Tree stumps and farming

[TrippleT]

You might want to try something like stump remover Doc. It is a chemical. You drill into the stump put in the chemical. Then in a few weeks set it on fire and burn it out, after it has rotted.

 

[Doc_Bob]

If you are having real problems with roots or stumps think of a Rome Disk.

I wonder if my TN70A would pull something that big!
Bob

 

[rswyan]

Doc,

I have pushed over trees up to 8" in diameter (poplar, quaking aspen) using the FEL on my little old B2910 Kubota - which is probably less than 1/2 the size (and way less than 1/2 the weight) of your TN70. I can push over ash - and maple (much harder due to the amount of roots) up to 6". Generally the majority (over 85% to 90%) of the rootball will pop right up when the tree goes over. Saves having to dig them out, which even with a backhoe, is a time consuming process for me.

The trick is not cut the tree down first. Of course in some cases you don't have a choice (rotten, leaning at an odd angle, etc.)

 

[LBrown59]

Root problems depend on what you are farming. if its a hay meadow, you only have to worry about sprouts. Low till stuff probably won't be an issue either. Now if you pull a heavy disc harrow or ripping shanks across the field, you may have issues. Lots of times the disc will come out of the ground and "ride over" a large root. If the root is big enough it will break the shear bolt on the ripper. Also depends on the type of stump. After a couple of years a pine stump will usually shatter when hit w/ an implement.

>>> >>> I'm talking about tilling up .6 of an acre about 4'' deep with lots of roots left under ground after grubbing it of lots of small trees last winter. The purpose is to prep for planting grass seed. >>>> >>>>

 

[Doc_Bob]

Doc,

I have pushed over trees up to 8" in diameter (poplar, quaking aspen) using the FEL on my little old B2910 Kubota - which is probably less than 1/2 the size (and way less than 1/2 the weight) of your TN70.

Okay, I am convinced. My next concern is damaging the bucket! Will the pressure of an eight inch tree pressing against the bottom of my bucket distort or bend or damage my bucket? Can the bucket take 3500 pounds of pressure applied to such a small area? 3500 pounds in an 8 inch area?
Bob

 

[SPYDERLK]

Okay, I am convinced. My next concern is damaging the bucket! Will the pressure of an eight inch tree pressing against the bottom of my bucket distort or bend or damage my bucket? Can the bucket take 3500 pounds of pressure applied to such a small area? 3500 pounds in an 8 inch area?
Bob

Yes, it would probably take 15 or 20K# to push the lip of a 6' bucket straight back on itself even if concentrated in a fairly small area. 3500# straight up or down on the center of the lip would be another story. Thats why you angle up just a little. It helps ensure that the resultant force is straight in on the lip - the plane in which it is strong.
Larry

 

[Doc_Bob]

Yes, it would probably take 15 or 20K# to push the lip of a 6' bucket straight back on itself even if concentrated in a fairly small area. 3500# straight up or down on the center of the lip would be another story. Thats why you angle up just a little. It helps ensure that the resultant force is straight in on the lip - the plane in which it is strong.
Larry

Thanks, but what "straight on the lip"? Does this mean approach the tree with the bucket level using the lip like a "knife" or curl the bucket? Sorry for my questions, some terms I am not familiar with.
Bob

 

[PBinWA]

You might want to try something like stump remover Doc. It is a chemical. You drill into the stump put in the chemical. Then in a few weeks set it on fire and burn it out, after it has rotted.

I tried some Stump Remover once. I think the best I can say about it is "It's something to look at" - which basically means it doesn't really do much.

If you only have one or two stumps to get rid of - you can get 3-4 bags of cheap BBQ Briquets (sp?) pile them on top of the stump and let them burn for a few days. Make sure it's burning season and you take all the proper precautions but in 2-3 days a good size stump will be mostly gone.

Taking a chainsaw and cutting a bunch of deep lines into the ground level stump helps to get the fire burning deeper and faster too.

 

[slowzuki]

Dig em out, a 2" root will bring a res-till and 120 hp tractor to a rapid stop when caught right. My friend has had a lot of escavtor work done for this reason. His no-till planter is very expensive to repair so he doesn't want to tweak it on a root.

 

[Doc_Bob]

If you only have one or two stumps to get rid of - you can get 3-4 bags of cheap BBQ Briquets (sp?) pile them on top of the stump and let them burn for a few days. Make sure it's burning season and you take all the proper precautions but in 2-3 days a good size stump will be mostly gone.

I don't need no permit. All I need is a few hot dogs. Where I live no permit is required for a "recreation" fire. Cooking food=recreation fire..
Bob

 

[Highbeam]

Here in western WA a "recreational fire" is limited to 3x3x2 feet tall. Even the "cooking fire" trick is limited to dry seasoned wood and the same size requirements. The biggest trick is keeping your neighbors from squeeling.

As far as stumping, I have done a good bit of it with a 30 hp machine but I have learned to know my limits. Meaning if I can't easily remove the stump then I leave it and add it to the list for my annual huge slash fire which is done by a professional with a large excavator. It takes him 3 minutes to pop the stump and put it in the fire and at 80$ an hour 3 minutes is cheap for a 99% removed stump. It turns out that you can only put so much slash on a fire before it gets too hot to add any more and then the machine has to sit idle. While waiting for the fire to burn down, the excavator can be busy popping stumps.

I go through the area with a subsoiler after all is said and done to break up compaction and to find any roots.

 

[Doc_Bob]

Here in western WA a "recreational fire" is limited to 3x3x2 feet tall. Even the "cooking fire" trick is limited to dry seasoned wood and the same size requirements. The biggest trick is keeping your neighbors from squeeling.

In my area, rec fire just cannot have anythig like tires, creasote treated wood (that would taste crummy with my hot dog ) etc.
Bob

 

[SPYDERLK]

Thanks, but what "straight on the lip"? Does this mean approach the tree with the bucket level using the lip like a "knife" or curl the bucket? Sorry for my questions, some terms I am not familiar with.
Bob

Yes, the bucket lip would be used like a knife - - but not horizontal. Remember youare pushing high. The arms will try to rise a little. They cant rise because the bucket lip is imbedded in the tree trunk. The tree causes a downward force on the bucket, or from another perspective, the bucket pushes up on the tree. This upward force would tend to bend the bucket lip down. That is why the lip should be angled slightly up from horizontal. With this angle the push tries to bend the lip up while the tree resists the tendency of the loader to rise. These 2 forces are opposite and balance one another leaving a resultant straight into the bucket along the bottom lip where the bucket is very strong. The upward tip is not critical. About 5 degrees or a little less seems about right. Just guesstimate it.
Larry

 

[Renze]

SpyderLK, what sort of loader do you have ? a heavy duty one, or just an average hoby type of thing ?
when putting full force on it, at that angle, the loader subframe is getting the crap pushed out of it...

 

[Doc_Bob]

I tried pushing down some of the trees with the TN70A. Trees won, so I brought in a BIGGER friend!

 

[Doc_Bob]

Since I brought in small dozer, here is a pic of the tree meeting it's match with the dozer. Dozer took about 4 minutes.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/photos/showphoto.php/photo/3896

http://www.tractorbynet.com/photos/showphoto.php/photo/3897