Fun with Stumps

[David_Kb7uns]

A dozer this size with that kind of set up is a good option but a grapple skidder is not far behind and given a choice of either or I'd go with grapple skidder all day long and twice on Sunday. I know I know, no one here on TBN knows what a skidder is or even heard of a grapple skidder........

A Grapple Skidder is no where near that capable. The guy that did the logging has a John Deere 480 and he uses a SK250 logging shovel. The next thing down the line is the Cat 235 Excavator that is there. or if you really wanted fun the John Deere 750 excavator would do it easy, just walking it around is the problem and it has a narrow rock bucket with no thumb. These are Douglas Fir stumps ,most trees were over 3 logs high(40 feet per log) they have a very large root system.

 

[David_Kb7uns]

I stopped counting at 150 plus ring probably over 200 on this one . Top was dead and starting to rot. The first log was 23,500 pounds when placed on the truck. The logging shovel only could lift one end at a time

 

[Oldpath05]

A Grapple Skidder is no where near that capable. The guy that did the logging has a John Deere 480 and he uses a SK250 logging shovel. The next thing down the line is the Cat 235 Excavator that is there. or if you really wanted fun the John Deere 750 excavator would do it easy, just walking it around is the problem and it has a narrow rock bucket with no thumb. These are Douglas Fir stumps ,most trees were over 3 logs high(40 feet per log) they have a very large root system.

What have you been smoking..........Back in the early 80s for 5 years I used a JD 540 grapple a lot of times ripping out stumps, those grapple have tremendous amount of ripping power, I ripped out a 3' stump with one, 2' is nothing, I been there done that. If I had to choose between dozer and grapple skidder, the grapple skidder is a good choice...

 

[Oldpath05]

It痴 the better attachment on a poor tool. Tractor are terrible at removing stumps any way you go about it. Again it痴 a loader not a digger or pryer. Now put your stump bucket on a skid steer and have at it.

Not so fast there hydro man, the right size tractor is an excellent tool for removing stumps.

 

[4570Man]

Not so fast there hydro man, the right size tractor is an excellent tool for removing stumps.

Like a 200 hp one pulling a subsoiler? A tractor loader is under no circumstances designed for digging stumps. You know I’m right.

 

[powersrp]

just use a chainsaw and cut the stump into as many pieces as you can below the dirt then cover it over, when your done playing in the dirt, toss the chain, there can be 2 or 3 tap roots up to 10’ deep in there,you will not budge it, ive hooked chains and straps to a ford superdutuy and didnt even wiggle the stump. Dont fight it and damage your machine

 

[TractorGuy]

Here I was thinking I was just being too gentle with my new machine and tomorrow I could give it a little more oomph. But now I am getting a clear message that it likely isnt a good plan to try. Thanks.

The key to getting stumps out with a backhoe is to dig them out. DO NOT TRY TO PULL IT OUT. Backhoes are made for digging. Dig around it till it falls over in the hole. You will have to pull on the roots some to break them but do not try to pull a stump that isn't loose already. It's okay to tug on the top a little every now and then to see if it's getting loose. Then get all the dirt you can out of the roots. If your hoe will not roll or lift it out you can try a chain and pull it.

 

[4570Man]

Backhoes can handle pulling just fine. Don’t pull on the sides of the bucket especially a wide one but the hydraulics have reliefs for a reason.

 

[Diggin It]

The key to getting stumps out with a backhoe is to dig them out. DO NOT TRY TO PULL IT OUT. Backhoes are made for digging. Dig around it till it falls over in the hole. You will have to pull on the roots some to break them but do not try to pull a stump that isn't loose already. It's okay to tug on the top a little every now and then to see if it's getting loose. Then get all the dirt you can out of the roots. If your hoe will not roll or lift it out you can try a chain and pull it.

Is that really something people need to be taught? I'd never used a BH of any size at all before I got mine, but those steps were intuitive on the first five or six small stumps I dug out. Dig some, tug some, dig some more, tug some more. Never even occured to me to try anything else.

 

[TractorGuy]

The key to getting stumps out with a backhoe is to dig them out. DO NOT TRY TO PULL IT OUT. Backhoes are made for digging. Dig around it till it falls over in the hole. You will have to pull on the roots some to break them but do not try to pull a stump that isn't loose already. It's okay to tug on the top a little every now and then to see if it's getting loose. Then get all the dirt you can out of the roots. If your hoe will not roll or lift it out you can try a chain and pull it.

Is that really something people need to be taught? I'd never used a BH of any size at all before I got mine, but those steps were intuitive on the first five or six small stumps I dug out. Dig some, tug some, dig some more, tug some more. Never even occured to me to try anything else.

It's information I thought might benefit a NEW backhoe owner.