Stump removal techniques? Need advice

[GeeVee]

I dropped a bunch of trees at Rancho Varano lately, and I need advice on making the stumps disappear.

What have you used?

I don't want to use my ASV and rootrake, far to hard on the equipment, and way too big a mess. I don't want to grind them, cause I aint in a super hurry, just a little hurry?

I do have a STIHL BT 45 Auger, and plenty of Ships Auger bits.

 

[pook]

dig around the roots, cut em & pull the stump.........sawzall wont suffer as bad as chainsaw

 

[603doug]

I find our cat d-6 dozer does an awfully nice job, you almost break a sweat.

 

[bundysgn]

use a backhoe or swing hoe and dig them out.

 

[TMFARM 2009]

buy some black powder and blast it out....its fun...

 

[oscar4883]

Backhoe if you don't mind a little carnage. If they are in the lawn, or other landscaped areas I would grind them. Depending on how many stumps you have it may be cheaper to have someone grind them than to rent a grinder. If you just need them low enough to mow over, you can dig around the base slightly, shave the dirty bark off with an axe, and cut them low.

 

[sachsmo]

TNT,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Dynamite!

 

[flushcut]

Cut them low with a inward angle kind of like a funnel and burry them in compost and wait it is cheap and dirty, but I would suggest a grinder.

 

[Labman]

dig around the roots, cut em & pull the stump.........sawzall wont suffer as bad as chainsaw

I have a pack of pruning saw blades for my recip saw. For small stumps, dig a circle around them with a drain spade, slicing the larger roots off with the recip saw. The drain spade is good for cleaning the dirt out around the roots and makes a fairly small trench.

Finish off with a truck and a chain. The bigger the truck, the less cutting and digging.

The D-6 sounds good if you have one.

 

[jerryw66]

I would use one of these things, but I guess that's because I own one. There are a lot of ways to get rid of stumps, none are easy and cheap.

 

[Suz]

One of the problems that you can have with grinding the stump is when it rots you will always have a "sink" hole in the lawn that you will have to keep filling with dirt.
I've got two in my yard that I've been filling and reseeding for the past 11 years.
But, I've got two other birch stumps that I've cut off even with the ground and they are still nice and solid.
Of course no grass grows on the stumps!

 

[stint]

Let 'er soak

Cut a shallow 'bowl' on the clean top of the stump; like funnel described above

fill with drain oil thinned with kero or old stale gas

Keep topped off for a spell

when last 'top off' is fully absorbed.... torch 'er off

Have a cee-gar and watch the stump go up in smoke

 

[CrappieKeith]

dupont spinners....more fun!

 

[johncinco]

The "pioneers" removed 1000's of stumps with no machines. They "popped" stumps out with simple mechanical devices and a horse. They used a tri-pod set up over the stump, chained the legs in place. A block- pulley system and some stout rope or chain. You have to be able to hook to the stump, so either a chain around it, under it, or THROUGH it is needed. Leaving a higher stump allows you to do a bore cut through, then feed a chain through the hole.

 

[mitch95100]

Black powder- is the only way to sucess with stumps
Just run fast

 

[GeeVee]

Can you guys elaborate on black powder a bit?

The stumps sit in a clay-ey sand on top of a hard pan with limestone rocks...

Digging, aint much fun.

 

[Highbeam]

I would love to know too. Since there seems to be some experience related to blasting stumps. Also, anybody that actually plucks stumps with non-diesel powered leverage, would love to see some real pics.

 

[captndavie]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SUuUzAieig

Looks pretty simple. Just apply this to a stump. And don't get blown-up.

 

[captndavie]

By the way do that at your own risk. I have never done that so I can't advise you of any proper techniques. Looks like fun though.

 

[frogy]

How much powder?

Could anyone tell us how much black powder to use? Also I have a lot of old smokeless, has anyone used it?