# Best way to clear stumps?



## Nate Finch (Sep 13, 2010)

I'm planning to clear a 3000 sq foot area of forest on a slope near my house.  Trees are 80% oak, 20% mix of pine and beech.  Plan is to replace them with apple trees.  However, I'm not sure how to remove all the stumps. Trees are moderately spaced, 8-12" in diameter.

I want a quick, safe, inexpensive solution, if at all possible (and must pass the Wife's veto, so no explosives .  I've seen numerous suggestions online, but rarely by people who have actually ever done it.  

What do you guys do?

-Nate


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## vvvv (Sep 13, 2010)

ive dug around the stump so to cut roots & pull the stump=miserable job dirt & chainsaw dont mix so hose is handy
old way is to cut stump, drill hole so water drains into stump & freezes in winter, takes time


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## ANeat (Sep 13, 2010)

Renting a stump grinder is about the easiest/quickest way.  Like Blimp mentioned, drilling and waiting is the least expensive.


 A shovel and an axe works but is a lot of labor


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## Beowulf (Sep 13, 2010)

The smaller sizes you describe might be worth renting a back hoe to dig them out/pull them...


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## fossil (Sep 13, 2010)

Nate Finch said:
			
		

> ...I want a quick, safe, inexpensive solution...



Don't we all, every time.   :lol:   I don't know of one that meets all of your criteria.  Actually removing the root/root ball will be neither quick nor inexpensive (in terms of the effort involved, if nothing else).  So long as you can live with spacing your new orchard trees which ever way you want, I'd say a stump grinder is the way to go.  This is a job you want to contract out (IMO).  Those are my thoughts.  Rick


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## JJWOODCUTTER (Sep 13, 2010)

If they are small enough I usually dig around them with a compact backhoe and pop them out. The larger ones, I dig around the base and cut off the stump below ground level and then cover it over.  Using a couple of old chains to do it as the dirt and rocks play havoc on chains.


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## woodsman23 (Sep 13, 2010)

DOZER, BIG DOZER AND DONE!!


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## NHFarmer (Sep 13, 2010)

If you have interest in raising pigs you could fence the area in and drill holes in the stumps and around the roots,buy a couple of bags of whole corn and dump it it the holes and around the roots. let the pigs loose and they will do all the work. Once the stumps are all out you can have a pig roast and also have lots bacon to enjoy all winter long.


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## wellbuilt home (Sep 14, 2010)

I use a 12000lb min ex to  stump a yard . 
  Your first step  is to remove the trees . We chip any thing  4" or smaller as we cut them down . 
 The larger wood gets cut up and stacked .  
 Its better to cut in the winter  the wood is lighter and there are no leaves to deal with .
  As far as the stumps go  I like to leave the stump 4' high so i can just push them over and pull on them .
  I like to pull stumps with a 12" HD  trenching bucket a 4 to 6" stump just pulls up and out , a 12" needs to be wiggled  and dug around . 
 The rut ball on a 8" tree is about 3' around but you can clean some of the dirt off .
  There is a tone of ruts left sticking out of the ground every where and we scrape it clean  but try to leave the top soil  we just clean all the vegetation off the area . 
  We take the stumps and chippings to a mulching plant  Mulch dumps for free  stumps cost 5 to 15 per yard + trucking  ,  depending on where you live . 
   All the equipment can be rented and delivered to the site  + dumpsters to haul stumps , vegetation, chips . 
   We  clear  3000sf in 2 days easy .   John


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## SolarAndWood (Sep 14, 2010)

Rent a backhoe/small excavator for a day.  Push over the ones you can using the weight of the tree to your advantage.  The ones that you can't push over, dig on three sides and then push them over.  Digging stumps sucks when you can get the dig for free by using the weight of the tree.  If 12" is the max, you shouldn't need that big of a machine.


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## savageactor7 (Sep 14, 2010)

In the past when a project came along like that we'd rent an excavator/operator in the off season. A pro can rip those stumps out and bury 'em real quick like.

Just so you know most rentals won't rent if they know you're going to be digging out stumps. No it's not that hard but there's a trick to it, otherwise you can damage the cylinders. (besides working on a slope is already hairy)

ps the off season is when the steady rains come and make commercial phase1 excavating pretty much impossible.


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## mitchinpa (Sep 14, 2010)

When they cleared the property for my house, they simply used a skid steer (Bobcat) and pushed them over.  Some of the trees were quite big, and it was impressive to see the Bobcat do this work.  I came along with my chainsaw and cut the tree at that point, then they pushed the stump to an area where we could load them on a truck.


