Need advice on hickory stump removal - underway

[BXpanded]

I removed a big hickory. I just dug all around it and sawed it off about 6" below ground level. Backfilled and went on my way. Only took about an hour, IIRC. Not a good idea if you're going to build on it, as it will eventually decompose and settle some. But then, if you dig a big enough hole to get one out, that's going to settle for several years too, unless you can compact the backfill thoroughly. The most troublesome "dips" in my yard are where I dug the stumps completely out. Not a big deal to fill the dips either way. Because I have a tractor!

 

[Ruark]

I think a lot of professionals encountering something like that would opt to just use a stump grinder, then push the dirt back over what's left. Call some tree services in your area and ask how much they would charge to come out and grind it down; it wouldn't take 10 minutes.

 

[mx842]

digging stumps with a small backhoe is hard. They don't have enough hydraulic force to rip them out so you have to use every trick in the book. Right now I don't have a tractor of any sort and have to resort to a shovel, pickax, a length of chain and the ol' Bronco. Believe it or not you can get some really big stumps out that way. You can apply more force to the stump by pulling on it than trying to force it out with the dipper force on a small backhoe.

Sometimes it just takes time and the main thing to remember when trying to do impossible task with a small piece of equipment is don't get impatient or get in a big hurry because you will only get hurt or break something on your equipment. If you can't get under it then like others have said find a place where you can dig a hole on one side then if you can't push it over hook a chain to it and try to pull it into the hole. Caution, Caution, Caution here, please hook your chain to the draw bar and not to anything else because I have know several people that have been killed trying to pull heavy stuff not using the draw bar and the front of the tractor raised up and over on top of them.

Another trick is and this is where not getting into a hurry comes in handy is to once you get a good amount of dirt pulled out of the hole hook up your water hose and fill the hole about 1/3 full of water and let it sit for a few hours or until it seeps into the ground. This will help soften the soil and make it easier to pull it out. Sometimes I will take my pressure washer and blow the dirt off the stumps, especially the bigger ones that are hard to pull out of the hole. Once you wash all the dirt off you can saw off the big roots and a really big stump gets small in a hurry. This works really well unless the dirt you have is heavy clay and them you will have a harder time washing the dirt off but it will come off if you have a good hard stream of water you just have to keep at it.

I just pulled over the last of the big oaks that were next to my house...( the only ones left that the last storm didn't get) this way and it took me about a half a day to get them down and the stumps out of the holes and sawed up ready to be burned up. There were 4 big oaks with logs at the stump of 20" or more and 3 smaller ones that were around 12" to 15" in all and they came down pretty easy. But as others have also said getting them out of the hole is the hardest part.

Once they are on the ground I can then hook to one of the large roots and pull them sideways to roll the stump out of the ground but you have to leave about 4 or 5 feet of log on the stump because it is easier to roll them over with some of the log still attached because it keeps the stump off the ground better so that it doesn't dig into the ground as bad, they will usually roll right out of the hole because most of the roots that are still under the ground have been twisted or broken off.

A stump that is cut off right at the ground level is the hardest to do anything with, even big machines sometimes have a hard time dealing with this type situation.

 

[lhfarm]

Success! We have had a lot of (needed) rain so haven't been able to get back to the stump. It had really softened up the ground (clay) which I'm sure was a big help. I dug a trench as suggested along one side and I could get more movement. Rather than try pulling it with a chain and my old jeep, I dug a trench on the opposite side.

I spent some time going to each side and hooked the bucket under each corner and it would move a little more. I probably spent 45 minutes digging more and using the curl to keep it moving. Finally it just continued moving and was free. I picked it up with the thump and hauled it to the burn pile.

I did create a BIG hole that I am now trying to make look nice. But the stump is gone! Glad it wasn't a big one.

Thanks for all the advice.

 

[k0ua]

Congrats on staying with it..:thumbsup:

James K0UA

 

[Artisan]

Next time leave about 3 or 4 feet of the stump to act as a lever. Break as many of the roots as you can with the backhoe. Then push keep pushing it over from different directions with the loader until it breaks. Do not ram the stump, just apply a steady pressure.

