Burning Stumps - feasible or a pipe dream?

[Currently]

I own an acre lot that had 16+ trees die after the house was built due to root damage from underground utilities and heat stress from the drought we have been getting for the last 4 summers.

I do have enough experience cutting pulpwood and firewood in my younger days where I felled the the trees I was confident in handling. I hired an arborist with a cherry picker bucket truck for the trees that needed to come straight down.

Looked into renting a stump grinder but the size they rent and the hourly rate with its lowend capability make it a wash whether to hire a professional with a big stump grinder.

I have ruined a couple of chains deliberately bringing the stumps down to ground level but still can't get the lawnmower over the root/crown of the big stumps.

Wood is oak and hickory with one popular.

What I want to do is to use a new chain to carve a cross grid on the surface of the stump about 3 -4 inches deep. Buy some paraffin blocks and wedge them in the grooves. Soak it with diesel fuel and burn them down below ground level.

Open fire permits will be available in a month and planning to do this once I get a permit.

Most of these stumps are 4 years old.

Anyone have comments to make?

 

[yooper]

I would go with contracting a stump grinder right off the bat. he may charge you more when he has to grind a bunch of black burnt stumps.

 

[derwoodii]

Yer give one a go pile on some timber and burn it to coals.
If it fails save $ for stumper contractor.
Alternative methods.
Often an axe shovel and some effort will sort a stump, good exercise if anything else. These stumps do sound a tad big for that consider a shovel and Tungsten chain http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?t=105193 clear the roots cut em n pull stumps with a winch etc,
All these are high effort and in the end not much cheaper if you value your time than a good chap with the right stumper at the right price.

 

[Currently]

Yer give one a go pile on some timber and burn it to coals.
If it fails save $ for stumper contractor.
Alternative methods.
Often an axe shovel and some effort will sort a stump, good exercise if anything else. These stumps do sound a tad big for that consider a shovel and Tungsten chain http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?t=105193 clear the roots cut em n pull stumps with a winch etc,
All these are high effort and in the end not much cheaper if you value your time than a good chap with the right stumper at the right price.

So what I am hearing is burning is not very effective.

The stumps would burn by themselves, I don't have a lot of waste to pile on top to help the burn. That is why the paraffin wax and diesel fuel.

Right now, the problem ones are about 3 inches above ground surface and big. The hickory is almost a meter at its widest point.

Just trying to get them at or below ground surface is my goal.

 

[BlueRidgeMark]

So what I am hearing is burning is not very effective.

The stumps would burn by themselves, I don't have a lot of waste to pile on top to help the burn. That is why the paraffin wax and diesel fuel.

Right now, the problem ones are about 3 inches above ground surface and big. The hickory is almost a meter at its widest point.

Just trying to get them at or below ground surface is my goal.

I wouldn't bother with the parafin. If the diesel doesn't do it, the parafin won't.


On another thread, someone recommended putting a bag of charcoal briquettes on top. Soak with diesel, let sit a few weeks, then a pile of briquettes, more diesel, and a match.

I plan to try it on a few of my own.

 

[BryanEx]

Currently... I deal with the same issue when pushing new trails through my sugar bush. The route I take is to dig out around the stump to allow enough room for my chain saw, cut just below the surrounding ground level, then backfill to level things out. It ain't fast or effortless but it is free and my 60" finish mower clears them just fine. I'm always concerned about burning stumps that have not been dug out due to root fires and the length of time they can burn.

 

[oscar4883]

I've gone to jobs with axe hacked stumps, burnt stumps, and stumps with copper pipe sticking out of them. You can get them out without grinding but it seems most give up and have them ground. If you are just needing to mow over them try digging out around the stump, shaving the bark and cleaning out the dirt with an axe. Get yourself a loop of semi-chisel chain and see what happens. I'm in a rurual area but the guys I know that work in the city usually have to leave a stump that can be mowed over.

 

[Currently]

I've gone to jobs with axe hacked stumps, burnt stumps, and stumps with copper pipe sticking out of them. You can get them out without grinding but it seems most give up and have them ground. If you are just needing to mow over them try digging out around the stump, shaving the bark and cleaning out the dirt with an axe. Get yourself a loop of semi-chisel chain and see what happens. I'm in a rurual area but the guys I know that work in the city usually have to leave a stump that can be mowed over.

I got too many to dig out and the worst ones are BIG. The root system/crown is elevated and is creating problems with the mower.

4 of them are flush with the ground with the mower going over them with no problems.

BryanEx ... I am not worried about root system fires, they are well away from any dwelling.

Tungsten chain may be an option. Can Bailey's custom build one for me without my buying a reel?

I think my my F350 dually might have the torque to pull one out of the ground if the root system was cut properly.

Unfortunately that is not an option for the big hickory stump.
That stuff is worse than rock maple!
(originally from northern maine)

 

[oscar4883]

Tungsten-carbide chain? I got a price on some of the Stihl carbide chain and it was crazy expensive. If you end up renting a grinder make sure the teeth are sharp as rental places often send out stumpers with teeth that are shot. I can appreciate wanting to save some money and do something on your own. However, factor in your many hours of work, rocked chains, possible damage to your truck, and compare that to some estimates you get from guys that grind.

