Have to get a 26″ diameter stump out of the backyard. Other than a stump-grinder (which we can’t get into the backyard because we live in the city—no room) what can be done? I can’t “legally” burn it out. Or blow it out. Would Stumpout be my only option? THanks
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I've done several things.
Cutting it off as low to the ground as possible is a good start.
The easiest is probably just to let it rot. You can hasten that process by drilling a bunch of holes in it. I've also heard that taking a leak on it will help, but don't really know for sure.
Grubbing it out is another option. But that would take a long time on such a big stump. And then you'd have the stump to dispose of.
Are you sure you can't get a stump grinder in there? Some of the ones I've seen aren't more than about 42" wide. You might also check rental shops to se if they have a small one.
I've also heard that taking a leak on it will help, but don't really know for sure
LMBO , youre too much somtimes.
I once drilled holes in a stump and filled them with an enzyme that is supposed to keep sewer pipes clean--maybe a coincidence, but in a couple years the stump was like cardboard and I easily broke it up with an axe and removed it.
26" is pretty small, if there is a side gate into the back yard you could get a smaller stump grinder back there. It would take about 15 minutes to grind it out.
get a couple of oxen and a big whip.
I just keep an old chain saw blade and bar for my saw. I use a demo hammer to dig around the stump, hose it off and wire brush it some. Cut in and down at a slight angle so the saw body stays at grade. As long as you don't have immediate landscaping plans in that immediate spot, you are good to go.
For a 26" stump, I'd guess I'd be all done in 30-40 minutes.
MERC.
I got rid of one that was almot 4 feet wide, by first digging down beside the stump by about a foot.
This exposed the roots a great deal.
Then, I cut it off as low as I could.
Next, I studied where all the major roots came off the center.
Then cut the top of the stump that was left, as deeply as I dared, (Keeping the blade and chain out of the dirt below...), in a pattern that essentially separated the stump into the major roots.
Then I used splitting wedges to complete the job.
Then, I used steel cables, and 3/8" chain, to anchor near the foot of another tree. (A live tree, of course. And you have to get really close to the ground.) (Use something to protect the tree from your chains and cables.)
In between, I put a 6 ton chain winch.
I then winched each big root out of the ground to a point where it was easily chopped off, and the small remainders pushed back down, and buried.
Some of them, you'll have to do a bit more digging on, to avoid snapping even a 6 ton winch.
Also, I ended up using a couple of logging pulleys to rig between, for a couple of the roots, so that it cut the needed winch power in half.
Do not use anything smaller than 3/8" chain, and 3/8" cable for this. (3/8" refers to the thickness of the metal, of course, not the overall size of the link.)
The person you offend today, may have been your best friend tomorrow
And it only took about 4 days
As others have stated - the easiest way is to figure out some way to get a small stump grinder from the rental center in there. Can't remember exact size, but, I know I rented a pretty small one to get into my city lot in Minneapolis.
Other than that, I have also had success with good old fashioned back work - dig, cut, chop, repeat - I've used an old spliting maul that I would rough sharpen with a angle grinder to chop out some pretty good sized roots - didn't care about hitting dirt
good luck
"As others have stated - the easiest way is to figure out some way to get a small stump grinder from the rental center in there. Can't remember exact size, but, I know I rented a pretty small one to get into my city lot in Minneapolis.
Other than that, I have also had success with good old fashioned back work - dig, cut, chop, repeat - I've used an old spliting maul that I would rough sharpen with a angle grinder to chop out some pretty good sized roots - didn't care about hitting dirt"
We must have been in the same rental store - I'm also in Mpls., and I saw a stump grinder at one place that wasn't much bigger than a good sized rototiller. I need to rent it myself one of these days.
When I was a kid, whenever my brother and I got into trouble, our dad's method of punishment was handing us a maul, a shovel and a big pry bar, and sending us out in the yard to dig up stumps.
Another Minnesotan on board - Posted something about 7 Corners woodworking show this fall, and was suprised at how many on the board are from MN.
