Land clearing

[1MajorTom]

This is for hands on experienced skid steer operators:

Have about 60 stumps ranging between 4 to 8 inches in diameter. Stumps were cut last winter if that means anything. They were cut high leaving about 5 ft of the stump.
Will a skidsteer be able to push these over, or will it will require digging around the stump first? Trees I believe were locust and sassafras.
Will rent a skidsteer if this will get the job done.

Thanks.

[bobcat9957]

I would go with a mini ex. You can probably get it done with a skid but an excavator will be more effective. Around here they are only about $40 a day more to rent than the skid.

[Mjh Excavating]

Rent the excavator, you would be surprised how tough an 8 inch stump is.

[1MajorTom]

See i had a lot of low laying vines and brush that I was hoping to back drag with the bobcat. I appreciate the responses, thanks.

[DBL]

there was a thread about burning stumps on here is that an option

[Gravel Rat]

A mini with a thumb is a better choice you will be able to pull them out if they are tough then you can dig around them. Also with a mini you can pick them up shake the dirt out of the root ball then pile them up or load them into a dump truck. If the skid steer had a 4 in 1 bucket it would make ripping them out easier with a skid steer.

The other option is get a block and tackle find the heaviest stump in the group and start winching the other stumps out. I have done that using a set of pulleys with 3/8s cable works good I used a 1 ton dually flatdeck with 1000lbs over the wheels for traction.

[dozerman21]

Some trees push over easier than others, but skids aren't the best machine for the job. I would rent a backhoe if I were you. That way you could dig them out and use the front loader to move any of the brush or stumps around. Make sure you get a 4WD if the conditions are muddy. If you are set on a skid, get the biggest one you can and I'd use a tooth bucket to dig around the base of the tree, and to break up the roots.

[bugthug]

What are you near in PA? I have a skid steer that is just sitting I will rent real cheap if you are close. I also Have a friend That is in the tree removal business.

[Gravel Rat]

I forgot all about using a rubber tired hoe that would work good too even better than a excavator because you have so many small stumps to remove a 4 in 1 would be nice to have on it too.

[RockSet N' Grade]

MajorTom....I've done it by hand, with a skid, with an excavator and with a dozer. Method of choice for me would be the biggest mini-excavator with a front blade that you can haul or get delievered. Make it easy and safe for yourself.....I would prefer an excavator with a thumb, but even without one, an excavator is a better way to go...

[Dirty Water]

Jodi,

Also, don't be intimidated by excavators, despite looking fancy, they are basic and very easy to run.

They take 10 minutes to learn, but a lifetime to master.

[1MajorTom]

all the replies have been appreciated.

Sorry dirtywater, I should have clarified. i won't be using this piece of equipment. Matt asked me to post this for him as he does not like to type. He will be using it, i wouldn't even attempt to run it.....lol

bugthug: we are around the pittsburgh area.

[turfquip]

I too say mini-x but would suggest that renting the biggest one available as someone else said, would not be necessary. I would take that job on with my KX 41 if the stumps are as you say, maximum 8 inches.

All things are relative though... a bigger mini will get the job done faster, that's all.

[Gravel Rat]

What kind of trees where they ?

Removing 60 stumps is going to make the property look like the moon with little craters everywhere.

You can rent my excavator :laugh:

[Mike33]

Some 8" stumps can have a root 3' in the griund and it might be 5' wide. Mini even though i dont have one would be the way to go. I have a skid with steel tracks and hoe attm. and do things like this. I would reccc. the mini if i didnt own a machine and had to rent. I would get a descent size machine though. Locust is mainly on the top but a few others deep could ruin your day with out digging option.
Mike

[freddyc]

The mini is definetely the way to go. You also said you had low lying vines----

Last year I pulled out about 1000 ft of grape vines. Not sure what you have, but the grape vines can get relatively large and go pretty deep....I had to go down over 2 1/2 ft in some areas. All I have is a tiny skid steer--it got the job done, but doing it over I would have done the job in 1/10 the time with a mini ex. It would have been easier on the machine too.

The reason I bring this up is that things are sometimes more difficult than they appear. Some stumps are cake to pull...others kill you getting them out.

Not familiar with your tree types, we have a lot of pine, maple, oak, polar around here. For reference, I can pop a 3" diameter pine out like nothin--- an oak the same size will take me 45 minutes....you just keep getting the roots one at a time it seems--they're tough!

In short, if you really need the skid for some ddirt moving or cleanup, I would suggest renting the mini first. The amount of time you'd save will pay for the rental of the skid anyway. Get both--go large! Its only money!

