spk64
Bronze Member
I thought I would share my experiences with the Brotek Ripper and removing a stump. I had read several post of some recommending it and others not real satisfied. But no real reviews of how it really worked out on roots or the best technique using a BX24 or similar sized tractor.
I have removed smaller stumps and a couple large stumps that required excavating a large hole with the backhoe then lots of chopping with the ax and cutting with a reciprocating saw destroying a few blades.
This time I opted to try the Brotek Ripper out and see how it worked. I also went ahead and ordered a thumb also which is something I had really needed many times moving large rocks around.
I started out on the stump with just the backhoe. This let me re-live the past experiences and get a feel for how the ripper tooth worked when it arrived. This did not last long as I felt I pretty much had hit a brick wall with this stump. The roots were heavy and thick. In the past going out wider and digging a much larger hole would have been the next step. This particular stump was in our landscaping and close to the house so I had limited options. There were also septic lines to contend with.
Here is the tree before it was cut down. It was destined for removal but hurricane Ike's passing through the midwest helped push us along. The stump that was left remaining is roughly 20" in diameter.
The ripper tooth arrived last Saturday and took 5-10 minutes to install. I went right to work on the stump. It took a little while to figure out the best approach using the ripper. The BX24 being a small machine is something that you cannot overcome with any gadget so you are always limited in how much you can lift or move. I was able to quickly start getting a trench started around the stump. The small roots were easily broken and the 3-4" roots once weakened by picking away with the ripper tooth also were broken. This learning curve took a little while to learn just how much of a bite you could take with the tooth and rip away the root a little at a time. Once I had a perimiter cleared with the ripper I put the bucket back on and began clearing away some of the dirt and getting a trench cleared around the stump. Then back with the ripper to clean up any roots that were missed.
Here is where I ended up after several hours. This took a little longer than normal as swapping attachments and hauling all the dirt away took away time from just ripping into the root mass. The full diameter of the "hole" is roughly 8' to put the pictures to scale.
My goal was to remove this root with out digging to far in the yard or landscaping and as shallow as possible to avoid some pipes that are under the roots somewhere. Yes, I though about a stump grinder but we wanted to plant another smaller tree back in it's place and I was worried about grinding deep enough or worst too deep and into the pipes.
The DST kicks in and there is no day light to work in the evenings. So the amount of work getting done in the evenings is very limited. Any work getting completed is with the aux. lights added to the BX24. I have spent maybe an hour on it so far this week using nothing but the ripper tooth. I have gotten to the point where I feel its usefulness is really starting to payoff. Using the ripper tooth like a wood chisel with a whole lot of force is letting me pare away at the largest of roots and dissect the intertwined mass of roots. I should also mention that I did sharpen the tooth after the first day and apply a slight concave grind to help keep it from slipping off the smaller roots.
As you can see in this image I have ripped away a large amount of the roots on this side of the stump. The other side had even more ripped away.
Here is a large pile of the carnage from the roots. This is only a partial pile as some were already hauled away and many are buried in the dirt still being removed around the stump.
And another wider angle showing how much of the root mass has been removed.
I should have the stump out this weekend and will post a final summary of the Brotek Ripper and maybe some shots of it in use paring\chiseling away at the roots.
I have removed smaller stumps and a couple large stumps that required excavating a large hole with the backhoe then lots of chopping with the ax and cutting with a reciprocating saw destroying a few blades.
This time I opted to try the Brotek Ripper out and see how it worked. I also went ahead and ordered a thumb also which is something I had really needed many times moving large rocks around.
I started out on the stump with just the backhoe. This let me re-live the past experiences and get a feel for how the ripper tooth worked when it arrived. This did not last long as I felt I pretty much had hit a brick wall with this stump. The roots were heavy and thick. In the past going out wider and digging a much larger hole would have been the next step. This particular stump was in our landscaping and close to the house so I had limited options. There were also septic lines to contend with.
Here is the tree before it was cut down. It was destined for removal but hurricane Ike's passing through the midwest helped push us along. The stump that was left remaining is roughly 20" in diameter.
The ripper tooth arrived last Saturday and took 5-10 minutes to install. I went right to work on the stump. It took a little while to figure out the best approach using the ripper. The BX24 being a small machine is something that you cannot overcome with any gadget so you are always limited in how much you can lift or move. I was able to quickly start getting a trench started around the stump. The small roots were easily broken and the 3-4" roots once weakened by picking away with the ripper tooth also were broken. This learning curve took a little while to learn just how much of a bite you could take with the tooth and rip away the root a little at a time. Once I had a perimiter cleared with the ripper I put the bucket back on and began clearing away some of the dirt and getting a trench cleared around the stump. Then back with the ripper to clean up any roots that were missed.
Here is where I ended up after several hours. This took a little longer than normal as swapping attachments and hauling all the dirt away took away time from just ripping into the root mass. The full diameter of the "hole" is roughly 8' to put the pictures to scale.
My goal was to remove this root with out digging to far in the yard or landscaping and as shallow as possible to avoid some pipes that are under the roots somewhere. Yes, I though about a stump grinder but we wanted to plant another smaller tree back in it's place and I was worried about grinding deep enough or worst too deep and into the pipes.
The DST kicks in and there is no day light to work in the evenings. So the amount of work getting done in the evenings is very limited. Any work getting completed is with the aux. lights added to the BX24. I have spent maybe an hour on it so far this week using nothing but the ripper tooth. I have gotten to the point where I feel its usefulness is really starting to payoff. Using the ripper tooth like a wood chisel with a whole lot of force is letting me pare away at the largest of roots and dissect the intertwined mass of roots. I should also mention that I did sharpen the tooth after the first day and apply a slight concave grind to help keep it from slipping off the smaller roots.
As you can see in this image I have ripped away a large amount of the roots on this side of the stump. The other side had even more ripped away.
Here is a large pile of the carnage from the roots. This is only a partial pile as some were already hauled away and many are buried in the dirt still being removed around the stump.
And another wider angle showing how much of the root mass has been removed.
I should have the stump out this weekend and will post a final summary of the Brotek Ripper and maybe some shots of it in use paring\chiseling away at the roots.