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## Danno77 (Sep 14, 2010)

I don't have another way that would work for you, but in case someone finds this thread in a search i have a pretty good way for a SINGLE stump that I've used several times. I throw a pile of charcoal right on it and light it up. Just add more charcoal every once in a while until it's gone. may take a few big bags if the tree is big enough. I've also done other things that I don't know if they helped or not, drilled holes and let diesel fuel/oil/starter fluid/etc soak into the stump before adding the charcoal and lighting. YMMV.


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## billb3 (Sep 14, 2010)

Dozer or back hoe, but then you gotta do something with the stumps.
Here they can't be buried, good luck getting a permit to burn them for days on end and it's a bit pricey to haul them to the stump chipper (which is what they want ya to do).
If not too many, a stump grinder to make  navigation through the lot easier.


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## SolarAndWood (Sep 14, 2010)

billb3 said:
			
		

> Here they can't be buried



You have a local law that says you can't bury a stump?


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## billb3 (Sep 14, 2010)

SolarAndWood said:
			
		

> billb3 said:
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Yes.
Wetlands Protection Act and other Conservation Acts prohibit contamination of groundwaters.
Buried stumps supposedly release/leach toxins of some sort.
No more burying construction debris alongside a new home, either.

You'd most likely have to get a permit to cut all those trees down and plant apple trees too .
< commercial orchard / hobby orchard >
So someone would be watching to see what you do or don't do with the stumps ( actually the permitting process would require that statement in the plan)


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## SolarAndWood (Sep 14, 2010)

billb3 said:
			
		

> Buried stumps supposedly release/leach toxins of some sort.



Thanks, didn't know that was an issue.


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## Danno77 (Sep 14, 2010)

billb3 said:
			
		

> ...good luck getting a permit to burn them for days on end...


BTW, this releases VERY little smoke, the stump never really catches on fire, it just sort of smolders. if anybody gives you grief, just throw a grate over it and put some chicken on there and tell them you are cooking. Can't imagine there is a permit needed to "smoke some chicken"


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## sksmass (Sep 14, 2010)

billb3 said:
			
		

> SolarAndWood said:
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This is what is wrong with our state.  Regulations for _planting _a tree?   :roll:

Nate, I planted an orchard two years ago.  Dwarf and semi-dwarf apples, cherries, and peaches.  I had to remove a bunch of trees too.  Left the stumps long so I could pull them out with a come-along.  Well, that didn't work except for the little ones (<4").  Got a price from a guy with a backhoe.  Expensive AND it will tear up your lawn, plus $ for disposal of the stumps.  Left them long for a year, looking like crap.  Wife complained constantly.  Eventually I ponied up and hired someone with a stump grinder to do the stumps.  Took him like 12 hours to do ~2000sf.  It is hard, boring work.


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## Flatbedford (Sep 14, 2010)

I rented a walk behind stump grinder a few years ago. I did 3 at my house and one for the neighbor. They were all about 12" stumps cut pretty much flush to the ground. Even with the machine it was hard, boring, and miserable work. Can you just cut them flush and wait for them to rot?


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## mayhem (Sep 15, 2010)

Dig around the downhill half of the tree and knock over the tree without cutting it.  It'll take the stump with it, then you cut off the stump and burn it.  

How you knock over the teees depends though.  An excavator is a good method because its a big, powerful, heavy machine that is on the pushing side...you could also use a really heavy rope and a truck, but you need to bend the rope around another tree so you're not doing anything dumb like pulling a tree over on top of yourself.


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## Adios Pantalones (Sep 15, 2010)

Leave stumps a couple feet high and a dozer will knock them out PDQ.  A short day's work- all around cheapest, quickest way to do it, IMO.


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## sksmass (Sep 15, 2010)

Adios Pantalones said:
			
		

> Leave stumps a couple feet high and a dozer will knock them out PDQ.  A short day's work- all around cheapest, quickest way to do it, IMO.



Yes, but the ground gets trashed.  The soil is either all compacted or all torn up.  It all depends on whether the OP's orchard is going in his front yard (where looks matter), or way out in the back forty (where they don't)


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## stint9 (Sep 15, 2010)

SolarAndWood said:
			
		

> billb3 said:
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Around here, the law guys in the peoples republic of 'Joisey' claim the underground rotting process can also cause sinkholes that might give way........ under your great, great, great grandchildren


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## mn_jon (Sep 15, 2010)

1. get a backho and pull them.   I did this with a few acres of 50-60 foot pines (with shallow roots).  It's the only way to clear the stumps and the mess.
2.  we burned them after a year of rain and weather.  It takes several times of burning to get rid of them.  

