Fun with Stumps

[Haff]

My b2601 was delivered today. The wait was finally over. Which meant I now need to learn how to use this thing. I'v never owned a tractor before and the last equipment with hydraulics I used was driving forklift 20 years ago.

I moved a little dirt and gravel around to practice the FEL a bit. No issues there, everything felt good and obvious. So now I needed backhoe practice. I started by removing a 10 inch stump. I think it took all of 12 minutes. Awesome, felt great. So I moved to the next stump behind it. A 30 inch red oak stump. I spent about 2 hours on it. I have dug around it down to a good depth breaking every root I can find, but it wont budge. Which means it must have some beefy root(s) going straight down. I'll spend some more time on it tomorrow.

I was careful to frequently change the engine RPMs so it didnt sit at the same place for too long during the early hours on the motor.

Both the front and the hoe buckets have signs of use. There is dirt on various parts of the tractor in general. All in all, a good day.

 

[Wagtail]

Good to hear. That forklift training will go a long way to operating your tractor/FEL/backhoe in a safe manner.

Low & slow + take your time.

Oh, and don't get 'cocky'!

 

[4570Man]

A 30” red oak stump probably weighs 3 tons maybe more being dug with such a little backhoe. I doubt the backhoe will ever drag it out even if every root was cut.

 

[rScotty]

A 30” red oak stump probably weighs 3 tons maybe more being dug with such a little backhoe. I doubt the backhoe will ever drag it out even if every root was cut.

That's right. I wouldn't attack a 30" red oak stump with my big machine, and it can lift 8000 lbs. 4570 Man is saying the same. Stumps can beat a good machine to death. The stress is all wrong for the hoe, and you can never get to the biggest center roots that go straight down anyway. Nor can your machine safely lift that root ball up even if you could get down there to cut the center roots. It's a trap; don't go there.

Work within the machine's capabilities. Do what it can do easily, and don't be beating it up. Stumps aren't worth it. You'll be money ahead to dig a foot or two deep area all around the stump and then cut the stump off horizontally below ground level with a big chain saw. Then fill in the hole with high dollar $$ potting soil. Last step is to unbolt the bar and chain that are now ruined by the dirt and pitch them in the trash.....maybe pitch the saw in there too. But save the slab to make a table top.

Wipe off your hands and smile because the stump is now invisible and you probably just came out money ahead.
rScotty

 

[4570Man]

That's right. I wouldn't attack a 30" red oak stump with my big machine, and it can lift 8000 lbs. 4570 Man is saying the same. Stumps can beat a good machine to death. The stress is all wrong for the hoe, and you can never get to the biggest center roots that go straight down anyway. Nor can your machine safely lift that root ball up even if you could get down there to cut the center roots. It's a trap; don't go there.

Work within the machine's capabilities. Do what it can do easily, and don't be beating it up. Stumps aren't worth it. You'll be money ahead to dig a foot or two deep area all around the stump and then cut the stump off horizontally below ground level with a big chain saw. Then fill in the hole with high dollar $$ potting soil. Last step is to unbolt the bar and chain that are now ruined by the dirt and pitch them in the trash.....maybe pitch the saw in there too. But save the slab to make a table top.

Wipe off your hands and smile because the stump is now invisible and you probably just came out money ahead.
rScotty

This stump isn’t even 30 inches and I had to make a team effort with the 19,000 pound trackhoe and my m59 because neither one could pick it up by themselves. I didn’t care to dig stumps with my 310. but I won’t dig big ones with the M59.

 

[Haff]

Here I was thinking I was just being too gentle with my new machine and tomorrow I could give it a little more oomph. But now I am getting a clear message that it likely isnt a good plan to try. Thanks.

 

[shovelmike]

I bought a DR stump grinder for about $2,000 7-8 years ago to tackle the stumps. It grinds them 6" below ground level, the rest will eventually rot away.

 

[Thomas]

Glad your new B2601 performing well and your not shy on putting it to work. :thumbsup: ...we all like pics.

