Best way for clearing HUNDREDS of stumps?

[NYCheese]

I've got 120acres of former farmland. On one end of the property I've got 2 former hay fields that are approx 300ft wide, and a quarter mile long. There was a hedgerow dividing these 2 fields, consisting of a single row of trees (mostly maple and ash), however, over the past 30 years of neglected maintenance, the hedgerow has grown to 100ft wide in places. I started clearing at one end last year...my goal is to completely eliminate the hedgerow and combine the 2 fields, for a big open spot to safely launch and land my paramotor. (it can be a bit sketchy using the long narrow current fields, lined with trees on both sides).

The majority of the stumps are smaller sized, maybe 3"-8", and a mix of many different species, but the original trees are all 24"+. I have a Kioti ck3510 with a backhoe....and while I can dig the smaller stumps with it, it's far from ideal, and a very slow process. My machine is useless on the larger stumps. What options should I be looking at when I get more of the trees down? Would a 3pt stump grinder be worth the investment, or would that be a slow method too? Renting a large excavator? I'm not worried about disposing of stumps, I've got plenty places I can just leave piles to rot. Not worried about holes in the ground, as I'll likely be renting a small dozer when it's all done, to grade out the area nice and flat. Just trying to do some early research to find the easiest/cheapest/fastest way to remove a lot of stumps.

 

[dodge man]

A stump grinder is going to pretty slow also. If you just had a few it would be fine. I think you are looking a construction grade equipment, a larger excavator or larger bull dozer.

 

[MossRoad]

Large excavator with a thumb sounds like a good choice. Investigate rental prices near you to see if it makes $$ sense.

 

[Fallon]

Big excavator hands down. Personally I'd rent even if contracting it out was cheaper. I'm also the kind of guy would go to to Home - Dig This Vegas in Las Vagas rather than gamble or hit shows. So my judgment is likely different than some others.

Grinders work but aren't that fast & have rot issues. When you grind, you leave roots & sawdust in the hole & nearby ground. As that wood rots it compacts & takes up less space. You end up with divots that keep showing up for years or decades. It's really bad if they do it under foundations. Still not great for any places you have much plans for the land like farming or a nice lawn. We ground a number if stumps at my parents place. But the holes were spanned by a deck or in areas that divots were just fine as the back yard was mostly wild.

 

[Industrial Toys]

Rent a tracked loader and forestry mulcher. Things are evened out in one operation.

I had a big hoe start to rip out stumps. What a mess. The holes are still there.

Do you have stones?

I had a vermeer stump grinder that could do a six foot stump. Getting it into position was more of a job than grinding the stumps. A tracked self propelled one might be better. Also, every stump had stones around the perimeter. Hard on teeth.

 

[Jchonline]

If you grind them down, just remember the wood decays over the years, still leaving a hole. If you plan to travel over it, or have livestock on it, or build on it, then unfortunately you need to REMOVE these big stumps and backfill. For that task I would contract it out for a large excavator. You can of course rent but if you havent used one before you will waste a bunch of machine hours learning it. Your choice!

 

[ch1ch2]

Large excavator with a thumb sounds like a good choice. Investigate rental prices near you to see if it makes $$ sense.

x2 .....

 

[Fallon]

If you grind them down, just remember the wood decays over the years, still leaving a hole. If you plan to travel over it, or have livestock on it, or build on it, then unfortunately you need to REMOVE these big stumps and backfill. For that task I would contract it out for a large excavator. You can of course rent but if you havent used one before you will waste a bunch of machine hours learning it. Your choice!

If he has a small backhoe now it shouldn't be that big of a learning curve. Most excavators have a selectable pattern so go between the 2 control types & match whatever you are use to.

 

[1010]

A root rake on a dozer is fastest and more efficient. D5, JD550 and up size dozer.

 

[jeff9366]

Rent or contract for a large excavator to remove stumps.

Use your tractor FEL with a digging toothbar installed + rear/angle blade with offset potential to fill the one to two cubic yard volume holes where the large stumps came out.

I speculate you need a smooth landing ground to avoid crashing your plane