Backhoe Dealing with pine trees

[oosik]

My pines( Ponderosa ) will root down to the bedrock. Usually around 2' to 3'. Then the roots fan out in all directions. The really big ones can have roots out as far as 100' from the main trunk. I've got a very few ancient pines - 38" on the butt - dead and still standing after over 38 years. They were dead when we got here in '82. The root system has not rotted out and is still holding them up.

There aren't many of these left. I've gone around and fell them. I want them to come down when I want - no surprises during a wind storm.

I had a 41 inch one fall in a storm about six years ago. It fell about 40 feet from where I was with the tractor. Not a pleasant surprise.

View attachment 595662 A ten foot chunk of one that was 40" on the butt.

 

[radios1]

So you have 5 acres right? and are going to build a house sometime in the future correct? Why do you want to remove ALL the trees? Why not leave some of them for shade, wildlife habitat or whatever? Yep, its your place and can do whatever you like, I'm just curious as to why.

I can see the need to remove trees that are close enough to a house or shed that they can fall on it!. also, trees need to be checked for dead branches, since they can break off and easily kill someone!. then you have to figure out how to remove a dead branch that might be 60 feet or more in the air!. you cannot neglect tree maintenance!..

 

[1930]

I like my pines, but then I keep cutting them down to run through my little sawmill! ;-)

I am having trouble uploading from my phone but I can post a pict. and address tonight of a guy I know that's already taken down and piled more than 100 trees some in the 18 inch diam. range

Do you know what variety of pine you have, I've never seen one with a tap root like that.

And look at all that sand! That's all I have here too is sand and I'm in north central South Carolina! I did not know I was moving to the beach when I bought this place!

I don't know the variety, yes sand and taproots, that makes up 80 percent of my property

 

[1930]

I'm wondering what kind of lifting force on the front bucket my l2501 will have, I can look up specs but meaningless to me.

I'm wondering if I can notch a small tree, get a chain thru the notch and around my bucket and pop some trees up and out?

 

[4570Man]

Maybe a 1-2” sapling but no chance on a 4-5” tree. You really messed up buying a 2501 for tree removal.

 

[1930]

Maybe a 1-2” sapling but no chance on a 4-5” tree. You really messed up buying a 2501 for tree removal.

Didn't buy it for tree removal, that's just what this topic is about.

My 1983 B series will pop out a 2-3 inch sapling

 

[EddieWalker]

I'm not sure if I've ever read a thread with more bad advice then I have in this thread. Do not cut the tree down. There is nothing harder to dig out then a stump!!!!

The tap root on a pine is like a carrot, it DOES NOT get bigger in the ground. What's holding the pine in place are the side roots that can be half as thick as the truck of the tree. You have to cut all of them to get the stump out, or to get the tree to fall over.

Did down on all four sides. When you hit a root that you cannot cut with the hoe bucket, dig out farther until you can cut it. You have to cut it.

The tree is balanced and it does not want to fall over. Before digging, decide where you want it to fall. Dig the ditch on that side of the tree first, then the other side. Move your backoe to where you want to push the tree from, and then dig the other two sides. Once dug, reach up with the hoe and push the tree over.

The length and weight of the tree will pull the tap root out of the ground and you will be left with a hole in the ground all ready to fill up.

Cut the stump off if you want to keep the log, or leave it on and burn it with the the rest of the tree in your burn pile. I've found that it's very hard to get fresh pines to burn, but if you cut it in half, it dries out quickly and will burn completely.

Leaving the stump in the ground creates ten times as much work.

I've done tens of thousands of trees this way. Pines are easy, some of the different hardwoods are really tough to get through their roots, but they all fall over eventually.

 

[ruffdog]

100 trees? You might as well be using one of these.
Gener8 Mighty Dig Backyard Excavator | buybuy BABY


I would rent one of these: Short on $, cut them flush and let them rot.
Pulling Stumps with an Excavator - YouTube

 

[hunt4570]

I'm wondering what kind of lifting force on the front bucket my l2501 will have, I can look up specs but meaningless to me.

I'm wondering if I can notch a small tree, get a chain thru the notch and around my bucket and pop some trees up and out?

Looks like full lifting weight is about 1100 pounds, this doesn't give me breakout force. TractorData.com Kubota L251 tractor information

Easier to push them over than "pop them out"

 

[BufordBoone]

post # 17 shows a stump grinder mounted on the rear of a tractor? I never knew such a thing existed and no-one told me this before that I can remember on any other forum?

Can I rent this? People keep saying get a stump grinder......I keep thinking how am I gonna drag a hand held stump grinder through 5 acres of sand?

That is a Woodland Mills Stump Grinder. I have one. Paid for itself very quickly. Instead of selling it, I keep it for the future stumps. I highly recommend it.