stump pulling

[Brimfield]

Ok I am new to my L 3800 tractor and I have used the back hoe once to fill in a trench for propane lines. There is a large stump from a Maple at our Church, I think it is like 15" round. I was asked to pull it with my backhoe once the ground thaws. So this may sound silly but how big of a stump can I go after? I really hate to see the Church spend $$ on paying a stump grinder come in, we are not in a great financial state.

 

[hosspuller]

You won't pull it. Maples have a prodigious root system. The hoe will dig it out, by cutting the roots. Then, you'll be able to extract the root ball.

Here's a silver maple 28 inches at the base.

 

[trouble11]

Brimfield, You should not have a problem with a Stump that size. Just make sure the frost is gone and You should be Good to Go. I have a B9200 with a Backhoe which is about the size of Yours and have dug many stumps with it without any problems. Just go slow. Best of Luck..... Jeff

 

[jim_wilson]

I dug out a pine tree stump with my BX23 - which was for a tree that was probably 3ft in diameter at the base.

I had to pull it out in pieces - and we had gotten the stump ground first - which got most of the wood ground down and got it to a point where I could attack the roots. I ended up having to pull it out in pieces - and some of those roots were probably a good foot in diameter. I used to hoe to dig around the stump - expose the roots - and then try and pry the roots out one at a time. Another tool you might want to bring with you is a nice sharp axe - to hack away at the roots. I've heard people say they've used Sawzalls to cut roots - but for this tree that just didn't work ( I tried it).

You'll be a lot more successful in this endeavor if you're not afraid of making a big hole - you can always fill it in later.

 

[creekbend]

I don't forsee any great difficulty in regards to you digging out a stump of that size aince you have a Backhoe and a FEL. Be sure to have a chain or two handy also, plus an axe. One word of caution, though. Since you said the stump was located on a Church's property, please check to see if any underground electrical lines are in the area. The Church might have run some underground electrical lines in the past. Maybe to a picnic area, parking lot lighting; etc?

 

[sandyc]

I have used my tractor to dig a lot of stumps as my property has been logged over. I dig up the stump and then keep digging a hole big enough to bury the stump. Fill in the hole with the stump and dirt. I did that as many landfills will not take stumps. Just a thought.

 

[uglyboywith11fingers]

I dig & pull quite a few stumps with my BX24.
See this thread for pics.
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/kubota-owning-operating/237449-bx24-1-tree-stump-0-a.html

might take an hour or 2 and a few whacks with an axe on the bigger roots but you'll get it done.

Pete

 

[Ace3]

If you know in advance that you are going to pull the stump, this technique works great. First, don't cut the tree down! Dig around 3 sides of the tree leaving the 4th side where you want it to fall. After you have dug around the sides to loosen the root system get on the back side and just push the tree over with the BH using the weight of the tree to lever the stump out. Works every time!

 

[Gordon Gould]

I would think a 15" maple would go OK even though maples can be tough. If you have to cut some roots use a sawzall. They are far easier on roots than an axe or chainsaw in the dirt. Have a generator handy if power is a long way off.

 

[radioman]

Look -- you don't pull stumps .. you dig it out. You gotten expose the laterals to break them and dig down far enough to tip stump down and break the many many tap toots. It deeper then you think. I dug out 2 maple stumps over 2 feet in diameter that is next to each other with a smaller BH then yours and it was a 2 day project. I had over 20 feet diameter dug up, and dug a ramp to go deeper then 4 feet deep so I could get down to the tap roots so I could cut them due to both stumps growing together. It was a big job.
A 15 inch stump with a L? I suspect you be able to get it done in a day or less with less digging then I did. Just take your time and expect a large area of torn up lawn due to first time digging out stump). Have axes, reciprocating saw with long blades (more then one with coarsest teeth you can get).

 

[radioman]

Look -- you don't pull stumps .. you dig it out. You gotten expose the laterals to break them and dig down far enough to tip stump down and break the many many tap toots. It deeper then you think. I dug out 2 maple stumps over 2 feet in diameter that is next to each other with a smaller BH then yours and it was a 2 day project. I had over 20 feet diameter dug up, and dug a ramp to go deeper then 4 feet deep so I could get down to the tap roots so I could cut them due to both stumps growing together. It was a big job.
A 15 inch stump with a L? I suspect you be able to get it done in a day or less with less digging then I did. Just take your time and expect a large area of torn up lawn due to first time digging out stump). Have axes, reciprocating saw with long blades (more then one with coarsest teeth you can get).

 

[crazyal]

The good thing about digging stumps is that you can just keep going further away from the stump and the roots will get smaller. Secondly large roots going horizontally from the stump make for great levers. You can use the BH to pull on them to twist the stump to help break it free. You just need patience with smaller hoes.

 

[Brimfield]

Right now it is the big waiting game on spring. I do plan on digging in to it and going from there. The tree has already been cut and they left some stump, 12" or so but I do wish they had left more. Thanks for all the ideas, it sounds like a good work out for the back hoe but not impossible.

 

[Tomtint]

Last week I pulled a oak stump with my L3700 BH77. It was actually 3 trees in a clump....3large trees. It took about a hour of digging and repositioning to get it out. I tried to lift it with my loader....no go. My friend tried with his L4400 loader...no go. Ended up dragging it with the L44 and lifting it with my BH. Sucker was big.

