# Large stump removal jobs



## BoesTreeService (Feb 22, 2007)

What is the best way to remove a large number of stumps (ie 150), most between 12-24 inches in diameter? The trees are not on the ground quite yet, most are walnut, some oak and pine scattered through and a few maple.

Grinding would be a long drawn out task even with a few grinders. 

With an experience operator, what is the size stump that can be removed by a bulldozer and how long does it take (ballpark) per stump?

Thanks


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## BoesTreeService (Feb 22, 2007)

I am open to any ideas that might work - obviously I am asking for opinions from those of you with more experience with these kinds of things-those of you who have been there done that. Have you used an excavator to do such a job, and if you (or anyone) has done that, how long does it take for each one?


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## treeman82 (Feb 22, 2007)

Why not just get your hands on a 50 + hp diesel stump grinder and bang them all out in 2 days. It will be much cheaper and less damaging in the long run.


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## Thetreewisemen (Feb 22, 2007)

How close are the nearest houses? If there are no houses close by, have you considered blasting? Don't laugh, we did it at forestry college back in the 1980s and WOW does it work. You should see what 5-6lbs of nitro-glycerine based explosive does to a 34" oak stump. If you have the space and obviously it's done safely, believe me........it's the quickest!


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## Tree Slayer (Feb 22, 2007)

Thetreewisemen said:


> How close are the nearest houses? If there are no houses close by, have you considered blasting? Don't laugh, we did it at forestry college back in the 1980s and WOW does it work. You should see what 5-6lbs of nitro-glycerine based explosive does to a 34" oak stump. If you have the space and obviously it's done safely, believe me........it's the quickest!


And wind up in jail at the same time. Like someone else said grind them.Either rent a grinder or sub it out.


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## Thetreewisemen (Feb 22, 2007)

Surely there are licenses available for explosive use in this country. Whether it be for mining applications or what I described in my last post. There was an ex-army guy providing this service back in the U.K. He never ended up in jail (and you know how uptight us Brits are about guns and explosives)......It was just a suggestion, that's all. I've seen it done, and done properly. Just sharing experiences. If blasting is out, find the biggest machine you can get your paws on and grind 'em. Or get a backhoe in there, a decent operator should be able to make mincemeat out of those stumps in a resonable time frame.


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## Wismer (Feb 22, 2007)

The excavator is the way to go. We use an excavator for taking out orchards, granted they are smaller stumps, but it is indeed the way to go. It's lightning fast.


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## Tree Slayer (Feb 22, 2007)

the excavator would be faster for sure.But what do you do with the stumps then? Hauling away can get expensive. also price, how much is it gonna cost to bring a nice size hoe to the site, verses a nice size ginder. 150 stumps thats 2 days work for a big grinder but then you also are gonna have a lot of stump grindings in piles to deal with.


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## oldirty (Feb 22, 2007)

bobcat to push piles around.
big ol tracked grinder to bang them stumps out.
allz your gonna need.



ODB


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## Sbusta (Feb 22, 2007)

Find someone with a Carlton 8018TRX I just completed 840 stump job of similar size in 30 hours.


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## BoesTreeService (Feb 22, 2007)

Thanks to everyone for your ideas. I am going to talk to the local Bandit dealer about a big grinder. I like the idea of NOT having to haul the stumps off. 

I had an idea if I did doze or dig them out; of pressure washing them and hauling them to the local mulch plant - they will take them with most of the soil off. But 

As for the grindings, they can remain right on site, same as the chips from the trees when I remove them, they are bringing in some topsoil and regrading the entire lot.

You guys on this site are awesome, thanks for your input and willingness to share information. I am figuring about two hours per tree for a two man crew to drop a tree, limb it, chip it, buck it and load the firewood size peices on a trailer to be hauled to a lot less than a mile away. The trees are all about 40-50 footers with 18-24 diameter bases. All the trees will be notch and drops - no climbing, no bucket work, its a wide open lot (gotta love that all I have been doing is work with a million targets under them...)


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## a_lopa (Feb 23, 2007)

Excavator with ripper and rip them out and bust them up IMO,id be looking for a 30t digger do it quicker.


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## John464 (Feb 23, 2007)

12' -24' stumps should be able to do in under 10 minutes each with the right grinder. Unless a job calls for taking the root balls out I will always grind them. That way I dont have to push em, pile em, and haul away. It is usually faster for us and cheaper for us(fuel and man hours), no matter how many there are unless you are talking 50+ 4-6ft diameter stumps....especially when you got two grinders on one job.


