Removing large tree stump

jsmoke

jsmoke

jsmoke

Soldato
Joined
17 Jun 2012
Posts
11,259
I have a large stump maybe 3/4 meter in diameter maybe more. It's such that our small chainsaw just gets stuck when trying to cut anything off it. I guess you could work away for hours and hours and hack off small section after section.

From what I can see on yt you either hire a stump grinder, drill holes and fill with potassium nitrate and leave for weeks till it rots, or dig it out by hand.

I'm fancying the dig out by hand. Anybody done this or have any tips?
 
What tree was it? That will make a big difference to the type of root system it has. It it was a birch or something with a shallow root system then digging out should be easy, if something like an Oak with a taproot then it may be extremely difficult.

I normally dig out stumps, a pick mattock/reciprocating saw/axe and shovel are usually all that's needed, but depending on the size of the stump it may become almost impossible to move (how much trunk is there left?).

Presumably you don't have space, but if it has a fair amount of trunk and you have a 4x4 then you could also use that to coax it out. Don't be stupid and yank it with a high gear though, like so many stupid youtube videos!
 
It's in a corner, I'll take a pic soon, couldn't get a truck in there. Not sure the make of tree as was cut down many years ago, I could find out though.

There's quite a lot of trunk left I'm guessing around half a meter from ground, it's a huge root overall.

I see what your saying that it could have a huge center root depending on the tree therefore requiring a mini crater to be dug.

I'll see it as a project that could take weeks.
 
Stumps are a nightmare, if you do have time as in 2-3 years you could seal the stump with plastic wrapping or shrink wrap and seal it so water or sunlight don't get to the stump. I think shrink wraps best few rounds and a black bucket or black thick plastic on top and nail it shut, basically anything to stop sunlight and water getting to it. This will speed up the rotting process, so rather then it taking 20-30 years to rot and you putting it nitrate in each summer it does it on its own naturally and faster.

But since were men and can't wait, hiring a guy with a massive stump grinder or a mini digger with stump grinder tool would get it done much quicker.

I think the mini digger with stump grinder, with its pressure and force would get it done in minutes as opposed to hours if you used a smaller or HSS hired stump grinder and your stumps are king size so you would need the heavy duty approach imo


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQT5HkgAL-8

Or better this one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vrq_HPMT6AA

You can get mini diggers with a host of different stump grinding tools, some with straight down drilling like a giant drill.
As with any tradesmen, probably best to get as many quotes as you can and keep telling them this guy told me X amount and keep reducing it as much as you can.

I guess it would be pricey sadly, I have the same issues myself I have been tempted to buy a screwfix Titan SDS breaker and just grind away but dunno if that would work.
 
We had three stumps ground out in our garden. One was 2ft across and the best part of a metre out the ground. The guys who did them were here less than a day and left the chippings for us (I kept them for composting).
 
we had a huge hawthorn bush in the garden, chopped it right back dead so there was only maybe 50cm of the stumpy bit left.

Easy to pull out I thought....

Had to dig down a good 4/5 foot to pull it out lmao
 
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