Backhoe Added a ripper to my Woods BH90x: Trees beware

[jmc]

spreading my misery before my parts even leave the warehouse..

No! I was talking about MY disappointing projects!

 

[IslandTractor]

I don't know about hydraulic stump pullers but I can add to my list another 20-25 trees that have met my ripper in the last six tractor engine hours and are now quietly waiting their turn to be cut into firewood. Ripper and backhoe are performing exactly as I hoped. Still taking roughly ten minutes per 8-12 inch tree. Smaller ones I now cut on two sides then use the backhoe to tip them over. Once they are leaning over about 30-40 degrees I can put the ripper behind the trunk and rip underneath without needing to move the backhoe. With the ripper hooked under the tilted tree it is easy to lift the remainder of the root ball up and move it.

Rippers rule!

 

[wedge40]

IT. What is the biggest stump you've tackled so far?

Wedge

 

[J_J]

Metkit . The Ripper. They have had this kit for a long time. Might be useful.

Go to new products. The Ripper, and select more.

MetKit Corp - Home Page

 

[IslandTractor]

Metkit . The Ripper. They have had this kit for a long time. Might be useful.

Go to new products. The Ripper, and select more.

MetKit Corp - Home Page

Looks good and not a bad price. It doesn't have the scoop/lateral support that mine has and is a little shorter. I imagine it would not be hard to add a scoop if you wanted one. I really like the scoop as it makes digging deeper possible and, as I have discovered, it is easier to push a tree over if you remove a little soil front and back as it lowers the pivot point.

 

[IslandTractor]

IT. What is the biggest stump you've tackled so far?

Wedge

Biggest whole tree had a trunk diameter about 15-16 inches and was about 60 ft tall. No problem dropping it but I had trouble moving it as I couldn't lift it high enough. I ended up rolling it by putting the trunk in the grapple slightly off the ground and not clamping but just driving forward. The tree rotated/rolled on the stump ball and I got it to the pile. (see photo)

Having dropped close to a hundred trees now, I would say that the limiting factor is the size/weight of the tractor to push it over. With a 24 inch ripper I have no trouble cutting all side roots. Digging down a bit makes it easier to push over but you still need to overcome the basic stability of the root ball.

The biggest stump I have removed was a mature oak I dropped last year by saw and was at least three feet wide at ground level. I had to dig with the ripper all four sides down to about four feet and it took a while. i even needed to undermune the ball with fork shovel to mobilize it before using the BH to pull it out of the hole. It would have taken longer with a 18 inch bucket as I'd have needed to dig further away to cut the roots.

 

[jake98]

I don't know about hydraulic stump pullers

Me neither, but I bet mine ends up costing more..

 

[mjncad]

That's a pretty area IT, why are you removing the trees?

 

[IslandTractor]

That's a pretty area IT, why are you removing the trees?

The land was a community field/park that suffered from lack of maintenance for many years so a lot of invasive junk trees, vines and briar took over. Large parts were simply impassable. Plan is to remove the invasives and plant native or fruit trees as well as to preserve the wild blueberry bushes.

 

[Redbug]

That looks like some good firewood, Island. I would not let that go to waste...
Do you have a wood stove?