pulling stumps

[Foisy]

I was out pulling stumps and wondered where is the best place to connect a chain on my tractor. I have a 3pt backhoe and a FEL with quick disconnect bucket. I tried using the front bumper but bent it on the first pull. I don't want to connect to the backhoe as it isn't frame mounted. Also, if anyone has tips on stump removal. I have a group of large spruce I cut down and being they where close together the roots are tangled together. I've already put in 6 hours clearing/cutting as much of the roots as possible and don't seem to be making much headway.

Any thoughts?:confused:

[Eric McCarthy]

Rent a stump grinder and get the stumps out that way before you break the tractor in half or bend anything else you really dont want to bend. You have to understand alot of trees have tap roots that go straight down under the stump and can be rather large in size. It would be one thing to grubb and remove bushes and small trees under 12 inches in diamater with the backhoe, but anything larger then 12 inches I strongly reccomend a stump grinder.

A grinder will take the stump down to 10 or 12 inches below grade and you'll never have to worry about it groing back. Worse comes to worse find out what a professional tree company may want just to grind the stumps out. Now a days they are hurting for money and most tree company's will gladly grind just stumps at a fair price.

http://www.cactus-art.biz/note-book/Dictionary/aaa_Dictionary_pictures/Taproot_system.jpg

[Bulldog]

I just finished a job doing this very thing. I for sure understand what you are dealing with. I also have a 3pt backhoe and I worry about putting unnecessary strain on it. I felt like it would be money well spent to get a machine made for this type of work. I rented a trackhoe for all the heavy work. Not only was it better equiped to handle the job at hand but had the required speed to get it done so much faster. It had a thumb on it and that gave me the capability to grab the stumps after digging around them and lift them out of the way. It took 3 full days (12 to 15 hr) to clear the brush and trees, do the ditch work, burn the brush pile and rough in the grade work. I brought my tractor in with loader and box scrape to slick it all up. After 3 days it looked pretty good. Let it get rained on 1 time to tell where any low spots were at. Came back the first time with 4 rolls of hay. Set hay off with spear and dig more grade work with the box. Returned one more time with forks, bucket, box and seed spreader. Moved the rest of the dirt with the bucket and box then switched to the forks and spreader. Spread seed and busted the hay up. All said and done it turn out nice. My customer ended up with a little over a acre of new yard and I didn't break any of my stuff doing something it wasn't designed to handle. Knowing how I would have treated my backhoe it would have taken me weeks to do what I did in 3 days with the trackhoe. Check out the hook plates I built for my bucket though. It may be something you would like to do on yours to solve the chain hooking problem.

[Foisy]

Check out the hook plates I built for my bucket though. It may be something you would like to do on yours to solve the chain hooking problem.

I noticed these on your pics earlier and think I will do the same as I always seem to be looking for a place to hook on to.

I guess I will also reevaluate this job as it might be larger than my equipment. one stump is about 24' in diameter and I haven't even started that one. Still working on the smaller ones.

Thanks for the feedback.:)

[Eric McCarthy]

Yeah I think a stump grinder would be your best bet since you have one stump thats 2 feet in diameter.

[Sam427]

I noticed these on your pics earlier and think I will do the same as I always seem to be looking for a place to hook on to.

I guess I will also reevaluate this job as it might be larger than my equipment. one stump is about 24' in diameter and I haven't even started that one. Still working on the smaller ones.

Thanks for the feedback.:)


Unless it's on the side of a steep hill or bank, you don't have enough tractor. You have an advantage on steep hills or banks, you can dig out the low side and both sides, then get on the top side and possibly push it out. It's better to dig out around them first, and then push the whole tree over, so you have leverage. Just be careful not to dig out too much and have it fall on you.

[Bulldog]

Yeah I think a stump grinder would be your best bet since you have one stump thats 2 feet in diameter.

I'm curious about something. What do stump grinders cost in other areas. The man I just did all the work for checked on one and it was very expensive. Even with the economy so bad they still wanted $1.55 per inch. At that rate a 24" stump would cost $37.20. We stopped counting at 55 trees. A grinder would have cost a small fortune to take care of this job.

I just wanted to know if it cost that much every where?

