Truck VS Tree

RobertN · Aug 17, 2001

I have done this with a 3/4 ton 4x4, a little bigger and heavier than a 2wd Dakota. You may have some success if you are careful and plan ahead...

Prepare the stump. Cut any roots you can see. Dig around the edges to expose any roots you can.

Try wrapping the chain around the stump a couple times. I hook up so that the cahin wraps around the stump afterthe hook is set. When pulling, this seems to give a little twist in addition to the forward pull.

Put some weight in that 2wd. You won't get much traction, so you may want to load up with firewood, or maybe a yard of gravel.

Use your lowest gear. That's where you'll get best power

Know when to stop; don't jerk the chain and bust your truck.

I've had good luck with ny truck, and with my Jeep pulling stumps this way. And, yes, I have a couple stumps that are still staring at me when I go around the property...

RobertN in Shingle Springs Calif

Wal · Aug 17, 2001

Whew!! /w3tcompact/icons/tongue.gif You have all given me lots
to consider before I try this project tomorrow. /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif
Well, I'm going to procede REAL carefully, and if
something good doesn't happen REAL fast, then I'm
going to scrap the idea. I don't want to end up in the
hospital and I don't want to injure my nice red
Dakota!

Wal

Anonymous Poster · Aug 17, 2001

It may already be too late, but I thought I'd chime in anyway. It sounds like you have a separate tow hitch that's attached to the frame. If so, great, if not, don't try pulling that hard from the bumper. I have a LOT of experience with this kind of stuff. First, get a tow/snatch strap which has some elasticity like someone said earlier. Chains are a disaster waiting to happen! They are unforgiving and will be really hard on your pickup. Next, get a clevis with a pin, remove the trailer towing ball, and connect the clevis to that point, not where the safety chains go. Do as much digging and chopping of the roots as you have time/energy for. Then, wrap the tow strap around the stump (or clump of stumps) and feed one end of it back through the loop on the other end of the strap and connect it to the clevis. This will make the strap tighten up on the stump as you pull. Add some weight to the bed of the truck and go downhill if you can. Without 4WD it will be a struggle, but it's worth a try. Do you have snow chains? If so, they will help a lot. You never know how hard a stump will come out. It depends on the soil type, if it's wet or dry, etc. I've pulled many wheelies with tractors trying to pull stumps. Fortunately for me, now I do it with an 8000lb Warn winch mounted on the front of my Jeep. I still have to anchor the Jeep to a big tree though, or often it will just slide the whole Jeep with all four wheels dragging! Good luck and be careful, I once yanked one out with a Jeep and a tow strap, only to have it spring back and hit the back of the Jeep! Putting a heavy tarp or blanket on the over the strap will help prevent this.

scruffy · Aug 17, 2001

Not recommended to 'get a running start'. If you do not have equal pull to the frame rails, then you have an excellant chance of bending the frame.
I would agree that the proper equipment is the best way to approach your job.

Wal · Aug 20, 2001

Well guys, its Monday and the truck VS tree experiment is over. TREE 1 -----TRUCK 0. It really was not even a contest. I ended up using a 20ft. towing strap attached about three feet up on the six inch diameter oak stump. Other end of strap attached to hitch pin on the frame mounted hitch. Cut all the roots I could get to around the perimeter of the stump. Took most of the slack out of the strap and gave her a tug. Nothing. Gave it a little harder tug. Nothing. One last tug, wheels a'spinning for a couple of seconds. Nothing. Decided that the only way I was going to move that stump would be to ram it at about 50mph head on. /w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif Decided to save my truck for other purposes, like getting to work today for instance. Going to check out renting a stump grinder for my next lumberjacking session /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Bird · Aug 20, 2001

ram it at about 50mph head on

If you try that, be sure to let me know; I wanna watch./w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif My partner rammed a tree at about 40 mph one night with our squad car; didn't move the tree, but danged near killed us./w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

Bird

Anonymous Poster · Aug 20, 2001

Wal,
I know its too late now that you cut the tree, but how big were these trees? A 6" white oak sounds like a pretty good size tree to just chop down to get it out of the way. With all the new housing in my area a tree spade service would love to get a tree like that to resell. If they had customers they might come take it at no charge to you.

We have lost 3 burr oaks to storms this year, each was estimated to be over 200 years old. I have planted at least a dozen white, burr and live oaks on our property to replace those we lose, I'll never see them at full size but generations to come will.

It your property to do with as you like, I just think that sometimes there is a more eligant solution than a chainsaw. My 2 cents worth.

PitbullMidwest

pdxman · Aug 20, 2001

Wal, trying isn't neccesarily failing. You were cautious, gave it your best shot, and no damage done.

Hey, maybe the next post topic could be Dynamite vs Tree. That could be fun!

Anonymous Poster · Aug 20, 2001

Re: Truck VS Tree- or Tell me I\'m Crazy

...I haven't done this before, so tell me if I'm crazy. ...

