Stump removal

[TimH]

Has anyone used that stuff you put on stumps to hasten their decay? I have about 50 stumps on this property and I would like to get rid of them.

[2MeterTroll]

not this kid. i just dig them out wash them off and figure out what parts i can use.

[boylesboats]

Battery acid,

Or rent a small portable stump grinder..

Or small amount of C4, few sticks of dynamites..or mix up some batches of ANFO (Fuel oil and fertilizer)..


Really, a walk behind stump grinder is quickest solution you can get.. It turn those stumps into a nice pile of mulch.. without any damages to your lawn..

[Michael Beckman]

Yep. Comes in capsules, but you have to boil those off. Let the water evaporate out, then mix the resulting powder with sugar. Melt down into a hardening peanutbutter like substance or use in powder form to create a ton of smoke.


No idea if they work on stumps though.

[floatingkiwi]

What kind of stumps are they? Wood type and size?

[TimH]

Doug fir. Range in size from 8" to 3-1/2 feet.

[Iceboy]

Bull dozer

[Bill R]

Small excavator? Dunno how practical, but a bunch of fun to play with.

[TimH]

I thought about that, but these stumps are surrounded by lawn and big trees. I wanted to be as gentle as possible.

[ahp]

Termites. And, I have read that sprinkling the stump with fertilizer works.

[Bob Smalser]

...3 1/2 feet.... as gentle as possible.

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL12/1104763/3075040/117586346.jpg

Forget about getting them to rot. This 4' DF was cut in 1936, the stump still weighs around 6 tons, and will be there for at least another hundred years. You'd have to buy your quick-rot chemicals by the 55-gallon drum, and still wouldn't be successful.

Hiring it out to an arborist with a large stump grinder is the only way to be gentle. But then you are leaving literally tons of wood in the ground to rot, eventually creating a maintenance problem filling sink holes for the hundred or so years it'll take them to completely disappear.

Otherwise your only other choice is renting a large excavator and making a helluva mess. A 3 1/2' DF stump is too large for most full-size backhoes to tip out of the hole, and powder monkeys these days are too hard to find and are only useful when you have to cut a large tap root. Your trees all have huge tap roots, but they all hit the hardpan 2' down and then grew sideways, so they can be dug out or ground off. But over time those tap roots tried to screw themselves into the hard pan with tremendous force, and they can be very difficult to dig out.

Cruiser Was a Logger's Dog (http://www.woodenboatvb.com/vbulletin/upload/showthread.php?t=17101)

[jonboy]

I used Potassium nitrate Kn O 3...also known as saltpetre successfully on about ten 2' diameter monterey cyprus stumps cut as close to the ground as poss, drilled with 25mm arbor as many times as I could be bothered(not many) and then wetted and sprinkled with the crystals....repeated as many times as I could be bothered (not many) over a spring and summer used maybe 50kg in all ...perhaps two summers later you could kick to powder what was left or rotavate it in... tricky on a lawn though.

It works as a rapid oxidiser making any aerobic chemical reaction super fast... hence it's use in gunpowder, activater of blackpowder, etc so handle with care, and the solution will rust stuff faster than seawater, so keep it out of the tool shed...was getting hard to buy in UK as it was the favoured explosive of the Irish troubles... mixed with sugar, packed into beer kegs and a small van, simple detanator .....it needed huge quantities but v. efficient if it didn't blow you to bits mixing it. probably the active ingredient of proprietary brand stump remover but google it perhaps?

[Bobcat]

You can burn them out: build a fire over the stump and keep it burning. Best to do so in the rainy months.

My father told me that on the farm in the 1920s they would keep a fire burning for weeks to get rid of big stumps, the ones too big to blast out or pull out with a horse and a stump puller.

[TimH]

How fast does a stump grinder work? How long would it take to grind down a 2-1/2' to 3' stump 2-1/2 feet high?

[Paul Pless]

How fast does a stump grinder work? How long would it take to grind down a 2-1/2' to 3' stump 2-1/2 feet high? we ground down a bunch of 4-5 foot diameter live oak stumps that were about 1' tall. It took about 10 minutes a stump after getting the grinder in place. The grinder we used was run by a about 100 hp John Deere diesel.

[Paul Pless]

But... how can you resist the opportunity to blow them out???

