I've been a member of this forum for a long time and appreciate the advice offered hear. I'm the proud owner of two Steiner 240's. I have two properties and they serve me very well for mowing, dirt moving and snow blowing. Last summer the machine in the picture moved 1000 yards of fill and gravel and it was maybe the best summer of my life!!! I personally think that the flexibility, power and durability make Steiner/Ventracs a very good long-term value for a mechanically inclined homeowner like me.
My place in Maine has tree stumps that are out of range for a 22 HP machine. I can push 24" and smaller stumps around once they are loose, but I can't get them dislodged.
I'm considering renting a mini-excavator to dig about 10 stumps in the 12 to 24" range. My question is, how steep is the learning curve for a mini-excavator for someone who has lots of hydraulic tractor experience? Can I reasonably expect to dig 10 stumps in a day starting with no mini-excavator experience?
I own a Bobcat E42 cab mini-ex, it weighs about 10,000 pounds ready to work. Bought it new in 2019 for our ranch and never previously operated an excavator. I have over 800 hours operating a small Kubota (30 hp) and my Deere 4720 (66 hp) so lots of tractor seat time.
As far as the learning curve I think that depends on the person, some might be semi-productive after four hours in the seat but it took me 20 hours of seat time. When I say "productive" that means you have acquired muscle memory to where
you don't have to think and review in your mind every operation of the boom/stick/swing/curl, etc, etc. Now I instinctively move the joysticks to do the work.
Even though I have 150 hours on my E42, if I haven't operated it in a few weeks it always takes me several minutes to get comfortable with the joysticks.
So about the stumps. How long to dig out depends on the tree and root system. Even the smaller diameter stumps can take 45 minutes plus to dig out. I spent probably an hour digging our a dead shin oak stump, I thought I was going to pop it out in a few minutes but no sir. I had to dig up the entire root system. Bear in mind my E42 is a pretty powerful mini-ex for its size, I can dead lift over two tons and breakout force is significant.
If the stump has been dead for a few years, it might pop right out (or not LOL.) I was digging out several oak stumps three years ago to make room for our new garage and one of the stumps was a double trunk oak that we cut off about three feet above ground. I spent about six hours digging and pulling, my contractor buddy spent half a day doing the same. We finally had a stump grinder service come out and grind the roots, fortunately his machine telescoped out so he could reach all around the stump.
When we finally popped out the stump, it was massive like an iceberg. I had to pull the stump in with the bucket and pull it up on the blade and rest it there. It was too heavy to lift and move just by picking it up.
My E42 (the "hoe") doesn't get used a whole lot but when I need it, it pays for itself. One job for it occasionally is burying dead animals (we raise blackbuck antelope), I can dig a hole deep enough to keep other critters from digging up the carcass in about ten minutes. It usually takes longer to get to the burial site than it does to dig the hole. Then I use the hoe to grab the carcass and drop it in the hole.
Hope this helps someone thinking about renting a mini-ex.