I'm afraid there isn't an easy way that I know of.


Jon


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## btuser (Sep 15, 2010)

Oak is a lot harder to dig out than pine because of the tap root.   The layout of your slope will tell you how to do it, as well as the number of trees.  Boulders?  Ledge?  Too steep to drive?  That will tell you if you're better off using a dozer/excavator/stump grinder/dynamite (yeah, I tried it)  or whatever.  Around here in NH 99% of the stumping jobs are done with excavators, and even a 12,000 machine will have a dickens of a time with a 24" oak stump. Better off with a 24-30k machine, and an operator who knows his business.  

If you can get a stump grinder to it, that's going to be your cheapest solution.  It all depends on what you want your slope to look like when your done.  After the excavator has done its damage it can fix/regrade the site easy enough.


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## Dune (Sep 15, 2010)

Other method;  If you can find a large wire spool, wood or metal, six feet in diameter. Remove the two sides of the spool from the center or drum. Space them about 18" apart and conect them with a 3" diameter solid steel shaft. Clamp a peice of 5/16" diameter wire rope to the center shaft, only need a few feet. Position rig near stump, uphill, block from rolling with chocks. Wrap wire rope around stump. Remove chock blocks and roll rig downhill. Stump will follow like a cat on a leash. The reason this works is the difference in diameters creates a large mechanical advantage.


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## begreen (Sep 15, 2010)

Quick way, dynamite. Though it might shake up the neighbors a bit . 

Slow way, drill a series of 3/4 to 1" holes with an auger or spade bit. Pour stump remover chemical down the holes, add water. Wait about 6 weeks. Then chop out the rotten wood.
http://www.familyhandyman.com/DIY-P...o-remove-a-tree-stump-painlessly/Step-By-Step


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## jimosufan (Sep 15, 2010)

just heard this the other day. drill some holes put a penny in it then put gasoline on top. now the gas will evaporate.. but the reaction between makes the stump rot quickly


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## ansehnlich1 (Sep 15, 2010)

Adios Pantalones said:
			
		

> Leave stumps a couple feet high and a dozer will knock them out PDQ.  A short day's work- all around cheapest, quickest way to do it, IMO.



If you are serious about totally clearing land of trees and stumps, this is the way to do it. 

Orchards around here ALL get removed this way, the WHOLE TREE gets pushed over, then often advertised as 'free firewood cut your own", then stumps get pushed onto a big, and I mean BIG pile and burned, then dozer grades ground, and new orchard gets planted.

Big time orchard country in Adams County, PA


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## golfandwoodnut (Sep 16, 2010)

mayhem said:
			
		

> Dig around the downhill half of the tree and knock over the tree without cutting it.  It'll take the stump with it, then you cut off the stump and burn it.
> 
> How you knock over the teees depends though.  An excavator is a good method because its a big, powerful, heavy machine that is on the pushing side...you could also use a really heavy rope and a truck, but you need to bend the rope around another tree so you're not doing anything dumb like pulling a tree over on top of yourself.



Mayhem, I hate to say I think you got this one wrong.  You want to dig around the uphill side to the tree, to weaken the roots on the side you want to push.  This encourages it to fall, then you put the machine (Skid Steer, Excavator, etc. on the uphill side and push down, using the weight of the machine to its full advantage.  You want the uphill side of the roots to pop up as you push. I did a bunch this way.  You can weaken roots on more sides if necessary but the downhill side is the side it is needed the least on and also this is the side it should be falling.  On a larger tree you may have to do all sides unless you have a huge machine.  When they cleared my land for my house they had a large CAT highlift and it could push of the largest of trees with little effort and no digging of  roots.  Otherwise as said before get a backhoe or excavator if you cut the trees down and dig later, but I would avoid that on as many trees as possible since just giving a push is alot easier if you have the equipment.


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## Adios Pantalones (Sep 16, 2010)

Ya, my town is mostly orchards as well.  Unfortunately, most of the trees they take out are apples etc as they replace the orchards with over-50 communities.



			
				ansehnlich1 said:
			
		

> If you are serious about totally clearing land of trees and stumps, this is the way to do it.
> 
> Orchards around here ALL get removed this way, the WHOLE TREE gets pushed over, then often advertised as 'free firewood cut your own", then stumps get pushed onto a big, and I mean BIG pile and burned, then dozer grades ground, and new orchard gets planted.
> 
> Big time orchard country in Adams County, PA


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## Backwoods Savage (Sep 16, 2010)

ansehnlich1 said:
			
		

> Adios Pantalones said:
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Ya beat me to it. 

