To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!

Between 705 & 1200 SQ/FT A trip back from the edge.

Workspaces between 705 and 1200 squarefeet.
To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!
OP
X

xtremek

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 13, 2012
Messages
11,603
Location
St. Johns, Mi
I think I’ve found a new way to remove a stump, power washer. We couldn’t even budge this one with the rental excavator. Then I tried to twist it out, nope. So I power washed the dirt surrounding the tap root. Talk about a dirty job. Then I was able to break it, but the Old Mule doesn’t have enough traction to pull the stump out of the hole. I'll borrow the neighbor's Kubota and we'll get it out. SWMBO want's to keep it as lawn art, whatever.

twist 1.jpgmud 1.jpgmud 2.jpgpower wash 1.jpgpower wash 2.jpgpower wash 3.jpg
 

Strouty

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 21, 2010
Messages
38,215
Location
Southern Maine
Stumps can be a real PITA, they are almost always heavier than you think, I like the idea of the pressure washer though. The roots really hold a lot of dirt and that will substantially lighten things up for sure. You could try a two part cable, use the GF as the anchor, it is probably much easier to borrow the bigger tractor, but for future stumps. ;)
 
OP
X

xtremek

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 13, 2012
Messages
11,603
Location
St. Johns, Mi
Stumps can be a real PITA, they are almost always heavier than you think, I like the idea of the pressure washer though. The roots really hold a lot of dirt and that will substantially lighten things up for sure. You could try a two part cable, use the GF as the anchor, it is probably much easier to borrow the bigger tractor, but for future stumps. ;)
The bonus is that getting the neighbor to help is a huge plus. He's 80+, and he absolutely loves helping out on little jobs like this. Low risk, easy for the two tractors. Also makes asking for favors from him easier. And I hope we don't have any more stumps to pull. I really don't like dropping trees, especially live ones.
 

tlspeed1

Active member
Joined
Aug 19, 2015
Messages
37
if you had a rental excavator, the best way to remove stumps is to leave the the rest of tree attached. Dig around stump with mini-ex and push it over. I have take 50+ trees that way on my land.
 
OP
X

xtremek

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 13, 2012
Messages
11,603
Location
St. Johns, Mi
if you had a rental excavator, the best way to remove stumps is to leave the the rest of tree attached. Dig around stump with mini-ex and push it over. I have take 50+ trees that way on my land.
Thanks for dropping by tls1. Yeah, if I had to do it over again, we'd do it differently. We pulled about 20 stumps, and this was the only one we had issues with. When I tried to pull it over with the Mini-Ex or the Old Mule, it literally didn't shake, even the littlest bit. Too much clay around the tap root. Remove clay, and get movement. A dozen yanks after that, and it popped loose.
 
OP
X

xtremek

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 13, 2012
Messages
11,603
Location
St. Johns, Mi
Got the hedge trimmer fixed. The last guy tried to glue the busted ear back. JB Weld to the rescue. Scuffed both pieces and a small piece of tin, and JB’ed everything together. Had 2 pieces of conduit with 90*ish bends, a hammer, a welder, and ta-da, a handle. A couple of #12 screws and I now have a hedge trimmer that works very well.trimmer 1.jpgtrimmer 2.jpgtrimmer 3.jpgtrimmer 4.jpgtrimmer 5.jpg
 

Kev442

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 15, 2009
Messages
5,386
Location
Wi
Had a huge storm come through 20 years back, some 60' trees went over. I used a pressure washer to put all the dirt back in the hole off the roots and then hauled the stumps to the burn pile. It was kind of entertaining to be blasting the dirt away and expose a rock the size of a football entangled in there.
 
OP
X

xtremek

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 13, 2012
Messages
11,603
Location
St. Johns, Mi
Good point

I have one of “those” stumps too.


Sent from my iPhone using Garage Journal
It wouldn't make a very good killing device. It doesn't like twigs that are bigger than a #2 pencil.

I have one of those stumps as well. But this one is where the shop addition is going. I don't want to leave it in the ground. When they rot, they leave a hole as they decompose, and I don't want a void, even if it is small, under the shop floor.
 
To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!
OP
X

xtremek

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 13, 2012
Messages
11,603
Location
St. Johns, Mi
The stalks. Because it's so tall, you get these really long fibers from the plant that you make into all sorts of things (rope, cloth, etc). The pulp is used for filler like you would fiberglass (concrete, plastics, insulation) or hay (animal food, bedding).
 

Strouty

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 21, 2010
Messages
38,215
Location
Southern Maine
I think I just figured out an entirely new industry that can be started. You know how people buy 0% alcohol beer, why not sell 0% THC weed, you get all the taste, but none of the buzz, that way people can smoke it all the time and not become complete morons. Of course I wouldn’t use the term morons in the marketing campaign.
 
OP
X

xtremek

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 13, 2012
Messages
11,603
Location
St. Johns, Mi
I think I just figured out an entirely new industry that can be started. You know how people buy 0% alcohol beer, why not sell 0% THC weed, you get all the taste, but none of the buzz, that way people can smoke it all the time and not become complete morons. Of course I wouldn’t use the term morons in the marketing campaign.
It's funny you say that. Robin watches a weekly hemp show put on by the hemp people here in Michigan. She asked me to watch one because the guest was pretty interesting (and he was very much so). One of the regulars on the show was so high someone could have used him for a satellite.
 

