Twisting Stumps out of Ground?

[Suburban Plowboy]

I still have two rocks that don't want to move. Wondering if I should drill deep holes in them, epoxy eye bolts in place, connect a come-along to a nearby tree, and pull.

 

[radios1]

I still have two rocks that don't want to move. Wondering if I should drill deep holes in them, epoxy eye bolts in place, connect a come-along to a nearby tree, and pull.

it's easy to split even extremely large boulders. then they are much lighter. a few ideas here. rock splitting - Google Search

 

[Suburban Plowboy]

That Google search isn't actually very helpful. It links to sites showing people doing things considerably harder than what I'm already doing, with things like diesel compressors and jackhammers.

 

[radios1]

That Google search isn't actually very helpful. It links to sites showing people doing things considerably harder than what I'm already doing, with things like diesel compressors and jackhammers.

all you need to do is drill a few holes in the boulder, and then hammer in a few special wedges evenly, and the boulder splits. or you could use the special expanding compound..

 

[Suburban Plowboy]

The problem with that is that you're stuck with two big boulders anchoring each other in the ground. They would still have to be lifted out, and the tractor does a bang-up job of that without splitting them. As it stands, I have to dig around the rock, loop a strap around it, and pull. To split it, I would have to dig around it, get down in the dirt with a rotary hammer and drill holes in it, beat wedges and feathers into them, and then pull the still-large pieces out. You can see that's a lot more work, and when it's over with, I have disfigured rocks I can't sell or use for landscaping.

I could see splitting a rock too big for the tractor, but it doesn't seem to make sense for rocks like the one in the photo.

 

[California]

I take out a few stumps in the orchard every year. That's what the 3-point backhoe is for.

1) Dig in a # pattern - each side of the stump, move the tractor, repeat. This will reveal which direction the lateral roots go.

2) Park the backhoe in line with principal roots, and a few feet out. Dig a trench straight down the line of each lateral root to uncover it, back to where its thin enough to snap off.

3) Dig down a second pass, close to the taproot to break its adhesion to the soil.

4) Pull the stump over with the backhoe to break it loose, then drag it out.

The reason to get the entire stump out, instead of poisoning or burning it, is to replant an orchard tree at the same grid location. I don't want rotten wood under the new tree. Equally important, I want to disrupt the gopher palace - nesting beds filled with nice soft fine grass and roots - that I often find under a stump.

 

[radios1]

I take out a few stumps in the orchard every year. That's what the 3-point backhoe is for.

1) Dig in a # pattern - each side of the stump, move the tractor, repeat. This will reveal which direction the lateral roots go.

2) Park the backhoe in line with principal roots, and a few feet out. Dig a trench straight down the line of each lateral root to uncover it, back to where its thin enough to snap off.

3) Dig down a second pass, close to the taproot to break its adhesion to the soil.

4) Pull the stump over with the backhoe to break it loose, then drag it out.

The reason to get the entire stump out, instead of poisoning or burning it, is to replant an orchard tree at the same grid location. I don't want rotten wood under the new tree. Equally important, I want to disrupt the gopher palace - nesting beds filled with nice soft fine grass and roots - that I often find under a stump.

pool shock, which is extra strength chlorine works better.. BTDT..

 

[California]

pool shock, which is extra strength chlorine works better.. BTDT..

How long to wait before replanting there?

 

[4get gto]

How long to wait before replanting there?

I know I spilled pool shock on my grass and it ain't growing nothing for the next year...

 

[Ortimber]

I have a LOT of stumps. I have a dozer, an excavator, and now a stump grinder.

By far, the stump grinder has proven to be the best weapon for making these nasty things disappear. If I were the OP, I’d see about renting a skid steer w/ a stump grinder for a weekend and go to town.

The stump in the picture was from a 100 year old Douglas fir tree. I didn’t measure it, but it was about 3ft across. Including grinding the roots, this was gone in about 35 minutes. I ran my landscape rake over the mess a couple of times and it’s ready to throw grass seed on.

 

[California]

I know I spilled pool shock on my grass and it ain't growing nothing for the next year...

Ok, that doesn't sound suitable for an orchard, garden, or decorative landscaping.

 

[Doofy]

Drag that rock to the end of the driveway and put a For Sale sign on it. Someone must need a nice rock.

 

[radios1]

How long to wait before replanting there?

a few days is enough. https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/ToxProfiles/tp172-c6.pdf

 

[Ortimber]

Drag that rock to the end of the driveway and put a For Sale sign on it. Someone must need a nice rock.

Is there really a market for rocks?? If so, I might be rich!!

 

[radios1]

Is there really a market for rocks?? If so, I might be rich!!

well, the clear one's and the gold colored one's at least, and the one's that glow green at night..

 

[Ortimber]

well, the clear one's and the gold colored one's at least, and the one's that glow green at night..

Darn, I don’t have any of those.

 

[Suburban Plowboy]

I think it's time to backpedal RE rock splitting.

I dug around the rock until I uncovered a mass about the size of a card table, and I don't think I've reached the end of it. Attaching a strap again got me nowhere. I decided to take out my rotary hammer and see how hard it was to drill. The rock is very strange. In some places it's like flint, and in others, it's like sandstone. Anyway, it doesn't take too long to bury a 1/2" bit 18" long. I also tried a chisel bit, and because the rock is so brittle, even the hard parts carve readily. Really weird.

Because the rock has relatively thin parts that stick out in various directions, I think splitting it is a viable option. I wouldn't be left with a huge cracked more or less spherical rock I still had to dig out. I would have odd shapes that aren't hard to put a strap on and pull out.

I am surprised to find out how much energy a big tow strap can store. First time I tried to pull the rock out, the strap came loose, and the end sailed right by me.

 

[radios1]

I think it's time to backpedal RE rock splitting.

I dug around the rock until I uncovered a mass about the size of a card table, and I don't think I've reached the end of it. Attaching a strap again got me nowhere. I decided to take out my rotary hammer and see how hard it was to drill. The rock is very strange. In some places it's like flint, and in others, it's like sandstone. Anyway, it doesn't take too long to bury a 1/2" bit 18" long. I also tried a chisel bit, and because the rock is so brittle, even the hard parts carve readily. Really weird.

Because the rock has relatively thin parts that stick out in various directions, I think splitting it is a viable option. I wouldn't be left with a huge cracked more or less spherical rock I still had to dig out. I would have odd shapes that aren't hard to put a strap on and pull out.

I am surprised to find out how much energy a big tow strap can store. First time I tried to pull the rock out, the strap came loose, and the end sailed right by me.

tow straps, ropes, and chains can all kill you!..

 

[goeduck]

tow straps, ropes, and chains can all kill you!..

^^^^ yes, very easily. Not something to take lightly.

 

[Suburban Plowboy]

I would be so much safer if someone would just give me a bulldozer.