What Bends/Breaks First :) Stump pushing or pulling...

[sailorman]

If ya pull with a chain from the draw bar ( good method ) be sure to use strong chain and be aware if the chain breaks or slips off the stump you can get killed when chain recoils and takes off the back of your head .

 

[DaveOmak]

TMR, morning...I read thru the posts and did not see anyone mention what I am about to write.. I don't think I am duplicating anothers post.....

When pulling from the rear of any tractor, BE SURE to pull from below the axle / rearend... pulling from a point higher can and probably will flip the tractor over backwards. It can happen in an instant with deadly results...
Be safe, enjoy all those stumps...

 

[TMR]

@ sailorman and @ daveOmak...thanks for the good advice. Always somewhat dangerous around machinery...particularly so around tractors/trees and chainsaws. Wonder if anyone makes a ROPS "recoil" protector?

Also, pull pivot point needs to be remembered...TMR

 

[Combustix]

TMR If you can get an excavator I believe it works the best. You can dig stumps and pick them up and drop them to get extra dirt out of the roots. I recently got a Komatsu 135, and spent about 4 hours and pulled around 40 stumps ranging from 3" to 30" I actually could have gotten away with a smaller machine, just would have needed to dig a little more. Used the tractor to move the stumps once they were out as After 1 day you pay for hours on the machine. Just a thought.

 

[RoyJackson]

TMR, morning...I read thru the posts and did not see anyone mention what I am about to write.. I don't think I am duplicating anothers post.....

When pulling from the rear of any tractor, BE SURE to pull from below the axle / rearend... pulling from a point higher can and probably will flip the tractor over backwards. It can happen in an instant with deadly results...
Be safe, enjoy all those stumps...

A few of us recommended using the draw bar, which is mounted below the rear axle...I've never seen one mounted anywhere else.

Also, as nice as the pictures soulasphil posted...note that he wasn't using his ROPS (folded down is just about the same as not having a ROPS). Also, no rear ballast.
No reflection on soulasphil, but that's an accident waiting to happen.
Please do use that safety gear

 

[Baby Grand]

A single point "ripper" with a strong blade would seem a good tool. Is there such a thing made commercially for those of us not "skilled" enough to make our own? I assume you would have on 3 pt and set in the ground to rip on the edge roots?

Thanks...TMR

Your FEL is designed for scooping & moving material, not bulldozing. As attachments go, it is very expensive. Don't damage it doing something that can be done better with a cheaper, 3pt implement.

I think you are on a good track with the subsoiler idea. They can be had at TSC for a reasonable amount. Just be sure to get a well built one. Do a search on subsoiler and you will find that certain models have a history of bad welds. I use one and rip around the stump to bring up as many supporting roots as I can - this will make your chain/drawbar work much more rewarding.

You asked about recoil protection - I use ropes a lot and they have a bad reputation for stretching & letting go - here's what I use:




-Jim

 

[TMR]

Your FEL is designed for scooping & moving material, not bulldozing. As attachments go, it is very expensive. Don't damage it doing something that can be done better with a cheaper, 3pt implement.

I think you are on a good track with the subsoiler idea. They can be had at TSC for a reasonable amount. Just be sure to get a well built one. Do a search on subsoiler and you will find that certain models have a history of bad welds. I use one and rip around the stump to bring up as many supporting roots as I can - this will make your chain/drawbar work much more rewarding.

You asked about recoil protection - I use ropes a lot and they have a bad reputation for stretching & letting go - here's what I use:

View attachment 229195
View attachment 229197

-Jim

Thanks Jim...I like your ROPS add-on. Seems like that should help if either a rope or chain broke. I also think the ripper would be of great help...I think it might even rip the stumps right out.

Also, I think you could "work" the ripper quite hard and not damage any equipment?

Thanks for the ideas and pictures...TMR

 

[kebo]

If ya pull with a chain from the draw bar ( good method ) be sure to use strong chain and be aware if the chain breaks or slips off the stump you can get killed when chain recoils and takes off the back of your head .

Use a chainsaw and cut a small notch about 1-2" into the stump. When you wrap the chain around it, put the chain in the notch, and pull from the opposite side. The notch *should* keep the chain from popping off the stump as it moves upward.

 

[ShenandoahJoe]

Or cut a basin in the stump top with your chain saw and plant flowers in it.

Bruce claimed he was joking, but I've actually done that. The heartwood under the potting soil decays fast. A 30-inch oak stump rotted out in ten years, to the point where I took it out with a mattock. It looked nice and picturesque the whole time. Doing that with a hundred pine stumps might look kinda weird, though.

 

[tonyoz]

Why not rent/hire a stumpgrinder, no holes to fill in, no burning required etc,gets your ground to were you want it quicker without busting your gear or yourself:thumbsup: