Digging up stumps - advice on pry bar

[jp_over]

Friends,

I've mostly used shovels only when digging up stumps but want to add a pry bar to avoid abusing my shovels.

Any advice on which would work better? An added benefit would be flexibility for other uses/jobs.

1) 1-1/4″ x 60″ Pinch Point Crowbar
http://counciltool.com/shop/forged-rolled-bars/1-14-x-60-pinch-point-crowbar/

2) 1″ x 72″ Tamper Head & Blade Tamper Bar
http://counciltool.com/shop/forged-rolled-bars/1-x-72-tamper-head-blade-tamper-bar/

The links are just provided for examples so if there are better options I'm open to listen.

I do use a stump grinder when needed for big jobs but mostly it's a once a year or so deal so I try to save money when I can by removing the occasional stump by hand.

Thanks,

 

[mike93lx]

i have the second one you listed and it has been incredibly helpful.

If I had a bunch to do, i would probably add a burke bar for better prying.

 

[jp_over]

Good info - thanks Mike.

 

[Mohawk Dave]

I don't know if this can be applicable to your situation. But growing up on my buddies property his dad would have us get rid of stumps by doing the following...

Drill a bunch of holes in it using an auger bit. Pour gasoline or diesel in the holes and let it sit for a day. Then strike a match and let it smolder itself to nothing.

I have both the tools you listed.... I'd say number two gets more use on just anything and everything... From stuff around the yard to moving material to messing around with the trucks and trailers... If I had to buy only one it would probably be number two option.

And yes, I have Burke Bars and Oak Johnson Bars... You're not going to use them for stumps but if you ever see them on Craigslist or whatever grab them. They're worth their weight in gold.

 

[finn]

This is Garage Journal.

Nothing less than a mini excavator will do.

For reference, I went from the first type to a mini, and won’t be going back.

 

[mike93lx]

This is Garage Journal.

Nothing less than a mini excavator will do.

For reference, I went from the first type to a mini, and won’t be going back.

a mini? what a plebe...

man card will not be reissued until you get up to 20 tons.

 

[kd3pc]

I have both and abuse them both quite regularly. They can work you out pretty well. The "cutter" edge of the short bar is handy for roots, and the other end works in the shop to align things.

Get some gloves, and make sure to miss your toes when you throw them the first few times.

 

[blazemaster83]

I have a 1" bar and have bent it a few times. I also have a 1-1/4" bar and haven't bent that one a bit.

For larger stumps I usually dig around it and find the main roots. Wrap a chain around the root and pull it out with tractor or truck. Once all the main roots are torn up, wrap chain around main stump and yank it out. Cleared a few big doug fir stumps in my yard this way, like 3 ft in diameter.

 

[woody 73]

Besides TNT, this is your next best stump puller...

https://www.bing.com/images/search?...607986744003594165&selectedIndex=0&ajaxhist=0

 

[dutchgray]

Excavator is the way to go, leave a few foot of tree makes them much easier to get out.
By hand is just hours of digging, chopping roots and prying with a bar.
I have an 8' 1 1/4" hex digging bar and have bent it many times.

 

[619DioFan]

I have both a pinch point bar ( HF ) and a 6 foot digging bar ( huskey ) the digging bar has a pointed end and a blade style end. I feel this is a better combo than the tamping end style. I also use an axe and sawzall for the roots.

 

[matt_i]

That pinch + point bar would be my choice. Much heavier at 26# (vs 17lb) than the digging bar (2nd link).

Can buy it at McMaster Carr.

https://www.mcmaster.com/5995a33

I like the Sawzall option!

I usually cut roots with a drain spade. Not this exact one but mine got to be all-steel as well by replacing the "weaker links". Up to 1-1/2" usually takes a couple of hits and an oblique angle helps rather than trying to cross-cut the wood at 90 deg.

https://www.amleo.com/leonard-all-s...WGPlz0ZME5UB06iJnF_-37INSPh5nNykaAp-dEALw_wcB

 

[nieuport17]

I didn’t think pry bar would work.
You have to send some pics when you do this.

