dig out stumps vs grinding?

[Innovate1]

Planning to remove several trees up to about 8" and wondering if I should dig around them and pull them over to get the stumps out or grind the stumps. Haven't used a stump grinder so don't know how much time/effort they take. I have some blocks and 1/2" cable to pull them over but nothing big to pull with so will need to dig and cut some of the main roots. Thinking of renting a mini excavator for a weekend and think I would have plenty of time to get them all if I do some prep - basically cutting limbs as high as I can easily get. This is in the yard so would be nice to get grass back in. Guessing if I grind I would want to remove the majority of the chips and replace with dirt.

 

[finn]

Sort of depends on the tree variety. Trees with a taproot are notoriously difficult to dig out even with an excavator. Best to grind them, but commercial sized skid steer mounted equipment is faster than the walk behind stuff.

Trees with shallow roots are easier to tip and faster to dig up the roots.

 

[cvairwerks]

A good stump grinder guy can come in, grind a bunch of them and be gone in less time than you can go rent a junky grinder and get it home and figure out how to run it. Got a buddy at work that does this as a side job. His little grinder is something like 40 hp. It will take an 8" stump down in less than 5 minutes.

 

[twinfin]

Up to 8” diameter trees should be a no brainer for a smallish mini excavator to get out the remaining stump. I deal with similar sized Douglas fir trees frequently with a small backhoe. It helps to probe around the perimeter of the tree with the backhoe, looking for major lateral roots to break before attempting to pull the stump.

Once the major lateral roots are severed with the backhoe, you can reach under the stump with the bucket and start pulling one direction, then the other. As additional small roots start to separate, the stump will start to Give up and come out.

When you first cut the tree down, leave about 2 feet of stump above the ground; that will give you something to leverage with as you work to break up the root structure with a combination of digging and pushing and pulling on the stump.

A stump grinder should give satisfactory results too. I’d say rent whichever is the less expensive.

 

[PCustoms]

8" trees would get pushed over if I have the equipment. With a mini ex you can dig on 2-3 sides and then push it over.

I say this owning equipment that will push 6-8" over and a grinder. Just way faster to rip the whole ball out in a single go.

 

[darrowco]

Soothing ball-ripping videos

 

[PCustoms]

Soothing ball-ripping videos

There's nothing soothing about that description...

 

[manwithtools]

Have you considered a towable backhoe from DR Power Equipment?

 

[The Cobbler]

I would grind if I didn't have any equipment . grinding results in less remediation of surrounding area .

 

[alfadan]

I have a little 1 ton mini ex and ripped out 7 stumps so far by digging around it. I'm a terrible operator and can dig out a 24in pine stump in about an hour.

 

[PCustoms]

Have you considered a towable backhoe from DR Power Equipment?

Was only a matter of time...

 

[Mick56]

If you push it over, you will have a big root ball to get rid of

 

[bdbecker]

Several years ago, the neighbor and I went in together and rented a Home Depot stump grinder for a day. I had a 2' birch stump, he had three 1-2' diameter oak stumps. Long story short, I was able to get my stump out, but we were only able to get his flush to the ground.

That being said, part of the issue was the rental desk's fault. The first grinder had dull inserts and would barely cut. The second had sharp inserts, but had the wrong air filter on it and wood dust got sucked into the carbureator. The third ran well and had sharp inserts, but the oak stumps dulled them fast. I re-indexed the inserts a few times, but we could only get 20 or so minutes of grinding out of them.

For a few 8" stumps, especially if they are softwood, a HD rental grinder would likely do fine. Just make sure the inserts are sharp and that the guy who previously serviced the unit put the correct air filter on it so wood dust doesn't get sucked into the carb. That, or dig out the stumps like you are thinking.