[Eric McCarthy]

Was that price to hire a tree company come grind the stumps out or was that you guys renting the grinder and doing it yourselves??

Here's what it costs to rent a grinder in my area.
http://www.sunbeltrentals.com/equipment/equipment.aspx?itemid=0390075&catid=s364

[Bulldog]

Thanks Eric,

I checked that out. All the rental places around here don't rent grinders anymore. Something about the liability of renting one. The place you listed has a location about a 100 miles from me. It showed $265 a day for a grinder. Does that sound about right?

The trackhoe cost me $250 a day to rent it. That's close in price.

[Eric McCarthy]

Yeah thats not a bad price for grinder. Each peace of equipment has its own purpose and place in the field. Really all depends on the task at hand and what your trying to accomplish. Yeah the trackhoe is faster working on some stumps but you'll get big stumps sooner or later that the hoe cant handle. So it just all depends.

[Bulldog]

That little U 45 was a shock to me. I've operated trackhoes as light as 5500 lbs and up to 200,000 + lbs and everything in between. For it's size it was strong. I had one group of stumps where one big stump (about 18") had 4 or 5 smaller stumps around it. The roots were locked together and that little U 45 not only dug them out but was able to pick the entire wad up and walk with them to the burn pile. I had a few whole trees that were 12" to 15" and around 40' or so. It had enough mussle to pick the whole tree up and carry them as well.

Out of all the different brands that I have been on I would put the Kubota at the top of the list. Smooth, fast, strong, quiet and ran 39 hrs on 36 gallons of fuel.

[Eric McCarthy]

WOW thats pretty impressive on fuel economy. A little under a gallon an hour. What was the total bill to rent that trackhoe? I know your allowed 8 hours of clock time per day. I gather you rented it for the week.

[Bulldog]

The owner of the rental is a friend of the man I cleared the land for. He doesn't cut the rate ($250 a day) but let us have it unlimited hrs. We picked it up and took it back ourself so, $750 for rent Plus the fuel. I thought it was a great deal for such a nice machine. It even had a angle blade which came in very handy.

I was really shocked at the fuel burn rate. Very impressive for the ammount of work it will do. That is a 12,000 lb machine.

[Eric McCarthy]

Damn thats not half bad at all!

[Bulldog]

The land owner had rented the same machine one time before and he was able to run it all day for $15 to $20 of fuel a day. I guess the difference is that I just kept it under a load more than he was able to. He could dig with it but wasn't a operator if that makes sense.

[Foisy]

Just an update, I've been able to remove 4 of the stumps by digging with my 3pt backhoe as much as I could, shovel to expose as many roots as possible, cut them (axe, chainsaw) and then pull with the backhoe. I'm starting the big one (24") tomorrow using the same process. Hopefully I will put up some pics. Spent a total of 10 hours now to get out the first 4. Hopefully I can get the last 2 tomorrow. Maybe next time I'll rent a trackhoe but so far I'm doing well with my little L3240 and 3pt backhoe and some sweat. Not using a chain to pull anymore as I felt I was going to break something.

[Bulldog]

Hi Foisy,

No doubt you can get the job done with your tractor as long as you take your time. I dug a stump out with my B 7100 one time that was so big it was all my tractor and a F 350 would do to get out of the hole. I had to slope the bank like a ramp so the truck could pull it with a chain as I pulled on it with the backhoe. It took us about 8 hrs to get it out and when the city road dep. came to load it their 555 ford wouldn't pick it up high enough to load it in the back of a dump truck. Those guys never did believe us when we told them what we dug it out with.

[Eric McCarthy]

The land owner had rented the same machine one time before and he was able to run it all day for $15 to $20 of fuel a day. I guess the difference is that I just kept it under a load more than he was able to. He could dig with it but wasn't a operator if that makes sense.

Just an update, I've been able to remove 4 of the stumps by digging with my 3pt backhoe as much as I could, shovel to expose as many roots as possible, cut them (axe, chainsaw) and then pull with the backhoe. I'm starting the big one (24") tomorrow using the same process. Hopefully I will put up some pics. Spent a total of 10 hours now to get out the first 4. Hopefully I can get the last 2 tomorrow. Maybe next time I'll rent a trackhoe but so far I'm doing well with my little L3240 and 3pt backhoe and some sweat. Not using a chain to pull anymore as I felt I was going to break something.


