I'm stumped..

[Jibber]

I\'m stumped..

Just added a BH-90 Backhoe to the L3130 Kubota, and am ready to start attacking various rocks and stumps as I expand my yard into the neighboring woods in all directions.

I've been reading some horror stories here in the forums from those who have dared to remove stumps, especially maple stumps from their property..

My question.. Is there any advice on how to remove stumps. I've never done it with a backhoe so I'd love to hear any tips or techniques for making the job easier. I've been told to just dig all around the stump and there you go.. others say dig as far out as you can to clip the roots away from trunk as far as possible.

I would like to minimize time and effort, but maximize results.. I know that's not an easy formula for success.

Thanks for any help.

 

[Henro]

Re: I\'m stumped..

Jibber,

I am not an expert by any means...but have dug out a couple stumps.

After you get all the advice you need...you will then have to dig your stumps.

My guess is that you will soon learn what works best for you, your machine and your backhoe.

Different trees are easier or harder. My guess is that even the same species can be easier or harder depending on how the tree grew to begin with.

I have found that only the smallest of stumps can be pulled over and out with my smaller backhoe...but even the BH90 is not THAT big when it comes to stumps.

Get all the advice you can...then go on out and have fun and use that advice! Wish I could do more...but seems to me that nothing teaches more than just doing it... /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Slamfire]

Re: I\'m stumped..

I would think that digging radially from the trunk out would be the way to do it. That's the way you'd do it if you were digging by hand. You might have to cut the roots manually regardless of the method of digging.

 

[Tom_W]

Re: I\'m stumped..

Well you more or less answered your own question. However my way to get stumps out is to first remove dirt down to roots about 3' away from stump. Then start breaking through roots working around stump. I then dig down a bit at the edge of the roots nearest me. I then dig down around the rest of the stump, pulling the stump to me a bit at a time. As you pull to you, you'll be able to get under the stump more. With some additional root breaking and pulling, the stump comes out. Of course there are always unknown variables to deal with that will make your job more difficult, like a giant tap root or a large rock or gravel. Hope this helps

 

[normde2001]

Re: I\'m stumped..

If I were you I would save the wear and tear on my equipment and hire a bulldozer/operator. In my area, N. Georgia, I hired an artist with a bulldozer for $200 for 4 hours. He cleared about 3 acres of woods, 10"-15" trees, pushed them over and into a pile ready for burning, filled in all the holes and smoothed it over.

 

[frank_f15]

Re: I\'m stumped..

a lot depends on the type of tree, the size of the stump and so forth. just fire it up and give it a shot. expereince is the best teacher.if u have alot of tress to remove u might want to hire a good size dozer , will make short work of the job.

 

[Jibber]

Re: I\'m stumped..

Rocks.. yes.. rocks.. they could complicate things. I have all kinds of rocks.. up to the size of small buses.

As for the advice on Bulldozers.. I realize that they could make short work of it. But, the only way I could talk my wife into the 8 thousand dollar backhoe was the fact that I would be able to work to increase the size of our lawn by clearing land. If i call a bulldozer in I'm going to end up sleeping with the tractor for a while.

Most of my trees are 6 to 14" in diameter.. I think they are well within the limits of the hoe.. and I don't plan on overworking it.. if things start to bog down I'll find a better way to approach it. I have considered renting a stump grinder but I hear that's a lot of work too..

 

[Junkman]

Re: I\'m stumped..

I have had a lot of stumps removed and the operator always looked for the side of the stump that had the least amount of roots and dug down at that side first and cleared a hole. Then he worked both sides and dug them out. Lastly, he went to the back side and broke the roots from there. Then he would pull the stump into the hole in front. It seemed very easy for him, but then he was using a large excavator and it took about 10 - 15 per stump..... these were all 50 - 75 year old hemlock and pine trees. The biggest problem with stumps is disposing of them after you get them out...

 

[Jibber]

Re: I\'m stumped..

Disposal is not as big of a problem for me. I have an area where I can safely burn them and there are no burn restrictions in my rural area.

Your instructions look good. I had anticipated that there might be some axe work involved too.. most of the trees that I'll be removing are live trees.. I may cut the trees down and let the stumps dry out a bit before I move in to tackle them. I have a number of projects in the works at any time.. so I have an open time frame.

 

[GregJ]

Re: I\'m stumped..

Jibber,
I have pulled some pretty large stumps with my little B7500.... (motivated by the "You spent $xx,xxx dollars on that tractor and now you have to hire a bulldozer) ....Very similar to your situation. My technique involves digging all the way around the stump and breaking all the surface roots, usually down about 3-4 ft. Then I dig a ramp down one side and get under it with the loader to remove as much dirt as possible. Then I could pull it over with a chain and drag it up the ramp. It will probably be a lot easier for you with your machine. I had bigger stumps but easier working soil. I'll attach a couple of photos. The photo attached to this shows a stump that being drug up a ramp.

