Anyone Use a stump grapple?

   / Anyone Use a stump grapple? #11  
If your in a rush,rent an excavator and get it done. You'll get better result much faster.

Matt
 
   / Anyone Use a stump grapple? #12  
A rubber tire backhoe will do the trick just fine and is much cheaper to rent than a large excavator. A mini excavator will have a tough time breaking the roots and a smaller dozer will take longer.
 
   / Anyone Use a stump grapple? #13  
So this has to do more with technique/timing than equipment. I would imagine that the equipment used to tackle any task may have some some slight technique/timing enhancements applied while in use. Trying to do something with a small machine that usually is done with a larger one is what we ALL try to do here. A little more time perhaps but a lot more Satisfaction! Nice of you to share your experiences!

Cut the supporting roots at least on the back side of the tree. The more sides cut the easier to knock it over. Also, don't pull, push. Safer by far.

Root cutting can be done with a number of implements, manual or tractor operated. Ideally you would have a ripper on a backhoe but that is not the case I gather. A subsoiler would work well too. Most of these lateral roots are pretty close to the surface. Using even a digging bar to identify where the major lateral roots are and then breaking them two or three feet from the trunk will make a big difference. Then use the FEL up high to push the tree over.
 
   / Anyone Use a stump grapple? #14  
One thing to remember about pushing, (and I have pushed over quite a few trees) is to really check for "widowmakers" loose branches in the trees, that will fall on your hood or your head. Dont push dead trees at all, as they often break up up higher and fall on you. When you push green trees, push very slowly at first, (hydrostat really helps here) to get them angled over away from the tractor, without making the tree whip back and forth, the whipping is when the branches break off and fall on you.. I aint saying not to do it, just be carefull. I pushed three 4 inchers and one 6 incher over this weekend. I dont have a subsoiler, or ripper, but I have used the bucket to dig around the bigger tree's, and intercept the biggest roots, and if I could not break them I have been know to give in and get off and take a splitting maul to them.:thumbsup:

James K0UA
 
   / Anyone Use a stump grapple? #15  
One thing to remember about pushing, (and I have pushed over quite a few trees) is to really check for "widowmakers" loose branches in the trees, that will fall on your hood or your head. Dont push dead trees at all, as they often break up up higher and fall on you. .:thumbsup:

James K0UA

Great points.
 
   / Anyone Use a stump grapple? #16  
What we have done is cut the tree about 15ft up, tie the chain up there. Run around the tree as close as possible with a subsoiler then take turns pulling the tree from all directions. On a 10-12" tree you are going to want some weight on the back to pick up the root ball that will be left.
 
   / Anyone Use a stump grapple? #17  
Well that did not work out to well. The first tree broke above the ground and the second tree, a maple, would not give. Back to the drawing board.:mad:

I've been pushing over (or trying anyway) many trees over the past year, & my experience is that some go over & pop the root ball up & out, & some just break off. I never know from one to the next. Some trees that appear to be too big to go over do surprise me & go, whereas some that seem so small that they'd be no problem at all, give me a fit.
 
   / Anyone Use a stump grapple? #18  
One thing to remember about pushing, (and I have pushed over quite a few trees) is to really check for "widowmakers" loose branches in the trees, that will fall on your hood or your head.

Here's another thing to remember if you're going to push over a tree: The root ball may come up out of the ground right under the front end of the tractor :( You can easily turn over the tractor or get it high-centered that way. Pushing over a small tree is one thing, but anything with some size to it will have lateral roots extending far out from the stump. I've always preferred felling with a chainsaw for live, vertical standing trees, and pulling with a long chain or logging winch for dead or leaning trees.
 
   / Anyone Use a stump grapple? #19  
Hey, thanks so much for the responses. The good news is that the tree are still standing. I will Try to pull them over after cutting the lateral roots with a ripper.

If that fails I'll rent something. I'll have pictures by the week end!

Yeah, don't pull them--push them over with the loader. If you pull them they might fall on you! If the soil is wet, depending on the species of tree, you should be able to pop them out pretty easy.
 
   / Anyone Use a stump grapple? #20  
Here's another thing to remember if you're going to push over a tree: The root ball may come up out of the ground right under the front end of the tractor :( You can easily turn over the tractor or get it high-centered that way. Pushing over a small tree is one thing, but anything with some size to it will have lateral roots extending far out from the stump. I've always preferred felling with a chainsaw for live, vertical standing trees, and pulling with a long chain or logging winch for dead or leaning trees.

I understand your concern but having pushed over dozens of trees in the 8"-18" truck size diameter I can say that I've never come close to having the root ball hit my tractor. For starters the root ball is rarely more than three or four feet wider than the trunk on each side (usually only a couple of feet in my experience) and the FEL bucket is at least that far in front of the tractor nose. Secondly, you push the tree over until it starts to move on it's own and it usually takes a good five or ten seconds to slowly topple which is plenty of time to back away a few extra feet.
 
 

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