Splitting Large, Excavated Stumps

[lumberjack]

I'm bidding a job where we are clearing for a house and driveway. The owner doesn't want large equipment on the job, to preserve the other trees.

What I'm trying to figure out is be best way to handle getting the larger (3'+ at grade). stumps in the fire. I figure I can get them all loose, but I don't think my wheel loader (2500lb ROC) will move them very, especially considering the soft ground.

One idea was to rent a Bobcat T300. Another idea was to grind the buttress roots off and put the core in the fire. The third idea was to rent a larger ex and pile with that, don't know that the owner will go for that. The fourth idea is to split the stumps into manageable pieces.

Anyone have a method for accomplishing that? There are probably 10-12 trees that will give us some trouble. I was wondering how well a stickler (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2iUnETONCiI) type attachment on an auger would work. I'm guessing not well on pines, although there are only a couple large pines coming out.

This was a bit bigger than I can efficiently move on soft . It came from in front of the building in the background

 

[eric12]

id rent a medium sized excavator like a pc 78 scrape as much dirt off as i could then pile them up with that. if you rent one with rubber tracks and are careful it shouldnt make much of a mess and you wouldnt track and turn around as much as you would with a t300. you might even be able to get away with a pc 35 or 50 sized machine if you can drag/ carry the bigger stumps or not move them as far.

 

[lumberjack]

I already have a KX121-3 (4t class). I didn't think that it could likely pull the stumps to the burn pile 10' at a time. I won't be able to get them high on the pile, but perhaps I can build the pile around them I think.


Ground disturbance isn't a huge deal. The area that's being cleared is going to have 1-4' of fill brought in, excluding a couple holes which will have up to 7'.

 

[Scrub Puller]

Yair . . . Is it not possible to get a shot firer and a blanket?

It would only take an 11/4" wood auger on a chainsaw and a few plugs of jelly.

Cheers.

 

[lumberjack]

I can't imagine blasting is the answer, we're less than 300' from a million plus dollar house, inside city limits.

I was hoping there was a (reasonable) attachment to make it easier in the future as well. However I figure if there were, I'd have seen it by now!

 

[ma71t]

Been toying with the same idea letely for thpe same machine...... Wndering how well one of those "atom" splitters would work on my auger. They seem to work quite well and you can bite off as much as it will take. So maybe you cant split the stump in half but if you run around and crack thwm up whilst still in the ground id bet you could come back by with the bucket and rip them apart to get them out of the ground.

 

[robin yates uk]

I can't imagine blasting is the answer, we're less than 300' from a million plus dollar house, inside city limits.

I was hoping there was a (reasonable) attachment to make it easier in the future as well. However I figure if there were, I'd have seen it by now!

modern explosives in the hands of an expert can work very close to buildings.Scrub Pullers idea is an excellent one

 

[Shenandoah]

How about a chainsaw and a Jaws of Life spreader. Make a vertical cut in the stump with the chainsaw and then crack it open with the JOL spreader. The model below produces up to 121,400 lbs of spreading force.

http://www.jawsoflife.com/Products/Product/Default.aspx?ProductId=1226&ParentId=1223

 

[CM1995]

As much fun as it might sound, I agree explosive isn't the answer...:cool2

Do you have a stump grinder? I would grind as much of the stumps and roots as possible and then dig out what's left with the mini. Mix the grindings in with the topsoil. Use what you have instead of renting, keeps the bottom line up.

 

[joispoi]

Is a standard size TLB too big? If you're taking down trees with 3' diameter stumps, there must be room to work, no?


I'd skip trying to pre-process or split the stumps with anything. It will take longer than it's worth. If there were an easy or cost effective way to split stumps, people would split them for firewood rather than pay to get rid of them.

 

[lumberjack]

I'm betting that spreader cost $10-15k!

Yeah I have a Rayco RG85 (83hp self propelled) grinder. The last thing I rented was a concrete saw for half day 4 years ago! One of my ideas was to get the stumps out of the hole, then grind the buttress roots off to lighten the load.

The problem I fear with the TLB is that the ground won't support the high front axle loads; the same problem as the loader.

