Has anyone pulled out a tree stump with thier expy?

[EightIsEnough]

There is no cheap easy way, and the species and health of the tree makes a big difference. The worst I pulled was a slippery bark hickory. The stump was nearly 2 feet across, and even after I dug the entire root system out with a John Deere 310 backhoe I could not lift it straight out of the hole. I had to roll it out the side of the hole which was now 10 feet wide and 6 feet deep, then drag it across the road to bury it with some others.

With the dozer I cut the roots on 2 sides then raised the blade and shoved the whole tree over. It does not get any easier, but that ain't cheap. With the same dozer I snapped a 1/2 inch chain pulling a log off a pile. It was slow and easy, and I never felt it snap.

There is a lot more strength and weight in a tree than it gets credit for. It is not worth wrecking a truck. Almost any other method would be cheaper in the long run.

Burn barrels are slow, but cheap and very effective...

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[bobmbx]

Interesting. I love this real world engineering stuff. My chain suggestion was based on the "thing being pulled" breaking loose. If the "thing pulling" breaks loose, that's an alternative scenario. I'm sticking with don't do it. Never knew steel would stretch. I don't understand that. Believe you just don't understand how that happens. I guess it does though. Steel will stretch until permanent deformation occurs. I googled it

Years ago we pulled a wood stove pipe chimney off a house with a pickup truck and it went flying past the truck. Oops but nobody got hurt.

Lots of different types of steel. Some are brittle, some are ductile, some are plastic, some are elastic. There should be very little stored energy in a steel chain; if it begins to stretch that means its failing. And unless its a high yield steel chain, that stretch (damage) is permanent and it is now a dangerous tool. HY steels (HY-80, HY-100, HY-130, and HTS) are used in pressure vessels (submarines are all made with HY steel hulls).

Chains are also not suitable for snap loads, so if you do use a chain, take up the slack slowly until the chain is under tension, then apply power. Never get a running start on a slack chain.

 

[1955moose]

This is what I love about this forum. We've got so many different common sense people here. Everything from Mcgyver types, all the way to college grad engineers. I love reading these simple posts, on life items, keeps this place fun!

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[Sir William]

Unless your Expy has grown a couple more axles and some mega cajones, I'd get the stump grinder. See example below to see if you measure up:

 

[Plati]

I have the remains (underground & otherwise invisible) of a 1 foot diameter ash in my backyard that I cut down 25 years ago. It was cut close to the earth and left to rot. Then I chopped away at it over the years and covered in dirt. Every wet spring the mushrooms appear. Lots of mushrooms. The Emerald Ash Borer is now killing ALL ash trees in my area. Very Sad.

Another tree, white pine in front yard from 12 years ago that I used Expy and chain to pull roots out. The roots I didn't get are rotting and I end up with depressions in my lawn every spring to fill.

Another white pine died (bark beetles) in side yard and was cut 6 years ago. I just left that whole stump to rot as its now surrounded by azeleas & rhodos. Free plant food for the next 50 years!

I've watched videos where you drill holes & fill with vegetable oil and burn after it sits for a month. That takes a year or two but gets it eventually I think. Never tried it but would like to. Like someone said ... Depends on wood species.

 

[bobmbx]

I have the remains (underground & otherwise invisible) of a 1 foot diameter ash in my backyard that I cut down 25 years ago. It was cut close to the earth and left to rot. Then I chopped away at it over the years and covered in dirt. Every wet spring the mushrooms appear. Lots of mushrooms. The Emerald Ash Borer is now killing ALL ash trees in my area. Very Sad.

Another tree, white pine in front yard from 12 years ago that I used Expy and chain to pull roots out. The roots I didn't get are rotting and I end up with depressions in my lawn every spring to fill.

Another white pine died (bark beetles) in side yard and was cut 6 years ago. I just left that whole stump to rot as its now surrounded by azeleas & rhodos. Free plant food for the next 50 years!

I've watched videos where you drill holes & fill with vegetable oil and burn after it sits for a month. That takes a year or two but gets it eventually I think. Never tried it but would like to. Like someone said ... Depends on wood species.

I just call the stump grinder guy.

15 minutes, BOOM. Done. I do give up the great "how I got rid of my stump" story, though.

 

[HawkX66]

I just call the stump grinder guy.

15 minutes, BOOM. Done. I do give up the great "how I got rid of my stump" story, though.

At $3. or so per inch that I've seen the 36" average diameter of my trees would add up quick...

 

[TobyU]

The last one I had I drilled a few holes in it and soaked with old oil then burned it. I keep oil from the lawn mowers that get flooded out with fuel into the crankcase. It's still quite flash flammable but it works well for soaking and burning things.