 

[Gary Fowler]

Right now it is the big waiting game on spring. I do plan on digging in to it and going from there. The tree has already been cut and they left some stump, 12" or so but I do wish they had left more. Thanks for all the ideas, it sounds like a good work out for the back hoe but not impossible.

If you have a small BH bucket then put it on as you can exert more pressure on roots with the small bucket than a large one. Set up and dig as close to the tree as you can and still be able to cut/break the large feeder roots, if you have to move out 3 feet from the trunk to sever the roots that is ok, you can come back and use the hoe to loosen the soil under them. Reposition and dig out another side the same way working all the way around the tree, then start digging out from under the feeder roots working your way into the tap root (if it has one), once you get it dug out all the way around, use the hoe to push it back and forth wiggle it as much as you can then did some more till you can finally tip it over with the hoe and drag it out. A 15" stump shouldn't take over a couple hours to dig out, just keep at it.
Most important, call before you dig. Utilities might be ran thru the area, its a free service to call and have them mark everything but costly if you damage something without calling for a markup, you may have to pay the cost of repair.

 

[k0ua]

Here is the final pull of a stump I dug out with my "shovel" I had pulled on it before to break a rock that was entwined in the rootball, so one side was already broken loose when this video was shot

DSCF0107.avi - YouTube

Here is the story and still pix if you are interested

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/owning-operating/219557-stump-yard-wars.html

James K0UA

 

[David Devuono]

Unless you plan to use the trunk as a lever, a short trunk is good because once you have removed the lateral roots, you will want to reach over the stump and start to undermine it. Don't make the hole so large that you can't get in close enough with the tractor to reach over it. Bucket breakout force is strongest, IE using the bucket as a lever.

 

[sd455dan]

Ok I am new to my L 3800 tractor and I have used the back hoe once to fill in a trench for propane lines. There is a large stump from a Maple at our Church, I think it is like 15" round. I was asked to pull it with my backhoe once the ground thaws. So this may sound silly but how big of a stump can I go after? I really hate to see the Church spend $$ on paying a stump grinder come in, we are not in a great financial state.

I would just go slow (take your time) if you dig around it with the hoe then if the roots are big you may have to do what I did with this one- clean, around the really large roots and then chainsaw ,or saws all them these stumps can be very deceptive when you can't see the bottom, it took about 4 hours total to get out.
Also it makes a big difference in removal difficulty how old the stump is (how long it's been dead) the 1st one was only cut the previous year... This stump had been dead 3 years and I grappled it out in one scoop! It had also been raining for 3 days. The trees were less than 30 feet from each other... Go figure?.? Any way, best of luck I'm sure you will get her out.

 

[gwdixon]

If you have a small BH bucket then put it on as you can exert more pressure on roots with the small bucket than a large one. Set up and dig as close to the tree as you can and still be able to cut/break the large feeder roots, if you have to move out 3 feet from the trunk to sever the roots that is ok, you can come back and use the hoe to loosen the soil under them. Reposition and dig out another side the same way working all the way around the tree, then start digging out from under the feeder roots working your way into the tap root (if it has one), once you get it dug out all the way around, use the hoe to push it back and forth wiggle it as much as you can then did some more till you can finally tip it over with the hoe and drag it out. A 15" stump shouldn't take over a couple hours to dig out, just keep at it.
Most important, call before you dig. Utilities might be ran thru the area, its a free service to call and have them mark everything but costly if you damage something without calling for a markup, you may have to pay the cost of repair.

I think Gary has the best overall recommendations although everybody's post has a gem or two.

The narrowest bucket you have available will be the best at the essential task of breaking roots. The ground will likely be wet so if clay is involved you'll have to dig it out of the bucket occasionally as it clogs.

When you think the hole is deep enough...it isn't. Go deeper. You'll have to get to the point where the stump will wiggle back-and-forth. At that point the process is close to an end. Getting to that stage is variable because every stump is different. It may take from a couple of hours to a couple of full days to get it out.

Pile the spoils intelligently. The backhoe will need to be repositioned at a 90* angle to allow all four sides of the stump to be dug out in a square pattern. If there is a side that has no BH access then pile the spoils there. Backfilling will not be that difficult once the stump is out.

I don't like chains for the "pulling" part because a chain can slip off under stress and dangerously whip about. Using chain to pull the stump out of the hole after it is fully loose is fine.

Cutting the roots with some type of saw or ax is an option but enlarging the hole to reach points where the root is smaller and can be broken seems to work best. Plus, it leaves less root still in the ground.

Definitely have the utilities checked. I can't remember the name of the service but they are happy to come out and mark the ground to avoid. Water, electricity, and gas don't get along well with a BH.

 

[mike69440]

Here is the final pull of a stump I dug out with my "shovel" I had pulled on it before to break a rock that was entwined in the rootball, so one side was already broken loose when this video was shot

DSCF0107.avi - YouTube

Here is the story and still pix if you are interested

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/owning-operating/219557-stump-yard-wars.html

James K0UA

If you place a lage rock or another stump in front of the tree, your pull can pop ithe stump out of the ground.