Generally speaking back to front works best.
stump removal and excavator/back hoe
- Thread starter Bill52
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As for the debris, just dig a hole put the debris in the hole and burn it, then cover it up, save a lot of time and trouble. You will find time is money, the more you save on one project is time you can spend on another. Renting a larger machine may not be as expensive as you may think considering time and cost saved!
Bill52
ArboristSite Member
Most of these are where I putting a slab for a garage so the fire in the hole seems not best. I might find someplace else to burn or I'll dump and maybe burn on my land in the country - 9 acres with no buildings nearby vs less than an acre in a suburban setting.
Being a suburban setting may be a problem with burning. How big a lot are we talking about?
I see now less than an acre. What ever you choose will work for that.
When I built my last home I had to prepare the lot. I stripped the top soil off and cut a hill down about ten feet and expanded the lot the house was built on from about 1 acre to two. I surveyed and set proper drainage for the house and yard, then put topsoil back on top so grass would grow. Where I built the house I raised the level about a foot for the foundation and packed the ground. I didn't build for a year so the ground had plenty or time to settle.
While you are doing your dirt work these are some of the things to think about.
I see now less than an acre. What ever you choose will work for that.
When I built my last home I had to prepare the lot. I stripped the top soil off and cut a hill down about ten feet and expanded the lot the house was built on from about 1 acre to two. I surveyed and set proper drainage for the house and yard, then put topsoil back on top so grass would grow. Where I built the house I raised the level about a foot for the foundation and packed the ground. I didn't build for a year so the ground had plenty or time to settle.
While you are doing your dirt work these are some of the things to think about.
Bill52
ArboristSite Member
.9 acre lot but area cleared is about as small as possible for a 28 x 32 building, with 10' around, plus a few leaning toward building to be. I think 14 stumps, 3 to 12", 2 cut flush long ago, to remove.
I cleared about 5 acres around the house and planted pines where none could ever fall on the house and planted silver leaf maples around the yard. We live where there is a Hurricane threat almost every year or two so danger trees are almost a must to remove.
Kmacht
New Member
I bought a Bobcat 321 mini excavator last year to clear some land for horse pasture. Once you get use to the controls getting those stumps out should go pretty quick. My machine has taken out a freshly cut 24" oak stump. The key on bigger stumps is to dig a trench all around the outside of the stump and break off all the roots. The bigger the stump the further away you need to dig to be able to break through the roots. Once you get the trench dug you should be able to at least rock the stump back and forth a bit. The next challenge on big stuff is all the dirt still hanging on to the bottom of the stump. That dirt is going to likely weigh more than the machine will pick up. I try to roll the stump over on its side a bit and then go over to the other side and use the teeth on the bucket to knock the dirt off. Once you get it to where you can lift it then raise it up and drop it in the hole a number of times to knock the rest of the dirt off the root structure. After that just lift it out of the hole and move on to the next tree. You absolutley want to make sure the machine you rent has a hydraulic thumb. It will make lifting and moving those stumps a heck of a lot easier. A 12" stump shouldn't take more than 15 or 20 minutes to dig out with a mini-ex. A 24" stump would take me an hour or so. Just go slow and if the machine isn't breaking through the roots move further away until it does. A bigger machine or full size excavator will get those out quicker but with some patience a smaller machine will do the work. If you have any trees that haven't been taken down yet you can save yourself a lot of time by digging the trench around the back side of the tree and then pushing it over with the mini-ex. Let the weight of the tree rip the rest of the stump out. Once down the stump will be sideways and easy to knock the dirt off of.
Bill52
ArboristSite Member
Thank you. I anticipate I'll have minimal dirt clinging as it's all coarse sand, or if I do, it will knock off easily. No clay or silt, and honestly with some minor digging, not a rock or even a pebble.
Also you can increase the brake-out force of the digger by placing the bucket on the ground then knurl the bucket under the root, this helps keep the excavator from lifting off the ground and uses the force of knurl at max. When i'm digging stumps with the JD510 you can actually lift the front end of the hoe off the ground with big stumps if you don't use the ground as a contact point for the bucket. When digging stumps I always fill the front bucket up with about a yard and a half of dirt, this adds about 4000# to a 16,000 # hoe and helps when digging.
Yup, blade on the excavator helps the same way... Plant it on the ground in front of you & it stops you pulling the thing over
Bill52
ArboristSite Member
Thanks!
Yep even with the outriggers and front bucket down and the hoe off the ground you can still slide the hoe if you take too big a bite with an extended boom.