[Brian Palmer]

Well, in this case less than 3 minutes, 12 seconds:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVAJT2ThP-4

Brian

[boylesboats]

One of these will not tear up your lawn, and it allow you to get close to building, fit through gates and doors

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FoIqQn0h3x4

[jonboy]

Nice bit of kit but why not chainsaw it down a further foot and save alot of greif... you are still left with a serious lump of wood in the ground

[abe]

The stump Munchers to the rescue:

This will hasten decay in about 8 minutes. All functions except the starter are radio controlled.

20" red oak

http://cheerio.zenfolio.com/img/v8/p242879197-4.jpg

Grinds into small chips about 12" below surface. Balance of root system will rot after I do.

http://cheerio.zenfolio.com/img/v8/p252073483-4.jpg

[BrianM]

Has anyone used that stuff you put on stumps to hasten their decay? I have about 50 stumps on this property and I would like to get rid of them.

I can't resist. The fastest way to get that wooden stump to rot quickly... smear it all over with BONDO! :p:p:p

Just a kiddin' everyone....

[TimH]

I can't resist. The fastest way to get that wooden stump to rot quickly... smear it all over with BONDO! :p:p:p

Just a kiddin' everyone....

Good idea! and paint it robins egg blue :)

[boylesboats]

Good idea! and paint it robins egg blue :)

Either that, place some gazing balls

http://www.outdoordecor.com/images%5Cproducts%5CP0001224.jpg

and several bird baths,

also add a few owls if you dare..:D No pink plastic Flamingos..:eek: okay

[2MeterTroll]

why not plug it with oyster mushroom spawn and let them rot the stumps out? check out fungiperfecti.

[peter radclyffe]

Well, in this case less than 3 minutes, 12 seconds:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVAJT2ThP-4

Brian
thats the best drill i've ever seen

[boylesboats]

Too bad it ain't Elm.... Morels love poppin' out on root systems.. I always find those tasty treats around dead Elms

[Liam English]

Dynamite is what we use in VT. Faster and cheaper than that big JD rig. Fun, too.

or you can let them sit for a couple of years and then put your flock of chickens on 'em. Amazing how fast those beaks and claws break down a stump as the chickens dig for grubs. Cheap, not fast, fun, and the eggs are better by far than anything you can get in a store.

[boylesboats]

Dynamite is what we use in VT. Faster and cheaper than that big JD rig. Fun, too.

or you can let them sit for a couple of years and then put your flock of chickens on 'em. Amazing how fast those beaks and claws break down a stump as the chickens dig for grubs. Cheap, not fast, fun, and the eggs are better by far than anything you can get in a store.


Yup, those eggs from free roamin' chickkin are good.. love those firm standin' orange yolks in the mornin'... something to dunk my biscuit in

[Nicholas Carey]

Stump Grinder in action:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1N-H4lYMaY

Slightly faster, but much more satisfying:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDdUXp9XNe0

Seriously, if you've got the space...the Dupont Blaster's Handbook (now the ISEE Blaster's Handbook (http://isee.org/store/product1.html)) has (or used to have) recipes for stump removal.

[BarnacleGrim]

I wish someone would ANFO the brook downstream from us. Then my back yard and the neighbour's driveway wouldn't turn into a flood plain after every heavy rain.

[py]

Fibreglass it. I've read somewhere that fibreglass sheathing hastens rot enourmously.

[TimH]

some of them are partially decayed. I guess I will try a small excavator.

[Dave Gray]

My Dad told a story about when he was a boy in Hailey, Idaho. Seems they had a big old stump in the front yard that gramps wanted to get rid of. So they got the local handyman, who apparently was a few gears shy of a full clock, to help them get rid of it. The guy very carefully dug around the stump, packing dynamite in appropriate places. The fuse was lit, they ran to the back of the house, and watched the stump sail over the house to land in the back yard not far from where they were hiding.

I don't think they used the handyman again.

[paladin]

Back in the late 60's a feller that my dad knew was over at the house for coffee.....and dad had apparently told him the giv'ment sent me to school to blow things up.....he also had several large stumps that he wanted out.....I went to look and he was willing to pay "3 or 400 bucks to get them out and a couple hundred more to fill the holes..."....
I called another fellow who agreed to borrow his dad's D-8 and push them out, for $200....found another feller who hauled in topsoil for $40 a load....4 loads....everyone was very happy....I had $200 cash and 4 very large nice black walnut stumps.....paid another feller to come ($50) and make the stumps into 3 1/2 inch slabs and put them in the garage for 3 years......later sent them to Fajen Gun Works to be cut into Kentucky rifle stocks...really nice walnut burl.....and sold them for $100-$150 each...even got new woodwork for a couple old '92 Winchesters....including mine...