As to Dad giving you some thinking time on stumps when you got in trouble...........you must have some expert advice with all that experiance
Edited 12/3/2004 10:45 am ET by Shoeman
A couple years ago I used a presure washer. I first dug around the base of the stump as best as I could then used a preasure washer to blow the dirt away. Cut another root etc. When it got to muddy, take a break and let the water sink into the soil. Eventually worked my way under the stump, cut the tap root and pulled it out.
I believe they use a preasure washer type system to to sink piers for small docks. They drop the tip on the lake floor with the pier. As the mud is blown away, the pier drops.
Edited 12/2/2004 9:07 pm ET by Nyukx3fan
26"? Wimmins work.
Try Dave Thomas' shop vac trick around the roots and then chop. Yer wife should have that out of there in an hour or two.
I used to set the front end loader on our old IH Diesel to about 6" off the ground, back up, and get a running start. Only found one old sycamore stump that wouldn't yield to that.
If you can get it started burning (it's dried a year or two) then use the exhaust of your shop vac to fan the flame. Put a piece of pipe on the vac hose end so that you can get the air right down into the stump.
All of your suggestions have been very helpful.
I think I will try to get a stump grinder back there.
Keep you posted!!
There is a product that you can get from a good ag supply house, that works this way.
With the stump cut as flush to the ground as possible, drill deep holes into the endgrain, with the holes angled out in the directions of the roots. The product, which is granular, is poured into the holes to fill, and then kerosene is poured into the holes. Wait a period of (I recall) two weeks, and then burn the stump.
The burn process is more like a charcoal fire, and takes a few days. It goes by itself, and burns way down to the root ends (at least the thicker woody parts.)
Very effective.
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Edited 12/3/2004 11:08 am ET by Gene Davis
I had a buddy who was working one summer for the Forest Service back when he was young. They sent him off to rebuild some trails. there was a big ole stump in his way and after having spent too many days digging out smaller ones, he reckoned he could save three days of digging on this one by using some of the dynamite he saw back at the base camp. After al, he had seen it used a couple times, and it didn't look too hard to fire off.So he planted a stick in under and stood back an appropriate ( he thought ) distance to touch it off.Then he spent three days with a shovel moving dirt to fill the hole back up!
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Milwaukee Tool sells a boring bit that has a screw tip and really digs the wood out fast. They have extensions for them, too and you may be able to rent something like this at HD or whatever is near you. They go up to about 2-1/2" dia and if you have a good drill with a handle for stability, you could drill a bunch of holes in the stump in a pattern that would make it really weak. Then you could use a small chain saw to cut it out from the outside after digging 12"-18" deep around the base. Once the outside ring is cut out, you can cut across the middle, sort of a pie cut, then cut the chunks from the outside, down and in like a cone. On paper, it doesn't sound too bad.
"I cut this piece four times and it's still too short."
What kind of tree?
For example, if it's an oak with a big taproot, the various digout methods are going to be much harder.
If it's a maple, you just need to cut the roots coming out of the sides. Not so bad.
Mattock is a good tool for root cutting.
Its a Live Oak, which is like the hardest species of Oak (probably even tree)http://members.fishingworks.com/bo444444/index.cfm
"Its a Live Oak, which is like the hardest species of Oak (probably even tree)"
Doh! And slow to rot too... My back hurts just thinking about it.
My best advice on removing a "stump" is to rent his room out to a foreign exchange student.
I'll just chip in (so to speak) to remind you that if you subterranean termites in your area, you want to take precautions if any wood is left in the ground for any period of time.
I don't know about yours, but my church isn't a hotel for the holy, it's a hospital for sinners
Sojourners: Christians for Justice and Peace
I was going to mention drilling holes and adding the termites, but then you need to get rid of them before they infest the whole area."Chip in"? Man, that's bad! Just for that, I'm logging out.
"I cut this piece four times and it's still too short."
Edited 12/5/2004 2:45 pm ET by highfigh