I cringe when I see folks cutting a stump off at ground level when I know they want it removed. That 4-5' of stump sticking up is your friend, an awsome lever it is, the dirt now becomest the fulcrum, it can cut removal time by 2/3rd... Before my tractor I pulled stumps w/ my FJ Cruiser or Jeep and Winch and an AXE. POP, out she comes...THEN Cut the stump off the rootball.

How do you like your thumb?

 

[lhfarm]

I cringe when I see folks cutting a stump off at ground level when I know they want it removed. That 4-5' of stump sticking up is your friend, an awsome lever it is, the dirt now becomest the fulcrum, it can cut removal time by 2/3rd... Before my tractor I pulled stumps w/ my FJ Cruiser or Jeep and Winch and an AXE. POP, out she comes...THEN Cut the stump off the rootball.

How do you like your thumb?

I had the hickory and 6 other dead-standing trees taken down by a tree service - just dropped to the ground. The hickory and Chinese elm were cut off at the ground for some reason while they left stumps on the spruce. I suspect they figured I'd want them back to grind the two at ground level. I took one of the spruce stumps (3' or so) out without much trouble.

I have had the thumb about as long as I've had the tractor (05) and find it to be very handy. The spruce were taken down in sections (they were in a group of trees) and the thumb is great for reaching in and picking them up to saw or move whole. The thumb is easy enough to put in position and then store, so it gets used a lot.

 

[Dog Lover]

Barry,
Every time I have had a deep tap root, the only solution was manually digging with a bar and the aid of the bucket until you can literally either chop with an axe the main root or the bucket power finally snaps it. It is a job and the only to make it easier is power and some patience.

I have had to dig 5 ft deep around the entire root to get to the main root once it starts to give way and move..When that happens you are getting close to freeing it...either way they are hard!

How did the ripper do? Is it much better than the bucket? Worth the time to change the bucket out for the ripper?
Harry

 

[Dog Lover]

Artisan,
I agree with you...I learned that the hard way, but what a difference 4-5 ft of stump makes or MORE....leverage...It is all physics. :thumbsup:

Barry next time, leave as much trunk as you can sticking up so you can put a block and tackle or chain around it to use it as a lever and the job will be 1/2 the time. Still got to dig, but mostly to just get it out of the ground, but the tap root will snap and free the rest.

Harry

 

[lhfarm]

Barry,
Every time I have had a deep tap root, the only solution was manually digging with a bar and the aid of the bucket until you can literally either chop with an axe the main root or the bucket power finally snaps it. It is a job and the only to make it easier is power and some patience.

I have had to dig 5 ft deep around the entire root to get to the main root once it starts to give way and move..When that happens you are getting close to freeing it...either way they are hard!

How did the ripper do? Is it much better than the bucket? Worth the time to change the bucket out for the ripper?
Harry

I purchased the ripper to use on my quest to eradicate autumn olive from the farm. For the small olive trees it works much faster than the bucket and leaves much less of a hole/mess. It did a great job on the hickory roots and was all I used on the spruce. I probably have 200+ olive trees to remove so I justified it (based upon recommendations here) based on that task.

The bucket change out on my BH is normally a five minute deal; drive out the two pins and that is it. When I went to put the bucket back on this time I had a hard time getting the front pin aligned. I'm making a tapered pin out of 1" bar stock to take care of that problem.

Artisan,
I agree with you...I learned that the hard way, but what a difference 4-5 ft of stump makes or MORE....leverage...It is all physics. :thumbsup:

Barry next time, leave as much trunk as you can sticking up so you can put a block and tackle or chain around it to use it as a lever and the job will be 1/2 the time. Still got to dig, but mostly to just get it out of the ground, but the tap root will snap and free the rest.

Harry

I hope I won't be taking any more trees out around the house, but if I do I'll leave the stump.

Thanks!