 

[Innovate1]

I like to leave a lot more than 2' of trunk. Longer gives more torque. Several are bradford pear. I hand dug around 2 and cut some roots and pulled them over and out but it was a lot of work doing it by hand. Also have a couple slightly bigger oak stumps that were cut near the ground that I would like to deal with at the same time if I have the time. Otherwise maybe the stump rotting stuff? Playing with an excavator for the weekend sounds like more fun than the grinder. I miss my emotional support tractor!

 

[PCustoms]

I like to leave a lot more than 2' of trunk. Longer gives more torque. Several are bradford pear. I hand dug around 2 and cut some roots and pulled them over and out but it was a lot of work doing it by hand. Also have a couple slightly bigger oak stumps that were cut near the ground that I would like to deal with at the same time if I have the time. Otherwise maybe the stump rotting stuff? Playing with an excavator for the weekend sounds like more fun than the grinder. I miss my emotional support tractor!

How big are the oak?

Dug this 12" out last week with a 20T class excavator:




This was a few years ago, about 38", definitely took some time to grind it below ground:

 

[manwithtools]

with a 20T class excavator

Well, I would certainly hope so with a machine that big.

 

[Innovate1]

Biggest oak is about 15" at ground level. Several smaller ones. Mini excavator will need to be something I can move with an F150 so limited on size.

 

[CraigStu]

I have a mini-ex (Kubota KX71-3S for reference) and have dropped about a dozen trees over the last 2years. One thing to note is the tracks destroy any grass they run over. I usually end up w/ about a 10ft diameter disc of dirt after the stump and root ball are out. There are a couple I couldn't get out so I dug around, chain sawed to maybe 6" below ground level and filled back in. I love running the thing. I used to say that renting one for a weekend was the most fun ever. Previously I rented a grinder. It probably wasn't the best one but it sure was frustrating. It was a LOT of manual work and I gave up after getting the stump maybe 3" below ground level on the first and barely to the ground on the 3rd. But, if you get a good one, you will have a lot less collateral damage to repair.

 

[txvwnut]

I've done both, grind and dig out(with a mini-ex) and I feel its how much effort do you want to put into the process that will dictate the direction. With digging you're probably going to get the entire stump and root ball out of the ground whereas with a grinder you'll only get the stump down as far as the grinder can reach but there will still be the root ball and feeder roots that could possibly spawn another tree, or more.

 

[bassJAM]

Having rented and run both I'd look at it this way. The mini ex will probably get them out, with possible damage to your yard and a large hole to fill.

The grinder will definitely take them down (if you cut that 2' stump closer to the ground) with minimal damage to your yard and a much smaller hole to fill back in. If you aren't in a hurry to have grass there you can just rake the chips back into the hole.

 

[finn]

Up to 8” diameter trees should be a no brainer for a smallish mini excavator to get out the remaining stump. I deal with similar sized Douglas fir trees frequently with a small backhoe. It helps to probe around the perimeter of the tree with the backhoe, looking for major lateral roots to break before attempting to pull the stump.

Once the major lateral roots are severed with the backhoe, you can reach under the stump with the bucket and start pulling one direction, then the other. As additional small roots start to separate, the stump will start to Give up and come out.

When you first cut the tree down, leave about 2 feet of stump above the ground; that will give you something to leverage with as you work to break up the root structure with a combination of digging and pushing and pulling on the stump.

A stump grinder should give satisfactory results too. I’d say rent whichever is the less expensive.

Douglass Firs don’t have taproots like hardwood trees do.

 

[Stuart in MN]

Given the choice I think it's better to dig out the whole stump, otherwise in a few years the remains of the stump and roots left behind will start to rot and the ground over them will sink and you'll have to add more fill. I realize it's not always practical to do so.

When I was a kid, digging stumps by hand was one of the summer chores my dad assigned to me and my brother. . I can't tell you how many we did, armed with a shovel, an ax, and a big long pry bar. We got pretty good at it but it was hard work.

 

[The Cobbler]

I think it's better to dig out the whole stump, otherwise in a few years the remains of the stump and roots left behind will start to rot and the ground over them will sink and you'll have to add more fill.