The easiest way to remove the stump is to push the tree over BEFORE you cut it. But that also makes the cutting easier too so it is a winner in two ways.

I've pushed a lot of stumps with a dozer but I'll still take the whole tree rather than just the stump if at all possible.


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## Highbeam (Sep 16, 2010)

I owned a dozer, smallish like a JD350 but IH made it and it was about useless for tree or stump removal. You'd get lucky every now and then but to really do significant removel of even smallish trees you'll need a very big dozer. Big dozers do lots of damage due to their weight and drink lots of fuel while accidentally removing a good bit of your topsoil. Burning dozer "stacked" brush piles is a big pain due to all the soil. 

Your whole operation will be much better off with land cleared by an excavator. Fires will burn better, less compaction, less cost, and better salvage on the timber. 

An excavator (aka trackhoe) can pluck out  a stump, pick it up, shake it or drop it to remove dirt, then throw it ito a pile of other stumps stacked taller than your house. That clean tall pile will dry out quickly and burn well. The same machine can also load the clean stumps into a dumptruck for removal. Try that with a dozer. The trackhoe can also dig a deep hole and bury the stumps so deep that they won't rot.


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## Wood Duck (Oct 8, 2010)

After reading all of this I am thinking that if I was doing this project, I'd just cut the stumps real short and grow alfalfa or something of similar height in the orchard. The cost and damage (to the soil and to my yard) of these solutions doesn't seem worth the benefits.


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## Danno77 (Oct 8, 2010)

Wood Duck said:
			
		

> After reading all of this I am thinking that if I was doing this project, I'd just cut the stumps real short and grow alfalfa or something of similar height in the orchard. The cost and damage (to the soil and to my yard) of these solutions doesn't seem worth the benefits.


If I had that many, that's what I'd do. I'd just lop them off as low as I could possibly get them and let nature do the work. I generally find that it's easy enough to take a tree off low enough that it doesn't run the risk of hitting a mower or something. Just don't ever try to plow the field until you are sure they are rotted away!


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## mtcates (Oct 10, 2010)

Grinding the stumps is the best way to go.  I have a backhoe,  a 40,000 pound excavator and a stump grinder with 60 Horsepower.  I've cleared many lots in the last 10 years or so. I would much rather grind stumps that size than pull them out.  The key is to find someone who will do the job at a reasonable price with the grinder.  Renting is an option but most of the time I can grind the stumps as cheap as the rental price and do a much better job.  If you hire someone to grind the stumps, look for someone with a 50 or more horsepower diesel powered grinder.  The price will be less than the guys with the small gas powered machines and they will do a better job.  Look for someone with a tracked machine and the slope should not be a problem for them.  A good operator with a tracked machine and 60 horsepower could clear 3000 square feet of moderately spaced stumps that size in about 1 to 2 hours grind time.  Price should be 300 to 600 dollars.


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## benjamin (Oct 10, 2010)

If you had a backhoe, trackhoe or dozer sitting around you probably wouldn't have asked, so if you do want a cheap way to do it, I'd burn them out. 

Charcoal will work, but you can use moderately dry firewood also. Fully seasoned wood would be great but it's not needed. The secret to getting enough heat to dry out the stump and burn it, is to use a blower. I have a small centrifugal blower (like a small furnace blower) attached to a 5' piece of 6" ductwork that's flattened to about 2" at the end, a miniature brush burner. I just get the fire started until it's going strong enough not to be blown out and turn on the blower, it will burn the funkiest, wettest wood you'll find, if there you add enough dry wood to keep it going.


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## Bigg_Redd (Oct 10, 2010)

Nate Finch said:
			
		

> I'm planning to clear a 3000 sq foot area of forest on a slope near my house.  Trees are 80% oak, 20% mix of pine and beech.  Plan is to replace them with apple trees.  However, I'm not sure how to remove all the stumps. Trees are moderately spaced, 8-12" in diameter.
> 
> I want a quick, safe, inexpensive solution, if at all possible (and must pass the Wife's veto, so no explosives .  I've seen numerous suggestions online, but rarely by people who have actually ever done it.
> 
> ...



If I were planting other trees I'd just leave the stumps.  Projects just don't get any easier than not doing them, eh?


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