Stump removal advice!

[BassAddict]

Im trying to remove an old stump from my yard. My first idea was to just wack the crap out of it with an hatchet, thinking it was mostly rotted and would fall apart...... But turns out the center was still intact and would burn nicely. . This seams like a easier option to me and a lot more fun!!! Figured I'd ask the experts first tho since I have made a string of bad decisions when it comes to fire lately. Would lighting said stump be a wise method of removal?

 

[RiverBottomOutdoors]

It takes a good fire to burn out a stump. I burned a couple old pine and cedar stumps out this past fall and it took days for each one.

 

[lckstckn2smknbrls]

I rented a stump grinder last year to get rid of a stump that was in line with a retaining wall I was building.
The stump was underground so no one knew it was there. I ground it as low as the machine would let me but it wasn't low enough so I widened the trench enough to get the grinder down in it and ground the stump down low enough to build the wall.

 

[Johnny]

are you in the city limits ?
how close is your nearest neighbor?
is there a "no burn" in effect in your county?

yes, the way my neighbor does it is to put a big of charcoal on it and burn it out.
couple of lawn chairs, some cold brew, hot dogs for the kids, that'll work right there.
The object is add fuel TO the stump, don't use the stump as fuel.
Pouring accelerant onto it over and over is just wasting your fuel and time.
slow HOT burn will do the trick nicely. If you have a big steel ring or half of a steel 55 gl drum
to make a fire ring, that will contain your fire as well as add the ambiance to the cookout.

True story:
when I was a kid, (1960) my dad was helping his uncle blast some stumps with dynamite
after a storm knocked down some big trees.
There was this huge black walnut stump that they first tried with the tractor.
then, 1/4 stick of dynamite - didn't budge it..
another 1/4 stick - bunch of smoke and some dirt. same result.
we went way back into the field, full stick of dynamite - - -
BOOM !!! the core of that stump went straight up, and up, and up and up - - -
then, came down, and down and down and down - - -
like in slow motion - landed on the front porch roof.
Granny came running out raising hell and screaming.
funniest thing I have ever seen since then !!!
But, could have been a totally different devastating day if it had been 15-20 feet over into the house.

but yes, get the green wood hot enough with the charcoal and it will burn right out.
It may take a couple of evenings, but, it can be a fun family time also.

 

[duckfish]

10 - 15 lbs of Tannerite from local sporting goods store, 1 round of any caliber .223 or larger. Done deal.

Seriously tho, rental stump grinders work well. Don't have the patience for burning them out. I've rented a grinder and ground several out of my yard when I didn't feel like making the big mess of digging them out and I say that owning machines from 17,000 lbs - 68,000 lbs perfectly capable of digging them out.

 

[JMichael]

If you are allowed to burn where you are, that would be the cheapest method but it is also the method that takes a lot of time. Renting a stump grinder would be the the way to if you don't mind the rental fee and you can pull the trailer that it comes on when you rent it. Most rental places I've dealt with will require you to have a half ton or larger truck to tow it with. I burned out a 4' diameter pecan and a 4.5' diameter hackberry last year. I used some of the seasoned split pecan to build a fire over each stump. Once I had a decent bed of coals going, I fired up my backpack blower and fed them all the air they could stand. It took several rounds of this to get them burned out.

 

[lovedr79]

burn it! you can get some liquid mess that accelerates the rotting process. never used it though.

 

[Captain Ahab]

 

[Johnny]

OH WOW !!! I just had a thought about the BACK PACK BLOWER !!!!

WHAT IF - - - - you tape on a piece of light weight metal tube to the end of the blower......
like a 2 or 3" ventilation pipe about 4 ft long.
affix a wad of cloth around the very tip end, wire it on good, soak it with diesel fuel or kerosene,
and oh yeah, strike a match to it !!!!

of course not good for burning up a stump LOL LOL but it has to have some kind of usefulness.

(and yes, I put my empty aerosol cans in the fire)



ok, hate to cut it short, but gotta run - - - I have an appointment with my therapist

 

[onthewater102]

Burning it is probably your best bet - when you grind a stump level to the ground or slightly below there's still plenty of organic matter down there to rot, and when it does it will create a depression wherever the remnants of the stump are. Burn it out and it's gone and you can fill the void then and there and be done with it.

Get a fire going on and around it and grab a small floor fan, hook it up on an extension cord and aim it at the bed of coals under the fire. It'll burn hotter than Hades, which is what you want for burning beneath the surface so it can cook off all the moisture down there and really allow the stump to burn. You'll have to keep feeding it wood, but after you get a good bed of coals with the fan on there just about any **** will burn for you so if you have a lot of crap to get rid of in the yard it'll be a good time to do so.

Have fun!

 

[Captain Ahab]

BA - I have a big can of gunpowder you can have - please video

 

[BassAddict]

BA - I have a big can of gunpowder you can have - please video

Isn't it nap time at the nursing home that you reside in?

 

[Captain Ahab]

 

[WaterWaif]

Takes a lot of burnin.
I have used a steel drum too. About the top third,cut below reinforcing ring.
I have dug them out too. A young mans game.
Using a hose can soften hard earth if needed. Dig under roots to get heat under them.
Some folks just surround the stump with what ever steel sheeting they can get and dump bags of charcoal around the stump.
Grandpa used to burn them out. About a case of beer a night with his buddies for a couple few nights. =D>

 

[BassAddict]

Thanks for the stump advice all, but I ended up digging it out because BA and fire don't mix!

 

[Captain Ahab]

That was all of 2" in diameter and from a rose bush - sheesh

 

[WaterWaif]

Well, if it was that small it could have been blown with a firecracker.
You could practice for next time B.A.!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMXpnTJ1Lx4

 

[Insanity]

OH WOW !!! I just had a thought about the BACK PACK BLOWER !!!!

WHAT IF - - - - you tape on a piece of light weight metal tube to the end of the blower......
like a 2 or 3" ventilation pipe about 4 ft long.
affix a wad of cloth around the very tip end, wire it on good, soak it with diesel fuel or kerosene,
and oh yeah, strike a match to it !!!!

of course not good for burning up a stump LOL LOL but it has to have some kind of usefulness.
(and yes, I put my empty aerosol cans in the fire)



ok, hate to cut it short, but gotta run - - - I have an appointment with my therapist

Try a full can of paint next time. And at night time.
Its worth the 4 or 5 bucks if you record it. :mrgreen:
I used to have an old bug sprayer that leaked a drop out the end ever second or two. It was just enough to light it and have it stay burning if filled with gas. It made a heck of a flame thrower for clearing fence rows.

 

[JMichael]

Try a full can of paint next time. And at night time.
Its worth the 4 or 5 bucks if you record it. :mrgreen:

One of my sisters neighbor up in PA has a routine he does every 4th of July. He'll go out and but up about 2 cases of the cheapest spray paint he can find. Then he sprays about 1/3 of the contents out of each can. The night of the 4th, he'll build a big fire in his yard and toss the cans in one at a time and wait for them to explode. He lives about 300 yards from my sisters house and we can watch the fireballs go up above the tree tops from her house. He's full blown crazy if you ask me. :lol:

 

[onthewater102]

funny thing tends to happen when METAL cans explode...bits of metal go everywhere


When I was in college the local fu<ktards were having a party and one of them thought it would be fun to throw a keg in a fire that was burning in an old steel barrel. Keg blew, barrel blew, about a dozen or so ended up in the hospital, one in the refrigerated section. Call the police on that @$$clown the next time he's out doing that.