 

[sandman2234]

IF... I had a backhoe and I had a stump, I would probably attack it with a vengeance! If the stump was the size of my house and the backhoe the size of a tablespoon, I would still dig it out and when I got it loose, I would wrap a chain around it and pull it out of the hole, even if I had to dig a ramp in the hole for it to come out because I had to drag it. If I decided that it was too big to drag out, once I got it dug all the way around, if safe, I would burn the stump in the hole. Kind of along the line of how to eat an elephant, one bite at a time!
David from jax

 

[Mat4644]

Saw close to the ground and place a few inches of dirt over it. If they stay damp you'd be surprised how fast they rot out. Plant flowers or ground cover on top of it.

 

[Oldpath05]

The little tractor that could....Once the stump is dug around get some block&tackle. I was impressed with how much force they can produce, course it's gonna take some rigging skill know how to know how to hook up block&tackle.......... Big Stump, Little Tractor - YouTube

 

[Haff]

The little tractor that could....Once the stump is dug around get some block&tackle. I was impressed with how much force they can produce, course it's gonna take some rigging skill know how to know how to hook up block&tackle.......... Big Stump, Little Tractor - YouTube

That looks like a lot of expensive rigging... cool though.

 

[rScotty]

Here I was thinking I was just being too gentle with my new machine and tomorrow I could give it a little more oomph. But now I am getting a clear message that it likely isnt a good plan to try. Thanks.

It's not really a question of being gentle or not. You can work it hard; that's what it's for. But do it smart. The hoe is made to dig and lift with the forces in line with the boom and dipper. Doing that all day long won't hurt it.

What you want to avoid are off-center pulling with the hoe - like when you hook a root with one edge of the bucket or just an outside tooth and try to break the root by lifting. Also you want to consider before putting a lot of force into sideways sweeping or pulling. With roots you get in those sorts of position a lot, and can end up pulling the tractor sideways, or up on one support leg, or pulling so hard that the front of the tractor comes off the ground. Everyone does that some, but a lot of that really ages the machine. You've probably already found out that the backhoe can really throw the tractor around.

Roots are tough. Better to get off and saw them through instead of repeatedly yanking on them with the hoe expecting something to break. It is surprising how a small of a root will stall the hoe. For ripping through tough stuff you can mount a big single ripper tooth instead of a bucket. That keeps all the forces in line.
rScotty

 

[Haff]

Where can I get one of those rippers? I found a bxpanded one, but it looks a little lightweight.

 

[tshep]

If it helps...
I always leave a bucket (inverted) shaped stump 4 feet or so high.
I try to define an iso. triangle, lining up with surface looking roots split, say, at my 2 outriggers or so.
I will follow a root out as far as I can spin, dig it out, keep hunting.
Once an end is in the air, break back towards the stump.
Often I can get a stump in 2 positionings.
I set the engine for the speed I wanna' work at today, rather than ultimate force - I don't think that works anyway.
Hope that helps - I enjoy it like little else anymore!

 

[diesel85]

I'm my own stump grinder... it's called an axe.

Yes it's time consuming to get it chopped up to a little below ground level, but it's the cheapest option.

I've done some pretty large stumps, and with time, it's doable.

 

[Oldpath05]

A stump bucket would be good to have on front to. Tomahawk Attachments :: Tomahawk Stump Bucket

 

[Haff]

Looks like I suck at estimating sizes. I broke out a tape measure and its only 21 inches at ground level.

Is a loader going to take the stress of a stump bucket well?

 

[Oldpath05]

The back-hoe is great for digging around and if I had a bunch of stumps a stump bucket might help more. #28 Stump Removal. Stump Bucket. Double Maple Stump. Kubota B261 Compact Tractor. outdoor channel. - YouTube

 

[Henro]

Work within the machine's capabilities. Do what it can do easily, and don't be beating it up. Stumps aren't worth it. You'll be money ahead to dig a foot or two deep area all around the stump and then cut the stump off horizontally below ground level with a big chain saw. Then fill in the hole with high dollar $$ potting soil. Last step is to unbolt the bar and chain that are now ruined by the dirt and pitch them in the trash.....maybe pitch the saw in there too. But save the slab to make a table top.

Wipe off your hands and smile because the stump is now invisible and you probably just came out money ahead.
rScotty

This^^^

Except you do not necessarily have to trash your chain and bar if you take the time to brush off most of the dirt before using your chainsaw. And you do not really need a big chainsaw for a 30 inch stump.

After digging a good number of stumps with my small backhoe, I realized (FINALLY) it is best and easiest just to dig down a bit, cut them off, and cover them. No need for potting soil in my case.