Stump pullin'.....

[KeithInSpace]

I was just messing with a stump this weekend. Have several, but for some reason, this Pine was particularly tough. Done other Pine trees before, but this was the first time I had to hook up with my truck. I could have gotten it out, I think, but it was close to the street and just too easy to jerk it out with the 40 ton straps.

Took out one heck of a plug of dirt...a couple of minutes knocking the clay off with the BH and she was easy to pull out of the hole.

By the way it felt in the bucket, she's probably about 450# to 500#.

 

[irwin]

This one took a couple days, 6 1/2 foot backhoe, sawzall, 7 sawzall blades, (12" pruning blades) an 8 ton bottlejack, 3 ton come-along, 5 foot prybar, 3 quarts of sweat (estimated).No way can I get a shovel of dirt without hitting at least one big ole rock, the roots had many big uns trapped ...............................................................


The FEL is rated at 800+lb at full lift, was only able to just get it off the ground using curl, (loader has lifted a full load of gravel all the way up).



This one had to go, the others can rot.

 

[Qrazy]

To date I have dug up a good 40 stumps of various sizes. I have only come across one that I could not eventually get....It turned out to be an old swamp maple that had grown about 12- 15 inches thick just under the surface. I got a big hunk of it out (just bigger than my BX24's bucket), then I realized what was left was bigger than my whole BX24!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I covered it up, and now I patiently wait for it to rot away

Here are couple of pics from some of the first stumps I pulled (and one of the reasons for buying the BX)....

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...ng-tasks-looking-bx24-will-5.html#post1016502

 

[n8wrl]

Sure am! K3GM here. This will be tower number two. I have a guyed 40 footer under the pine canopy up here on my land.

I lucked out with both of my towers - stumps aren't so much the problem down here as biiiiig rocks. Tower #2 ended up with a slightly larger base (14 cu yd vs. 10) because of a backhoe-sized rock we found!

73 and have fun!

-Brian n8wrl

 

[czechsonofagun]

Some people make a business out of it:

Newman's Knees: Natural Tamarack Knees for Boatbuilding, Timberframing and Furniture

Personally, I think there are easier ways to make living, had to dig out too many stumps by hand already in my life.

 

[patrick_g]

Another good way to get stumps up is to start with a 55 gallon steel drum and cut the top and bottom out ... overall it works great.
Donny

Donny, Terrific idea! If you used the salt peter in the bored holes approach on the stump and then used your drum suggestion for window dressing, you could make it look like a BBQ instead of an illegal burn!

Pat

 

[x703jko]

Sure am! K3GM here. This will be tower number two. I have a guyed 40 footer under the pine canopy up here on my land.

Nice...i have 145 feet of Rohn 45 here. The tower's been up for a number of years (since I moved here from New Jersey), but for various reasons (demands of career actually) I haven't hung any antennas on it.

However, this summer I'll finish the project - a Force 12 620/340 at 150 feet, Force 12 415/410 at 135 feet, and a Force 12 WARC7. I'll shunt feed the tower on 160 and hang a 4-square on 80.

One of the reasons I bought the BX24 was to be able to maintain the area near the tower and complete the project, including the digging of a 200 foot trench for 3 cable conduits (4" PVC).

Good to know that there other hams on TBN.



73. Jeff, W3KL

 

[crazyal]

Stumps can be fun, lol. Back in 2002 I bought 40 wooded acres. My plans were to clear a site and build. I was thinking of getting a kubota in the 35 hp range with a BH to pull the stumps. A grinder was not an option so a friend and I used his L2950 to pull the first two out. I tried a size up from what I would call a small excavator, think it was $300 or so a day to rent and it didn't go much faster. Once they were out moving them to a place out of the way too for ever. A few weeks later I ended up with a full size backhoe. Even with 14,000 lbs stumps are hard. I often times found myself moving away from the center of the stump to get to smalled diameter roots and flipping the stump over several times when it came loose to get as much dirt off to lighten it some. Not just the time I saved but the wear and tear of pulling the 40 or 50 stumps makes me glad I went the way I did. There is a level of satisfaction to be had when you do get a large stump out, kind of like reeling in a large fish.

 

[john_bud]

The tree dropping method of Mr. Eddie Walker would have helped. Cut the ground away behind the stump, then in front of the stump then push it over with the boom swinging from the side. Lever action of the tree pops the stump out - apparently. I don't have direct exp with that method, but will try when the time comes.

 

[KeithInSpace]

push it over with the boom swinging from the side.

I could not fathom being this close to a try I'm TRYING to take down with a tractor. Not to mention the SIZE of boom you'd need to dump the tree in this manner. The last place I'd want to be is in the seat of a BH, not able to move my tractor, and 6-8 feet away from a tree.

No matter how long removing a particular stump takes, I have to say that is preferable to putting myself or my machine that close to uncertainty. I've had a tree fall "the wrong way" before. Ain't no fun. It tends to bend stuff.