[DUSTYCEDAR]

why not grind them no stumps to deal with just chips?????///
what is the final plan for the land and when will it happen?
grind and let the root runners rot is easy digging up the mess is just that a mess and it will take a while.
can u burn?
a good operator with a track loader could do that in no time and pry be cheeper i had 8 acer cleared for a 1000 bucks and burned what was left and all i had to do is watch.

[AWJ Services]

If I had the job I would do it all with My tracked skid steer.
I do it regularly with most all trees mentioned.


The ideal way is too get a good size mini (5 tons) and a big CTL and go too work.

Take the ex and dig straight down on one side of the stump and then push it over with the CTL.

It goes very fast this way.
While the ex is digging the CTL can be pushing and grading and piling up the mess.

[freddyc]

why not grind them no stumps to deal with just chips?????///
what is the final plan for the land and when will it happen?
grind and let the root runners rot is easy digging up the mess is just that a mess and it will take a while.
can u burn?
a good operator with a track loader could do that in no time and pry be cheeper i had 8 acer cleared for a 1000 bucks and burned what was left and all i had to do is watch.




Someone cleared 8 acres for you for $1000?? You're joking right?

[godzilla]

I'd also say to just grind the stumps out. Even a small self propelled grinder will be faster than a mini-x.

[Mike33]

because we are all in the excavating business and dig them. If we were in the tree business we would say grind them.
Mike

[1MajorTom]

I do not believe Matt has seen the latest replies on this thread. But I do know he does not want to grind them. That's why he cut the trees and left the 5 ft stumps so he would have leverage to push. the stumps that need to be gone were crappy trees that weren't worth keeping. locust trees i believe he said they were.
The plan for this land? Not sure at this point, we acquired this land for a very nice price, when land is so dear in this area. It's only an acre, if we can acquire a bigger plot of land, that would be better, as an acre isn't really all that much. If we can't find anything else, then we will use this lot to build on. yes we can burn there with a permit, he has been burning a lot of the debris that he has already cleared.
thanks to your replies he has canned the idea of the skidsteer, he has already been in touch with the rental place. he also got an estimate and the guy said 2 grand. matt said no way. now don't get offended you guys that do this for a living, that price very well may be in line i have no idea, but when matt thinks he can do something cheaper he will.

[turfquip]

I'd also say to just grind the stumps out. Even a small self propelled grinder will be faster than a mini-x.


I don't agree with this statement. With a 7000 pound mini it would take about thirty seconds per stump to have them out of the ground.

[Gravel Rat]

There is no way you could grind stumps quicker than pulling them out with a excavator. If the stumps have been left tall you have some leverage with a excavator that can pull them out. A 8" diameter stump is small to what I'am used to when your getting into the 30-48 inch diameter stumps then your into some work removing them.

[skidmaster]

You best bet would be to rent a Cat 345b with about 40,000 lbs of breakout force, that should get the job done!

[Dirty Water]

You best bet would be to rent a Cat 345b with about 40,000 lbs of breakout force, that should get the job done!

Why play with such little toys?

Do the whole lot in one swipe.

http://jholland.phpwebhosting.com/junk/hitachi.jpg

[godzilla]

I don't agree with this statement. With a 7000 pound mini it would take about thirty seconds per stump to have them out of the ground.


Ok, so you have it out of the ground, now what? Burn? Grind? Haul? Bury? A 25 hp self propelled grinder will only take a few minutes per stump IF that and when you leave it the job is done. 2 days TOPS for those stumps with a grinder. $200 x 2 = $400 + 200 BS money (fuel / tax / insurance) = $600.

[turfquip]

I am not familiar with a grinder that will propel itself up to a 5' stump and gnaw it down to below grade. Maybe I'm behind the times. If so, then it certainly would be a good option.

[DUSTYCEDAR]

Someone cleared 8 acres for you for $1000?? You're joking right?
NO the land was cleared with a hydroaxe so all that was left was the stumps and the slash a guy came in and cleaned it all up in a day for a grand guess he needed some cash?

[DUSTYCEDAR]

if it was my land i would grind it no mess left

[Dirty Water]

Except for cutting down all the 5' stumps down to ground level before grinding.

And then stacking and burning that.

Might as well just stack and burn all the stumps.

[GreenMonster]

Jodi,

If you're not going to grind, and you want to do it yourself, I would also choose the mini x over the CTL.

I have both a MiniX and a CTL. If I were contracted to do such a job, I would use the mini. Hopefully, you can rent a mini with a thumb which allow an inexperienced user to grab and move them much easier than with just a bucket. I wouldn't want to go any less than 7K lb machine.

