• Thank you for visiting HeavyEquipmentForums.com! Our objective is to provide industry professionals a place to gather to exchange questions, answers and ideas. We welcome you to register using the "Register" icon at the top of the page. We'd appreciate any help you can offer in spreading the word of our new site. The more members that join, the bigger resource for all to enjoy. Thank you!

dig out stumps?

pafarmer

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 4, 2010
Messages
883
Location
Somewhere in the woods !
Occupation
Land clearing, demo, site prep etc. Ex Pro Motocro
Could a 7000 pound machine dig out a stump? I have 15 cherry tree stumps that need removed. The biggest on is close to 2 feet in diameter. The local rental companys biggest machine is 7000lbs. I have dug out 2 foot in diameter stumps with my takeuchi skid steer but they were pine, not much of a root ball. Ive never dug out a cherry, are the root balls big? Any advise or suggestions would be greatly appriciated. Thanks

You can dig a stump out with a pick and shovel so YES, a 7000K machine can and will dig a stump out...Root balls are not huge on a Cherry. Big tap root, normally grows fairly deep. Time and patience should prevail. Leave enough of a stump so leverage can be one your new best friend. God luck.....
 

stumpjumper83

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 13, 2007
Messages
1,974
Location
Port Allegany, pa
Occupation
Movin dirt
Easy there "special tool" this is a dirt moving, trucking, and heavy equipment forum, not an English or a spelling class... And he didn't say he had 15, 2' stump to remove, he said that he had 15 stumps and the largest approached 2'... little bit different.

To Brianpepper01, congratulations on a job completed. "Run what ya brung!"
 

CM1995

Administrator
Joined
Jan 21, 2007
Messages
13,250
Location
Alabama
Occupation
Running what I brung and taking what I win
Since it's been 5.5 years since the OP started the thread, if he didn't get them all out they might have rotted by now...:cool2
 

melli

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 15, 2012
Messages
260
Location
BC
20140926_125431 (Large).jpg
I'd give anything for root balls, than pan roots...at least with root balls, one is digging in soil, not rock, and the stump is manageable once the dirt is shaken off. These octopuses are a pain to move.
 

Equip Junkie

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 10, 2014
Messages
64
Location
Alberta
I use the tree scope with a T770 Bobcat. Works awesome. I follow up with a root grapple then blade with bucket to grade. Largest stump was just under 36" was more than I could carry, but was able to drag it out with the grapple over to a burn pile. :)
 

maddog

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 20, 2009
Messages
730
Location
middle TN
I made a ripper for my little excavator and have been taking down well over 2' diameter trees by the root, works great. I have taken out many stumps with minis, including a little JCB 3500+lb machine. As someone said stumps can be removed with a shovel, just depends on how one goes about it.
 

kthompson

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 1, 2009
Messages
127
Location
South Carolina
bberry, they do make them to use in place of bucket. If you have the choice and can dig the stump before it is cut the weight and leverage of the tree is a big help to pull the stump. My mini is a right under 10,000 and I have taken out many stumps up to at least full two feet and as has been pointed out the soil type, tree type as roots types vary all come into play. We don't have stones but we have roots that run deep and the trees whose roots run straight down are the hardest as you can not get under the roots easy. Pines here are the ones we need to dig and not wait to rot as many large ones do not rot but turn into lightwood and remain a digging job.

Depending on what you have in bucket just begin away from the stump and pop the root where you can and keep moving it for now you are only breaking one end of a root. A narrow bucket is best if you have a choice.
 

maddog

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 20, 2009
Messages
730
Location
middle TN
Madddog,
Can you post a pic of that homemade ripper? I am considering doing that. Thanks.

Bberry I can try to get a picture later this week, my machine is 60miles away from me right now. Basically all I did was bought a ripper(the type that goes on a box blade) at TSC then I built the rest of it to fit my machine.
 

bberry

Member
Joined
Dec 18, 2014
Messages
7
Location
United States
Kthompson and Maddog,
I have a new 35D and last Dec. I pulled out a few stumps with a regular toothed bucket. Got the job done but I could see the value of a ripper. I have a couple of the box blade rippers and may weld one behind one with a tooth just to beef it up. I have used the rippers on the box blades and have bent up box blade but never a ripper. The root cutting ability of a ripper or narrow bucket may make for a faster job. On the other hand leveling out the hole after may be faster with the wider bucket if you are doing just one.
 

kthompson

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 1, 2009
Messages
127
Location
South Carolina
If I were going to build a ripper for roots like this would at least use a subsoiler shank for a tractor over a box blade ripper or at least the box blade rippers I have seen. If you live in a old farming community you may can find an old single shank subsoiler for very little in cost. On my mini the time it would take to change back and forth would prevent my using it in digging stumps. Then I have tractor I use subsoiler on for such if I were wanting to. If you do build a ripper I would suggest you think on all the jobs it might be used for, depending on where you live you can use them to bury water lines and electrical lines, also depending on the size of the ripper, again a subsoiler will run deeper than a box blade one will.
 

yanmarman

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 5, 2011
Messages
112
Location
Pa.
Occupation
union ironworker
cargator your right on the money, works best for me. get rid of the stump in the same hole,
 

Billdog350

Active Member
Joined
Feb 23, 2015
Messages
26
Location
United States
ElCheapo, I believe mine is around a 2000-2001 because the yanmar motor says 2000 on it. The seller said it was a 2002 but I think that might be off. I love my machine so far. I haven't had much time to use it around my house, maybe 10-15 hours so far, but I've gotten a ton done with it. Even a small machine can do amazing things, you just need patience and skill.... :)
 
Top