Smooth new trail with pine stumplets

[CoryB]

I have 25 acres that were cut prior to my purchase of the land. While most of the big stumps are still there, they are easy to locate and dig out. But the majority of the ground is now covered densely with 2-3” diameter pines.

Between my bucket and Woods mower, I can cut them down but I’m left with a plethora of short stumplets that I need to get out.

What would be the best method to get these out. The trail I’m currently working on is 1.6 miles long around the perimeter, so I can’t just dig these out. I’m trying to make it a smooth walking trail and something my grandson can ride on his atv.

At my disposal are my Deere 4044m, my neighbor’s Kubota MX2500(?), two backhoes, two brush hogs, a land plane, a small set of garden discs, a cultivator, a yard rake, a grapple, and a 4-in1 bucket.

Will some combination of these accomplish what I want to do? If so, how? If not, what do I need?

Thanks!

 

[Diggin It]

Instead of chopping them off, try the grapple or 4-in-1 to grab and pull them out. Might work better when the ground is wet/soft.

Not sure if that will work, but it will take more time.

 

[Root Cause]

I want to follow this thread as well. I bought a walk-behind stump grinder to clear some stumps as I cleared for a home site. I bought a walk-behind thinking my needs for it will outlast my need for a tractor and allow me to work in tight areas and slopes that my tractor will not go. It worked great but it's work for sure. Waiting to see what others think here as well.

 

[jyoutz]

I have 25 acres that were cut prior to my purchase of the land. While most of the big stumps are still there, they are easy to locate and dig out. But the majority of the ground is now covered densely with 2-3” diameter pines.

Between my bucket and Woods mower, I can cut them down but I’m left with a plethora of short stumplets that I need to get out.

What would be the best method to get these out. The trail I’m currently working on is 1.6 miles long around the perimeter, so I can’t just dig these out. I’m trying to make it a smooth walking trail and something my grandson can ride on his atv.

At my disposal are my Deere 4044m, my neighbor’s Kubota MX2500(?), two backhoes, two brush hogs, a land plane, a small set of garden discs, a cultivator, a yard rake, a grapple, and a 4-in1 bucket.

Will some combination of these accomplish what I want to do? If so, how? If not, what do I need?

Thanks!

Those small stumps rot pretty fast you can kick them out in about a year or two if you get much moisture

 

[EddieWalker]

If you haven't already cut the small trees down, use the backhoe to take them out. With my backhoe, I use the bucket to push the tree over, then hook the base of it and curl the bucket so it pulls the tree out of the ground all in one piece. Then I use my grapple to pick them up and carry them to the burn pile.

If you have already mowed them down and you have a bunch of spikey stumps sticking up, I would just lower the mower and mow then as short as possible and let them rot away. Small pines rot really fast.

 

[jyoutz]

If you haven't already cut the small trees down, use the backhoe to take them out. With my backhoe, I use the bucket to push the tree over, then hook the base of it and curl the bucket so it pulls the tree out of the ground all in one piece. Then I use my grapple to pick them up and carry them to the burn pile.

If you have already mowed them down and you have a bunch of spikey stumps sticking up, I would just lower the mower and mow then as short as possible and let them rot away. Small pines rot really fast.

I would leave them high, then take them out with a loader bucket in about a year when they get soft.

 

[oosik]

I thin my pine stand annually. I leave stumps from 4" to 6" high. They rot out in a couple years. Would go quicker if we got more moisture.

I've pulled small pines - 6" or less on the butt - with the grapple on my tractor. Then I have to go around with a rake and smooth out the dirt at each pulled tree.

If the teeth on your grapple mesh up closely - you might want to give this a try.

 

[mikester]

Rent one of these

you won't go back to anything else

 

[bdhsfz6]

I've had good luck pulling small trees & stumps with this brush grubber:

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/brush-grubber-original-brush-grubber-2012304?cm_mmc=feed-_-GoogleShopping-_-Product-_-2012304&gclid=Cj0KCQiA-qGNBhD3ARIsAO_o7ymkn6FY4fkbpKC9N808w9O_1z5l8V7Swcz5pKXLxafIWYYQRu3pVZ8aAk_1EALw_wcB

I chain it to my backhoe or FEL bucket and pull them out. It may not be practical though since it requires getting off the tractor for each stump. It can take a while if you have a lot to pull. Having a helper makes it go much faster.

 

[Egon]

Try the bucket first. A few teeth on it would help. If that doesn’t work switch to the backhoe And get proficient at pulling yourself backwards.

If it were not for the short stumps waiting to poke holes in the tires plowing and disking followed by a rake would work the best.

 

[Citydude]

I used a neighbors backhoe to pull out all the (small and large) stumps for my home site. Then sorted them out with my grapple then box-bladed the area smooth.

 

[rScotty]

With 1.6 miles of perimeter trail that is how many stumplets?? Thousands?
And you want it smooth enough for grandkids to learn about ATV driving?

Well, I don't think that any of the equipment you have available is going to be able to handle that in a reasonable time&effort.

If it were me, I'd hire someone local with a small bulldozer. He can simply drive around the perimeter a few times scraping most all the small trees & stumplets out of the ground & pushing them to the sides of the trail.

Once the trees are to the side, the equipment you have available will still have a lot of work to do, but it is work that tractors with a bucket and grapple are designed to do.
And probably as much fun for a grandkid as driving an ATV.
You'll be years ahead.
rScotty

 

[Deere Dude]

Give the grankids a dollar for every stump the chop out.

 

[Michelle K linnane]

These machines are incredible

 

[jeff9366]

At my disposal are my Deere 4044m, my neighbor’s Kubota MX2500(?), two backhoes, two brush hogs, a land plane, a small set of garden discs, a cultivator, a yard rake, a grapple, and a 4-in1 bucket.

Even a compact tractor Backhoe should deal with the individual 2" to 3" stumps promptly. Question is, do you want to spend the time to deal with the aggregate thousands?

Roughly fill the holes with the tractor FEL bucket, back dragging.

Follow by the Land Plane or garden disc, whichever works.

Final grading with the yard rake (?).

 

[dirttoys]

1. root em out with the hoe. 2. get a half bucket of dirt in the hoe and see if you can cut deep enough to knock them out. 3. rent mulcher or harley rake.
4. little dozer would be cool.

from least $ to most $

 

[newbury]

<snip>

At my disposal are my Deere 4044m, my neighbor’s Kubota MX2500(?), two backhoes, two brush hogs, a land plane, a small set of garden discs, a cultivator, a yard rake, a grapple, and a 4-in1 bucket.

Will some combination of these accomplish what I want to do? If so, how? If not, what do I need?

Thanks!

You left out the most important tools - the grandson, his parents and anybody else, like his friends, that might use the trail.

How good are your brush hogs?
As explained earlier on the forum:
Bush Hog Use on (2-4\") trees How do you do it?
You can often hog them down.

 

[s219]

Cut them off with about 2-3' stump remaining and pull them out with a brush grubber. This works well up to about 2-3" in my experience. Leaving the tall stump to serve as a lever helps a lot.

 

[fitter1]

That's what I do but I don't have a grubber, I use a choker chain with my bucket and they pop wright out. A helper would be nice to save time getting on and off the tractor.

 

[Gordon Gould]

1.6 miles of dense 2" to 3" pines.....What are you going to go with the mountains of slash and root balls you will have ?? How far will you have to move it ?? I think I would either hire or rent a dozer with a rake and build burn piles along the way or get a mulcher and grind it all up leaving the shredded debris in the trail.

gg