Your 4 and 5 inch stumps will come out easy. Might take you half an hour for the 12-13" guys while learning the machine.
Make sure you rent machine with a thumb.
My smallest machine is Bobcat 853 with backhoe attachment, 13,000# with backhoe/thumb. 4" just bend them over, grab with thumb, and pull out. 5 minutes max.
An earlier thread mentioned a 7 ft fir stump. Recently took out the 115 year old remnant of 5 ft D Fir, took about 5 hours with the bobcat and that was after sawing thru one 2 ft diameter root. ZERO rot on the root.
Also took out a 4 ft diameter hemlock stump, logged in 1905, the hemlock was well rotted, took about 20 minutes with a Ford 4500 with backhoe.
Last summer, took me 2 days to pull a 30" DBH cherry and all roots from a backyard with just a winch on the front end of a S-10 pickup (back end tied to a 4 ft fir) otherwise just drag the S-10 across the ground. 6 T winch, 5 blocks, broke one 3/4" dia wire rope in the process. The cherry branched off at 5 ft up so not much leverage on the trunk available.
Have fun with your rental.
PS: next time, get t;he machine BEFORE you cut down little stuff like this, you can just put bucket high and push everything over and roll out the root ball, then cut.
I have seen developers in this area bring in a D10 and Linkbelt 350 or larger for just a 3 acre plot when there were old 10 ft dia fir stumps, springboard cuts still visible 8 ft up after over 100 years.
Make sure you rent machine with a thumb.
My smallest machine is Bobcat 853 with backhoe attachment, 13,000# with backhoe/thumb. 4" just bend them over, grab with thumb, and pull out. 5 minutes max.
An earlier thread mentioned a 7 ft fir stump. Recently took out the 115 year old remnant of 5 ft D Fir, took about 5 hours with the bobcat and that was after sawing thru one 2 ft diameter root. ZERO rot on the root.
Also took out a 4 ft diameter hemlock stump, logged in 1905, the hemlock was well rotted, took about 20 minutes with a Ford 4500 with backhoe.
Last summer, took me 2 days to pull a 30" DBH cherry and all roots from a backyard with just a winch on the front end of a S-10 pickup (back end tied to a 4 ft fir) otherwise just drag the S-10 across the ground. 6 T winch, 5 blocks, broke one 3/4" dia wire rope in the process. The cherry branched off at 5 ft up so not much leverage on the trunk available.
Have fun with your rental.
PS: next time, get t;he machine BEFORE you cut down little stuff like this, you can just put bucket high and push everything over and roll out the root ball, then cut.
I have seen developers in this area bring in a D10 and Linkbelt 350 or larger for just a 3 acre plot when there were old 10 ft dia fir stumps, springboard cuts still visible 8 ft up after over 100 years.
Dug a three foot long leaf pine stump that had turned to fat lighter one time, was in deep sand with a tab root over 16 feet long. Had to cut roots all the way down on all 4 sides. Digger would dig 15 feet and it took all 15 feet. Laid the digger bucket on top of the stump and would rock the stump back and forth, side to side, till I could grab it with the thumb and pull it out.
Bill52
ArboristSite Member
Well, nothing bigger than a foot diameter but it is well drains sand so tap roots may be deep. We'll see. I think solidified foundation plans and if possible would like to get that in this fall. We'll see.
Hardwoods tend to spread out and not as deep as pine. Pine has a main tap root, especially long leaf pine. In deep sand the tap root may go down to clay.
Bill52
ArboristSite Member
Scotch pine, not long leaf, and below sand (deep) is bedrock. It will be interesting.
Bill52
ArboristSite Member
Well, happened upon a fellow - young to me but he'd been operating machinery for 20 years - who is a couple years out on his own. Recommended by 2 acquaintances, so called him earlier this week and work is done today! Sits still spring when I'll start building.
Bill52
ArboristSite Member
They used a Bobcat E60 - seemed to be a pretty capable machine.
I think I solved one mystery. Found a piece - a run - of wire. This was a farm development and this building site never sold - divided between the two adjacent home owners. No building ever. Looks like no. 12 or 14 type TW. Was a little concerned and then the light bulb came on - pet fence. New one to me.
I think I solved one mystery. Found a piece - a run - of wire. This was a farm development and this building site never sold - divided between the two adjacent home owners. No building ever. Looks like no. 12 or 14 type TW. Was a little concerned and then the light bulb came on - pet fence. New one to me.
That’s a win win, That machine is 2-3 times more capable than what you were gonna rent and the experience of the operator is awesome!