Even small stumps can sometimes be stubborn. The trick is to dig around them a little, breaking the roots, making them pop out easier. Keep in mind you many end up with a lot more loose roots and debris than you might have expected. This can be some of the hardest cleanup to do, but the blade on the mini will help.

Of course, if you get the mini, you can quickly dig a hole big enough to bury the stumps. Keep in mind that area will obviously settle over the years.

[Sunscaper]

Ideally I'd want a mini ex with a thumb and a SSL or a CTL with a root grapple. I larger SSL or CTL with a bobcat "digger" attachment would also work for you. I have a 30" tree spade looking thing for my machine and it comes in handy very often. I move palms and native oaks here up to about a 4" caliper with no problems. I also gutted a few LARGE 3' stumps here but I would not do it again.

[Dirty Water]

I would get the biggest mini you can afford (preferably something along the lines of the Kubota kx161), with a thumb.

I'd dig out the stumps, then dig a hole to bury them, I'd use the spoils from the hole to fill in the holes where the stumps used to be. The bucket and backfill blade can be used to remove brush and level. I'd figure on it being a 2 day project since you won't have a skid there to help backfill the holes from the stumps and you'll have to walk the mini back and forth.

If you can rent a 18" digging bucket and a 36" cleanup bucket you would save a lot of time.

Some people like using a 24" digging bucket, but on the smaller machines, I like a 18".

[tnmtn]

i'll throw out a diffrent idea. the way i do this is with a backhoe. i use the root grapple on the front and dig with the hoe. dig a few, move a few. it works well when working by yourself. bobcat or JD dealer might put a grapple on a rental compact backhoe.
good luck

[cddva]

Not trying to stray too far off topic here, but....what would you guys who do this charge to clear 4 acres of mostly pine about 8" max dia.? Owner would cut trees and leave a tall stump for pushing over. I would be clearing stumps using an L39 backhoe. Owner may help move stumps to pile using tractor w/fel, otherwise I'll do that too. No idea of number of tree's at this point but the area looks fairly dense. Then he wants it graded after clearing. I know you can only give ball park numbers with these limited details. Thanks.

[Scag48]

Not trying to stray too far off topic here, but....what would you guys who do this charge to clear 4 acres of mostly pine about 8" max dia.? Owner would cut trees and leave a tall stump for pushing over. I would be clearing stumps using an L39 backhoe. Owner may help move stumps to pile using tractor w/fel, otherwise I'll do that too. No idea of number of tree's at this point but the area looks fairly dense. Then he wants it graded after clearing. I know you can only give ball park numbers with these limited details. Thanks.

Alot. Trying to do that job with a TLB would take forever. At some point, you're better off doing it with a 12 ton excavator as it's much faster. If the trees were down, I could get through 4 acres in a day pretty easy. The TLB would take at least 5-6 days I would assume.

[coopers]

Here's a little job I did with a 161. Took all day cuz there was a lot of crap! Can't remember if I shared these here or not, don't feel like lookin' either so sorry for the repeat if it's just that.:hammerhead:


Blake
WA

[Potchkins]

i've done this two different ways
1. 97' Deere 450G Dozer, dug a hole
all the way around the tree with the blade
then pushed the tree over and out of the hole
then back filled the hole

2. 02' Cat 304.5 Mini-X no thumb, dug a hole all the way around the tree
then pushed and pulled the stump till it was free
pulled the stump out with the bucket
back filled the hole with both the bucket and blade
as the blade was a little slower but necessary

MajorTom....I've done it by hand, with a skid, with an excavator and with a dozer. Method of choice for me would be the biggest mini-excavator with a front blade that you can haul or get delievered. Make it easy and safe for yourself.....I would prefer an excavator with a thumb, but even without one, an excavator is a better way to go...


The mini is definetely the way to go. You also said you had low lying vines----

Last year I pulled out about 1000 ft of grape vines. Not sure what you have, but the grape vines can get relatively large and go pretty deep....I had to go down over 2 1/2 ft in some areas. All I have is a tiny skid steer--it got the job done, but doing it over I would have done the job in 1/10 the time with a mini ex. It would have been easier on the machine too.

The reason I bring this up is that things are sometimes more difficult than they appear. Some stumps are cake to pull...others kill you getting them out.

Not familiar with your tree types, we have a lot of pine, maple, oak, polar around here. For reference, I can pop a 3" diameter pine out like nothin--- an oak the same size will take me 45 minutes....you just keep getting the roots one at a time it seems--they're tough!

In short, if you really need the skid for some ddirt moving or cleanup, I would suggest renting the mini first. The amount of time you'd save will pay for the rental of the skid anyway. Get both--go large! Its only money!


if i had my pick
mini-x with a thumb, any unit 10K or bigger

ie. Volvo EC55B Pro