I am going to be renting a Backhoe for a week and digging stumps out of a clear cut on my property. The whole clear cut is about 15 acres but I only plan on taking the stumps out of about 5 acres for a dove field. I also plan on digging the stumps along my driveway where they cut every other row. I would guess the stumps are from 6" on up to 10" with the occasional bigger one and smaller one. I am wondering if there is any tips on getting these things out of the ground and making good time. Thanks for any help
Renting BH Any Tips?
- Thread starter brandon07
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I am going to be renting a Backhoe for a week and digging stumps out of a clear cut on my property. The whole clear cut is about 15 acres but I only plan on taking the stumps out of about 5 acres for a dove field. I also plan on digging the stumps along my driveway where they cut every other row. I would guess the stumps are from 6" on up to 10" with the occasional bigger one and smaller one. I am wondering if there is any tips on getting these things out of the ground and making good time. Thanks for any help
EddieWalker
Epic Contributor
I have a 1998 555E backhoe and feel I'm fairly competent on it. Stumps are about the toughest thing to remove your going to ever come across.
Fortunately you said yours are fairly small, but depending on how many you have and how far apart they are will determine how many you get out in a week.
Depending on species, I aproach it a little different. I'd start out by cutting the roots on either side of the stump, they reach over it and pull the stump out. If that works you'll get quite a few.
Big stumps require a trench on either side, then change positions so you can get it for 90 degrees of were you started. Try top snap it off first, but if not, dig a littel on either side and it should break free.
Since your not building on the area, push the stump under grade and move on. With a week, I'd leave the holes open and go for stump to stump as fast as I could.
My guess is you can get a stump out every fifteen minutes or four an hour. If you waste time filling in the holes and compacting the soil, you wont' get very many stumps out at all.
Have fun,
Eddie
Fortunately you said yours are fairly small, but depending on how many you have and how far apart they are will determine how many you get out in a week.
Depending on species, I aproach it a little different. I'd start out by cutting the roots on either side of the stump, they reach over it and pull the stump out. If that works you'll get quite a few.
Big stumps require a trench on either side, then change positions so you can get it for 90 degrees of were you started. Try top snap it off first, but if not, dig a littel on either side and it should break free.
Since your not building on the area, push the stump under grade and move on. With a week, I'd leave the holes open and go for stump to stump as fast as I could.
My guess is you can get a stump out every fifteen minutes or four an hour. If you waste time filling in the holes and compacting the soil, you wont' get very many stumps out at all.
Have fun,
Eddie
EddieWalker
Epic Contributor
I have a 1998 555E backhoe and feel I'm fairly competent on it. Stumps are about the toughest thing to remove your going to ever come across.
Fortunately you said yours are fairly small, but depending on how many you have and how far apart they are will determine how many you get out in a week.
Depending on species, I aproach it a little different. I'd start out by cutting the roots on either side of the stump, they reach over it and pull the stump out. If that works you'll get quite a few.
Big stumps require a trench on either side, then change positions so you can get it for 90 degrees of were you started. Try top snap it off first, but if not, dig a littel on either side and it should break free.
Since your not building on the area, push the stump under grade and move on. With a week, I'd leave the holes open and go for stump to stump as fast as I could.
My guess is you can get a stump out every fifteen minutes or four an hour. If you waste time filling in the holes and compacting the soil, you wont' get very many stumps out at all.
Have fun,
Eddie
Fortunately you said yours are fairly small, but depending on how many you have and how far apart they are will determine how many you get out in a week.
Depending on species, I aproach it a little different. I'd start out by cutting the roots on either side of the stump, they reach over it and pull the stump out. If that works you'll get quite a few.
Big stumps require a trench on either side, then change positions so you can get it for 90 degrees of were you started. Try top snap it off first, but if not, dig a littel on either side and it should break free.
Since your not building on the area, push the stump under grade and move on. With a week, I'd leave the holes open and go for stump to stump as fast as I could.
My guess is you can get a stump out every fifteen minutes or four an hour. If you waste time filling in the holes and compacting the soil, you wont' get very many stumps out at all.
Have fun,
Eddie
KentT
Elite Member
- Joined
- Mar 31, 2005
- Messages
- 2,928
- Location
- Sevierville, TN
- Tractor
- 1993 Power Trac 1430 w/Kubota diesel engine
IMO, you need to reconsider the choice of equipment...
If you want to move faster, you need a mid-size excavator with a thumb, not a tractor with a backhoe. With an excavator, not only will will you get much more strength (breakout force, etc.) for pulling the stump, but you'll get longer reach and no stabilizers to fool with.
Even if an excavator would cost much more per day, it'll be much more productive and get more stumps out without digging...
If you want to move faster, you need a mid-size excavator with a thumb, not a tractor with a backhoe. With an excavator, not only will will you get much more strength (breakout force, etc.) for pulling the stump, but you'll get longer reach and no stabilizers to fool with.
Even if an excavator would cost much more per day, it'll be much more productive and get more stumps out without digging...