I wonder how that compares tot he settling that will happen from excavating the area

 

[MongoTA]

It's been mentioned in the years ahead as a ground down stump breaks down you can end up with a depression in your yard. True. You can accelerate the decay by drilling a bunch of holes with a drill. I have a 3/4" drill I use. You can leave it as is, or fill the holes with an accelerant to move the decay along. If you are going to grind, first flush cut the stump. I flip the stumps over and use them as coffee alcohol tables.



If I can I dig them out I prefer to do that. Digging by hand ain't fun, but I did a several large oak stumps. A couple were on a slope, I was digging into the slope to level my back yard, so I dug to undermine the roots. Still a LOT of work, but these were large stumps.
Your stumps are manageable, I'd pop them out of the ground. It's the best long-term solution.

 

[pcmeiners]

Twinfin is right, a Skid Steer with a standard bucket can rip up 8" stumps easily, no grinder necessary. I up rooted 4 stumps, 16" diameter in hard clay with the standard bucket.

 

[Yankeefarmer]

Haven’t seen it mentioned yet, but in my experience grinding a stump leaves enough wood in the ground that it continues to **** up nitrogen as it decays and can make it difficult to successfully grow stuff in that location. That’s why I prefer to dig them out if feasible and the area will be planted afterward.

 

[ozyborn]

Pressure washer for removing dirt around the roots. Works for me

 

[Axehandle2]

This is the proper solution.

 

[BurtEggley]

tree that size, labor is inexpensive. That is how I handle it. Otherwise what is left will yield mushrooms for years.

 

[Junkman]

A little over 20 years ago, I dug out a 2' stump with my BX22. I spent a lot of time working on it, and it would have been faster and easier to have it ground, but the tractor was new, and I saw it as a challenge.

 

[ozyborn]

This is the proper solution.

Acme products only work if you are a Roadrunner. They still work if you are a coyote but the timing is off.

 

[Stuart in MN]

Acme products only work if you are a Roadrunner. They still work if you are a coyote but the timing is off.

When I was little my dad hired a guy to blow some stumps. He used a little too much dynamite, one stump ended up lodged 50 feet up in a tree. That thing was up there for years before it finally fell down to the ground.

 

[BurtEggley]

When I was little my dad hired a guy to blow some stumps. He used a little too much dynamite, one stump ended up lodged 50 feet up in a tree. That thing was up there for years before it finally fell down to the ground.

was the coyote under it when it fell?

 

[racecougar]

My preference is to pull or push over. I don't cut until it's on the ground, as the taller the tree, the more leverage you have to knock it over. Reasonable trees just get pushed over with the skid steer. Monster trees get pulled over with a cable and a big lever chain hoist, using other trees as anchors.

 

[Codyboy]

I would grind them if it's just a yard and your not building on top of it.

Root balls are difficult to get rid of.

 

[clutchee]

I dug mine out with my 1023 John Deere tractor backhoe.

I did order a root cutter, I used it around edges and then used bucket to dig further, root cutter, then dig.

Here the stump grinders charge by the inch, so depending on size and depth can get expensive.

My time on backhoe is pretty relaxing and satisfying.

 

[micromind]

was the coyote under it when it fell?

Of course he was.....it took 50 years for him to get in just the right spot!

 

[Innovate1]

This is the proper solution.

That and ANFO was what my dad used on large stumps when I was a teenager. Very effective. But that was in the middle of nowhere and about 50 years ago. And I'm in the suburbs now.

 

[Innovate1]

My preference is to pull or push over. I don't cut until it's on the ground, as the taller the tree, the more leverage you have to knock it over. Reasonable trees just get pushed over with the skid steer. Monster trees get pulled over with a cable and a big lever chain hoist, using other trees as anchors.

 

[Innovate1]

I have cables, blocks, and tree straps. Very effective. But may still need to cut some roots. And weaker trees may break rather than uprooting.