"Alternative" Stump removal options.

[MarkV]

Try drilling a bunch of 1” holes as deep as you can and fill them twice a day with diesel for about a week. Set a bag of charcoal on top and light it up. Would probably work even better with the chimney set up discussed above.

MarkV

 

[studor]

A more complete treatise on stump removal and the burning device I mentioned is available at the following site. They only talk about a five gallon but I needed the 55 based on the size of my stumps -- basically the same design -- small holes around the rim -- hole on top to create a "chimney" -- banked with earth to give it a good draw -- accellerant (I personally used old hydraulic fluid poured in drilled holes but once you have hot coals (like charcoal) the process just keeps burning


There is a lot of good info on the lsuagcenter site including this and adjusting a bushhog!
I will try and find the old book I used for mine and scan the picture

 

[SCRich]

Wow I love this web site! Thanks for the input guys, I'll try to answer all the questions.

I am not in a rush for some stumps but there are 2 of them, possibly more once I dig the burn pile up that do need to go quickly so I can subsoil and till. I want to get a plot planted ASAP for this hunting season.

Equipment I have is only a Kubota 3400 with a grapple, rake and box blade.

Tannerite will detonate with anything .223 or higher, that's not a problem I got plenty to accomplish that with. One suggestion was to use the tannerite to start the reaction with the "other mixture" placed into drilled holes. I was thinking of using the chain saw to carve out a small bowl/square in the top then drill several holes inside of that.

Size about 12-14 inches from one side of the stump to the other.

Sour Milk ? Never heard of that..I tried some of the commercial products years ago in Florida on pine tree stumps and they did nothing for me. Maybe I just had an old batch but it just looked like sulfur to me and a bit expensive.

Looked at the LSU site and it explains it well but no photo BUT after the explination it sounds more like just a BBQ charcoal starter that all these cooks on TV seem to be using. I think my 55gallon drum would be overkill but now that I have an idea I need to find an appropriate metal container.

Even though blowing a stump up would be fun I think holes soaked in diesel or a 60/40 mix I always try to keep on hand some BBQ coals and some burned wood (homemade charcoal) I have in my current pile with a chimney to keep it concentrated over the stump would probably do well. At least well enough to get the main stump broken apart so I can grapple or dig the rest.

I wonder where Bo and Luke Duke got all of that dynamite? Always saw that on TV but never saw them buying it at the general store.

 

[Skyco]

What is the 60/40 mix you are referring to?
Be glad you are in SC, I live in SC but have some land in NC where I'd like to make several large (2 ft or more) hardwood stumps go away. It is illegal to burn a stump in NC, and I can't use a stump grinder because they have large rocks imbedded in the root system near the stump!

 

[SCRich]

Glad I made the right choice. Many co-workers asked why I was moving south of the border and I just said "because it's cheaper". Some things are some things are not and we do miss out on some big city features but if we REALLY need that Charlotte is only 40 minutes away. Reality is that we are not regulated to the teeth here south of the border and the gun laws are much more relaxed. It's the reason I left NJ 18 years ago and the reason I left Florida 2 years ago. I hated NJ where I grew up but really liked FL other than everyone else followed me down and brought along their Northern mentality. I moved south for the way of life, I don't take kindly to people coming in and changing the way things are. If you move here it's because you like the way of life, not because you want to divide and demolish! You are welcome to join us but NOT welcome to CHANGE US! Hopefully the politics and red tape will not outpace my life, I really need to settle down and would like to have a final "resting place" that I had consided my home. Soapbox OFF:

60/40 means 60% diesel and 40% gasoline, same mix they use in drip torches to set backfires and such. The gas gives the quck hot burn and the diesel gives you the slow long afterburn, diesel burns well but it does not catch fire all that great.

 

[sandman2234]

The hard way....
Shovel, post hole diggers and a sharp axe. Dig a hole as close as you can to one side of the stump and as deep as you can. Dig it with the idea that it is going to be the source of air to a fire that your going to build and since heat rises, the deeper the better. Make sure you dig it deeper then you will ever till the land and light a fire using some firewood, limbs, etc. Just keep it burning and the stump will be gone, and the roots will go with it if you keep the fire hot enough. If you have a piece of steel pipe that you can stick a leaf blower into, put it in the bottom of the hole, but make sure it is long enough to keep you away from the heat and flying embers when you add air to the bottom of the fire.
Doing it this way takes a lot of time and effort, so a backhoe is the next best thing to dig all around it and then pull it out.
David from jax
If you have a rocks in your soil, then this is a waste of time, as digging is way too hard manually.

 

[RonMar]

It also helps to cross hatch the top of the stump with a chainsaw as deep as you can go with the tip of the bar without(hopefully) finding rocks. This greatly increases the surface area and helps the stump dry out quicker with the fire. Also any bark you can remove with an axe will help The barrel traps and concentrates the heat. The air holes are OK, but a small fan, such as from a computer case(12VDC) will add a little forced air and greatly increase the combustion heat produced. I use a 4" 12V fan on a 36: long piece of sheep metal duct to accelerate my fires. Works great...

 

[wushaw]

I used the metal ring trick and just wood for removing a stump the I couldn't use the BH for.
I just got a good fire going and let the coals do their thing, after a week of letting it sit I removed the ashes and built another fire and filled the hole with dirt when all said and done.

 

[MossRoad]

I'm picturing some kind of Wile E. Coyote scenario that couldn't end well.

That's funny stuff!

 

[MossRoad]

Really, if it is just two stumps, why not mark them and leave them to rot? It is a lot less work. We had a HUGE mulberry taken down about 10 years ago. The stump was 37" in diameter. I did nothing to it. About 4 years ago I started poking it with my tractor every time I went by it with my bucket teeth, fork lift, etc... a bit would break off every now and then. Two years ago, most of it came out easily. Last year, it was all gone. I imagine that if I had scored it with a chainsaw or whacked into it with an ax here and there it would have rotted much faster.

You could also drill holes in it to speed the action. Less likely to damage a drill than a chainsaw if you hit rocks.