and point the bar down toward the center of the stump. Just work you way around the stump.
When you get all the way around if it's not totally cut loose use a mall or other tool to break off the cut parts. When you're done you have a stump below grade with a cone in the center. You can leave it to rot or dump drained oil in that spot. It will gather water and deteriorate quicker then left flat and it's out of the way.
When you get all the way around if it's not totally cut loose use a mall or other tool to break off the cut parts. When you're done you have a stump below grade with a cone in the center. You can leave it to rot or dump drained oil in that spot. It will gather water and deteriorate quicker then left flat and it's out of the way.
Pulled several stumps this summer. What a difference it makes when you have a piece of equipment that can handle the job. Dug around the stump and chopped the roots about three feet out. Put the bucket on my BX2380 against the stump and pushed and pulled. Came right out for me. Man, I love this little orange beast!
Yep. Great wood.Yep… There’s a Reason since the 18th Century U.S. Army specified that gun-carriage, limber, and freight wagon wheels and spokes be made of oak.
Car/truck wheels were also made of oak in the era of wooden wheels.
Hedge is even better but even slower growing and much less common.
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Damn! Just drove by last three burn piles and found 2 of 3 still smoldering well below ground level. Will need to rake dirt into hole to prevent serious pot holes.
Still have cedar pile to burn (no stump) but will allow to dry for a few more days and one or two more black locust trees to cut/stack before calling it a finished project.
No one but me will notice work done, but I have a great sense of accomplishment.
Yes, a Skid Steer/Fecon would be nice but the old fashioned way works well for a retired guy.
Biker1mike
Well-known member
Equipment
B6200, Kubota 2030 Front Blade, King Cutter 60" finishing deck
Red oak cut about 20 years ago. About 36 inch diameter. Gave me lots of fire wood. Was within a foot of the house so I had it taken down by a pro.
Stumps around here are something like $5-8 per inch at the ground for grinding. I did a job early this spring for two 50' spruce trees with 24" stump bases. Rented the Home Depot grinder, it was an Italian machine with a big Briggs V-Twin maybe 30HP. It had hydraulic swing and raise-lower of the grinder and was on tracks. The grinder worked really quite well. Took some effort, but it took care of my two stumps.