KentT
Elite Member
- Joined
- Mar 31, 2005
- Messages
- 2,928
- Location
- Sevierville, TN
- Tractor
- 1993 Power Trac 1430 w/Kubota diesel engine
IMO, you need to reconsider the choice of equipment...
If you want to move faster, you need a mid-size excavator with a thumb, not a tractor with a backhoe. With an excavator, not only will will you get much more strength (breakout force, etc.) for pulling the stump, but you'll get longer reach and no stabilizers to fool with.
Even if an excavator would cost much more per day, it'll be much more productive and get more stumps out without digging...
If you want to move faster, you need a mid-size excavator with a thumb, not a tractor with a backhoe. With an excavator, not only will will you get much more strength (breakout force, etc.) for pulling the stump, but you'll get longer reach and no stabilizers to fool with.
Even if an excavator would cost much more per day, it'll be much more productive and get more stumps out without digging...
dubba
Gold Member
Not enough information to advise you correctly, but here we go
If you rented a fairly large backhoe, those 6-10" stumps will pop out of soft ground like carrots. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif If you didn't, well then it's gonna be like 4-5 per hour.
You don't mention whether you will be burying the stumps, hauling them out later, grading at the same time etc. If you are burying & grading at the same time, you will be lucky to get an acre done in a week.
I haul the stumps to my stump dump (on my property) every other day of digging. (dig 2 days, haul 1 day)
Try to work from a main road that you envision will be firm enough to stand the repeated traffic. Layout the road (note you aren't making anything here, just picking the path) so you will not be digging any stumps in the middle. If there are stumps in "your road", leave them for last.
Back as far off the road as you can (within reason, plan more roads as necessary) & start digging there. I pile up 4 or 5 stumps depending on their size, then bring them the 200 ft to the side of the road.
If I only had one week to dig 5 acres worth of stumps, I would pray for sun, strap a coffee maker to the side of the truck, plan on working that tractor 18 hrs a day, & hope the neighbors are really far away.
If you rented a fairly large backhoe, those 6-10" stumps will pop out of soft ground like carrots. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif If you didn't, well then it's gonna be like 4-5 per hour.
You don't mention whether you will be burying the stumps, hauling them out later, grading at the same time etc. If you are burying & grading at the same time, you will be lucky to get an acre done in a week.
I haul the stumps to my stump dump (on my property) every other day of digging. (dig 2 days, haul 1 day)
Try to work from a main road that you envision will be firm enough to stand the repeated traffic. Layout the road (note you aren't making anything here, just picking the path) so you will not be digging any stumps in the middle. If there are stumps in "your road", leave them for last.
Back as far off the road as you can (within reason, plan more roads as necessary) & start digging there. I pile up 4 or 5 stumps depending on their size, then bring them the 200 ft to the side of the road.
If I only had one week to dig 5 acres worth of stumps, I would pray for sun, strap a coffee maker to the side of the truck, plan on working that tractor 18 hrs a day, & hope the neighbors are really far away.
dubba
Gold Member
Not enough information to advise you correctly, but here we go
If you rented a fairly large backhoe, those 6-10" stumps will pop out of soft ground like carrots. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif If you didn't, well then it's gonna be like 4-5 per hour.
You don't mention whether you will be burying the stumps, hauling them out later, grading at the same time etc. If you are burying & grading at the same time, you will be lucky to get an acre done in a week.
I haul the stumps to my stump dump (on my property) every other day of digging. (dig 2 days, haul 1 day)
Try to work from a main road that you envision will be firm enough to stand the repeated traffic. Layout the road (note you aren't making anything here, just picking the path) so you will not be digging any stumps in the middle. If there are stumps in "your road", leave them for last.
Back as far off the road as you can (within reason, plan more roads as necessary) & start digging there. I pile up 4 or 5 stumps depending on their size, then bring them the 200 ft to the side of the road.
If I only had one week to dig 5 acres worth of stumps, I would pray for sun, strap a coffee maker to the side of the truck, plan on working that tractor 18 hrs a day, & hope the neighbors are really far away.
If you rented a fairly large backhoe, those 6-10" stumps will pop out of soft ground like carrots. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif If you didn't, well then it's gonna be like 4-5 per hour.
You don't mention whether you will be burying the stumps, hauling them out later, grading at the same time etc. If you are burying & grading at the same time, you will be lucky to get an acre done in a week.
I haul the stumps to my stump dump (on my property) every other day of digging. (dig 2 days, haul 1 day)
Try to work from a main road that you envision will be firm enough to stand the repeated traffic. Layout the road (note you aren't making anything here, just picking the path) so you will not be digging any stumps in the middle. If there are stumps in "your road", leave them for last.
Back as far off the road as you can (within reason, plan more roads as necessary) & start digging there. I pile up 4 or 5 stumps depending on their size, then bring them the 200 ft to the side of the road.
If I only had one week to dig 5 acres worth of stumps, I would pray for sun, strap a coffee maker to the side of the truck, plan on working that tractor 18 hrs a day, & hope the neighbors are really far away.
