I need advice on stump removal

BoneDigger · Jun 11, 2017

I recently had my property in NE Texas thinned. The areas they used for logging decks will make for good food plot locations. The majority of these areas are clear, but I do have probably around 10-12 pine stumps. These are cut at or just above ground level.

I will be using a disc later this year to plant beans and clover. So, I don't anticipate needing to go too deep. Would you guys rent a backhoe and try to dig them up, or have someone with a stump grinder come in and take them down 10-12 inches below ground and just let them rot? Most of these stumps are pines in the 10-15 inch diameter range. Two or three are quite a bit bigger. This is really sandy soil, so digging is easy. I really don't want to bring in a dozer for this.

So, grind or dig?

rustyshakelford · Jun 11, 2017

I'm always a fan of removing them. They will eventually rot and become depressions in pastures. A backhoe would work but I'd recommend a trackhoe with a thumb. Could pop those out in an hour or so, maybe longer if the tap root is down in a clay pan. Good luck and this is easy. Other cheaper option is to dig them out your self. Take the box blade and start scraping dirt. Once they are exposed, you should be able to pop em out. That option is about a days worth of work I'd say

Brett

topbuilder · Jun 12, 2017

Grind 'em. Least amount of disruption and cost. I have done thousands of them, have yet to see depressions. Will never be an issue in an area you are running a disc over.

Tomtint · Jun 12, 2017

I don't like leaving stumps in the ground, they invite bugs and inevitably will leave a sink hole when they rot. Around here you can rent a mini X for about 350.00 a day. You would easily be able to pop 10-12 small stumps in a day with one.

Oldoak · Jun 12, 2017

If it were me, I would do just what Brett recommended, A backhoe would work but I'd recommend a trackhoe with a thumb. That would be the easiest way to remove the stumps.

I watched our contractor remove pine and hardwood stumps with a machine like that when we built our new house. I thought it would take him several days to pull all of them, several were over 24" in diameter. Well, it wasn't even a full day's work to pull them all.

onionfmr · Jun 12, 2017

topbuilder said:
Grind 'em. Least amount of disruption and cost. I have done thousands of them, have yet to see depressions. Will never be an issue in an area you are running a disc over.

I agree with topbuilder! I've ground out hundreds of stumps in fields and trails over the years, some as big as 36". I usually wait a year after grinding a stump to box blade that area. When grinding a stump, I always grind the area of the major roots in addition to the stump and go down as deep as possible. After the grind, fill the hole and compact the filled soil well. I've also done it with a backhoe. IMHO, filling a larger hole from a backhoe is definitely more destructive and disturbs the soil more. Plus, then you have stumps to get rid of. In my experience, more apt to have depressions development after backhoe digging than with stump grinding. Of course, I'm working with northern soil and in different regions maybe you have different results.

RNeumann · Jun 12, 2017

The time it takes to remove with mini x/track hoe may not be worth renting. You could probably pay a guy who has one a few hours for about the same as a rental.

EddieWalker · Jun 12, 2017

If you dig them out, you will need to move soil to fill in the hole and compact it. If it's not compacted, when it rains, it becomes quicksand. I've run over areas that I've dug out the stump, filled with dirt, but didn't compact it well enough, and buried my tractor while mowing a year later shortly after a heavy rain. If you are going to build over that area, then you really need to remove the stump. If it's just going to be pasture, I would grind them up and forget about them.

Oldoak · Jun 12, 2017

RNeumann said:
The time it takes to remove with mini x/track hoe may not be worth renting. You could probably pay a guy who has one a few hours for about the same as a rental.

Agreed. I missed the "mini" part. Also agree the price may be the same to hire it done by an experienced contractor.

One possibly negative point about digging out the stumps verses grinding, you need a place to discard the stumps either on your property or pay to have them hauled away.