[Bob Smalser]

some of them are partially decayed. I guess I will try a small excavator.

The largest is 3 1/2 feet in diameter? 50 total? You'll need a full-sized excavator with thumb and a day to two days.

It's usually cheaper to hire a pro with a swiveling double-clamshell bucket that can attack the stump from all angles without moving the machine. Plus he already knows how to dig out a stump efficiently, and will get more done in half a day than you will in two in a rented machine.

If this is the Brinnon property, call Rick at 692-6064. And if you're gonna burn that pile, you better hurry up before the seasonal burn ban takes effect, usually in June. Plus I'll loan you my Honda-powered burn fan if you like.

[boylesboats]

wow Chuck,
I bet those burls is sharp and clear as marble..
I use to have a small chunk of Black Walnut burl about 3" X 4".. It looked so cool, nearly black with deep reddish brown swirls going about..
I was going to make a pipe bowl out of it..

[joeha]

Any money to be made buying one of those stump grinders? Just want to keep my options open in these troubled economic times. For a 30k investment, would be I able to make money working weekends? How is the price structure per stump or by the hour? Thanks in advance for your help.

Joe

[Bob Smalser]

Any money to be made buying one of those stump grinders? Just want to keep my options open in these troubled economic times.

The problem with land clearing (unlike other arborist tasks) is that it's closely dependent on the housing market. Although when an arborist takes down a tree in a back yard with underground utilities present, a stump grinder is the only method.

I hire this done in sensitive areas where I can't get an excavator in and have paid either 90 bucks an hour or 75 bucks for a large stump. Figure a third more than that retail.

[arcadiainc]

Stump removal is my business. Hire a professional. An excavator not only tears up a yard but you will have soft, sinking spots in the yard forever plus the problem of stump disposal. If you can rent a 50 hp or larger self propelled machine that will work. The remaining debris will rot quickly if covered with dirt. The only home remedy I know that is fairly effective is (please do not laugh) to cover them with sugar and let the ants chew. This will work over a couple years. With that many stumps you may possibly get a "good" price. My knowledge is based on conditions in the deep south. May not work for you.

[George Jung]

I have a silver maple stump in my yard - tried the Kchlorate; tried the fungus. It's still there...... maybe two feet across. Relatively soft wood, surprised it's so resilient. a grinder may be the next step.

[PaulC]

It sounds like a part of the planning should be calling Miss Dig or whatever the One-Call system is in your area. The best surprise is no surprise...

[boylesboats]

Chuck,
That sound like Drano and Bleach trick..

[peter osberg]

For big fir stumps that dwarf any of those stumpgrinders pictured. The only thing I have success with is a big fire that burns for days (you are going to have to burn the remnants anyway). This Feb I had a burn on one for 5 days then spent 2 more days digging out old nurse logs and hot spots and had the sprinkler on for another 36 hours before it stopped smoking. I had another fire going (5 days) on a 4ft dia arbutus stump and could not burn it out. The chemical route has been wishful thinking, and I am still waiting for it to work.
peter

[Tom Galyen]

Here is the method used by someone on another forum

Around age 10 my dad got me one of those little badass long bow beginner kits. Of course, the first month I went around our land sticking arrows in anything that could get stuck by an arrow.

That got boring, so being the 10 yr. old Dukes of Hazard fan that I was, I quickly advanced to taking strips of cut up T-shirt doused in chainsaw gas tied around the end and was sending flaming arrows all over the place. Keep in mind this was 99.999% humidity swampland so there really wasn't any fire danger. I'll put it this way- a set of post hole diggers and a 3ft. hole and you had yourself a well.

One summer afternoon, I was shooting flaming arrows into a large rotten oak stump in our backyard. I looked over under the carport and see a shiny brand new can of starting fluid (ether). The light bulb went off. I grabbed the can and set it on the stump. I thought that it would probably just spray out in a disappointing manner... let's face it to a 10 yr. old mouth-breather like myself ether really doesn't "sound" flammable. So, I went back into the house and got a 1 pound can of dads muzzleloader pyrodex. At this point, I set the can of ether on the stump and opened up the can of black powder. My intentions were to sprinkle a little bit around the ether can but it all sorta dumped out on me. No biggie... 1lb pyrodex and 16oz ether should make a loud pop, kinda like a firecracker you know? You know what? Heck with that. I'm going back in the house for the other can. Yes, I got a second can of pyrodex and dumped it too.

