Tree stump removal

[R-D-R]

Took four big stumps out at the beginning of the summer. Was a family Effort kids digging as far down and under as they could then we cut the roots we could find with the cordless reciprocating saw and a long demolition blade which worked well.

mrs RDR then had a genius idea. Manoeuvre the disco down through the apple trees and rip them out. We got a strap under the root and another wrapped around it. Selected low range and with a bit of traction control they all eased out with long roots entact, it was just like extracting teeth !

 

[angellonewolf]

Am watching this with interest as at some point in the future I will have a very large conifer stump and root system to remove for a concrete slab to go down.
From what I have read so far looks like a combination of hand digging, rigging a winch from some type of ground anchor (no big trees around) and the recip saw are going to be the best weapons.

cut it down to 6 foot dig 1.5 foot all around cutting every root you find but cut a chunk out not just 1 cut 2 or 3 inches (after this it should wobble a a bit)

then down another 2 foot diagnaly under the root cutting the root as you go

dont pull on the tree towords yourself unless its on a rope push or be well to the side WHEN IT GOES IT WILL COME WITH FORCE AND WEIGHT YOU DONT WANT TO BE UNDER IT WHEN IT FALLS

then at the end cut the last few so you can move the stump

 

[anto]

If you're going to dig out for the slab, why worry now?

It will either be hand dug or at the very most with a very small excavator so I reckoned having roots out would lend itself to easier/ quicker digging.

 

[addjunkie]

Shame to cut down to the ground, I took out 10 for my brother last year as described above, left 6 fot of stump, and rocked with the digger, while he cut and hacked at roots, the recip battery saw worked a treat.

Removed four for the mother in law lasy week, but the stumps have just been left to rot. Llandi should be banned awful blooming things.

 

[8ob]

It will either be hand dug or at the very most with a very small excavator so I reckoned having roots out would lend itself to easier/ quicker digging.

The best home grown mechanical solution I have seen for stump removal was a simple scaffold pole tripod with a block and tackle hanging off it. Also seen farm jacks used but not that effective.

Bob.

 

[RichardM]

Usually side roots and one tap root going down from the centre. I just cut through the side roots and dug out to get to the tap root when I did mine earlier this year. I did leave a lot more than you have for leverage.

 

[anto]

Shame to cut down to the ground, I took out 10 for my brother last year as described above, left 6 fot of stump, and rocked with the digger, while he cut and hacked at roots, the recip battery saw worked a treat.

Removed four for the mother in law lasy week, but the stumps have just been left to rot. Llandi should be banned awful blooming things.

I had them left at about 4ft for a couple of weeks for that reason, to use the digger to lever them out.
Unfortunately I couldn't get my mate with digger down in the timeframe needed. So I decided to just cut as close to the ground as possible, grind stumps and cover over as I still had fence to put up to close up my back garden.

EDIT; as for Leylandii I wholeheartedly agree!
Ive said on here previously that they are a curse of a tree/ hedge.

 

[slim_boy_fat]

a 45 gallon drum over them with the top and bottom cut off and a leaf blower through a hole cut in the side , looks pretty good

Sounds spectacular

 

[arther dailey]

I took five leylandi down that had got about 25 foot upwards , left five foot stumps ,about three years , walked up to them a few heave ho s ,and they fell out like a witches rotten teeth. time is your friend if not in a rush let the weather do the work.

 

[mtt.tr]

Usually side roots and one tap root going down from the centre. I just cut through the side roots and dug out to get to the tap root when I did mine earlier this year. I did leave a lot more than you have for leverage.

Tap roots are a myth.
You will have big routes which spread out this is the anchor.
Then you get fibrous roots which are really its life line and what take up the nutrients.

 

[Climber]

Usually side roots and one tap root going down from the centre. I just cut through the side roots and dug out to get to the tap root when I did mine earlier this year. I did leave a lot more than you have for leverage.

As @mtt.tr quite rightly points out, tap routes are a myth. Most roots will be quite close to the surface, usually extending just beyond the drip line (an imaginary verticle line to the ground from the furthest reaches of the canopy).

There will be shorter anchor roots, but most of these won't be underneath.

Don't bother sticking chemicals on them either, they are largely ineffective. The effective ones need to be applied as soon as possible after felling, and there's no point at all in starting to drill holes in stumps to pour stuff in. It's not the heartwood you need to target, it's the cambium layer just under the bark.

 

[bigegg]

Don't bother sticking chemicals on them either, they are largely ineffective. The effective ones need to be applied as soon as possible after felling, and there's no point at all in starting to drill holes in stumps to pour stuff in. It's not the heartwood you need to target, it's the cambium layer just under the bark.

only true for weedkillers.

a 1inch diameter, 6-inch deep hole filled with ammonium sulphamate will leech into the heartwood, and chemically degrade the cellulose, increasing the breakdown of the stump.
It's what it's sold for, and it *does* work.

 

[Climber]

only true for weedkillers.

a 1inch diameter, 6-inch deep hole filled with ammonium sulphamate will leech into the heartwood, and chemically degrade the cellulose, increasing the breakdown of the stump.
It's what it's sold for, and it *does* work.

He's already ground the actual stumps down well below ground level. His main problem is roots, which wont be solved by drilling into whatever is left of the stumps.
Let's just agree to disagree. My opinion is that in this case drilling holes and pouring anything in them is pointless.

 

[Screwdriver]

I stab at the big root tendrils until they break and wedge out the stump.

I might make another "Burke Bar" just for that purpose but even the above "standard" design could easily cope with much bigger trees.

 

[8ob]

 

[Climber]

@8ob that's just cheating. I only ever did domestic work, and i'm not sure that would go through a 2' 6'' garden gate. Quite jealous of the tracked chipper though. I could do with that now.

 

[colnerov]

Hi, I bet that takes an experienced/skilled driver to back that off of the trailer, not much wiggle room. Any incidents?

Colin

 

[Pigeon_Droppings2]

I watched the council remove one on our road this year....the guy had a portable version of that tractor tool....basically a version that he could manage by hand himself. Was still a fair size machine though....and the mess it made was unbelievable!

 

[cheb]

@8ob that's just cheating. I only ever did domestic work, and i'm not sure that would go through a 2' 6'' garden gate. Quite jealous of the tracked chipper though. I could do with that now.

That thing will easily go through a garden gate, even a metal one.

I've nothing to add about removal, whenever I've had to do this I've just used a grub axe and grunt power.

 

[Climber]

That thing will easily go through a garden gate, even a metal one.

I've nothing to add about removal, whenever I've had to do this I've just used a grub axe and grunt power.

Haha. My clients tended to like their gate not to be in a million pieces afterwards though. Fussy buggers.