Stump Removal

LWFrisk · Feb 25, 2003

Not sure if I know what I am doing as this is my first attempt at posting on TBN -- We had a Camphor tree that was wind damaged a year ago so we topped the tree to try to get it back to a reasonable shape. The tree died so this fall I decided it was time to remove the rest of the tree. I had three bids to take the tree down and grind the stump. The best price was $750. Having just retired and having more time than money; I decided to try my luck at taking it out myself. I started by digging some holes with an old clamshell hand post hole digger. I filled the holes with water and repeated this for about a week. I installed a hose bib before the water pressure regulator and used the hose to wash the dirt from the big roots. With some of the large roots exposed, I sharpened some very dull chainsaw blades and began cutting the larger exposed roots. I worked a little over half way around the tree. I placed a nylon tow strap to the highest part of the tree and hooked it to my old ’74 CJ 5 Jeep front tow hook. I started rocking back and when the tires would break loose; I would clutch and bump it again. The rocking motion brought the tree over with few tugs more tugs.

LWFrisk · Feb 25, 2003

After the tree was down, I cut the tree as close to the stump as possible. Then I hooked the strap/chain to the roots and did the same with them. The rock in the photo was a few feet from the tree but the Jeep moved both the tree and the rock a few inches when I pulled the tree down. The root in the foreground was just one of six about the same size that held the tree in place. You can see where I cut part of some of them on the stump.

LWFrisk · Feb 25, 2003

The tree did not have a large tap root as you can see. The hole was about five feet deep after the tree was pulled down.

LWFrisk · Feb 25, 2003

This is the Jeep ready to pull one of the big roots. My wife took the photo using the zoom feature and missed the big root I was hooked to.

LWFrisk · Feb 25, 2003

Re: Stump Removal *DELETED*

Post deleted by LWFrisk

LWFrisk · Feb 25, 2003

I used my John Deere with a Johnson Workhorse FEL to fill the hole and move the stump, roots and bring in fill dirt. I have only had the Deere for a few weeks. It is a 420, Hydrostat, FEL, weight box with six suitcase weights and two hundred pounds of sport weights in the box. Needs paint, but runs great. Amazing that the tractor will push the bucket full, lift it and move it with ease at an idle. At WOT, it’s too fast in tight places till I get used to it.

LWFrisk · Feb 25, 2003

This is a bucket of the small stuff on its way to the stump pile. I did not attempt to lift the stump with the loader. I just towed it to the stump pile and used the loader to push it in and turn it upside down

cpicton1 · Feb 25, 2003

Leo ,

$750.00 would buy a lot of new saw chain & Bengay. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif Looks like you accomplished what you wanted done, got some good exercise and saved some dough to boot. Looks good. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

diggerjim · Mar 2, 2003

Great work. Is there a story behind the naming of #8217?

Jim

Spencer · Mar 2, 2003

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Great work. Is there a story behind the naming of #8217?

Jim )</font>

Jim, I believe that when some people compose their messages in another program and cut and paste them here that some characters show up like #8217.

LWFrisk · Mar 17, 2003

This is what was left of the Camphor Tree. I will tie it down, net it and take it to the dump in the morning. The tree actually had more under the ground than it did on top. A small amount of the debris came from some smaller tree stumps that I pulled out out with the Jeep.

The John Deere sure came in handy to load the heavy stuff on the trailer. It amazes me as to how much it will lift and push.

DarinRay · Mar 17, 2003

Nice job you did there. And step by step pics to boot. Man plus you are living in my want to move to area. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Darin

LWFrisk · Mar 18, 2003

Darin

It is a great place to live. My wife came from Long Island and I came from Iowa so we know what you mean. It gets near 100 degrees often in the summer, and we have gotten snow twice in the past six years. The attached photo was taken on 2/7/00 and I was standing in the same spot the John Deere was in on the last photo.

We can have horses, have community pools, parks and a big golf course. We don't golf, horse and have our own pool but we call our home Our Bit Of Paradise. The Cuymacha State park is on three sides of us and within a block each way. The origional owners had put landscape (crushed) rock, red white and blue in the yard, but we both like grass. The rock is gone, I have removed the "ugly" trees, replaced them with nice land scape trees (Flowering Magnolia, Plumb, Peach, Pink Weeping Cherry, King Fountain Cherry, a red and a white Dogwood to name a few).

If you make it to San Diego, let us know, stop by for coffee and a look.

DarinRay · Mar 18, 2003

That is a sight in that pic. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif I sure might take you up on that coffee offer if I ever get out of New York... /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif The chances of that are slim to none. /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif But there still is a slim chance..

Darin