 

[Currently]

Tungsten-carbide chain? I got a price on some of the Stihl carbide chain and it was crazy expensive. If you end up renting a grinder make sure the teeth are sharp as rental places often send out stumpers with teeth that are shot. I can appreciate wanting to save some money and do something on your own. However, factor in your many hours of work, rocked chains, possible damage to your truck, and compare that to some estimates you get from guys that grind.

I already decided I am not going to rent one for the reasons you specified plus the time that it takes to do it with a crappy grinder versus the hourly cost. I rather a pro do it with their equipment, it will be cheaper in the long run.

With over 16 stumps to get rid of, I am trying to minimize that cost with whatever alternatives I can. I don't mind putting a bit of work into it if I have to.

 

[oscar4883]

Wise move for sure. If you have any big rocks out of the way and are ok with the grindings laying wherever the end up, then you should get a good rate. Good luck with it.

 

[ZeroJunk]

If they are dry enough you can set a 55 gallon drum or similar on top of them with the bottom cut out and some air holes on the side, take self lighting charcoal, pile on top and light it. You will get it eventually.

 

[Currently]

If they are dry enough you can set a 55 gallon drum or similar on top of them with the bottom cut out and some air holes on the side, take self lighting charcoal, pile on top and light it. You will get it eventually.

I like this! It will work with the smaller ones that I can't cut/dig out.

 

[ddhlakebound]

The problems with burning underground are that air doesn't flow so well through dirt, and heat tends to rise instead of fall.....

So you'll spend alot of time, and a lot of accelerants, with minimal effect.

Just grind 'em...

 

[rarefish383]

If they are dry enough you can set a 55 gallon drum or similar on top of them with the bottom cut out and some air holes on the side, take self lighting charcoal, pile on top and light it. You will get it eventually.

I've actually seen this done with just the charcoal, without the drum, and it worked pretty well. I burned out a big Oak stump on my farm, in front of my trailer, by having little camp fires on top of it. It took about 3 years. The campfires were small enough that we sat next to them for a couple hours eating peanuts and sipping a cold one. Maybe 2 nights out of 4 that we were on the farm. Total burning time was probably less than 15 hours, Joe.

 

[lego1970]

My neighbor and I just tried that last weekend. I got rid of my stump grinder awhile back, before I took down his tree. This stump was from last year so it was good and dry. It was a maple stump about 3' in diameter and about 4" above the ground. I scraped out the dirt around the flare real good so the fire could get more oxygen. We built a real good hot fire on top of it with other firewood, then sat around and drank all night. We kept a real good fire on it for a solid 3-4 hours then let it smolder out over night. The next morning we cleaned out all the ashes and a lot of it was gone. I had to hit some of the root flares with a an axe and it didn't get as deep as a stump grinder, but I think it's low enough that he'll be able to get dirt over it, plant some grass and be able to mow it next year. I was pleasantly surprised how good it worked, however like I said the stump was good and dry. Good luck.

 

[Currently]

My neighbor and I just tried that last weekend. I got rid of my stump grinder awhile back, before I took down his tree. This stump was from last year so it was good and dry. It was a maple stump about 3' in diameter and about 4" above the ground. I scraped out the dirt around the flare real good so the fire could get more oxygen. We built a real good hot fire on top of it with other firewood, then sat around and drank all night. We kept a real good fire on it for a solid 3-4 hours then let it smolder out over night. The next morning we cleaned out all the ashes and a lot of it was gone. I had to hit some of the root flares with a an axe and it didn't get as deep as a stump grinder, but I think it's low enough that he'll be able to get dirt over it, plant some grass and be able to mow it next year. I was pleasantly surprised how good it worked, however like I said the stump was good and dry. Good luck.

Thanks everyone, I am going to try one stump first and see how that goes.

The worst one is the hickory one, may start with that one, it is in a good place for a "campfire".

 

[jlangton]

Post hurricanes Rita and Ike, I had several stumps that needed removed. They were oak varieties and a couple of Chinese tallow trees. They will burn. It's a S...L...O...W process and takes patience, but a good soaking with diesel fuel and some patience will get and keep them burning. The oaks did far better than the tallows of course, but they burn slow-really slow. I kept the fires going by adding brush and limb trimmings from the fallen trees, and once there was a good bed of coals on and around the stump base it was self-sustaining until the majority of the stumps were gone.
JL

 

[HorseShoeInFork]

Wouldn't waste my time burning, yanking, tearing my truck up, ruining chains, throwing my back out, etc. Grind them and be done with it right the first time. You will thank yourself later.

 

[Don't-B-Stumped]

Wouldn't waste my time burning, yanking, tearing my truck up, ruining chains, throwing my back out, etc. Grind them and be done with it right the first time. You will thank yourself later.

he's right, of course i grind so i'm biased. you should be able to get a good deal right now because of the economy. people are begging for work. i haven't ground a stump in 3 weeks. of course, i'm nowhere near your area or i'd give you a good deal.