 

[finn]

a mini? what a plebe...

man card will not be reissued until you get up to 20 tons.

My trailer won’t handle that, and it won’t fit in the garage!

 

[PugetDude]

Digging bar and a sawzall with a stack of 12" coarse wood blades for the roots. (pruning blades can't handle the dirt.) I buy my blades in multi-packs from Cripe Distributing.

 

[volleyball]

a mini? what a plebe...

man card will not be reissued until you get up to 20 tons.

Man card is doing it with a mini, if you need 20 ton you are compensating.

 

[NUTTSGT]

I have the #2 prybar/tamper you linked. There should be one in every DIYers garage or shed.

 

[Dandy Dave]

Here's my Stump Prybar. Aint met a stump yet it wouldn't pluck. Also has heat for cold days and does not care if it is raining or snowing outside either.

 

[Bigblockyeti]

I have both and the 1" bar is great for what it is but I can bend it if I push too hard, the shorter 1 1/4" bar only starts to feel a little springy in severe applications but has never felt like it would bend. That's my go to bar if I need to really work something over.

 

[ooba tooba]

I don't know if this can be applicable to your situation. But growing up on my buddies property his dad would have us get rid of stumps by doing the following...

Drill a bunch of holes in it using an auger bit. Pour gasoline or diesel in the holes and let it sit for a day. Then strike a match and let it smolder itself to nothing.

Cool! Not sure of my auger bit situation.... how large of bits and how deep?

 

[volleyball]

Here's my Stump Prybar. Aint met a stump yet it wouldn't pluck. Also has heat for cold days and does not care if it is raining or snowing outside either.

I have a few stumps. Feel like coming over and showing me how it is done?

 

[lardy1]

I typically take out a couple stumps every summer. I rely on hard work, patience, a round point shovel, a gardening trowel and a reciprocating saw. I don't think I've ever used my pinch bar in the process.

 

[pwschuh]

I have the second bar. We always called it a "Spud Bar." I highly recommend it. It will go through roots when properly motivated.

 

[finn]

I have both and the 1" bar is great for what it is but I can bend it if I push too hard, the shorter 1 1/4" bar only starts to feel a little springy in severe applications but has never felt like it would bend. That's my go to bar if I need to really work something over.

The Harbor Freight bars are inferior to the old hand me down my grandfather acquired in the 1930s or 40s.

 

[tarmy]

I use my tractor now...but before...I would dig around it and use a floor jack to jack it up and cut roots. You can also push the stump form the side that way too...works very well actually.

 

[Minnesota Steve]

For smaller stumps I use a jack...

 

[AA/FC]

The last time I pulled some large bushes and medium sized trees, I just used a 1-ton wrecker.... plucks 'em like carrots! Takes longer to wrap the chains than it does to boom up and pluck the bush/tree. If it's a real "wrecker" with a real recovery boom, most of those are rated to lift 8-10 tons (yes, even on a 1-ton wrecker). If you don't have access to a wrecker at no charge, I'm sure most towing companies would gladly pluck a few tress for a basic service call fee, maybe a few dollar more..... but if it's easy access where the truck can back right up.... piece of cake!

 

[ClappedOutBport]

Here's my Stump Prybar. Aint met a stump yet it wouldn't pluck. Also has heat for cold days and does not care if it is raining or snowing outside either.

Nice Prybar. Here's the one I use, a little smaller than yours.

Useful for a lot more than just prying on stumps, probably the most used equipment on the property.

 

[jp_over]

Thanks for all the feedback; much appreciated!

 

[stlyns]

a mini? what a plebe...

man card will not be reissued until you get up to 20 tons.

I cleared 15 acres with a 45 ton hoe 2 months ago.
Currently working a 32 acre site with a 23 ton hoe.
Next site is almost 40 acres, a 60 ton machine is on tap.

