Stump removal / grinding

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wakeboarder3780

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Well some of you may know that I will be clearing a fair amount of trees to build a house and a garage over the top of. Are there any other ways to remove stumps other than renting/hiring out a stump-grinder/crew-to-stump-grind?

I'm usually a hardcore do-it-yourself'er and if I can save even a penny I don't mind doing the labor myself. What are your thoughts?
 
I'd say to leave the stumps high and just let the heavy equipment take em out when you dig your basement/foundation.

Probably the cheapest way to do it in the long run, plus running a stump grinder is not high on my list of favorite things.
 
Well some of you may know that I will be clearing a fair amount of trees to build a house and a garage over the top of. Are there any other ways to remove stumps other than renting/hiring out a stump-grinder/crew-to-stump-grind?

I'm usually a hardcore do-it-yourself'er and if I can save even a penny I don't mind doing the labor myself. What are your thoughts?

Blasting, plus it's alot more fun than grinding.
 
stump grinding will go 8 to 20 " down to build you got to pull them never grind may be you did not no that tom trees:clap:
 
stump grinding will go 8 to 20 " down to build you got to pull them never grind may be you did not no that tom trees:clap:

Translation:

Stump grinding will go 8" to 20" down. To build, you need to pull them, never grind. Although, maybe you did not know that.

tom trees

:clap:
 
I'd say to leave the stumps high and just let the heavy equipment take em out when you dig your basement/foundation.

Probably the cheapest way to do it in the long run, plus running a stump grinder is not high on my list of favorite things.

Steve's got it right, you need to cut them high and let the dozer take care of them. Very fast and probably cheaper than grinding in the long run.

We have a local stump grinder here that does stumps for $1.00 per inch. Seems like a pretty good deal and he stays very busy.

TFB
 
stump grinding will go 8 to 20 " down to build you got to pull them never grind may be you did not no that tom trees:clap:

For once I agree with Mr. trees. You can not have any tree roots, chips, or stump in your fill. You are best off to high stump the trees and have heavy equipment dig the stump loose and finish by pulling the it. If you leave any organic matter the county can make you remove the entire fill (even if it is compacted) rescreen it and relay it.

An alternative would be to drill your footings in so you can avoid the stumps.
 
When I did mine I left the stumps, rented a D6, and pushed them all up myself.

I couldn't find an operator so I taught myself how to run the D6 well enough to push up all stumps and pile them, dig a hole, move the stumps to the hole, then bury them with a few drive-overs to push everything down.

Took me about 3 hours from start to finish and was a whole lot of fun!

:cheers:
 
I'd say to leave the stumps high and just let the heavy equipment take em out when you dig your basement/foundation.

Probably the cheapest way to do it in the long run, plus running a stump grinder is not high on my list of favorite things.

That's what ya' want to do right there. WDO
 
When I did mine I left the stumps, rented a D6, and pushed them all up myself.

I couldn't find an operator so I taught myself how to run the D6 well enough to push up all stumps and pile them, dig a hole, move the stumps to the hole, then bury them with a few drive-overs to push everything down.

Took me about 3 hours from start to finish and was a whole lot of fun!

:cheers:

Yup. Learning how to drive a dozer can be a lot of fun. I learned on a D8.

JQ
 
Translation:

Stump grinding will go 8" to 20" down. To build, you need to pull them, never grind. Although, maybe you did not know that.

tom trees

:clap:

:hmm3grin2orange:


Does Tom write instruction manuals by chance? :computer:
 
Translation:

Stump grinding will go 8" to 20" down. To build, you need to pull them, never grind. Although, maybe you did not know that.

tom trees

:clap:

Thanks for the translation, I was really furrowing my brow at that one for a while ;)

Sounds like the major consensus is to leave them high and let the crew take care of them. I'm alright with that. Renting a dozer could be fun, but I doubt my ability to get the project done in any amount of time that would be reasonable. My luck I'd probably dig into a power line or gas line or something.

How long would you guys leave the stumps? About 2' ?

Thanks for all the quick responses!
 
Thanks for the translation, I was really furrowing my brow at that one for a while ;)

Sounds like the major consensus is to leave them high and let the crew take care of them. I'm alright with that. Renting a dozer could be fun, but I doubt my ability to get the project done in any amount of time that would be reasonable. My luck I'd probably dig into a power line or gas line or something.

How long would you guys leave the stumps? About 2' ?

Thanks for all the quick responses!

None of my stumps were any higher than 2', and some were only about 1' tall. The intent is to give the blade something to push against, so 2' should be plenty.

If you end up trying it yourself (it is really quite easy to do), see if the utility companies will come out and mark any lines on or near your work area. I guess it must be cheaper than fixing broken lines, because every company that I asked was very willing to come out and mark their lines before I started. They spray painted the ground where the lines were and also did up a rough sketch on paper.

HTH
 
Thanks for the translation, I was really furrowing my brow at that one for a while ;)

Sounds like the major consensus is to leave them high and let the crew take care of them. I'm alright with that. Renting a dozer could be fun, but I doubt my ability to get the project done in any amount of time that would be reasonable. My luck I'd probably dig into a power line or gas line or something.

How long would you guys leave the stumps? About 2' ?

Thanks for all the quick responses!

Around here it's the law to Call before you dig.......
 
It was a joke. Digging is a hassle I don't want to deal with. Don't worry, I'm not going to go off digging in random places until i smell funky fumes and then celebrate by lighting up a cig. -> :blob2:

But seriously now, is 2 feet sufficient for stump height?
 
2' should be good, I have generally cut trees that will be dozed at waist height, so maybe 2.5'-3' tops and it has worked well. If the dozer is a small one, the higher the better for more leverage, but with a large dozer or an excavator, anything high enough to get a grab should be ok.

As said before, have utilities marked. It's the law in WI as well, and costs you nothing. Number is 800-242-8511, I believe that is statewide, but if not just look up Diggers Hotline in your phone book. They will generally have everything marked within 48 hours after you call. Remember how far roots can be from the stump as well. Not only are gas and electric lines dangerous, but fiberoptic phone lines are HE%$ for expensive and you don't want to cut one!
 
2' is plenty, but you might want to talk to whoever is going to be doing the site work. Make sure they include the removal of those stumps in their price, on the East Coast that price tag can get to be +10K without batting an eye.

Can't tell you the number of times we were called in to removed a pile of stumps after a construction/pool was done. Back end of a pool, no way to get equipment there...bring in a big crane and life, haul and charge...oh boy did we charge :)

Depending on how they are going to dispose of the stumps any will want them cut as low as possible, with a big enough dozer they don't need the leverage. If they are using an Excavator they will want them high to pull. If they are paying by the tonage, you do not want the bill for that extra 2' of wood.
 
Sounds like when I cut I will cut them pretty high (3' or so). In 2-3 years when we might actually be contracting the work out, I can ask the specifics of the removal and what they need/prefer. At that point I can always cut them shorter.
 
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