Big ugly root balls

[TimberMcPherson]

I have a couple of fallen trees complete with big a$$ rootballs I have to remove. There is no access for anything vehicular yet somehow I have to get them out. They are montery pines. So far my plan of attack consists of a matock, pick, axe, handsaw, chainsaw and lot of sweat. Anyone out there got any brilliant tactics to man handle a pair of 8 foot rootballs?

I have the funny feeling Ive got alot of chipping away ahead of me.

 

[rumination]

plastic explosives

 

[okietreedude1]

two ideas come to mind:

1) big crane

2) get yourself a power washer. it may help take the dirt off quicker. it may also help reduce dirt damage to a saw chain. of course w/ the mud, you might like to wait for everything to dry.

 

[JonnyHart]

Can you rent a liitle stumpgrinder?

 

[wiley_p]

I know it sounds dumb but can you get your stumpgrinder to them? I did a rootwad that way on a medium size fallen fir, it worked okay.

 

[JonnyHart]

either that or be ready to do a a bit of saw sharpening. Presurewasher would get rid of a lot o dirt like dude said, but then you may find yourself in a mud puddle.

 

[Tom Dunlap]

Make a home made air spade following Mike Maas' lead. Blast off as much dirt as possible. Use a recip [Sawzall] to cut off as many side roots as possible, get extra chains for the saw and files, Nibble away until you can swallow the stump.

You could probably plunge into the stump from the tree end. This might leave the stump in smaller pieces.

Crane the stump grinder in and out?

tom

 

[TimberMcPherson]

I will try to get a pic of it and post it, but I dont have a grinder or access to one. Might give a company I know a bell and see what they can do with it and for how much.The tree is facing downhill over a bank, I would mention the tonne slab of concrete that is included in the root ball but thats another issue!

I better get to making chains now!

 

[murphy4trees]

The RG super 50 with 4x4 gets into places that are hard to believe and would make quick work of those stumps... either way put a tonn of money on them.. I think Rayco dealers may be renting them..

I did OK in Va. with a water hose and carbide chain... getting the dirt into mud greatly reduces damage to any kind of chain..

Then there are explosives... One of the top building explosive demolition companies got started blowing stumps...

 

[TimberMcPherson]

Gone are the times you can go down to your farm supply co op and get yourself a case of plugs, dets and some fuse.

Boy crane jobs would rock if you just plugged up the area you want to cut and then from the safe distance of standing beside the crane blowing it. You guys ever seen explosive spliting wedges?

Urea and diesel does work but you pretty much need a couple of sticks to get it really moving and its to bulky for precise demolitions.

 

[blue]

i would just pass on this job i think.sounds like a lot of hard work

 

[TimberMcPherson]

I wish I had pics of the job to show you, I will take some monday. I have never felt like such a weakling after swinging a 12lb sledge against a double reenforced block of concrete.
The rootballs are now on relatively solid ground. After 2 and a half days with axes, matocks, crowbars, long bars, picks, blower, handsaw, chainsaw, jack, water blaster and sledges and a tirfir winch, we got it off the bank.

The "little" rootball isnt a prob, the big one is going to be a few days breaking it apart manually. The trunk is about 4 feet DBH I think. (you know how trees always change size from when you quote them to what you remember!)
So far I am buying 2x8 tonne jacks to help with the job and some steel wedges, does anyone have any home made stump remover recipes????? Seems the grinder guys dont want to come play with us!!!!

 

[Tree Machine]

Inoculate it with gourmet mushroom spawn and charge em up the yang

Kiwi's just love solving complex problems. You guys have a knack for the ingenious. Sounds like you have the tools for the task. Water blaster I'll bet is coming in handy, though messy.

does anyone have any home made stump remover recipes?????

Three letters, TNT

What a monster stump. We all await the photos. Good luck, mate. -TM-