Gas powered chainsaw recommendation? (diy, homeowner)

[MDee]

Anyone have some experience that would help me pick one out.

My mom wants some tree stumps in her yard cut down closer to the ground. She has a wedding reception in the yard in about two weeks so we can't very well soften of burn them out, as far as I understand. So she wants to buy a chainsaw to cut them low to the ground and bury them.

Any brand or model I should avoid?

 

[General Geoff]

how big are these stumps?

 

[Compressor]

It always comes down to Stihl or Husqvarna. Both make good saws so would just buy whichever brand you have a dealer for close by or whichever is a good deal at the moment. This assumes you intend to keep the saw for a while since you'd be looking at $300+.

If this is a one-time use kind of thing for these stumps then just go to the local big box and buy whatever they have on the shelf.

Edit: Don't forget extra blades and bars. As soon as the blade touches dirt it'll be dull soon thereafter. When cutting stumps, this usually happens. Also not sure if you can get them down low enough to really bury them. A chainsaw probably isn't the right tool for stump removal/hiding.

 

[rlitman]

Rent a stump grinder. Chainsaws are not well suited to cutting stumps.

 

[LordPsychon]

Rent a stump grinder. Chainsaws are not well suited to cutting stumps.

You know, I was thinking the same thing...

A buddy of mine had a stump in his yard and wanted to borrow a chainsaw from his dad to cut it out and his dad said "so you want to break my chainsaw". My buddy, obviously confused, replied "no, what do you mean?" His father replied "all you're going to do is chew up the teeth, break the bar, and trash the motor if you throw it into the stump". He recommended a stump grinder and my buddy took him up on it and lo and behold the stump was appropriately pulped with no issue.

 

[bcradio]

yes, rent a stump grinder for the task and then get your mom to buy you a chainsaw as payment for the labor.

 

[wafrederick]

Chainsaw is not the right tool for this job,grind the stump down.Dirt kills bars and chains.

 

[Von Psycho]

My wife suggests you make tables out of them or use as planter bases as time is running out.

 

[redmondjp]

+1 on the above. Cutting a stump off is a quick way to dull your chain. Every stump I have encountered has at least one rock in it, and no matter how tiny, that rock will be right in your cut long enough to dull the chain in 0.2 seconds. Followed by 45 minutes of chain-sharpening.

Then rinse, lather, repeat!

 

[MDee]

Thanks guys. Stump grinder it is. Guess I should've known that but tree removal isn't my thing.

 

[redmondjp]

Thanks guys. Stump grinder it is. Guess I should've known that but tree removal isn't my thing.

Just a heads-up that you'll probably be looking at a few hundred per day in rental fees, but it is the right tool for the job and no worries about dulling the teeth (unless there are some massive rocks underneath the stump).

Just be aware that a stump grinder can be an incredibly dangerous machine, so follow all of the safety precautions and stay far away from the business end of it while in operation (as well as all kids, pets, neighbors, curious onlookers, drones, etc etc).

You might call around your local area to see what they would charge you to grind them - it may be less than your rental cost (and a lot less hassle).

 

[upgrading]

Pics would help.
If the stumps are not too wide in diameter a HF Reciprocating Saw with an excellent(non HF) blade could get it flat with the ground if money is an issue.

 

[kctyphoon]

umm.. he still has to CUT the stumps first unless they are only like a foot out of the ground.. if you need a saw, any name brand will be fine... echo is prob the best compromise between brand vs cost.

 

[devoncoolman]

Husqavarna and stihl are the best out there leaning towards stihl in my opinion. But i agree with grinding the stumps. A tree company may be able to gind all of them down in a few hours for a couple hundred bucks and it wouldnt take any of your time.

 

[MDee]

Here are pictures of the stumps

I put a regular 12 in ruler in each picture for reference. I should have done this initially.


Stump 1




Stump 2





Stump 3





Stump 4

 

[mbret2004]

Agree with staying away from the business end. I have used this machine numerous times and it's not to be messed with. It doesn't know the difference between feet, hands, dead cats and the like.

 

[finn]

Stump grinder fodder there.

 

[jonjon1]

Back hoe, rent a back hoe or mini X - $400, a 70hp-ish machine will dig them right out, pick up some fill the day before so you have it ready.

I don't leave stumps in the ground, they rot and make voids, its not worth the trouble. I put a shed on the side of my house recently and had to take out a few big trees, I could have shoveled the bottoms clear and cut them flush, but I dug them out, filled and compacted now never have to worry about them. D U N...

There are guys on c-list that will bring a machine to you for very short money, something like that would take an hour maybe 2 all filled. Home depot even rents mini X's for like $250 a day, {they are on the small side though, around here anyway, they have jcb micros with he expanding tracks} you will need something larger than that, who ever cut them stumps down so low didnt do you any favors, I drop the trees high and leave a 5 foot stump, that gives the excavator a ton of leverage when yanking them, simply drop the rigs, put the bucket on the outside and curl the stump in, after a good rain the stumps will pull right out with the roots attached. Yours will have to be dug a bit, which isnt that bad either..


good luck, I say screw the grinding and dig em out...

 

[pauls_workshop]

What I like to do is cut them low to the ground, then come back with my milling chainsaw blade and put some deeper cuts in the top several inches down. Then pile on some compost on top the whole thing for about a year and the stumps will decompose well with minimal effort, just some time. Stump grinders or heavy equipment to pull them out is fine if you have that, but costs alot more than my method, almost free. - Paul

 

[HammerMechanic]

What I like to do is cut them low to the ground, then come back with my milling chainsaw blade and put some deeper cuts in the top several inches down. Then pile on some compost on top the whole thing for about a year and the stumps will decompose well with minimal effort, just some time. Stump grinders or heavy equipment to pull them out is fine if you have that, but costs alot more than my method, almost free. - Paul

But in the OP he said they need them out in 2 weeks. Call a local stump grinder, usually they work fairly cheap, and a couple hours later you can be leveling out the yard.

 

[hangfirew8]

If you do need a chainsaw, rental may be the way to go there, too.

 

[hangfirew8]

Followed by 45 minutes of chain-sharpening.

Then rinse, lather, repeat!

45 minutes! Either you need to stop using 36" bars or go through fewer cans of beer while sharpening!