Bulldog, yeah the operator behind the controls has alot to do with fuel efficiency and over all production of the job.

Foisy just be careful with a chainsaw in the dirt. The dirt will trash and destroy a chain faster then anything, not to mention kill the bar as well.

[Bulldog]

Bulldog, yeah the operator behind the controls has alot to do with fuel efficiency and over all production of the job.

Foisy just be careful with a chainsaw in the dirt. The dirt will trash and destroy a chain faster then anything, not to mention kill the bar as well.

Eric,
you said it about the dirt eating up a chain saw. I don't think even hitting a nail is any harder on a chain.

Fuel consumption is a very unpredictable thing. On my Cat 980 H I have burned as little as 25 gal on a slow day and up to 135 gal on a busy day. When a manufacturer rates the fuel consumption of a particular engine I don't know how they can even be close to accurate.

[Foisy]

Foisy just be careful with a chainsaw in the dirt. The dirt will trash and destroy a chain faster then anything, not to mention kill the bar as well.

I hear ya Eric, I actually get down and clear the dirt from the roots by hand before cutting them with the chain saw. I am using a reciprocating saw for smaller roots and this is working well. Key has been to clear and cut as many roots as possible. I also use a jack all to pry the stump up which allows me to find unsuspecting roots. The only snag I've run into is when I hit an irrigation line that was over a root end. Had to replace 12 feet of line but not a big deal. Thanks for the guidance. I can use all I can get.

Paul

[Eric McCarthy]

The only snag I've run into is when I hit an irrigation line that was over a root end. Had to replace 12 feet of line but not a big deal. Thanks for the guidance. I can use all I can get.

Paul

IRRIGATION???? in Canada?
What do yall pump warm water threw it to melt the snow LOL!

[Foisy]

IRRIGATION???? in Canada?
What do yall pump warm water threw it to melt the snow LOL!

Use it to clean our cars.lol

http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q119/Cyriacus/Snow%20and%20Ice%20Storms/ifeelbadforlaughingatthem.jpg

[Eric McCarthy]

HAHA yeah I've seen that pic also. Makes ya wonder why everything is covered in ice but the top of the damn trees!

[Foisy]

Actually us Canadians irrigate cause we like to play in the mud. Sorry if this is a dirty picture!:D:D:D:D

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff131/sunseedtrust/20050830Caz15.jpg

[Eric McCarthy]

Yeah Im not even going to look at that jailbait!

[Sam427]

I dug out some stumps the other day, I used the post hole digger and drilled all around the stump, then dug it out, made it allot easier.

[Eric McCarthy]

I dug out some stumps the other day, I used the post hole digger and drilled all around the stump, then dug it out, made it allot easier.

What did you use a 3pt mount post hole digger for the back of the tractor? If you did man you got lucky as hell. I was drilling a hole in my back yard one time to set a 6x6 timber in the ground for a fence post and I got the auger bit hung up on something. It stalled and shut the tractor off and I could not for the life of me lift the bit back out the ground. Took me 45 mins by hand with a pipe wrench on the PTO shaft to back the bit out the whole.

To this day I cant figure out what the hell I was hung up on, cause I was no where near any trees.

[traildust]

Eric, sounds like it tome for the cadaver sniffing dogs to pay a visit to your back yard :rolleyes:

[Eric McCarthy]

Too late now, this was 5 or 6 years ago at an old house!

[Sam427]

What did you use a 3pt mount post hole digger for the back of the tractor? If you did man you got lucky as hell. I was drilling a hole in my back yard one time to set a 6x6 timber in the ground for a fence post and I got the auger bit hung up on something. It stalled and shut the tractor off and I could not for the life of me lift the bit back out the ground. Took me 45 mins by hand with a pipe wrench on the PTO shaft to back the bit out the whole.

To this day I cant figure out what the hell I was hung up on, cause I was no where near any trees.

Yep, post hole digger on a 3 point. I just looked at where the big roots were and drilled around them, no problems.

Sounds like you may have wedged yours in some rocks. I have hit rock before and it sucks the auger down into the ground really quick. You have to ease it down in the ground and clear it often.