 

[ClappedOutBport]

I have a few stumps. Feel like coming over and showing me how it is done?

If you are gonna pay someone to come and remove stumps, do them a favor and leave the whole tree attached. You'll save a ton of money.

 

[neophyte]

If you use a “pry bar”, the type you want to get is a digging bar, the type eith a chisel on one end.
Either a regular chisel end bar, or a San Angelo bar.
Usually, the longest heaviest one you can find or want to pay for is best.
You use the bar first as a chisel, raising it and spearing the ground and roots with the bar to cut the roots away with the chisel end, and occasionally using the bar to try to pry the stump up.
The last time I used one, I first went around the stump in a circle, spearing the ground in a circumference around the stump with vertical jabs.
Then I speared at an angle around the stump to try to make a cone series of cuts around and under the stump.

I live in the middle of a city, so gasoline, tannerite, target practice, etc. would not have been a viable option.

 

[Mohawk Dave]

I don't know if this can be applicable to your situation. But growing up on my buddies property his dad would have us get rid of stumps by doing the following...

Drill a bunch of holes in it using an auger bit. Pour gasoline or diesel in the holes and let it sit for a day. Then strike a match and let it smolder itself to nothing.

Cool! Not sure of my auger bit situation.... how large of bits and how deep?

We just used whatever...from 1/2” to 1" probably....went as deep as the auger was long if the stump was big enough to allow it....so 12 to 18" depending.

But man, after you let it soak and then light it, it will just slowly smolder itself to nothing.

Very little manual labor involved. Then just fill it in with dirt.

 

[Flail]

Cut the tree off at about 10 feet tall. Wrap a chain at the top and hook that to your draft horse. Sometimes soak the roots with water to soften up the soil (trees blow over in rainstorms). Then just pull them over then out. Leverage is a great thing.

 

[Mohawk Dave]

Cut the tree off at about 10 feet tall. Wrap a chain at the top and hook that to your draft horse. Sometimes soak the roots with water to soften up the soil (trees blow over in rainstorms). Then just pull them over then out. Leverage is a great thing.

Will a Friesian work? Maybe 17 hands. Those guys are super cool.

 

[akasrick]

Thanks for all the feedback; much appreciated!

I have a weight lifting bar standing in a corner. Stumps aren't too large but the only time I flex the bar. Rock them, cut them, pop them. 5 1/2 bags of topsoil to fill that hole.
View media item 94825
akasrick

 

[theoldwizard1]

Any advice on which would work better? An added benefit would be flexibility for other uses/jobs.

Longer and heavier is always better ! I have a San Angelo bar, which has a point on one end and a chisel/wedge on the other.

These things are made of mild steel and they will bend !

A very messy, slow method to remove stumps is to use a pressure washer around the roots. It is slow, because you have to stop and drain the water/mud out of the hole. If you just let it sit, the mud will solidify and you will have very little progress.

My tool of choice is an ax. You can use a reciprocating saw and a long demolition blade. Whatever it takes. Time, patients and perseverance are your only friends in this endeavor ! (Segue - about 40 years ago I remove two close together medium size stumps in my yard. It took a couple of weeks. The hole they left was enormous so I had to bring in fill !)

 

[nickaudette]

This thread would have come in handy last week before getting a stump ground up.

 

[Dandy Dave]

I have a few stumps. Feel like coming over and showing me how it is done?

Where in NY are you? If your not too far away I would. I'm in the Hudson area.

 

[bpjr]

I have a 60" hex bar from HD with point on one end and approx 3" blade on the other end. The point breaks up the ground and blade cuts small roots. Also used a sawzall to cut big roots a couple times. Its used mostly on big azz coquina rocks to pry or break them for my seawall. I think it weighs about 25-30 lbs and been sharpened a couple time on the grinder. I don't think its possible to bend this one no matter how big you are...it shrugs off my 200 lbs no matter how much abuse I give it.