Greg

 

[GregJ]

Re: I\'m stumped..

Here's a maple stump I pulled last year. This was one of my first stump "projects".

Greg

 

[Jibber]

Re: I\'m stumped..

Wow.

That's quite a stump! How long did THAT take?

I guess I'd better invest in quite a pile of topsoil before I go crazy on this project!

 

[EddieWalker]

Re: I\'m stumped..

I like to start digging as close to the stump as I can get. If I hit a root too thick, I move the bucket over half the width of the bucket and try to cut through again. I do this on either side until I get through and start digging down.

Once I get the holes started I keep trying to get close to the stump again.

I've gone 12 feet deep on all four side before I could get the really nasty ones to break free!

Of course, getting the stump out of the hole is even more difficult! You might have to dig a ramp to pull it out with a chain, but if your just going to grow grass over it, just knock it over and bury it.

Never bury a stump in and area you might, even remotely, plan to build on. 10 to 20 years from now you might have a low spot where you bury a stump, but chances are you wont even know it.

Good Luck,
Eddie

 

[Jibber]

Re: I\'m stumped..

12 feet!

egad.. and I thought the rocks were going to be tougher than the stumps!

 

[GregJ]

Re: I\'m stumped..

Jibber,
Let's put it this way. My B7500 didn't exactly jerk those things out of the ground. I would just go out in the evenings and pick away at them for an hour or so and eventually (many evenings later) I'd get 'em. I have removed about 8 large stumps or stump clusters this last year. This weekend I may be removing about a 14" spruce. Looks like a piece of cake. Am I sounding a little cocky.... It probably has a tap root that stops someplace just short of China. That's usually what happens when I get confident. As far as the big stumps, like I said, I have pretty nice soil to work with, so at least I wasn't fighting a lot of rocks or shale. I have mostly sand with a few veins of clay. But from my experience, significantly weakening one side of the stump after digging all the way around really helps to get it out. It also helps to twist the root ball. In other words, to grab a stout root on one side of the stump and try to spin it with your hoe bucket. That will usually loosen any tap roots. As far as topsoil, I have filled in these holes with the spoils and with a little light grading from the surrounding area, you'd never know they were there. In fact I have lawn where they were and it hasn't even settled. It seems like it would take a lot of soil to fill in for a root ball like that, but just a few inches from the surrounding area seems to work. Good luck with your project.

Greg

 

[Slamfire]

Re: I\'m stumped..

Well if burning isn't a problem, burn the stumps themselves. Get some saltpeter, (sodium nitrate) drill a 1" hole down through the middle of the stump, then drill holes, at an angle from opposite sides so they intersect the first hole. Fill the holes with the saltpeter, wait for a rain, or water in. After a week or so, fill the holes with some diesel fuel and light it. Should burn the stump and most of the roots.

 

[Jibber]

Re: I\'m stumped..

Burning them at another location isn't a problem.. but burning them in place could be.. it's basically a wooded area.. I planned to chip away here and there.. instead of clear cutting and then removing all the stumps at once..

 

[Seat_Time]

Re: I\'m stumped..

Geesh those are some big stumps...I have limited stump removal (maybe 20 smallish - 4-8" diameter stuff) experience; however, I have learned a couple of things. My first stump I went in behind the stump with the backhoe and tried to pull towards me and through - no chance of one timing it. But nipping either side with one scoop, then reaching behind and pulling UP and not through seemed to pluck them out pretty easily. I guess the operative word is "up", I was truly surprised at how many would pop out. It's worth a try before spending alot of time digging around all sides. Oh, and one more thing...when cutting the tree down, I try not to cut the tree flush with the groud....a little bit of trunk is useful if you need to "rock" the S.O.B. back and forth.

 

[pekabu]

Re: I\'m stumped..

I have only 4 hours or so using the bh on my tc24 with stumps. I pulled 2 14" oaks, and a small maple. Everything I did has been mentioned. For one I did have to get in the hole and cut some of the big roots with an axe. Hiring a bigger piece of equpiment would have been nice, but getting him around my property would have caused mucho damage. Also it's a stump here, a rock there.... A small bobcat excavator goes for $360 for 10 hours. It will take a while, but in the end it will work out better for me. (I hope)

 

[Junkman]

Re: I\'m stumped..

In NH it is more than a "rock here"!!!!! The rocks in NH are as big as cars and those that they didn't want to keep there, they exported to MA and CT!!!!!!