Pulling stumps

[wroughtn_harv]

I don't do much of that. Just no call for it around here I guess. But the other night I was thinking, character flaw.

But if I was in a situation where I had to pull a lot of stumps I think I'd try something.

Using a FEL works. But using it at or just beyond reasonalble capacity shortens it's life and is always dangerous.

The way the old boys did it was to place the chain or cable over a large wheel and then try to pull the stump up. The logic behind this is to lift up as you're pulling out.

The old boys didn't have those hellacious fiberglass straps we have today. I just had a bud give me two real big dogs, three and a half inches wide, half an inch thick with built in loop at each end. He says they're used at the docks for handling pipe etc. And they're rotated ever so often as a safety measure. He picks them up and then resells them to guys wanting tow straps or kicker slings.

So what I was thinking I'd try if'n I was in that situation would be to make a whatchamacallit.

A whozit if you will.

Let's say you take a twelve inch by twelve inch plate of half inch steel. On this plate you weld two ears with a hole in each. Let's say you weld them a inch apart. In between these two ears you place a piece of one inch by two inch by six inch plate with a matching hole. You have a hinge kind of thingy.

On the end of the one by two by six inch plate you weld a piece of two inch heavy wall tubing about four foot long. At the other end of this four foot long piece you attach a hook for a chain on one side and an eye for your fiberglass strap on the other.

The strap is attached to the tractor. I suspect a loose strap on the fly is a lot less deadly than a comparable chain. The chain is attached to the stump.

I'd say first pull would have the four foot piece at about a fifteen degree angle out over the stump. That way when the tractor is moved forward there is an upward movement on the chain and stump.

If the tractor bogs or the stump doesn't budge then I'd suggest a steeper angle for the first pull. The bigger bite will take more umph. And the shorter bite will take less. So if the umph is constant then the size of the bite is what decides to make something move. Sorta like the transmission in your tractor.

I just have to believe that any tractor that any of us would have access to can exert more force moving forward or backward than that it can muster with it's FEL.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

It looks to me like you never been up close and personal with one of the oldtime horse powered stump pullers.
The wheel you referr to was a lot like a ships wheel on a sailing ship. The large wheel that was rotated by a team of horses drove a smaller wheel that attached by a chain to the stump.
Some of them were mounted on a heavy duty axel, so they could be easily placed over the stump. The team was then hooked to a heavy rope wound around the "big wheel" and the chain from the small drum was attached to the stump. It was and still is a good idea to tie off the carrige assembly, cause the whole machine tended to become airborne when the stump came loose, and that could upset a team of horses, to say nothing of killing the man running the rig.

The same force multiplication principle could be adapted to a tractor driven system by building an L shaped lever, with a stabilizer bar. Bracing the L would be a good idea, since the force multiplication is phenominal. I'd also want to tie the L bar off, because it would certainly fly when the stump came loose.

 

[gotrocks]

Duh???/w3tcompact/icons/tongue.gif
Could you guys draw me a picture?

Thanks

 

[billboe]

i 2nd the drawing request! /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[wroughtn_harv]

I think I see a challenge here. Since I can't draw with this puter I'll see if while I'm down at the shop to make an example of what I suspect will work.

BTW I pulled six or so good sized photenia stumps with my back hoe attachment the other day. Since I didn't know what the buried utilities etc situation was I didn't dig a hole. Instead I stabbed the bucket beside the stump. Then I shook the bucket while exerting down pressure so it went down. Then I just used the curling function. It took mulitiple tries but eventually they all came up. There wasn't big holes to backfill and I didn't get no utilities.

 

[wroughtn_harv]

All I got was a before picture. I love my Sony FD97 because it's a great digital and I have the option of using either a memory stick or floppys. Floppys work best for me. I can use anyone's puter to view them and it's simple to file them away for quick retrieval. But of the floppys I had with the camera there was only one blank shot left. So we got it. I can get another later tomorrow after the storms blow through that are coming in right now.

I don't have any stumps on the place. So I walked back there was this tree.....I said was.

This thing worked far better than I ever thought it would. I know it isn't the cat's meow for killer big ones or even of real interest if you've got a good sized tractor with a hoe.

This thing is a fifteen minute compilation of scrap stuff around the shop hot glued together when necessary and quick cut with the plasma or chop saw.

The base is three eighths plate with a little scrap welded to help the pipe stand up on it's own on the front side. The base pipe is three inch (3 1/2 o.d.) and cut that way to allow the vertical pipe a path of movement. I didn't want it to have it going sideways at the wrong time.

The two inch (2 3/8 o.d.) vertical pipe is about five feet long and schedule forty. The quarter inch chain hook is down about eight or nine inches from the top. The pipe I freehanded cut the bottom. What I did was cut it about a thirty degree angle on each side so it would be able to rock back and forth in the big pipe a little more.

For safety please consider the very important consideration of the chain being between the vertical pipe and the tree. Then the fiberglass sling strap slipping over the top of the pipe for a simple and free release. This way the chain will automatically fold down with the pipe. The pulling pressure will be with the sling and it will be free just as the pressure on the chain goes from vertical to horizontal.

I had the thing tight when I took the picture. What I think is important is the way it is made no one has to be close to hold anything in place before the sling is tightened up. The unit is self standing.

I used a clove hitch knot with the chain around the tree. The tighter you pull the tighter the knot gets.

I got back into the tractor and started it.

I kept the motor at idle.

I backed it up.

The tree came right up and out.

I know it's a little tree. But after my experience the other evening pulling the red tipped photenia stumps with the back hoe attachment I do believe this system was more efficient and cleaner.

For someone with small to medium stumps and no FEL or backhoe this system would work fine.

Now if someone hooked it up to their four wheel drive and them left slack so they could get a running start backwards it might toss the deadly pieces to parts unknown. But using a little discretion I do believe you will be happy with it.

 

[micromike]

Thanks Harv

The picture is truely worth a thousand words! I don't have a tractor (yet) but I do have some stumps to pull and a Warn 9000i winch on my p/u. You just saved me a ton of sweat!

I've got 150' of cable and a snatch block for angled pulls to keep me and my truck out of the way. Safety first!

Just one question. Would you do anything differently if you built another one? The stumps I am pulling are about two to three times the size of the tree in your picture. I'm thinking a heavier bottom plate and heavier chain. Any thoughts? TIA

Mike

 

[wroughtn_harv]

I think I'd try what I've done here first. Then if you have a problem with the plate sinking place another plate under this one. If the chain breaks then go to a heavier chain.

I like the idea of the winch. That allows you to apply and stop the tension with great control. It was one of my fears of posting that someone would hook up their four wheel drive and do a jerk.

The way I've designed it. I can take close ups tomorrow if there's interest. I've got it where it's a one man job. The plate probably doesn't weigh more than ten fifteen pounds. The post is about the same. The fitting at the bottom is about right so that it can be assembled a piece at a time and be self locating and standing.

BTW I've done the four wheel drive and jerk thing in my youth. I've also broken some pretty healthy snatchem straps doing that.

But think about it. Pulling from the side say like with a truck or tractor you've got everything in shear. That's the direction it's all strongest. But lifting it up, even a little, and pulling it puts it in twist which is a weaker point from the stumps perspective.

 

[micromike]

Harv

Thanks for the response. I would like to see close up pictures even though I think I've got your design pretty well set in my mind. Can't wait to try it! I'll be making one soon and will post pictures of the biggest stumps I pull.

BTW, since this is your design, I guess you get to name it!

Mike

 

[billboe]

Yes... Thanks for the picture Harv!

Looks simple yet effective... However, compared to your works of art in the gate thread, it is a bit rough! /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif