Backhoe vs Stump Grinder

[California]

I haven't seen anyone emphasize in this thread: If you decide on the backhoe - for this and versatility on other projects - don't consider a 3-point version. You need a frame mount version designed specifically for your model tractor. (And either version is a bit of a chore to install/remove). There are posts here about a 3-point hoe ripping the back off the transmission housing. Digging, and bouncing during transport. Also there is potential to break the tractor in half just behind the engine for lack of a full length sub-chassis. A 3-point hoe is a light-duty farm accessory, not a production tool.

I use a 3-point hoe in the apple orchard to remove stumps. But these stumps are universally rotten, punky, by the time a tree falls down so they don't put up a fight like the roots from a logged healthy tree. Digging out a cavity the size of a card table will generally snap any rotten roots I encounter, and assure that a new tree isn't planted right over a gopher convention center that was likely what killed the first tree.

A backhoe is a lot more versatile than just digging stumps. Here (photo) I'm weeding around orchard trees where the disc can't reach, grubbing out blackberries and yanking out little volunteer oaks that were entwined with the apple tree roots.

For your situation, I would rent a small excavator rather than buy either attachment. Or buy an old one that can be resold for what you paid - and treat it gently so nothing expensive breaks.

 

[JimRB]

has anyone used a self-contained portable stump grinder such as Amazon.com: Powerking Stump Grinder: Home Improvement

Twice I have rented one. Twice I have been annoyed. It could be operator error but I would rather get out my mattock and axe, with a little help from my tractor loader than rent one of those little units.

 

[EmeraldCity]

I don't post here often so apologies if this isn't in line with SOP. I own a Kubota BX24 and would imagine several BX owners are reading this thread. I have just cleared 3+ acres that were heavily wooded with Cottonwood, Alder, Big Leaf Maple and Cedar. Anything less than 4" diameter I found I could cut at 3-4' and pull out with the BX or my 4WD Tundra. I tried twice to dig up the root ball with the backhoe on the BX and while successful would NOT do it again. Not only was it rough on the Kubota but took a long time. Eventually I rented a large stump grinder. It took 3 weekends of pretty steady work, but I took care of over 100 stumps. The large grinder can not only reach further into the ground but the swing is much greater. Only some of the Maples and one *****-willow had roots that extended outward along the ground. What I didn't grind up I pulled up with the BX. My hope is that with my box blade, I can use the scarifiers to rip what's left and smooth the ground, once rainy season ends around here.

Even in hindsight, renting the grinder seems the best path. The larger ones can work quickly and remove anything of concern (in most cases). I should note that I had quotes for large excavators to come and do the same work. I saved money over doing that BUT I certainly didn't if my time was factored in. But hey! I'm retired and enjoyed the work (now that it's done!).

On a side note about the BX pulling up stumps, it CAN be done but I needed two beefy guys standing on the front bucket and had to use the hydraulics a lot. :dance1:

Rich

 

[woodlandfarms]

We are clearing 40 acres. Stump grinder works great but... but... what is your future plans with the land? Stump grinders take the stump down a bit below the level of the earth but they are still there. We have had stumps reappear as earth settles.

But having watched a buddy use a back hoe to remove a stump, and watching a large excavator remove a stump, if you need them out go hire a guy with a large excavator and have him pull the stumps out. Its impressive and quick. Put them in a pile and burn next winter.

 

[crazyal]

I have a full size backhoe and I haven't found any stumps that it can't remove. That being said I would go with a stump grinder over a backhoe without thinking twice. I have an acre that's full of stumps from the hundreds I removed. It's been 10 years and they don't look like they've even started to rot. Sure it's out of the way and sight but I still had to spend the time digging them out then transporting them to where they are now. Another thing with digging them out is the roots. It's common for there to be small ones that Stick out of the ground or have broken off the stump and are in the hole that once you fill the hole in are protruding out of the ground.

Maybe your dead pines will not be a problem but I would rather just grind it up and let the chips rot. If the ground sinks a little then fill it in. That's what a tractor is for. I had lots of other work like trenching septic and power lines so the backhoe made more sense for me and my budget. I just don't think I would want to tackle a lot of stumps with a backhoe designed for a cut. That just sounds like a lot of work unless your pines were small.

 

[goeduck]

But having watched a buddy use a back hoe to remove a stump, and watching a large excavator remove a stump, if you need them out go hire a guy with a large excavator and have him pull the stumps out. Its impressive and quick. Put them in a pile and burn next winter.

Exactly. For 40 stumps, hire an decent size excavator with operator. 4 stumps per hour is a 10 hour day. Maybe 2 days.

 

[bcp]

I had a short glimpse of a large excavator clearing a house site of Douglas Fir stumps, 1 ft to 2 ft. He had a single ripper claw and a two-claw "thumb." One stroke on each side of the stump. then grab it and lift out. I was able to watch for around a couple of minutes, and he removed 5-6 stumps.

Bruce

 

[Streetcar]

has anyone used a self-contained portable stump grinder such as Amazon.com: Powerking Stump Grinder: Home Improvement

I borrowed one for a couple of stumps under 12 .works fast on pine slower but still works on hardwood

 

[IH3444]

Stump Auger. John Deere 81 and Rotor S stump grinder - YouTube

 

[frugalangler]

Stump Auger. John Deere 81 and Rotor S stump grinder - YouTube

That's one serious stump grinder right there, ya know!

 

[RalphVa]

The old fashioned way was to dig them out. I've heard of a new fashioned way of using dynamite. Ought to be some expertise out there for doing it.

