Tractor Newbie pulling stumps

[bigtiller]

If you remove all of the rippers in your BB except for 1 or 2 in the center I don't see any problem at all. All the pulling and ripping force will be centered on your 3ph. The 3ph is designed to rip and pull. If you go slow and easy and and don't buck and jerk the worst that can happen the way I see it is your front end might try to lift which is not harmful just scary. Go around the perimeter first to break the side roots then go after the stump itself. Good luck - that you have already been able to remove some is a good sign. Just my 2 cents.

gg

There's your answer kirkkw

 

[sixdogs]

Here's the only ripper I found effective to rip stumps out with. I did try a box blade type thing but it didn't grip right and I thought was hard on the tractor. I felt something would bend or break so stopped using the box blade thing that had the shanks but no blade.


This is one I rebuilt (thread on TBN) and used behind a bigger tractor. I would come in under the main portion of the stump and just drive forward as slow as I could. The curved portion of the blade would slide under the root and lift up the stump. I did 8" and a little bigger diameters.

This put no strain on the tractor other than what it was intended for. The problem is I had a big holes to fill and lots of stumps with dirt on them. After I filled the holes they kept settling on me and I had to keep filling as that happened. Too much work. But I did rip stumps out PDQ.

 

[rgr33]

If something did go wrong, and you damaged the rear end of your tractor, the cost to repair would very painful to the bank account.

Seems better and quicker to just rent a stump grinder, which is actually designed to do the job.

 

[LouNY]

The single shank ripper/sub soiler will work quite well as mentioned above. If you are worried about breaking your tractor by working just start hiring every thing out.

 

[jwinner]

I did this with my tractor and box blade before getting a backhoe. It worked ok, until I tried one too big and broke a tooth off one of the rippers. But, that’s not the end of the world, easy fix. At work we use a stump grinder, that’s the easiest way…

 

[oosik]

I have 80 acres of open range land. Just bunch grass and pine trees. Every couple years I thin my pine stands. Trees are 1" to 6" on the butt.
Select, cut - chip. No burning - wildfire danger too high.

The few really large stumps scattered here and there on the property - goes with the natural look of open range land. Why spoil a good thing.

 

[Citydude]

It's a tractor designed for ground engaging tools. A back blade cutting ditches puts more strain on the 3pt than pulling stumps. Geez....

 

[Omega Woods]

Restating me original question: Will it damage my tractor hydraulic system by maxing out its lifting capacity using a box blade to pull upward on the stumps?

They have been rotting for the past 5-7 years so the roots still attached are relatively short.

I have pulled a few up already this way, but then began to question whether it is wise.

No, it won’t damage your tractor. The hydraulic relief won’t allow it to damage itself.

 

[jdmeth]

All my experience is with farm tractors (JD 3020 and JD 4250). Either it will lift or it won't, no harm either way. In my 27 years of farming I probably lifted an implement over a million times (yes, a million, potato growing in Florida requires lots of cultivation.) No power lift ever had a problem, they are made for that.

 

[jgmo]

Telling on myself here...

I used the fel to pull SMALL stumps thinking that the pressure relief valve would protect my gear...
WRONG!
My bucket now has the dreaded SMILE.

Stupid sometimes is ok
Stubborn sometimes is ok
Stupid and Stubborn together??
Not so much.

 

[perfdoc]

I've done everything possible to get rid of tree stumps for over 40 years. I've burned, cut flush, backhoe, bulldozed and nothing was fully correct.

Finally, I bought a 3 pt hitch stump grinder and in my first few hours I satisfactorily ground 10 meaningful stumps below grade. And on top of that, I believe I could sell the grinder for more than I paid.

Recently, I ground a 16" softwood stump that was close to the house. Below grade maybe 5" is all that I wanted.

View attachment 876720


Then, I spaded the ground, added a little fill, seeded and strawed. I set the sprinkler on top, watered multiple times a day and six days later the grass is popping through. From annoying large stump in a bad place close to the house to a week later almost green grass and no one is the wiser. I've ground stumps in the woods as well.


