stump speech

[jake98]

I just ordered a hydraulic cylinder to use yanking stumps. Hopefully I'll be able to chain or strap it to the big ones and pull out the small ones without all the digging. I'm thinking of using some 1 1/2" or 2" black pipe to save on some chain cost, flatten the ends and drill for clevis.. I got a 4" bore x 34" with 1 1/2" rod. Should give me enough (almost 14 tons) to pull 8"-10" stumps, who knows, I'll post pics of the wreckage.

 

[Skyco]

Whatch gonna hook it to that will withstand 14 tons of force?
I sometimes have trouble using the 8000 lb winch on my truck, it'll drag the 10,000 lb truck while the object I'm wanting to winch sits still

 

[Dead Horse]

I am interested in your application. tell us more. How big are the stumps?

 

[Baby Grand]

Are you going to build feet & pull the stump staight up? A pair of tongs to grab the stump and some arrangement to transfer the load to the ground would seem simple enough to build and would address Skyco's question.

 

[jake98]

I'm planning to go stump to stump with it. A leg for a fulcrum will help too. Right now I'm wondering if the whole thing is a stupid idea.. but I have lots of smaller ones to pull anyway.

 

[crazyal]

I'm not sure how well the pipe will work for you. I've flatten some in the past and the welded seam likes to split. I have one of those 10 ton hydraulic ram sets that came with a set of chains to make the cylinder pull instead of push.

 

[jmc]

I made a hydraulic stump puller that more or less lifted the stump rather than pulling it sideways as yours seems to do. Actually, it lifts at a 45 degree angle to plumb with the idea that it would not be trying to break all the roots at once. I just want to say that based on my efforts, 10 tons isn't nearly enough lifting force once a stump gets bigger than a modest size. My particuliar design would cut the side roots as well and still wouldn't budge some 8 inch stumps afterwards. (I hate to put a number on the diameter because stumps taper so fast that it depends on where you measure them) As others have said on this subject, a lot depends on soil conditions and type of tree. I've got heavy clay. Shallow rooted cedars come up nicedly, even the larger ones, but tap rooted trees-not so much. On the plus side however, if the stump is smaller that that critical size, it pops out so fast you don't have time to read the pressure gauge.

Also, if the cost of chain is of concern, consider the cost of hydraulic hose long enough to keep you out of the way.

Good luck.

John

 

[jake98]

I sure wish I left my stumps 6' tall. Plenty more to come tho.. Maybe if it won't pull the 10 inchers, it'll put enough stress to them that I can dig with my father's little BX on the other side and get them to go. Anything to not have to deal with the big 2wd on the muddy slope..

 

[Gordon Gould]

Anything to not have to deal with the big 2wd on the muddy slope..

Dozer for a day - rent one they are fun

 

[beppington]

It's amazing how tough some stumps are, but they do have to hold up a big tree full of leaves in high winds.

I had some decent luck this weekend pulling trees over by putting the chain around the tree at 6' above ground & driving away. You get pretty good leverage up high like that. Most times the whole stump & root ball come up out of the ground. Occassionally a tree will break off a little above ground level, so I'll have to go back & work on those stumps some more.

Anyway, I'll be watching this thread to see how your puller works out. I'm always watching out for good tree pullin' ideas.