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## Barry Stumps (Feb 24, 2007)

I have a 35 hp vermeer Grinder and it would only take me 2 or 2.5 days. Absolutely use the grinder and it doesn't have to be a giant one. Just figure out the best route to take and have a 2nd person to tell you when your lined up to the stump If you have a pull behind. Just keep on moving and take short breaks and they will be gone faster than you think.


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## arbor pro (Feb 26, 2007)

*wood and stumps might be worth money*

Check with local woodworkers in your area about milling the wood and even the stumps. I've been told by cabinet makers in my area that walnut wood is worth a lot of bucks. Unfortunately, we don't have many in SD but, I've sold 30 footers with only 12" trunks for a couple hundred bucks. A 24-36" tree should be worth several hundred if not thousands to the right person.

You might want to go online and do some searching but start with your local woodworking shops to see if there's any interest.

I've also been told that the stump wood is especially nice as it has 'more intense color' than the trunk wood so don't rule out the idea of using an excavator to dig out the stumps - roots and all.


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## nilzlofgren (Mar 2, 2007)

I clear land all the time. If you have the room, an excavator is your best bet. You don't need a monster size machine either, my 580K can deal with a 24" stump in about 10 min in sandy loam, and about 15 min in clay, and sometimes alot quicker. Point is, look at a Cat 311, JD 120, Komatsu pc 120, or a Case cx 130. All about 28000# or so. Also, An excavator will offer you the best maneuverability and versatility. A tub grinder is great if your acreage is dense enough tree wise, to justify cost. The local Vermeer dealer once quoted me $9000 for the week!!!, and it took a day to set up. If is hasn't already been mentioned, maybe you can burn the stumps. I use 30yd dumpsters for my stumps, at $350 a piece. It takes 3 to 4 cans per acre depending on tree density. Also, The biggest consumer of your time is limb stacking for when you are going to chip.


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## Mr. Firewood (Mar 2, 2007)

www.slashbuster.com has some awesome excavator tools, a local guy has one and rents the machine with a operator for $200 a hour and he will blast anything down to ground level


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## Pollock777 (Mar 2, 2007)

*If you were closer*

I would come in and in one day grind all of the stumps for a price of 10 to 15 dollars a pc. and all you have to do is wacth and tell me how deep you want me to go.


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## Marty Comstock (Mar 3, 2007)

If it were me, id grind them with this....


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## sawsong (Mar 3, 2007)

agreed. we have one of those albeit pto mounted on the back of a massey ferguson tractor. the '150 pro' model. 12" stumps, you're talking seconds literally, and not many of them. xyz axes on remote control and theres no stopping it, 30" stumps or so you're talking minutes for each, but not many of them either!

probably the cheapest and most efficient solution all round to be honest


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## Marty Comstock (Mar 3, 2007)

sawsong said:


> probably the cheapest and most efficient solution all round to be honest



Mine may not be the cheapest, but I boast the most hp to the tooth in its class. Most efficent? thats a resounding good lord yes, even pto driven off a tractor.

Marty


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## TRYON (Mar 3, 2007)

*Stump Removal*

Around here in oregon we use an excavator for almost everything.........can you can pull them out of the ground then pile em up and burn em.....that is if there is no burning restrictions......i use kobelco 150 to do it.....but im positive that a 120 possibly even a 100 size machine will do the trick.......just grab ahold of them with the thumb and wiggle around a bit and they should pluck right out....ive cleared quite a few acres of alder TREES doing this....


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## NEK VT (Mar 6, 2007)

*agreed*



TRYON said:


> Around here in oregon we use an excavator for almost everything.........can you can pull them out of the ground then pile em up and burn em.....that is if there is no burning restrictions......i use kobelco 150 to do it.....but im positive that a 120 possibly even a 100 size machine will do the trick.......just grab ahold of them with the thumb and wiggle around a bit and they should pluck right out....ive cleared quite a few acres of alder TREES doing this....



This is how we do it too.... I plan the same type of operation for a driveway... and plan to pile /dry and burn my stumps...


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## Big Jim (Mar 8, 2007)

If you can pass the cost on of getting rid of the stumps an excavator is the way to go.Dumpsters and disposal can get expensive quick.A lot of guys will push them to a corner of property and bury them.The problem with that is sink holes down the road if it is not done properly.
More and more contractors are having us grind them out after we are done clearing because its a lot cheaper to get rid of wood chips than it is stumps.
I opt for grinding them because I have stump grinders and dont own an excavator.


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## PUclimber (Mar 8, 2007)

Are they open grown walnuts or is this a yard or field? I was curious about if they're availabe to be cut for lumber of you'd be interested in letting maybe a portion of them go for lumber if they're picked up?


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