Of all the ways to deal with stumps, buy a stump grinder--I have a LandPride--grind everything and save 99% percent of your time for the wife and kids.

View attachment 876733 View attachment 876734

EDIT--Here's pic of my stump grinder
View attachment 876774

We’ll wait for the updated post when the sink holes appear

 

[pwhite42]

I have owned my tractor for several years, but have no prior experience (or anyone to train me) so everything is a new learning experience.

During the process of clearing the cedars off my 5 acres, I cut the stump as low as possible then leave it to rot for a few years.

Recently, I got the bright idea to use the center 2 tines on the box blade to scoop under the stump and use the rear implement lift to pull/lift the stump out of the ground.

Would doing this risk damaging the hydraulic lift on the back of the tractor?

Yes, I feel silly asking such a simple question, but I would rather appear silly than damage my tractor which is a Kioti DS4510.

This company sells stump pullers for tractors and skid steers. I have purchased a few implements from them this past year.

https://www.palletforks.com/search?q=stump%20bucket

 

[Cschaz]

If you are just lifting with the 3point, I wouldn’t think any damage could occur to the tractor. Maybe to the box blade. I have a baumalite stump grinder, and I can pretty much say that it puts more hideous loads on the 3 point than anything lifting and pulling would do! It shakes the whole tractor all over the place when engaging with a stump and bouncing up and down and yanking off to the side. If a stump is small enough to pull by lifting, that would seem the far better way to go.

 

[LPowell1]

If you get a backhoe for stump work, be sure the backhoe has a thumb attachment so you can grasp the stump to pull and lift out.

 

[kenhar]

I have owned my tractor for several years, but have no prior experience (or anyone to train me) so everything is a new learning experience.

During the process of clearing the cedars off my 5 acres, I cut the stump as low as possible then leave it to rot for a few years.

Recently, I got the bright idea to use the center 2 tines on the box blade to scoop under the stump and use the rear implement lift to pull/lift the stump out of the ground.

Would doing this risk damaging the hydraulic lift on the back of the tractor?

Yes, I feel silly asking such a simple question, but I would rather appear silly than damage my tractor which is a Kioti DS4510.

 

[kenhar]

I have owned my tractor for several years, but have no prior experience (or anyone to train me) so everything is a new learning experience.

During the process of clearing the cedars off my 5 acres, I cut the stump as low as possible then leave it to rot for a few years.

Recently, I got the bright idea to use the center 2 tines on the box blade to scoop under the stump and use the rear implement lift to pull/lift the stump out of the ground.

Would doing this risk damaging the hydraulic lift on the back of the tractor?

Yes, I feel silly asking such a simple question, but I would rather appear silly than damage my tractor which is a Kioti DS4510.

 

[kenhar]

What you describe depends entirely on the size of the trees. I would cut the trees off about 2 to 3 feet above the ground. High enough to see and not run over. In a couple years hook to the top of the stump and pull. The extra leverage makes a little tractor think he's a big one.

 

[TractorNoob85]

Start looking into how to use Snatch Blocks. Creating a mechanical advantage will save a lot of wear and tear on equipment.

 

[burhil]

Be careful in tugging on stumps from behind the tractor. I can flip and kill you. I financed an 85 Massy Ferguson for a friend who was dragging a log behind that lodged between two stumps and the tractor flipped over and killed him. His little son was with him and he threw him out and saved him. Have a good ROPS

 

[rScotty]

I've worked with and on machinery all my life. Dealing with stumps is hard on even big full size backhoes. Get someone else to to it if you possibly can.

The best I've done so far is to use a backhoe to dig a pit completely around a stump. Make one area large enough to stand in. Then scale the dirty bark a foot below the surface, cut it across with a chainsaw, and backfill.

Some will dig a pit behind the tree with the hoe, and hire a dozer to push the trees over so that the root ball pops out. And even so, it leaves a lot of hard work.