> Deanna wrote:
> So...digging up stumps - what are your tips and tricks? I have a
> couple of stumps to deal with, too.
>
One word - dynamite! Drill a hole, stuff it full of dynamite, light
the extra long fuse, run like hell, and watch the sky so that you can
see whose house the stump is going to land on.
Here's some other suggestions:
* Suggestion A1: Burning them is the way I do it - but there is
an art to it. First, with a chain saw (and using the nose of the saw -
so be sure you know what you are doing!) make radial slots about half
way up the stump from the outside, to the inside where they should all
meet. For a 2 foot diameter stump about four slots is enough. Then
make a slot vertically downwards from the centre of the stump so it
meets with the radial slots. The idea of this is to give airways in
the stump, so that it burns on the inside. Next you need heaps of
wood, at least about four time the volume of the stump. Most of this
should be a foot or so in diameter. Take the longer, smaller diameter
pieces (about half of the stockpile) and build these around the stump
- tepee style. Light this fire, and when it burns down, add the bigger
pieces of wood around the stump. Monitor every four hours or so, and
make sure that the bigger pieces of wood are pushed close to the
stump. After a while the stump will start burning inside, but it will
still need an extra supply of wood to sustain it. In my experience,
about 24 to 36 hours is required to burn down a 2ft diameter, 3ft high
stump. Note that the slots are ESSENTIAL. Just lighting a fire around
a stump just blackens it. Perhaps this method may not be
environmentally friendly but the wood in the stump is pretty useless -
full of dirt and sometimes rot. In addition the wood I use to maintain
combustion is from old fallen trees, or other junk wood useless for
anything else.
* Suggestion A2: The burning method I saw used some kind of
accelerant that was poured into a hole drilled in the middle of the
stump.
* Suggestion B1: Pulling out with tractor (I sometimes do this if
1: not many roots 2: not too big 3: ground is damp. It is rarely
successful for stumps over 1 foot diameter. Generally all that happens
is the chain stretches/breaks or the wheels of the tractor spin. Of
course if the removal is successful the stump still has to be disposed
of - knock off the dirt (back into the hole preferably and then burn
(perhaps as fuel for a bigger stump that is burnt).
* Suggestion B2: Pulling out with draft animals. Some years ago, I
was at a fair where they exhibited a method for pulling them out with
a draft animal. First, you cut the roots that extend out away from the
stump. Next, you use a "machine" and the draft animal. (My description
won't do justice, but you'll likely not do this anyway - I just think
it is a neat idea.) The machine is kind of like a set of wagon wheels
and a strong axle. This thing is placed over the stump and a chain is
run from the axle down under the stump. The draft animal then pulls
this thing and the rotation of the axle causes the chain to pull up on
the stump. Slow going, but I've been told it works very well.
* Suggestion C1: Blow up the stumps with dynamite. A 1/4 stick of
dynamite and a long fuse. Park your truck a ways away - my father
watched a stump get launched and land in the bed of the vehicle. Was
handy for taking back to cut up for firewood, but the bed was
destroyed.
* Suggestion C2: Blow up the stumps with Tovex. It's more
available to the public anymore than dynamite. It's more stable, and
is less messy to use. Several possibilities. Call your nearest BATF
office and ask for the information for a license for purchasing
explosives. These aren't too difficult to get. Buy or build a storage
facility. The ATF has a publication that describes all the rules and
regulations for explosives (on the Federal level), including storage,
documentation, and use. Also remember that transportation of
explosives falls under the DOT, not the ATF. Anyway, with such a
license, one can purchase explosives from any manufacturer. Second
possibility, and is becoming increasingly more difficult to do, is
find an explosives distributor and buy a small quantity off them.
You'll have to fill out the day-use license form, and must use the
explosives that day. Again, transport falls under the guise of the
DOT. Typically Tovex comes in 1lb sticks, and though not ideal for
stumps, will work fine. Around here, Tovex is about $3 a stick, and
caps are $3.50 if bought in single use quantities. It's a lot cheaper
if bought in bulk. Anyway, find someone, preferably someone who is a
certified blaster, to show you how to use them. It's pretty easy, and
fairly safe as long as you have some basic idea of what you are doing.
An alternative is blasting powder, which can be obtained easily and
without the need to fill out a form if bought in small quantities. In
some ways blasting powder is better because it has more heaving power
(tovex is more "brisiant", it has more shattering power). Anyway, just
using explosives isn't a panacea, you still have to dig under the
stump, quite a job unto itself, place the charge, stem it (filling the
dirt back in and making sure you're not just going to blow the dirt
plug back out. It generally takes about 2 hours of work per stump.
Which is much better than the 6-10 hours it takes to dig and chop all
the roots. One advantage of using higher brisiance explosives is you
don't have to be as careful about stemming the charge.
* Suggestion D: Use a block and tackle and small tractor. Use 5/8"
cable and a set of double blocks. This is a slow method, but has the
advantage of usually leaving the dirt off of the roots, unlike a
dozer. Done properly, this can get you down to one stump.
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