Need Advice on Ag-tractor Backhoe-based Stump Removal

[Dougster]

I'm looking for experience and advice that could help me to expedite the removal of a gaggle of new and existing oak tree stumps... typical diameter 12" to 18"... some sticking up, some near level with the ground... with my Bradco 509 backhoe. I'm getting the impression that I am not using the best technique or at least taking too long and making too much of a mess digging them out. Folks have posted here about stump removal being the hardest thing you can do with an aggie tractor backhoe and that it is a task better suited to medium to large track excavators. I believe that... but I can't afford a track excavator and one couldn't easily get into my back yard anyway.

Besides ideas on BH stump removal technique, I'm looking for ideas regarding supplementary equipment that could be bought or rented to help the process along. While I have two chain saws... one electric and one gas... I probably could use a larger, longer chain saw as a start. But the chains and bars get ruined so dang fast, it doesn't seem particularly time or cost efficient. More specifically, I'm wondering if I should buy or rent something like a Bosch Brute jackhammer (or similar) with a wide cutting bit. Does that make any sense? Or am I on the wrong track?

Anyway... any and all ideas and recommendations appreciated!

Dougster

 

[Raddad]

Why not just rent a stump grinder. The hole you need to repair is much smaller than digging them out and it's faster, to say nothing about the fun of running a stump grinder.

 

[schmism]

when performing the process on smaller "hand sized" version i figure the same method can be scaled up with a BH.

For my 6" ish stumps i dig around them by hand (with a tile spade/sharpshooter)
large roots i cut with an ax. Then i hook them up to the tractor and yank on them. it will either expose were i need to cut more roots (by hand) or get yanked out.

gennerally the more digging on the front end the less yanking on the back end.

Ive found this to be a good mix of both digging them out and pulling them out (quick).

while neither method will result in a min of distrubed ground, with a little work to smooth things out, the removal evidence will dissapear in a couple of weeks.

if min disturbance is a key, then go with a stump grinder.

 

[Dougster]

Why not just rent a stump grinder. The hole you need to repair is much smaller than digging them out and it's faster, to say nothing about the fun of running a stump grinder.

For 31 years, every stump I have ever had ground down has turned out to be a lasting nuisance and eyesore in my lawn. One of the main reasons I originally bought this particular tractor/loader/backhoe was so that I would never have to grind a stump ever again. My old man always did it right. He paid someone with a backhoe to dig them all out. Instant end of problem! That's why his lawn is level and perfect today... while my yard is a bumpy, uneven mess.

But to further explain my currrent project, the entire back yard needs to be cleared and re-graded. Given the extent of the planned re-grading, I don't think grinding would be practical.

Dougster

 

[Dougster]

when performing the process on smaller "hand sized" version i figure the same method can be scaled up with a BH. For my 6" ish stumps i dig around them by hand (with a tile spade/sharpshooter) large roots i cut with an ax. Then i hook them up to the tractor and yank on them. it will either expose were i need to cut more roots (by hand) or get yanked out. gennerally the more digging on the front end the less yanking on the back end. Ive found this to be a good mix of both digging them out and pulling them out (quick). while neither method will result in a min of distrubed ground, with a little work to smooth things out, the removal evidence will dissapear in a couple of weeks. if min disturbance is a key, then go with a stump grinder.

My newbie technique is obviously evolving, but I started with the usual "dig down both sides and then turn 90 degrees" approach... using one or both chain saws (depending on location and wetness) as necessary to cut the larger exposed roots. Then I try to get close enough to get down underneath and pop it with the bucket. I wish my bucket or bucket teeth had a sharp cutting edge for hitting those roots, but they don't. The bottom line is that I find myself doing much more "off-tractor" work and chainsaw maintenance than I expected and... with one useless bad arm... this is slowing me down a lot. Hence my quest for a better technique and/or lower maintenance device than a chainsaw in dirt & mud for dealing with those dang roots.

Dougster

 

[Willl]

One of my first projects w/ my 790/BH was stump removal.
Big douglas firs, with roots the size of small trees.

My tools; BH, chainsaw and the garden hose.
I would dig down below the root on both sides, then using garden hose nozzle, blast under and around the root till clean. Fire up the chain saw and slice and dice.

Even using this method, I still went thru a few blades for every stump. Darn rocks.