Strouty

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 21, 2010
Messages
38,215
Location
Southern Maine
The worst part about the people that are high as a kite, they don't really think anything is wrong or that it has any long term repercussions. :(
 

Kev442

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 15, 2009
Messages
5,386
Location
Wi
I thought you would appreciate what doing this with an old Wi car entailed this weekend. Friday I put up the temporary summer shelter and moved the crawler (fired right up!) under it. Saturday a complete, running, driving parts car was driven in and this is where I got to this aft.
Between the rust and my age, I'm not as fast as I used to be...
 

Attachments

  • napoleanblownapart.jpg
    napoleanblownapart.jpg
    323.2 KB · Views: 63
OP
X

xtremek

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 13, 2012
Messages
11,603
Location
St. Johns, Mi
I thought you would appreciate what doing this with an old Wi car entailed this weekend. Friday I put up the temporary summer shelter and moved the crawler (fired right up!) under it. Saturday a complete, running, driving parts car was driven in and this is where I got to this aft.
Between the rust and my age, I'm not as fast as I used to be...
Considering how old we are and the fact its a northern car, Id say you had a very productive weekend. Looks like you moved faster than I did.
 

Kev442

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 15, 2009
Messages
5,386
Location
Wi
Now I'm following in your footsteps, and I'm not liking it. :(

Pulled the trans off the motor today and discovered a cracked exhaust manifold. Rustiest exhaust bolts (Olds used bolts) I've ever seen. Through some miracle and Kroil, I got all 5 drivers side off. The 9/16's were rusted down to 13 and 14mm.
Turns out the rearmost passenger side bolt is broken off too. Front broke off on me immediately. Three in the middle were rusted down to 1/2 but came out.
So I end the day with 2 broken off exhaust studs that need removing.
I'm gonna order an oil pan and valve cover gasket set for it. Sounds familiar, I bet.
 
OP
X

xtremek

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 13, 2012
Messages
11,603
Location
St. Johns, Mi
Now I'm following in your footsteps, and I'm not liking it. :(

Pulled the trans off the motor today and discovered a cracked exhaust manifold. Rustiest exhaust bolts (Olds used bolts) I've ever seen. Through some miracle and Kroil, I got all 5 drivers side off. The 9/16's were rusted down to 13 and 14mm.
Turns out the rearmost passenger side bolt is broken off too. Front broke off on me immediately. Three in the middle were rusted down to 1/2 but came out.
So I end the day with 2 broken off exhaust studs that need removing.
I'm gonna order an oil pan and valve cover gasket set for it. Sounds familiar, I bet.
Sounds really familiar, like an echo. Were the studs snapped flush? If there's a bit of a stud left, heat the manifold red hot, put an undersized nut on the stud, using an impact in reverse, push against it and it should walk right out
.
 
OP
X

xtremek

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 13, 2012
Messages
11,603
Location
St. Johns, Mi
The Girlfriend has been working hard, so time for the next repair, rear brakesrb1.jpgrr brks2.jpgrr brks4.jpgrr brks5.jpg.
The flex line was almost toast and the axle line going to the left side was literally missing. So everything is new, from the frame line back. Looked like a lot of the old parts were new, but I wasn’t sure, so it all got replaced.
 
Last edited:

Kev442

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 15, 2009
Messages
5,386
Location
Wi
Not something you want to take apart every year, so I agree with all new and be done. Especially the way you tow while hauling dirt.

Unfortunately I have never invested in a hot wrench, so Kroil and time will hopefully get my exhaust studs out. There's a solid 1/2" sticking out, so what I usually do is cut two flats in the end and use a small wrench after the kroil bath. If the wrench rounds a bit, I fall back to the vise grips.
 
OP
X

xtremek

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 13, 2012
Messages
11,603
Location
St. Johns, Mi
Not something you want to take apart every year, so I agree with all new and be done. Especially the way you tow while hauling dirt.

Unfortunately I have never invested in a hot wrench, so Kroil and time will hopefully get my exhaust studs out. There's a solid 1/2" sticking out, so what I usually do is cut two flats in the end and use a small wrench after the kroil bath. If the wrench rounds a bit, I fall back to the vise grips.
I'm surprise you don't have torches with all of the old stuff you work on. I probably use mine 3-4 times a year, but when I do, they're a life saver.
 
OP
X

xtremek

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 13, 2012
Messages
11,603
Location
St. Johns, Mi
Good job!
You mean there was no brake line at all on the left side?
Nothing. He had it capped off at the flex line. Can't say as I blame them, there's only 1/2" between the backing plate and the u-bolts. In order to bleed everything, I left the backing plates flopping around and put a ratchet strap around the shoes to get to the bleeders. The other thing that necessitated the job was that 2 of the wheel studs on the passenger side were rolling around inside the rear drum. The hub on that side was worn out, as were all of the studs.
 

Strouty

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 21, 2010
Messages
38,215
Location
Southern Maine
You are making me feel like a slacker, I have to do this on one of the burbs and it is not a full floater, so it is way easier to do, still haven’t done it. :(

those studs must have made some interesting noises inside there.
 
OP
X

xtremek

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 13, 2012
Messages
11,603
Location
St. Johns, Mi
You are making me feel like a slacker, I have to do this on one of the burbs and it is not a full floater, so it is way easier to do, still haven’t done it. :(

those studs must have made some interesting noises inside there.
It was pretty loud. Beat the backing plate pretty good. Ended up having to replace one of the hubs because of the studs.
 
To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!
Top Bottom