Leveling a site for a pole barn that had trees

[LT1Pat]

I will have nightmares about this stump... I spent almost an entire day working on it and it's still not out. I can reach under most of it but I still need to cut some more roots. It doesn't appear to have a tap root but there are some pretty big roots deeper in that take a turn downwards. I cut most of the "plate" roots. I power washed the underneath of it so I could see better and I think I'll have to just cut each root one by one until it can be pulled. I tried putting 20K+ lbs of force using block and tackles but it doesn't even move. I'm very tempted to burn it but the wood is still wet and fresh.

 

[texasranger556]

Wow that's discouraging if it still won't even budge! What kind of tree is it?

This was one of the larger red oaks from our yard and took several hours of digging to get out. Loader would barely lift it, so must have been over 3000 lbs.Tapatalk Cloud - Downlaoad File IMG_2115_172141.jpg

 

[MAD777]

That's an ornery stump! This will sound weird, but desperate situations call for desperate solutions. Have you considered noodling it with a chainsaw; dividing it vertically into halves or quarters? Kind of a "divide and conquer" approach.

 

[LT1Pat]

It's an American Elm. The jack + the backhoe + winches won't even make it move an inch.

Wow that's discouraging if it still won't even budge! What kind of tree is it?

This was one of the larger red oaks from our yard and took several hours of digging to get out. Loader would barely lift it, so must have been over 3000 lbs.Tapatalk Cloud - Downlaoad File IMG_217115_172141.jpg

 

[LT1Pat]

I have thought about it and that was my next step but I think the chainsaw blades might dull before I can even get a cut in. I may try using a sawzall and slowly work my way around the root system until I can get to whatever is still holding it in the ground.

That's an ornery stump! This will sound weird, but desperate situations call for desperate solutions. Have you considered noodling it with a chainsaw; dividing it vertically into halves or quarters? Kind of a "divide and conquer" approach.

 

[GLyford]

It's an American Elm.

Ew, and elm won't even split, either, so you couldn't do something like a shallow kerf and start wedges...

Can you get something like one of those rope pruning things under the plate roots to get at the deep ones? The ones that use a chunk of chainsaw chain are probably out, too much dirt/rocks. I wonder if they make a bigger/heavier duty version of the gritty cable type they used to throw in survival kits.

How about spinning it? Have you tried chaining one end of a 8' long (or more) 4x4, 6x6, pipe, or whatever to it and then chaining the far end to the tractor and driving in circles? It puts the stress on it in a different direction than "up", at least. (Or centered on the stump, pull one end with the tractor, opposite end to your winch anchor point, and twist)

 

[EddieWalker]

Looks to me like you haven't dug down very far. There is a certain amount of suction that keeps it in place and only after you remove enough dirt will it break free. There is also no way to know if you got most of the roots without going deeper.

 

[CobyRupert]

Don't worry about the roots. They will remain just like they are for decades. Without air and water, they will never rot.

The stumps will decay over time and create voids below the slab resulting in weak spots.

So which is true?
It seems if they don't rot all is good.
But even if does rot, how does this create a void?
Where does the material (matter) that was a root go?
How does it just disappear and create a void?
Wouldn't it just become soil? I'm curious on a "conservation of mass" aspect.
Does "rotting" cause some of it become gas or liquid and drain/float away? Where does it go?

 

[LT1Pat]

The more dense material on top will crush and collapse the stump below over time as the cells break down. In addition, it becomes bug poop that is carried away by the bugs eating it.

So which is true?
It seems if they don't rot all is good.
But even if does rot, how does this create a void?
Where does the material (matter) that was a root go?
How does it just disappear and create a void?
Wouldn't it just become soil? I'm curious on a "conservation of mass" aspect.
Does "rotting" cause some of it become gas or liquid and drain/float away? Where does it go?

 

[LT1Pat]

I was cutting the dirt underneath with the power washer and I can shoot water straight through to the other side in spots. There are some big roots holding it in still but I would, like you mentioned, have to dig much deeper to get a human and power tools to reach.

Looks to me like you haven't dug down very far. There is a certain amount of suction that keeps it in place and only after you remove enough dirt will it break free. There is also no way to know if you got most of the roots without going deeper.