Now we're cookin'. I stepped back about 15ft and lit the 2 stroke arrow.

I drew the nock to my cheek and let fly. As I released I heard a swish as the arrow launched from my bow. In a slow motion time frame, I turned to see my dad getting out of the truck... OH CRAP he just got home from work. So help me God it took 10 minutes for that arrow to go from my bow to the can. My dad was walking towards me in slow motion with a WTF look in his eyes. I turned back towards my target just in time to see the arrow pierce the starting fluid can right at the bottom. Right through the main pile of pyrodex and into the can. Oh. Hell. When the shock wave hit it knocked me off my feet. I don't know if it was the actual compression wave that threw me back or just reflex jerk back from 235 MF'n decibels of sound. I caught a half a millisecond glimpse of the violence during the initial explosion and I will tell you there was dust, grass, and bugs all hovering 1ft above the ground as far as I could see.

It was like a little low to the ground layer of dust fog full of grasshoppers, spiders, and a crawfish or two. The daylight turned purple. Let me repeat this... THE DAMN DAYLIGHT TURNED PURPLE. There was a big sweetgum tree out by the gate going into the pasture. Notice I said "was". That mother got up and ran off. So here I am, on the ground blown completely out of my shoes with my thundercats T-shirt shredded, my dad is on the other side of the carport having what I can only assume is a Vietnam flashback ECHO BRAVO CHARLIE YOUR BRINGIN' EM IN TOO CLOSE!! CEASE FIRE GOLL DAMIT CEASE FIRE!!!!!

His hat has blown off and is 30 ft. behind him in the driveway. All windows on the north side of the house are blown out and there is a slow rolling mushroom cloud about 2000ft over our backyard. There is a Honda 185s 3 wheeler parked on the other side of the yard and the fenders are drooped down and are now touching the tires. I wish I knew what I said to my dad at this moment. I don't know- I know I said something. I couldn't hear. I couldn't hear inside my own head. I don't think he heard me either... not that it would really matter. I don't remember much from this point on. I said something, felt a sharp pain, and then woke up later. I felt a sharp pain, blacked out, woke later.... repeat this process for an hour or so and you get the idea. I remember at one point my mom had to give me CPR so dad could beat me some more. Bring him back to life so dad can kill him again. Thanks mom.

One thing is for sure... I never had to mow around that stump again. Mom had been bitching about that thing for years and dad never did anything about it. I stepped up to the plate and handled business. Dad sold his muzzleloaders a week or so later.

And I still have some sort of bone growth abnormality either from the blast or the beating. Or both.

I guess what I'm trying to is, get your kids into archery.

Its good discipline and will teach them skills they can use later on in life

[py]

best post I read in years!!!

[TimH]

If this is the Brinnon property, call Rick at 692-6064. And if you're gonna burn that pile, you better hurry up before the seasonal burn ban takes effect, usually in June. Plus I'll loan you my Honda-powered burn fan if you like.

Thanks for the offer Bob but its for my Whidbey property.

[Peter Eikenberry]

Years ago my dad used to burn them out fairly (they were also Douglas Fir) quickly by setting a fire and then using an electric blower tokeep the fire going full blast. It beat digging them out or blasting them. But you have to be careful. Do it in the rainy season or dig around the stump and cut all the roots so the fire doesn't spread through the roots.

[DDan]

If you go that route, let me emphasize BIG excavator. No experience with DF, but it's amazing how much work it its to remove a stump, particularly a rot resistant variety. A 10 or 11 inch diameter white oak stump that had been buried for about 30 years took well over an hour to get out with a backhoe attachment on a mid to large size New-Holland skid steer loader + some additional strategic "encouraging" with chain saw and ax. And you have 50, some very large ...

[Noah]

Tom, I had tears running down my face after that - thanks for the laugh!

[paladin]

Tom...my sides hurt.....almost like a trick that I pulled when about the same age with a civil war cannon in granddad's yard.....and taking down a few fruit tree's.....

[Rich VanValkenburg]

There were two large Elms in our yard that were taken down and the stumps ground level several years before we bought the house. One day when I was cutting the grass over top of one of those stumps I sank into the ground almost knee deep. The stumps were decayed and all I could do was keep adding dirt each year. Same thing is happening at my Dad's folk's house with a large Maple. I'm getting to the point that I handle snow removal the same way. Some day it all melts.