That reminds me of a joke I heard...

A man walks into a psychiatrist's office with absolutely nothing on but cellophane wrapped around him...

The doctor looks at him and says,"I can clearly see your nuts"... Baaaaaaaaaa Booooooooooooooom

Wal · Aug 20, 2001

a tree spade service would love to get a tree like that to resell. If they had customers they might come take it at no charge to you.

PitbullMidwest,

I love trees also. I hate to cut them down unless absolutely necessary. Where my property is located, white oak and hickory trees grow like weeds and are everywhere. I would jump at the chance for some landscaping company to come and take several "in the way" oak trees at no charge to me./w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif I just don't think its going to happen.

Wal

Anonymous Poster · Aug 20, 2001

Wal,
I wish I had your problem (too many oak trees) /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif. There is a housing development near my place named "Oak Valley" that the developers cut and burned dozens on 100+ year old oaks to make room for the houses. The only oak they left behind was the one by the enterance.

The asinine part is that every homeowner must plant one tree on their lot within 5 years of completing their house.

TerryinMD · Aug 20, 2001

Developers and clear cutting - perfect sense. Plus the new home owners have to plant new trees. Good idea!!

Of course, the development is probably high density which caused the oak trees demise.

Progress!!!

Wal · Aug 20, 2001

pitbullMidwest,

Its kind of ironic, the name of that subdivision your talking about, "Oak Valley". My property is a five acre plot of land along with seven other five acre plots of land that all together is known as "Valley Oaks" /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif
Attached is a picture I took this spring before all the leaves were out. This is a view looking north in the least densely forested part. The land has a moderate slope down from the north to the south, so this view would be looking "up". In two or three years we plan on building a ranch style house with a walkout basement facing the south downslope. Big old deck off the back about ten feet off the ground so I can survey my domain while sipping mint juleps . . . . . . oops! Sorry /w3tcompact/icons/crazy.gif I was gone but I'm back now. Sometimes when I think about our plans I kind of . . . . .well, you know, daydream.

Wal

Anonymous Poster · Aug 20, 2001

Wal,

My wife's grandfather was a dairy farmer so most of the farm is pasture land with only a few stands of timber. When grandma sold us our piece of property she offered us the north pasture and the timber stand that borders it. We had plans to build just inside the timber line with a walkout and deck over looking a stream that runs through the timber. That is before the city/county engineer got involved.

The farm bourders the local airport and the engineer decided this would be a good way to get a new topograghical survey of the stream so they could determine runoff errosion from the runways. The last survey was done in the 1960's at city expense. We were told that in order to get our plat through the planning committee we would have to pay for the survey, with measurements every 6' along the length of the stream.

We said kiss our @#%$ and decided not to buy the timber, just the pasture land. Since its all part of the family farm we still get to use it to mushroom hunt and my kids play in the stream. But the thought of sitting out on the deck......

PitbullMidwest

Wal · Aug 20, 2001

PitbullMidwest,

So did you build on the pasture land? Does Granma still own the timber land? If so, could SHE (alias you) build a house on her own property without getting a new survey?

Wal

Tdog · Aug 20, 2001

Wal,

Sorry your 1st attempt did not succeed. I say again that my wife & I have taken down oaks, holly trees and gum trees larger than 6" diam. You do have to dig a bit to get at the roots. Our soil is mostly clay so it can be tough going. I keep a sharp ax & my wife helps dig. When we've got the tree down, there is a crater left, that can be a couple of feet deep. As I said, a come along attached by chain to a nearby tree will usually do the trick once the roototomy is performed.

Nothing a tractor & backhoe wouldn't solve. Sure would have saved many blisters & much time.

johnjc · Aug 20, 2001

Pulling a tree over takes quite a lot of power. You need to use leverage to help pull it out.
Say your truck can pull 1000 lb. If you hook your chain 3 foot above the root ball
you are applying 3000 foot lb of torque to the root ball.
If you use a long chain say 200 foot and connect it to the top of the tree say 21 foot up
you will apply 21,000 foot pounds of torque to the root ball with the same pull.
The long chain help prevent lifting the rear of the truck and keeps the tree from
falling on you.
John

Wal · Aug 21, 2001

johnjc,

A 200ft. chain positioned 21 feet up the tree. /w3tcompact/icons/tongue.gif My 10ft. logging chain weighs at least 20lbs, so, lets see here, according to my cal-cu-la-tions a 200 ft. chain would weigh just about 400 lbs. Drag that sucker 21 ft up a ladder and wrap it around the tree . . . . . nah, I think I'll just call the pros and watch them do it. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif Just inherently lazy I guess.

Wal

Anonymous Poster · Aug 21, 2001

Sorry to hear you couldn't pull them out. Before you "call the professionals" you might want to consider renting a backhoe. It might be cheaper and would sure be a lot more fun! Even if you've never operated one, the rental place can show you the basics. Just a thought.