Pulling stumps
If you need to clear a site for a building, one of the things we run up against is tree stumps. I spent hours researching how to do this, but I could not find any good way that I could use with the limited tools that I had. So I worked the problem and found a way that worked well for spruce trees.
Tools: Small tractor (33hp), chainsaw, chains, good sized wedge
When I cut the tree down, I left about 24 inches so that I had something to work with. I then took my chain saw and quartered the stump. Using my wedge, I then split open the stump so that I could get a stick inside to keep it apart. I needed enough space to slide the chain through. Using the chain, I then tied onto one quarter of the stump and pulled it with the tractor. If I managed to cut the stump deep enough, the section of stump would peel away.
With smaller stumps I just cut them in half instead and that seemed to work well.
When all done, I ended up with a nice hole and four large sections of roots that came out with the stump.
I urge some caution as you don't want the chain to snap and whip back at you when doing this type of work. So I took it easy and tried not to jerk the chain while doing the pull. I was able to accomplish the stump removals with relative safety. I've not tried this with poplar trees or really big stumps yet, but it worked with medium to smaller stumps. I was pleased with the results. Took me several days to figure out how to do this! I hope it saves you time. Anybody got any other ideas on how to do it with limited equipment?
Thank you for the great tips! Oooh Farmer Brendan will be in Heaven when he finally gets a good ol Tractor under him! :) :) :) Fun stuff!
hahaha. I'm sure he would! If I had to do it again, I would try to get a skid steer instead. Especially if building an earthship and working with dirt to build buildings. It can clear snow in the winter, load/unload hay, move dirt, dig holes (with attachments), etc. It is more versatile than a tractor. However, they are also more money. But tooling up is an important part of the process. Getting the right tools makes a huge difference.
Wow, thanks for sharing even more!
This seems like a lot of back breaking work. Got the job done but how about you? A bit tired and sore I bet. Stump removal are a pain. But id you have a stump that is a few inches smaller than a 55 gallon drum, I may have another solution. Cut top and bottom from the barrel. Dig around the stump an area a little bigger than the diameter of the barrel and deep enough to expose some roots. The barrel should fit down around the stump. Then you set a fire to burn the stump and exposed root. It may take some time but the root should be easier to deal with afterwards. Your method seems less messy but if you don't have access to a tractor this is the next possible solution.
It is not a lot of back breaking work. Doing what I tried previously was! I tried using jacks to lift the stump out of the ground, pulling the stump without cutting it up, chopping the roots. All that did not work. But quartering the stump was fairly simple.
As for the bigger stumps, that is a great idea! I love it. It would take a while if the stump is green or wet. But the barrel would contain the fire and heat to help burn the stump out. I've also seen some people drill holes into the stump to help dry it out and to get the fire into the stump.
The only caution is to make sure the fire does not get into the peat moss as the fire could get a way on you. But I like it! Thank you for sharing!
You are very welcome.
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A great idea and you've demonstrated that it works! Divide and conquer.
I've always used my front end loader to pull smaller stumps. There are two advantages. First it a bit safer. I've seen too many chains slip or break. If that happens they often head right towards the person in the tractor seat. Second, you can get more torque from the bucket lift over a shorter distance. Just put the bucket in the dump position, attach the chain tightly, with no slack, then tilt the the bucket up. Admittedly sometime you just lift the back end of the tractor.
One reason this works is because trees don't grow roots to withstand an upward force. They do grow to withstand lateral forces. A side effect of this is that if a tree has been blown off center and allowed to continue to grow slanted it is VERY difficult to push over from the side with the larger, open angle. If you push the tree facing the narrow angle it actually goes over more easily.
I will try your cutting technique along with the front end loader. It should help with larger stumps.
Nice. Thank you for sharing that. Good point about the upward force. You are correct in that trees don't normally deal with forces going straight up! I'll give your method a try too. I use big chains, so there is little to no risk of them braking. I am aware of those risks and mitigated it by bulking up on the chain.