Between the grinder taking the roots off the stump, and the idea I got from Eric dragging the stumps with the ex (maybe with the loader helping), I figure I can get it done in house.



I am still interested in the threaded conical splitter. If it would split the stumps, that would be dandy. Also if it will split full size logs I might be able to make firewood wholesale. Firewood sure is low money, but the prevalence of wood I generate, and the addition of the mini ex to my fleet might make it where I can afford to do it. It isn't worth dealing with limb wood, but 18' of 30" wood (40' of 24") is a cord of wood before it's split. Split the logs, then cut the split pieces to length, palletize, and away we go... Maybe.

 

[Shenandoah]

I'm betting that spreader cost $10-15k!

Yea, buying new would be expensive. You could possibly rent one. Used ones are reasonable, here's one for $320.00 although I don't know the specs on it...
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Hurst-JAWS-..._Security_Fire_Protection&hash=item4ac0c825f9

Another idea may be to rent a hydraulic breaker and create a tool with a shaft welded to a wedge and use it to split the stumps.

Other than that, I'm stumped...

 

[lumberjack]

http://cbi-inc.com/launch-video.aspx?y=iz2VHtxYQ0I

 

[ponch458]

Man there ain't nothin better than an excavator with a hydraulic thumb for stumping. I do acres and acres every year here in a temperate rain forest in Southeast Alaska. You can always drag a limb around the lot to obliterate your tracks if you have a picky customer. Just make sure they pay you well for your trouble. Diesel fuel is expensive. Always remember you are a professional and your time is valuable. When this day is gone you can't get it back.

 

[Colorado Digger]

I would just rent a large rubber tracked excavator. Anything from an 80 to 120 would work. 10-12 trees? Any good hoe hand worth his salt should have that done in a day or two.

Good luck, Cd

 

[lumberjack]

The CBI splitter for the KX121 is $19k some odd dollars. Needless to say, that's not happening!

 

[Scrub Puller]

Yair . . . I have no idea of the rules and regulations and expertise in lumberjacks area but watching this thread develop and from the comments it is obvious that most folks have little idea of what can be done with explosives.

I have seen a four foot blue-gum cut off about six inches above the ground, drilled with a chainsaw auger and popped with no smoke very little noise and no flying debris . . . popped to the extent it had six inch cracks and could be disassembled and loaded out with 750 Kato.

A similar tree was dug and and pushed with a D8, had a 14 foot rootball and the tractor had to cut a ramp to get it from the hole. The D8 worked on it for half a day and they still had to chainsaw the tree dispose of the root-ball . . . it was eventually rolled onto a low loader and carted off.

Cheers

 

[Jumbo]

I agree with Scrub Puller.

Packing powder for a powder monkey clearing right of way for logging roads (40 years ago,) I watched miles and miles of stumps being cracked by powder. As a show-off trick he could set a bottle of whiskey on top of the stump, shoot the stump and never spill a drop. Yes, the bottle would be uncapped. These were 3’ to 6’ stumps at the time. He was a betting fool and he won several bottle by sitting on the stump when he lit it off. Each stump when the digging shovel reached it would come out of the ground in 4 to 6 pieces.

Point being: with all the progress made in explosives made in the past 40 years, and all the other parts like blankets etc. shooting a stump within 6 feet of a house should be a no brainer, making sure of course that it is not a DIY project and a competent powder monkey is available.:drinkup

 

[lumberjack]

Hmm, well I got the job, estimated $15.7k. I'm getting $125/hr for my time and another $125/hr for my main guy. $50/hr for a laborer. I'll see what I can find out regarding a blaster.

The CBI splitter is made in Austria, I can't fathom why it should cost half that to make one in the US. I'm going to play with that idea in my head a bit and see what I stir out.

 

[heavylift]

explosives can be used, I used Tovex about 10 feet from houses. But is a real pain as we were in solid rock. We used 1 inch slices of 2 inch diameter sticks, 3 per hole on a delay. we could only shoot one hole at a time.
plus there was the 4 seismograph machines by the 4 nearest houses.
Some kinda of engineer was there for the first week, to monitor and set the amount of gel to use. I took about a week to do one block.