Ralph

 

[California]

Stump Auger. John Deere 81 and Rotor S stump grinder - YouTube

The next vid is interesting. A little smaller. A $20k grinder that needs a 75 hp skidsteer. It takes off shavings instead of chunks like the big grinder.

Other vids on that page are interesting too. One thing I learned: attempting to burn a stump can create underground fires far away, and weeks later, as the fire moves out along the roots. One Australian said days later he dropped a wheel of a big tractor into a firepit he didn't know was there, had to get the bulldozer to to get it out and to open the other areas they discovered were warm on the surface.

 

[California]

I've heard of a new fashioned way of using dynamite. Ought to be some expertise out there for doing it.

Ralph

There is. A buddy told me he chose Stumpblasting as the unrelated elective course in his Econ degree at Oregon State.

 

[CincyFlyer]

There is. A buddy told me he chose Stumpblasting as the unrelated elective course in his Econ degree at Oregon State.

It appears that the practice of using explosives to remove stumps, however amusing, isn't well tolerated in many communities.

 

[Jstpssng]

...But having watched a buddy use a back hoe to remove a stump, and watching a large excavator remove a stump, if you need them out go hire a guy with a large excavator and have him pull the stumps out. Its impressive and quick. Put them in a pile and burn next winter.

I pulled some pretty good stumps with my old L275 and a CadPlan backhoe- not ripping them out but digging around them, slowly tearing the roots out and cutting a few of the bigger ones with a mattock. It's time consuming but fun, when I'm only dealing with a few roots.
I also reclaimed a 2 acre field which had gone back to trees. It took a large excavator about 2 days to pull and pile the stumps; the cost would have been about $2-3000, but we did some trading. I can't imagine the time it would take, nor the wear and tear on a small backhoe for a similar project.

Edit: I just reread CrazyAl's post, which raises some very good points. The excavator operator I had knew what he was doing, so I don't have all of the roots which he mentioned. The following year I was able to start tilling and didn't even find many large rocks. I do have 11 stump piles which I left to rot for a few years; The top layer of topsoil is still attached to the roots. When I get a grapple I will start tearing the piles apart, drop the rotting stumps onto a grizzly and hopefully reclaim some of that soil.

 

[JRobyn]

It appears that the practice of using explosives to remove stumps, however amusing, isn't well tolerated in many communities.

Then there's that little problem of obtaining your BATFE License and Handler's Card. And an occasional unannounced "audit" visit from the gubbmint agents.

 

[Gary Fowler]

As most posted, a stump grinder might be faster than a CUT with a backhoe especially for large trees BUT what do you do with your used stump grinder when you finish. Sell it and hope for a good price hopefully. Now a backhoe is very useful around the farm for more than pulling stumps.

If time is of essence, then I would rent/contract a large excavator to come pop them out. A large rented excavator would be much faster than a stump grinder on your tractor.
Personally I love working a backhoe/excavator so the work is enjoyable and I am retired so time is of no constraint.
I love working my little B26 digging out dead trees. Sure with a small CUT it is slow, but then what else do I have to do. I have taken down lots of pine trees up to about 24" trunk diameter. Oak stumps that large are rarely possible due to the humongous root ball. A 12" oak is about the limit for my B26.

 

[CincyFlyer]

Then there's that little problem of obtaining your BATFE License and Handler's Card. And an occasional unannounced "audit" visit from the gubbmint agents.

When I was a child, you just had to sign a book. But more than a half-century of idiots has changed things.

 

[TractorGuy]

I will throw another consideration in for purchasing an industrial backhoe. Having the separate tractor with a grapple would be icing on the cake. The problem with used backhoes are the maintenance. If you are not mechanically inclined and have to pay for repairs they could break the bank pretty quick.

My second choice and possibly the first in your situation would be to rent an excavator. For that you would want the largest excavator they have that also has a grader blade and hydraulic thumb. Make sure and buy the insurance that will cover any and all damages or repairs. For the size stumps you are talking about you could probably learn to operate and get the 40 stumps out in a week or two if you can spend that time at home working the project.

The key to digging stumps out is to DIG them out. Do NOT try to pull them. That just tears up equipment and blows hoses. Dig around and under till it falls over in the hole. Get as much dirt out of the root structure as possible before pulling them out of the hole. That will facilitate better burning and cut down on how much time it takes to fill the hole. I like to scrape the top soil up around the stump first and place it to one side. After that I start digging and put the clay to the other side. When I fill the hole in I reverse the process. You will always have more clay in the top soil than you had before you started but this method will limit the damage to your top soil.

I hear pros and cons both ways but my experience with pine stumps has been the depressions can become holes you could loose a leg in and in some cases a VW or two. I had the trees cut from 2 acres my home is on back in the mid eighties. I dug and chopped stumps by hand over the years. The longer they rotted the easier they became but some of the so called depressions were a real hazard. When I had 5 more acres clear cut a few years back I tried renting an excavator for a weekend then settled on buying a used backhoe. That is another long story but being a mechanic for many years has enabled me to make the repairs as they arise so I think I could still sell it for what I have in it or maybe a little more.

I have no idea how I was EVER able to chop and dig all those stumps by hand. I guess youth has no boundaries but old age certainly does.

 

[goeduck]

The old fashioned way was to dig them out. I've heard of a new fashioned way of using dynamite. Ought to be some expertise out there for doing it.

Ralph

The real old fashioned way.