Making pasture from forest - leaving stumps

[MossflowerWoods]

Was going to mention, I property I look after was overgrown field cleared by chainsaw 5 years ago. I bushhog over the stumps. Last year put on the pallet forks and popped/broke apart a few stumps easily so I set the bushhog down to an inch high or so. The softened/rotted stumps are still too much to mulch with the hog, need another 5 years or so.

Did you get a Ratchet Rake? I suspect it will accellerate this process...

Just a thought...

David

 

[slowzuki]

Its not my property, I'm only paid to mow it. The owner has written off an atv towed lawn mower hitting the stumps and a ride on mower but he doesn't want to spend any on removing them.

 

[bcp]

Stumps can be useful:

 

[creekbend]

Stumps can be useful:

Could you possibly post a link relating to those photos. I am interested in researching the material? Sincere thanks.

 

[bcp]

::: Darius Kinsey Photographs :::

More:
Pete Beletsky, Sedro-Woolley's Stumphouse Man, Part One

Stump house known as the One-log House, Hoquiam, Washington | Houses Images

Fine Hydrocal Castings by C. C. Crow - Postcard Collection - ODDITIES - Model Railroad Craftsman Structure Kits and Masonry Castings

DZONOQUA'S WHISTLE: Stump Homes

 

[dougg]

You can burn stumps: make a hole at an angle in the stump with a 1" or larger auger bit as deep as you can go. Stuff the hole full with potassium nitrate. Come back in a few weeks, throw a bit of diesel on the stump and light it. It should burn into the ground because the potassium nitrate, being water soluble saturates the wood.

 

[IslandTractor]

One technique that has not been mentioned in this thread is to use a ripper on a CUT BH. Because there is just one 25 inch long tooth, the ripping does not disturb the ground any more than a subsoiler. If you rip about three or four feet out from the tree or stump you cut the sizable roots and the stump can the be pushed or lifted out. Most stumps are really not very deep, especially when dealing with up to 15 inch diameter rapid growing trash trees. That means there is only a shallow depression rather than a big hole.

I cleared a hundred or more trees using a ripper on a Woods 90x combined with a grapple and strong loader. Took about 15-20 minutes per tree . Stumps take longer as you don't have the weight and leverage of the tree to pop them out.

Advantage of using a ripper on a CUT is that you don't need to rent equipment, you don't have rotting subsurface stump and root remains and it causes not much more damage to the land than grinding. No need to worry about rocks meeting grinders either. Another advantage of using your own equipment is that you can easily stage the work as there is no pressure to get the most out of a rental period.

Disadvantages. Obviously you need a backhoe. I have a nine foot BH, and would not want to do it with anything smaller. A ripper replaces the bucket and costs $500. You still need to move and deal with the unearthed stumps (grapple makes the moving part trivial for stumps up to 15-20 inch trunk. Bigger ones might need to be dragged on a car hood skid.

I tried stump grinding and digging out stumps with a bucket before having a ripper fabricated by Michigan Iron. I'll never grind another stump and will never drop a tree with a chainsaw if I can use the ripper and pushing instead. it is a very nice and easy method if you have a BH and 40+ HP CUT.

 

[foggy1111]

I tried stump grinding and digging out stumps with a bucket before having a ripper fabricated by Michigan Iron. I'll never grind another stump and will never drop a tree with a chainsaw if I can use the ripper and pushing instead. it is a very nice and easy method if you have a BH and 40+ HP CUT.

Funny how it goes.....I would not attempt to dig stumps out or use a ripper to get at 'em. I can grind a pine stump to smithereens in a few minutes....and have nothing left but chips. No stumps to burn, bury or haul. With grinding.....now you see it, now you don't. Poof....it's gone!

Prolly varies allot with different areas of the country and tree species. Different strokes for different folks. :thumbsup:

Over 1550 stumps ground.....and more to come.

 

[IslandTractor]

Funny how it goes.....I would not attempt to dig stumps out or use a ripper to get at 'em. I can grind a pine stump to smithereens in a few minutes....and have nothing left but chips. No stumps to burn, bury or haul. With grinding.....now you see it, now you don't. Poof....it's gone!

Prolly varies allot with different areas of the country and tree species. Different strokes for different folks. :thumbsup:

Over 1550 stumps ground.....and more to come.

I don't doubt grinding is faster. Concerns about heavy livestock being hurt when stepping into voids a few years down the road is a problem though.

In my case the issue was not livestock. It was just faster to rip, push over, grapple the whole tree and move it rather than chainsaw and grind.

 

[foggy1111]

I don't doubt grinding is faster. Concerns about heavy livestock being hurt when stepping into voids a few years down the road is a problem though.

In my case the issue was not livestock. It was just faster to rip, push over, grapple the whole tree and move it rather than chainsaw and grind.

OK....I can see tipping the whole tree after ripping could go pretty good. Most of the stumps I grind have been sheared off by the loggers. No leverage to be had.

I'm pretty shy on pushing trees these days tho....too many close calls with flying branches or barber chairs....even on trees that lean and appear safe to push....I usually resist.