Tree stump removal

Mat

Mat

Mat

Soldato
Joined
18 Oct 2002
Posts
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I've got a smallish tree I want felling but I also want the stump removing.

I plan on getting someone in to do the work but my concern is how they might deal with the stump. What I don't want is for them to trash the rest of the lawn with some sort of machinery (stump grinder for example), so are there any other methods, short of burning it out, that I could use myself?

Tree with garden fork (black and grey thing, with white sticker on handle, to right of trunk) for scale:

qBWgdgT.jpg.png
 
I know :/ but it's killed all the grass beneath it and the hedge to the right is dying off where it gets no light.
 
Most stump grinders are pretty big and heavy. The one that did mine was on tracks but actually caused very little damage to the grass but it will depend on the weather and if the grass is wet etc.

If your really worried then buy/borrow some scaffold boards or similar and put them down on the lawn for the grinder to travel over.
 
Drill down the trunk, fill with black powder and cap with concrete.

No idea if it would work but would like to see video please.
 
I'd give it a go digging it out. It's not that big a tree and you have loads of space around the tree.
Pick axe and something to lever the roots when you dig around the base.

Or you can hire a stump grinder from hss for about £60. But it won't be as good a job as digging it out.
 
What we did was just chop it down close to the floor as possible,dig out the dirt around the stump about 10 inches then just angle grinder the stump down (this also burns the top of the stump,Nailed in some copper nails too then filled back in the 10 inches,Tree is gone you would never have thought it was there and there has been no sign it is returning.
 
lude1962 said:
This will probably sound daft to those in the know, but why don't people dig down around the tree and use a chainsaw to chop out the stump?
Click to expand...

That's what I'm thinking. My chainsawing experience is limited but could I just cut down into it, repeatedly, and hack out the chunks?
 
lude1962 said:
This will probably sound daft to those in the know, but why don't people dig down around the tree and use a chainsaw to chop out the stump?
Click to expand...

because sticking a chainsaw into mud does it no good and is totally overkill for cutting the roots!

A tree that size wouldn't be very difficult to dig out properly, when it's chopped down make sure they leave as much trunk as possible still standing to use as a leaver then just start digging down around it on all sides cutting the roots with an axe/saw as required. Use the stump to wobble it side to side and eventually it will come out of the ground.

Personally I think worrying about you lawn is a bit silly any damage will be superficial and you going to have an area that needs attention no matter what approach you take to removal.
 
You'll blunt your chainsaw, so there's a half hour gone extra to sharpen it properly, and more importantly you don't know what is in there with the roots, hitting a stone with a chainsaw can cause it to kick back suddenly.

I've done it (mainly on a Friday afternoon when I was a youngster doing this kind of thing for a living and wanting to get off to the pub!) but wouldn't recommend it.
 
This was a Rowan (I think). About 30ft tall with the whips at the top. the main trunk was about 12ft. Took about a full Saturday to bring down and dig out. Axe and handsaw used on most roots after digging out with spade, but there was one beast of a root that I had to chainsaw after digging around it..

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The only advice I can offer is that taking 6 x circular saw blades and bolting them onto an angle grinder (having first removed the safety shield) is not the wisest tool. That is of course unless your intention is to partially sever your hand - that is something it is unsurprisingly effective at.

Apparently it was actually quite good at cutting out the stump prior to the slip...:eek:
 
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