Stump removal - Very Interesting Video

[Stormin' Norman]

If you have ever had to remove a stump, you will appreciate how this guy does it.

[TomR]

Interesting video. I have done stump pulling on my own using a all-wheel-drive 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe with a 3.5L engine, a tow hitch, and a tow strap.

The tree stumps (and some bushes etc) were not that big, but two of the stumps were about 16 inches in diameter. One thing that id did do is do a little digging around the stumps and fill the whole stump area with water from a hose and let it sink in. And I ran the hose on high pressure into the ground around the stump to try to completely soak the area.

I didn't have the devices to change the ratios of the pulleys etc -- I just did straight pulling.

But, for people who have the equipment that this guy had, it seems like a good way to rip out an entire sump from the ground.

Of course, another option is to cut the tree off at ground level and hire someone with a stump grinder to grind the remaining stump and big surface roots. In my case, I didn't want to pay extra for that, plus I wanted to play around in the mud and see if my trick would work. It was lots of fun, and it worked!

Meanwhile, on another larger tree that I had cut down later on, I left the stump there rather than pay extra to grind the stump. Then, some entrepreneurial person put a flyer in my mailbox saying "This Stump" -- will grind for $50. I called the guy, he did it, and I left $75 for him instead of $50 since he did what he said he would do, when he said he would do it, and at a great price. In my area, the price would probably have been $150 to $175 to have someone come out and do the job.

[DerbyDad03]

I spent about at least 2 weeks worth of evenings hosing down the roots of a locust tree stump to expose them so I could cut them with an ax and handsaws. When the stump was free, a friend pulled it out of the hole with his truck.

If you've never seen the roots of a locust, this is what I was dealing with. Lots of intertwined roots, some of which formed solid masses of wood.

The next spring I had hundreds of tiny locust trees sprouting from the long, shallow roots that ran through the yard. I had to remove all of them in order to stop the trees from growing. Tore up the yard 2 years in a row.

[Stormin' Norman]

You can save yourself some pain and suffering by using a reciprocating saw (Sawzall), with super tough demolition blades, e.g. Milwaukee brand, AX blades, see:

This is a 25 pack, but you can get lesser quantities.

These are ideal for cutting roots and removing stumps and they don't get ruined like a chainsaw chain when used in the dirt.

There is a fantastic chemical, quite powerful, that can be used to treat a cut stump and within a short period of time it will kill the roots / rhizomes, this would probably have prevented your sprouting problem. The product is called Tordon RTU. See:

The customer questions and answers are interesting.

I have used it on a So. Cal. nightmare shrub called Cape Honeysuckle (not related to regular honeysuckle) and on several trees including Brazilian Pepper trees.

[DerbyDad03]

I was a young, reciprocating-saw-less, new homeowner. These days, plunging a reciprocating saw down a post hole to cut a root, sending dirt flying everywhere, is a no-brainer.

As a wise man told me many years ago, "If you're working too hard, you're probably using the wrong tool". ;-)

[DerbyDad03]

...snip...

Young kids, puppies, kittens, SWMBO. Fantastic, quite powerful chemicals were not an option.

Besides, the roots were substantial and in sandy soil. They were becoming more and more exposed every year. Manual removal was really the best option. Once they were gone (and the kids stopped playing in the mud) the lawn came in great and was easier to maintain.

[clare]

The othe reason to pull rather than grind is if you want to put something - particularly something that requires digging a hole - in it's place.

Up hjear it's a $300 job - but in Yankee Greenbacks that's only about $225 '

[Paintedcow]

Not remove a STump, I want to remove a TRump !!!

[Stormin' Norman]

The story came across as if it was a more recent episode.

[Stormin' Norman]

The beauty or TORDON RTU is, one brushes it on the stump with a cheap chipping brush. A relatively miniscule amount will kill the entire root structure of a 70 year old ficus tree fairly quickly. After the chemical soaks in and dries, about 30 minutes, it is perfectly safe.

Regardless, my comments were offered as suggestions for future projects not as a critique of past methods.

[DerbyDad03]

The story was *taken* as if it was a more recent episode. There is nothing in the words that indicates any time period. (Just like your story).

[Stormin' Norman]

Phrase it however you wish.