 

[EddieWalker]

There's no easy way to do it. You just need to keep digging until enough dirt is removed for the stump to come loose. No need for chainsaws or getting of the tractor, just take out more dirt. I've seen posts with pictures here of others with the same problems, and in every case, they give up digging and go at it manually.

Keep digging with the backhoe. Do both sides like you mentioned, but maybe go deeper. If you can, try to dig under the stump a little as you dig along the sides. Then change positions and dig the other sides. I've found that if it doesn't break free from the position your parked, changing position again works. For whatever reason, there is always one direction that is much weeker than any other. There is also a certain distance from the stump that you get more power from you backhoe than any other distance. You need to know what that distance is so you can get the full force of your hydraulics. Too close or too far wont do anything, but when your in the right spot, you can just pop them loose.

If the side roots are too thick, go out farther and work your way in. A large root will break easy if there's no dirt around it, but if it's still solid in the dirt, it takes a massive amount of power to cut them. Roots are not like branches, they are soft and flexible, you just need to get them loose first.

Did down deep next to the root. Each species is different, but oaks are in the not too bad catagory. Pines with large tap roots are the worse!!! Cedars are about the easiest.

Make a big hole, it's just dirt and it goes right back in easy enough. It's also the area you'll have the best growth when your all done because you've turned the soil so well and new grass or plants will do very well there. Kind of like disking or tilling the soild to the extreme!!!

I've spent a few minutes on a stump all the way up to an hour. I've taken out hundreds of stumps and thousands of trees. It's just a matter of sticking with it.

Good Luck,
Eddie

 

[Dougster]

Even using this method, I still went thru a few blades for every stump. Darn rocks.

I assume you mean chainsaw chains and/or bars. Yes, I seem to dull and ruin them as fast as I can sharpen or buy new ones. And it doesn't matter how big or small the stump is. It's all about the dirt, mud and imbedded rocks.

Is this just a fact of life? Or do you think there may be some sense to using an electric jackhammer? Yes, I know they cost a bundle, but so do good chainsaws.

Dougster

 

[Dougster]

There's no easy way to do it. You just need to keep digging until enough dirt is removed for the stump to come loose. No need for chainsaws or getting of the tractor, just take out more dirt. I've seen posts with pictures here of others with the same problems, and in every case, they give up digging and go at it manually.

Keep digging with the backhoe. Do both sides like you mentioned, but maybe go deeper. If you can, try to dig under the stump a little as you dig along the sides. Then change positions and dig the other sides. I've found that if it doesn't break free from the position your parked, changing position again works. For whatever reason, there is always one direction that is much weeker than any other. There is also a certain distance from the stump that you get more power from you backhoe than any other distance. You need to know what that distance is so you can get the full force of your hydraulics. Too close or too far wont do anything, but when your in the right spot, you can just pop them loose.

If the side roots are too thick, go out farther and work your way in. A large root will break easy if there's no dirt around it, but if it's still solid in the dirt, it takes a massive amount of power to cut them. Roots are not like branches, they are soft and flexible, you just need to get them loose first.

Did down deep next to the root. Each species is different, but oaks are in the not too bad catagory. Pines with large tap roots are the worse!!! Cedars are about the easiest.

Make a big hole, it's just dirt and it goes right back in easy enough. It's also the area you'll have the best growth when your all done because you've turned the soil so well and new grass or plants will do very well there. Kind of like disking or tilling the soild to the extreme!!!

I've spent a few minutes on a stump all the way up to an hour. I've taken out hundreds of stumps and thousands of trees. It's just a matter of sticking with it.

Good Luck,
Eddie

Eddie, you are the man! Thank you for that lengthy explanation & very helpful experience. I will take it to heart. Perhaps I haven't been going down far enough... and sounds like I may be spending too much time too soon with the axe and chainsaws as well. Perhaps I am just trying to rush things too much... and trying too hard not to destroy too much adjacent lawn. You have the experience... and I'm just getting to know these ugly things. I'll try a health measure of patience and see how that works.

Dougster

 

[Willl]

There seems to be a lot of differences in area and tree types.

The doug-firs I dug out took many hours, one a few days.

Then again, these were 2'-3' across at the base, w/ roots that reach out 20' or so.

3 down, 2 more to go.