New to tractors, best way to remove old stumps

[flakrat]

Howdy,

I'm a city boy who just moved out to the country.
I have 11 acres, most of which is pasture and lawn. I have a bunch of old pine and cedar stumps in the lawn.

The stumps have been dead for probably many many years.

I think, if I could hook a chain up to the stump / tractor, I could simply pull the stumps out of the ground.

The stumps are usually no more than 6 inches above the ground so there's not a whole lot of stump to attach a chain to.

I don't have a bucket, otherwise I'd just dig them out.

Any tips or tricks I can try?

 

[Highbeam]

6" tall and no bucket. How big are the stumps? That's tough. I would cut a shallow notch to hold the chain and pull from the drawbar. But first, drag a ripper through to cut the roots. Stump pulling is probably the hardest thing on equipment.

I read a trick where you take a log and chain the one end of it tight to the stump. Then hook on to the other end of the log with the tractor and use the leverage to twist the stump in place. Once it spins the roots are broken off or freed and the stump will come right out. Seems you need more than six inches for this method.

Then there are guys who rig up a 3ph attachment that they back under the stump and then lift with the 3ph hydraulics to pop the stump out.

Maybe burn them out.

I could always tell you to hire it done but that doesn't help you much.

 

[beenthere]

Highbeams idea sounds interesting, where twisting them out might work. Hmmm...... have to keep that one in mind.

Otherwise, shovel out some of the roots and hook the chain under them and over the top of the stump to get some leverage. Just a precaution, put steady pressure on the chain and resist any attempts to 'get a run' at it and try to jerk it out. Bad things can happen to you and/or your tractor.
If the shovel idea doesn't work the first time, shovel more, and take an axe and chop some of the roots holding the stump. Eventually, by shoveling and chopping, the stumps will come out. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif This is how I do it.

 

[Pilot]

How big are they? How long have they been dead?

Pine should decay pretty quickly, so they might come out easily. OTOH, around here, lots of folks mistakenly refer to Douglas-fir as pines, and they don't decay so fast and the wood is stronger to start with.

Cedar may be almost as strong as the day it was cut, although cedar is not particularly strong to start with, but it just doesn't decay.

The best way to remove stumps is to hire backhoe if they are small or with an excavator if they are large. Then what are you going to do with them? Stumps in general don't burn worth a darn unless they are really dry and have other stuff to get them going and keep them going. Cedar stumps should burn better, however, as the resins that prevent decay burn really well. Keep them tight in the pile so the heat reflects back & forth between them.

If you are using a backhoe or an excavator, you can bury the stumps at reasonable cost. Just make sure it's OK if the ground settles in that spot over the next decade or two.

Another technique I have heard about but haven't seen requires you to find or have made a a tool kind of like a giant pick. One end of the head goes under the stump, the tractor hooks with a chain or cable to the handle and as you pull it lifts the stump out upward.

Unless the stumps are small or well rotted, trying to remove them with a bucket or blade makes a real mess. Excavators & backhoes are the best machines for the job--they work faster, do a cleaner job and can shake a lot of the dirt off as they lift the stumps into a pile for burning.

 

[Paddy]

If they are under 10" dia, Cut them off at ground level. You can spend alot of time or money otherwise.

If I want to remove a 10" dia tree in a lawn area;

1 dig a small ring around the tree to spot the main roots
2 cut major roots with axe or chain saw.
3 tie a rope/cable/chain 10' up.
4 place a chunk of fire wood at the bace of tree to act as a fulcrum.
5 pull gently.

It will drop and the stump will come with it.

Paddy

 

[Slamfire]

If it isn't illegal where you live you can burn stumps out by drillin' some 1" holes in 'em, then fillin' the holes with patassium nitrate. Allow the chemical to penetrate the stump for a couple of rains. Then pour kerosene in the holes and light 'em up. The nitrate will have penetrated completely and even the root will burn, or at least smolder until they're gone. /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

 

[RalphVa]

If you don't need to run equipment into the soil, I'd just rent a stump grinder and grind them up.

Too bad you don't have an FEL. Some old stumps will just fall apart when nudged by the FEL. Two of mine did. Can't budge the 3rd one. May eventually cut it off flush with the ground and leave it.

Ralph

 

[HomeBrew2]

The only thing I can add to the prior great advice is, wait till the ground is wet. I always pull stumps in the winter or early spring.

 

[flakrat]

Great advice, I may just have to give each one of those a try

Sorry I forgot the dimensions, the stumps are 6 to 10 inches in diameter.

I've chainsawed some of them flush with the grass, so I can mow over those now, but I'd prefer to remove them completely so I can fill the holes in with dirt (I've got a LOT of spots where stumps have decayed and left nice ankle turner holes in the ground that I'm having to fill).

I can't believe the previous owners didn't do something about these holes / stumps, as I've only been here a month and they are driving me crazy.

 

[dmccarty]

flakrat,

Just remember that if you are going to try to pull them out of the ground make sure that the chain is connected to your drawbar. If you connect to the 3ph or and implement and its about the chain is raised above the rear axle you can roll that tractor over backwards very, very quickly.

I would try to burn them or get a back hoe for these small stumps.

I have dug out hundreds of stumps with my JD48 backhoe. Some of them 36+ inches in diameter. The stump. The root balls have been 5-6 feet. The problem with stumps is that some of them seem to be trying to dig to China. I have seen big stumps with 6 feet of stump. And I have seen 6 inch stump that where 4 feet long. Depends on the tree. Some will pop out with the bucket and others have to be dug out with the backhoe.

If you have time I would try to burn them out. If you have some money I would look into renting a small backhoe or a mini execavator.

Later,
Dan