Pushing small stumps into the ground

[joecoin]

I've been dealing with a thousand and two tiny stumps. They are three inches in diameter maximum. I started a thread about it under the "Rural living" sub forum a while back and got some good advice.


As I was beating some of the stumps in to submission with the sledge hammer, I had a brilliant idea.

Build a hydraulic ram that would push downward and shove the stumps into the soil. Same as hitting them with the sledge hammer.

I know as much about hydraulics as I know about opera (not much).

How much force (how large of a ram and how much hyd pressure) would be required to match the force of a sledge hammer blow?

I notice a recent thread here about post pounders. They are too expensive for me. Can I use a ram that would utilize the weight of my tractor to slowly shove the stumps into the ground?

 

[Egon]

If you have a loader on the tractor you already have at hand all the downward force you can get.

 

[CobyRupert]

Pounding them into the ground with a sledge hammer actually worked??

 

[radios1]

I'd use either a stump grinder, or just pull them out with a loader, they'll rot under the ground after time, and leave a depression, it's better to get them out..

 

[joecoin]

Pounding them into the ground with a sledge hammer actually worked??

Yeah, if I hit them dead on a lot of them went into the ground with one blow.

Trouble is, I'm 60 years old and after a couple dozen my back went on strike.

 

[joecoin]

I'd use either a stump grinder, or just pull them out with a loader, they'll rot under the ground after time, and leave a depression, it's better to get them out..

Yeah, I know I should use a grinder but I don't have one and I don't want to rent a small one, too much physical labor on my old bones. That leaves a large grinder, which would be over kill, but maybe the answer. Just seems like a lot of work to move a large grinder every time for a 2 inch stump?

Don't have a loader with enough power to pull them out.

My original post in the other sub forum was asking in anyone ever used a debarker to grind small stumps. Never got an answer to that question, but did get a lot of advice, for which I am thankful.

 

[joecoin]

If you have a loader on the tractor you already have at hand all the downward force you can get.

How about running a hyd pump with its own fluid reservoir off the PTO?

 

[motoman3b]

Best to pull them out before the trees cut, get a chain up about 6-8ft up the tree and use it for leverage you'd be surprised how big of a tree you can pull out stump and all this way I use my truck in 4 low if my tractor dont have enough grunt

 

[CincyFlyer]

Yeah, I know I should use a grinder but I don't have one and I don't want to rent a small one, too much physical labor on my old bones. That leaves a large grinder, which would be over kill, but maybe the answer. Just seems like a lot of work to move a large grinder every time for a 2 inch stump?

Don't have a loader with enough power to pull them out.

My original post in the other sub forum was asking in anyone ever used a debarker to grind small stumps. Never got an answer to that question, but did get a lot of advice, for which I am thankful.

Around here, you could rent a tracked stump grinder for $175/day (and if you get it Saturday you keep it until Monday) which would be an easy walk-behind job to knock out your stumps.

 

[Gary Fowler]

Don't have a loader with enough power to pull them out.

I would think that something must be wrong with your loader if it wont pull out a 2" tree. I pulled them that size with my Kubota RTV900 easily. Except for the driving back and forth and dragging a chain for each tree, there was no problem yanking out 2-3" trees. The larger ones, I just hooked the chain higher for additional leverage and they usually came right out.
Getting my B26 TLB with the hydraulic thumb though really made short work of removing my sweet gum thicket and stacking the trees for burning. If I had hundreds or even thousands of tree stumps to remove, I would look at renting a small TLB for a weekend. Get one with a hydraulic thumb and you can just clamp then with the backhoe bucket and lift them right out without digging a big hole. You can set up and do a 10 foot semi-circle before having to raise the outriggers and move. On my B26, I have a rod that I use to reach the HST pedal so I don't have to move from the backhoe operator position in order to relocate.

 

[bigdeano]

I don't think your Steiner is heavy enough to push a stump into the ground. If you had a 10k lb tractor, sure that would work.

 

[radios1]

I don't think your Steiner is heavy enough to push a stump into the ground. If you had a 10k lb tractor, sure that would work.

also, if it was, he would be making the ground unusable for anything but grass. you can't till it or plow it for planting, and those stumps will many times sprout a new tree.. sometimes they just don't want to die..

 

[k0ua]

Keep in mind a hydraulic ram has to have something to push against to do any kind of work. What huge heavy device were you planning on attaching your hydraulic ram to so that it might push the stump into the ground?. A small tractor is not going to do it. The ram will simply lift the tractor..You are going to need an awful lot of weight to push even a small stump into the ground. I think this idea is a non starter for you.

 

[CobyRupert]

^
:thumbsup:

 

[aczlan]

We recently got a single tooth ripper/subsoiler which does good of ripping out tree stumps.
It had no problems with 4" stumps (or 2" roots on larger stumps) when pulled behind our L3830.

CountyLine Subsoiler at Tractor Supply Co.
We did have to replace the lower link pins as the sleeves slid up and were sloppy.

Aaron Z

 

[deezler]

I have never heard of a person manually sledgehammering stumps into the ground. Have someone take a video of you doin that, k?

Agree with the others, get the stumps out. Stop cutting them off at ground level, and you can lever them out if you have a loader. A chain and brush-grubber would make easy work of 2-3" trees also.

 

[Thomas]

Not sure the lay of your land but I would thing some kind of ripper would do better...be gone once and for all... just go slow.

 

[k0ua]

If you had left 6 inches to a foot of stump sticking up the attachment* I made for my grapple would pull/lever them out in seconds all from the comfort of your tractor seat. No getting off to hook up brushgrabbers or 2nd person needed. BUT since they are flush with the ground, you are going to need something to get them up out of the ground. ripper/tooth, potato plow. something.

*
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...ush-grabber.html?highlight=grapple+attachment

 

[joecoin]

I don't think your Steiner is heavy enough to push a stump into the ground. If you had a 10k lb tractor, sure that would work.

also, if it was, he would be making the ground unusable for anything but grass. you can't till it or plow it for planting, and those stumps will many times sprout a new tree.. sometimes they just don't want to die..

I had a feeling the Steiner wold be too light.

These trees/bushes send out runners and grow within 6 inches of each other. The land was farm field until about 27 years ago, these things took over since then. The stumps will sprout new growth but where I am cutting them is going to become a recreational ares, so I am just mowing over the new growth. Need to remove the stumps as they are a trip hazard.

 

[joecoin]

I have never heard of a person manually sledgehammering stumps into the ground. Have someone take a video of you doin that, k?

Agree with the others, get the stumps out. Stop cutting them off at ground level, and you can lever them out if you have a loader. A chain and brush-grubber would make easy work of 2-3" trees also.

Don't have a video cam, other wise I would film it. You can certainly try it for yourself. Make sure the ground is wet/muddy and use a 6 pound sledge.