Stump Removal Machine

[northmanlogging]

Ok gang, looking at a job tommorrow LO wants stumps pulled, not something I'm normally into...

First off my equipment thus far is just a skidder and a backhoe.

I can rent or maybe barrow or hire out an excavator, (rent might be cheap in the homeboy hook up kind of way.) Probably a 120 sized machine. If'n there is enough timber I could maybe swing purchasing an older used excavator, something I'm not opposed to anyway.

No Idea as to what kind of timber I'm going to be looking at, most likely hemlock and D fir, with some ceder thrown in for good luck. Won't be looking at it until tomorrow afternoon, I can only make an educated guess as to it being flat and go off the timber I've cut in the area.

Parcell is 5 acres

What I would like to know is:

First how much time should I allow for each acre/stump (ass u me ing I'm not horrible at running an excavator I've got some ass time but not much)

Second is this even worth attempting Probably base everything off a timber split on percentages, but if this land clearing thing is a total money pit I don't want to get involved

Third would a Dozer be a better option? Maybe a D6-8 with a big stump splitter and or a root rake. (this I can also purchase for a reasonable price... maybe... there was a D9 for like 2k not long ago runner too...)

 

[HuskStihl]

You tend to leave very high stumps, so a dozer would prolly be perfect

 

[Joe46]

D6-8 with a stump splitter could maybe a good investment for you, Course if you could find one with an arch and splitter.................! I cat logged off and on in your country for 3 years with a buddy that had an old Johnsonbar TD20. We flew 4-6 chokers off the back of it. Then there's the cost of moving it! We also entertained the idea of some land clearing projects. D 9's were coming off the pipeline cheap even back then.

 

[Gologit]

D6-8 with a stump splitter could maybe a good investment for you, Course if you could find one with an arch and splitter.................! I cat logged off and on in your country for 3 years with a buddy that had an old Johnsonbar TD20. We flew 4-6 chokers off the back of it. Then there's the cost of moving it! We also entertained the idea of some land clearing projects. D 9's were coming off the pipeline cheap even back then.

A Cat would be a good choice...I'd rather be on a Cat than any other piece of machinery... but would there be enough work for it when it wasn't on stumps?

A shovel is a pretty versatile machine and there are a lot of different uses for it. Get some quick-change buckets, grapples, dangle head, maybe hook up some extra drums for yarding...lots of possibilities.

 

[northmanlogging]

You tend to leave very high stumps, so a dozer would prolly be perfect

Sticks and stones may break my bones... but words last forever

 

[HuskStihl]

I'm sorry Northman. It wasn't a fair statement, as knee high on you is chest high on me

 

[northmanlogging]

Its ok, I like me a nipple high stump, better to survey the damage from! Besides I only look tall, I reality I'm only 5'1", its the huge KISS dragon platform calks that make me look taller.

 

[2dogs]

I would try to talk the LO into low stumps. Pulling stumps usually turns into digging, cutting roots and then pulling with a big dozer.

 

[bigbadbob]

Once they have logged here they bring in some medium sized excavators and pull all the stumps and flip them on top of the ground, not sure why but its what they do, looks pretty ugly to.
I havent taken too much notice whats on the business end of the boom, at least a thumb .
But hey I am not a logger!!!

BBB

 

[northmanlogging]

I would try to talk the LO into low stumps. Pulling stumps usually turns into digging, cutting roots and then pulling with a big dozer.

Plan A is to talk em into that... But some folks can be stubborn, and its their land, they get to make the decisions.

I figure 3-5 days per acre at 800 a week rent and 90 gallons a day, or 2500 ish per acre in costs alone, not to mention what I would need to get paid. But this is really just going off long past experience, and youtube, and checking prices from local rental places.

 

[Trx250r180]

Some of the fir and maple stumps I have taken out were pretty deep rooted, took me a while with a cat to get them out

 

[slowp]

View attachment 361476

View attachment 361477 View attachment 361476 Once they have logged here they bring in some medium sized excavators and pull all the stumps and flip them on top of the ground, not sure why but its what they do, looks pretty ugly to.
I havent taken too much notice whats on the business end of the boom, at least a thumb .
But hey I am not a logger!!!

BBB

That may be an attempt to stop root rot from infecting other nearby trees.

 

[2dogs]

I didn't think about root rot. That is a reason to pull the stumps and kill them with fire. It also means cleaning the machines before they leave the site. The price just went up. All this only slows root rot, phythoptra (sp), it is in the soil.

 

[madhatte]

Root rot control is my guess as well. It's an expensive and largely ineffective effort, though. We... have abandoned that practice here.

 

[HuskStihl]

Being a yuppie, I'm always amazed at the strength of these machines. Had some dirtwork done on my property several years back. They had a big excavator (it was yellow). There was a pretty big oak tree in the middle of where we were putting a slab. I figured they would cut it down and pull the stump with the dozer, but the excavator with a grapple busted off the top limbs, then just grabbed the stem and plucked it out like a weed. Nothing new to y'all, but I was literally speechless (which is pretty impressive in and of itself)

 

[schmuck.k]

A 120 size machine is the smallest you would want ive pulled my fair share of stumps with a small machine it takes time it all depends on the ground ( i sit on one almost every work day in the woods on all types of ground) good luck if you need help im not that far away.
Kevin

 

[northmanlogging]

Well... mostly scrubby hemlock, some largish maples, a few decent dougs, and a bunch of barely marketable ceder (although barely marketable is still marketable)

Offered them my usual split with pushing limbs and tops into a pile, and the stump pulling being a seperate deal, hopefully with them hiring someone else to do it, they only want the front 2? acres completely cleared, the rest can stay stumps and brush, just no standing trees...

We'll see if they bite, have several other folks looking at it (most of em don't like working around houses though)

 

[imagineero]

Trying to get them to hire someone else for the stump portion of the job is a great idea, unless you have a particular interest in getting into it in future then you can just write it off as a learning experience. Unless you're able to charge a flat rate for your time (unlikely) you stand a pretty good chance of getting burnt. Buying up extra equipment is always exciting, but without work for it ends up costing more money than it brings in over time. 5 acres is too small to bring in a forest mower unless there's one very local, but too big for a stump grinder. There may be someone local with a dozer who would do it for cheap, they already own the dozer after all. What do they plan on doing with the stumps after?

 

[northmanlogging]

They are ok with burning the piles. Which isn't a big deal in the winter around here, other then "The Puget Sound Clean Air "authority"... bunch of whiny bitches that make you get a permit to burn anything over 3'... luckily the permit is cheap and I'm pretty sure you don't need a fire wagon during winter, just someone watching it.

I use the term authority loosely even though that is their name, they are not ellected, and they don't really have any authority, they just ***** a lot until they get what they want.

 

[madhatte]

PSCAA are jerks. ORCAA (Olympic Region) are way easier to deal with. Our property is split about evenly between the two jurisdictions. Guess who I'd rather deal with?