Pulling stumps

[Anonymous Poster]

My new BX2200 w/ FEL is arriving in a few days. I have a few acres of scrubby woods I want to tame. I noticed a couple of posts where guys said they pulled stumps with their tractors. How big were these stumps and what technique did you use.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Have you done a search on the topic? The only useful info that I picked up on a search was about cutting a tree five feet up so you have a high "stump" to provide leverage when pulling it over with a chain.

I'm in the same position as you. About ten stumps to remove, cut off no more than one or two feet above ground level. They're close to the house, so this is really cleaning up to get ready for landscaping and to speed up lawn mowing.

These are close to the house. Has anyone tried digging the dirt out around the stump (by hand) and then using a Sawzall to cut the roots that can be reached? I think you can get Sawzall blades that are good for cutting nails on demolition jobs, so they should be able to deal with small stones better than my axe or small chain saw. Thinking about digging, Sawzall-ing and then trying the BX2200 FEL to lift the stump. If that doesn't work, chain to pull it out.

Where do I get decent reasonably priced chain locally? Landscape supply houses, tractor dealers, truck supply?????
Chain stores?
.......Rich S.

 

[RobS]

I recently pulled a couple dozen stumps with my 790. As was mentioned, I cut the trees as high as I could comfortably (and safely) hold my chain saw. The type of tree had a lot more impact than the diameter. I could pull 6" sassafrass without a hitch, but 4" oak and maple are a different story altogether.

I ended up using a variety of techniques. The smaller/easier trees I'd just pull. Some I could even dig with the FEL (my soil is pretty sandy). Others I'd push on with the FEL up high then try to lower it for more force on the stump. If it seemed like it would budge, I'd go back to pulling.

The biggest ones (6-8" oaks and maples) I'd have to dig. I was able to dig with my FEL up to about three feet down on two or three sides. Then I'd push from the un-dug side and finally pull from the dug side to finish the job. It wasn't pretty but I'm taking all the top soil out anyway for a driveway. Digging by hand would work, but would have taken a lot longer. I'd use an axe rather than a sawzall, just for speed.

In all I spent a couple of long days and a couple of short days doing the stumps and top soil removal. If I had anything bigger I would have called in an excavator and saved the abuse to my tractor. It was fun though, and I got a lot of experience in the process.

I've picked up several chains at Quality Farm, TSC etc. I end up with two for most pulls. You want a slip hook at the stump end so the chain tightens as you pull. I also use a slip hook at the tractor end as it hooks to my drawbar clevis easier. That leaves grab hooks to connect the two chains (I only used one of the two).

Hope this helps, and have a ball /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[rock]

I've pulled a stump or two out with my BX. Here is what I did.

I had two white pines with stumps about 8" in diameter. I cut them down pretty low, did some minor digging to get at the top level roots, cut them with my chainsaw and axe, looped a nylon tow strap around the stump and hooked it to my BX (Penny). I "doubled up" on the strap more to shorten the distance between my stump and tractor than to increase the strength of the strap. Penny pulled those stumps out like they were in warm butter!

A week later I did the same with some boxelder trees around 5" - 6" in diameter. Man, those trees were alot tougher to yank. My Dad happened to be visiting, so I'd give a pull, back off, and my Dad would chop some roots and we'd repeat the procedure. Eventually they too popped out.

A few weeks after that I wanted to yank the stump of a large "weed bush", maybe a lilac (I'm not the best forester out there). Since I had a bit more trouble with the boxelders I decided to try my 1/2 ton pickup insted. Used the same procedure and even had my pickup in 4WD-low. I was surprised how difficult it was. In fact, I have to say, I don't think my pickup did any better than Penny would have done!

I think next time I will leave more trunk and try the "pull over" technique. Makes alot of sense to me, increase the lever arm.

I was pretty impressed with the pulling power of the BX, as I am with just about any other job that I put Penny up to.

Have fun, keep us posted with your stump pulling techniques. The BX is a great machine!

-- Rock

 

[MikePA]

My Dad used to tell me stories of working on a road crew in rural Virginia in the 20s and 30s. They had plenty of stumps to clear and frequently used a tractor and a chain. He witnessed the chain break, whip around and decapitate someone. Be careful! Anticipate where the chain will fly if it breaks.

 

[RobS]

Good point and one I forgot to mention. Chain isn't too bad as each link can only store so much energy, but cable and straps can be very violent when they break.

One more technique I used with dubious regard for my tractor was the loader assisted pull. I was always traction limited when pulling so I'd lower the loader and use the bucket dump to apply additional pull. It really added a lot of extra tug for those tough ones /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[RPM]

I'm afraid the "each link can only hold so much energy" is not a good assumption to make. Three of the factors that control this:

- the chain is under tension when it breaks - the links are therefore all in contact with one another.
- the breaking link does not instantly or smoothly separate - it happens asymmetrically - this means that a ripple effect is sent down the two parts of the chain.
- whatever was on each end of the chain is now also moving due to the release of tension

The net result is a wildly snaking length of steel that can easily kill. Just think of how a limp towel can sting you when snapped onto bare skin /w3tcompact/icons/blush.gif

If you're really unlucky you will also get hit by the broken link - although this is less likely with modern chains as the steel tends to be less brittle.

Steel cables and hawsers tend to break less often than chain, but can produce worse results when they do.

Stick with a nylon strap if you can!

 

[Jag]

I know one guy who lost a leg when a heavy nylon sling let go.. It does not matter "what" lets go as how much tension or energy is stored in it.

 

[FABEATS]

I RENTED A STUMP GRINDER FOR A HALF DAY AND DID ABOUT 20 STUMPS ON MY PROPERTY. THE STUMPS RANGED FROM ABOUT 4 INCHES IN DIAMETER TO ABOUT 10 INCHES. THE RENTAL FEE WAS ABOUT $150 AND I TOWED IT BEHIND MY TRACTOR TO GET TO THE STUMPS. BEST MONEY I'VE SPENT. I DIDN'T LIKE HAVEING TO USE THE AXE ON THE ROOTS WHEN I WAS TRYING TO PULL THE STUMPS WITH THE TRACTOR.

 

[huckflynn]

Isn't it a great feeling -- when you know you've got the right tool for the job -- and that the economics of a rental has really paid off.

I had the same feeling renting a tiller at $38 a day. It took me a couple hours -- and I let me cousin borrow it for the rest of the day.

Huck