Tree stump stuck.

[Leroy Mowry]

A tree stump the size of Boeing engine core (3 cubic feet) is in a hole we cannot get out. We dug dirt around the tree stump, cut all the roots but not enough to get a manual saw comfortably in there. The stump moves freely with no obstructions but too heavy for any men to lift out of the hole.

Our neighbor wants our large tree cut down, stump remove. And we spent all our last dime on a branch-trunk cutting crew. Which now leaves us with a heavy tree stump to be put into our large van going to a dumpsite. What are some ways that we could try to get a tree stump onto a flat surface?

Thanks

[m Ransley]

You say the Neighbor wants it cut down and stump removed? Well if my Neighbor wanted it done I would let them pay for it. Or are we missing your point. It is your land remember, you can do as you wish and only what you can afford. That stump is heavy and wet, your van may not handle its weight

[xrongor]

put ad in paper, say free stump for firewood.

might work..

[Kyle Boatright]

Anyone who bit on that one would either be too stupid to own a vehicle, or would earn himself a Darwin award trying to retrieve the stump... While you might win the $1,000 on America's Funniest Home Videos, it would just give the victim's relatives another $1,000 reasons to sue you.

[Joseph Meehan]

Maybe it would have been a good idea to just grind the stump and have a large pile of mulch.

[John Harlow]

Rent an engine lift.

[xrongor]

make em sign a release..

randy

[Duane Bozarth]

..story about tree stump...

I'm thinking this would be a good time to contact the producers of the Red Green show ... :)

[dane]

Use a chain saw, steel wedges and a sledgehammer to divide the stump into pieces small enough to remove. It was hard work, but it worked for me.

[someone]

I would guess a 3 cubic feet stump wouldn't weigh more than a couple hundred pounds. Not like a 3 cubic feet metal.

Remember how do you get your 20" TV home? It is more than the size of the stump!

[JerryMouse]

First principles:

1. Get the stump out in one piece. a. Boeing engine hydraulic lifting device b. Big truck and chain c. Kitty-cat, harness, and big-ass whip.

1. Get the stump out in multiple, smaller, pieces. a. Chain saw. Try to sculp something obscene. Time will fly.

[Arthur Shapiro]

Are you sure you aren't being victimized by a "tap root" (a root growing vertically downwards from the stump)? The stump will seem to be loose, and jiggle around freely in the pit you've dug, but can't be raised until you tunnel underneath it and cut the last root or roots.

I know what you're going through - A few years ago, after having a couple trees taken down, I spent a few weeks gradually getting out the stumps as time permitted. It wasn't fun.

Art

[v]

How many chains did you ruin?

Normally nobody in their right mind chainsaws an actual stump (in the ground) because the smallest amount of earth dulls the chain in seconds, and the stump is quite dirty.

And normally plastic wedges are used while chainsawing. Steel is for spitting already sawn firewood.

Reply to NG only - this e.mail address goes to a kill file.

[v]

Your string of posts makes your projects sound like the 3 Stooges or worse. You must be underestimating the size since 3 cubic feet of water weighs less than 200 lbs and wood would normally weigh less than water (it floats) for the same volume. Either that or you need more and bigger (make that stronger) men.

When you say it "moves freely" - what do you really mean, that you can rock it back and forth, spin it around a few degrees? A small fibrous root underneath can be strong as a rope, the stump will rock but can't be lifted because it is tied down.

Otherwise, chains, come-alongs (ratchet pullers), jacks, tripod, vehicle, etc. etc. For someone on a "pioneering" project you don't seem very resourceful. Why do you have to remove the stump anyway? How is the neighbor the boss of you?

-v.

Reply to NG only - this e.mail address goes to a kill file.

[ega]

I would go to an equipment rental place and rent a stump grinder or a mini-excavator.

[Mark and Kim Smith]

[dane]

I didn't ruin any chains, but I did have to sharpen it once. You are allowed to clean the earth off the outside of the stump first. The vast majority of the cutting was on the interior of the stump.

The steel wedges were what I had available and were not left in the stump while the chainsaw was being used. Iterations of cutting and splitting got the stump removed. It wasn't easy work, but the stump is gone.

The best way is to pay a professional to take the stump away.

[Retiredff]

All the replies, but didn't anyone think this part was a little odd?

[dadiOH]

Don't y'all just miss dynamite like crazy? :)

-- dadiOH ____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.05... ...a help file of info about MP3s, recording from LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that. Get it at

[Andy Hill]

3 cu ft shouldn't much of a problem. I assume you mean 3 ft cubed (27 cu ft). Even assuming you've chopped the side / tap roots, that bad boy weighs well over half a ton. You're either going to have to take it out in chunks, or find someone with a flatbed and a lift (like you'd use for hauling big landscaping rocks).