Removing shrubs

[Grubbworm]

Anybody know any efficient ways to pull out old yews and junipers? I usually tackle these old tough shrubs with my Toro Dingo and a "spade" type attachment (a V shape "bucket" that is about 2 feet long and has a 12" toothed face to dig). I can did around them easily but the Dingo doesn't have enough power to just un-earth them. Still have to use loppers, hand dig a little, maybe a spade bar & maybe an axe. Just a long dirty exhausting job. Anybody know any tricks? Car jack & chain? or ????

[carcrz]

I sometimes use a sawzall if I don't feel like digging. I can just push it into the loose soil & cut. I've also dug around the base & pulled one out w/ the truck though.

[rider]

treefeeder, inject a couple of hundred gallons into the ground, chain to dingo bucket, they will come right out, we also use this technique to straighten trees and not break roots

[LB1234]

We like to use our pallet forks to get under the shrubs and lift them out. We sometimes have to take loppers and cut some roots but for the most part it pulls them up.

Altough junipers can be nasty to get out if they are old and established. They are like tree trunks and we wind up chainsawing them off and working around them or ripping them out with a backhoe.

[Runner]

We wrap a strap around them and yank them with the truck or tractor. No digging necessary...they come right out. We have used a come-along in places we don't have access. Occasionally though, you do have to use the ol' dig and chop method. This is where a mattock is handy. The ultimate handtool for this type of thing.

[baddboygeorge]

get a 10 thousand pound pull winch it does wonders , roots an all sometimes needs a little pick action buy they put right out!!

[lawnpro724]

I'm not sure if the advice being given here is very sound. I don't and won't pull out shrubs like the way your saying here. We cut them off and dig around the stump and bust roots with an axe and pull them out. Pulling out stumps sounds good until you tear up the foundation, electrical lines, water lines, sewer lines, or something worse. Roots can grow 8' or more from the plant wrapping themselves around all of the above and ripping them out may do alot of damage. I would rather be safe than sorry.

[Accu-cut Lawn Care]

Try this..I know it will work. Attach a rope or chain around the bottom of the plant(if you can go under a few roots it will help). Place an automotive wheel(or wheel and tire) next to the plant situated under the tow rope. Now, when you pull it out with your dingo, it will direct the force up instead of laterally. I've used this method to uproot very large trees with tractors.

[paponte]

4 in 1 bucket?? Ummm, just grab and pull. I can't believe I'm hearing all this tie a rope to your truck stuff. Definitely not sound advise. :rolleyes:

[GreenN'Clean]

I'm not sure if the advice being given here is very sound. I don't and won't pull out shrubs like the way your saying here. We cut them off and dig around the stump and bust roots with an axe and pull them out. Pulling out stumps sounds good until you tear up the foundation, electrical lines, water lines, sewer lines, or something worse. Roots can grow 8' or more from the plant wrapping themselves around all of the above and ripping them out may do alot of damage. I would rather be safe than sorry.

I do it the same way better be safe then sorry!!!

[TGK]

Explosions definatly explosions!

[Lawnworks]

My guys found an efficient way to pull shrubs out of the ground last week. We have a ripper attachment for the dingo, and they turned it so that the one middle tine faces up... then they wrapped a strap around it and then to the plant. They pulled all of them up w/ no problem. They even surprised me pulling up a few 8 foot hollies... they probably had to chop at some roots though.

[Lawnworks]

I'm not sure if the advice being given here is very sound. I don't and won't pull out shrubs like the way your saying here. We cut them off and dig around the stump and bust roots with an axe and pull them out. Pulling out stumps sounds good until you tear up the foundation, electrical lines, water lines, sewer lines, or something worse. Roots can grow 8' or more from the plant wrapping themselves around all of the above and ripping them out may do alot of damage. I would rather be safe than sorry.

Seem like the hacking at roots w/ an axe or shovel would have the same effect on electrical and water lines. If the stump is big enough to be under a foundation... I doubt a dingo would budge it.

[cs12bigfoot]

I actually ran into this same problem today. We have a ditch witch sk650 which is bigger than a dingo and it wouldn't rip out old waxmyrtle stumps. So then we tried a truck and chain. We broke a logging chain and the plant never moved. So then we cut all of them down to the ground and hired a stump grinder to come in and grind all of them. This saved us time and labor and we still made a good profit off of it just for cutting and watching.

[Lawnworks]

I actually ran into this same problem today. We have a ditch witch sk650 which is bigger than a dingo and it wouldn't rip out old waxmyrtle stumps. So then we tried a truck and chain. We broke a logging chain and the plant never moved. So then we cut all of them down to the ground and hired a stump grinder to come in and grind all of them. This saved us time and labor and we still made a good profit off of it just for cutting and watching.

I get scared when putting serious tension on chains. If it snaps it can cause serious damage.

[Focal Point Landscapes]

I saw an attachment at the Louisville show for a mini-ex that was designed specifically for this purpose . It is a metal frame with a 3 inch hydraulic cylinder that lifts the plant straight up with a chain . I saw that attachment on e-bay last night in the skid steer section - they now make one for full sized skid steers . Costs sbout 2.5k , which is why I haven't bought one yet. The key is lifting the plant up , not out , slowly. I have had success with the box blade and boom of my tractor , because they will lift up , slowly. For really overgrown plants , I have rented a mini-ex before - you can loosen the soil around the plant , then lift it out with the bucket again slowly to minimize collateral damage. I don't have the nerve to snatch any plant - can envision foundations and sidewalks cracking , water , electric , and cable lines coming up out of the ground , lawsuits .... I still vividly recall the time many years ago when I tied a chain around a stubborn pine stump , got a running start and ripped the bumper totally off of my 64 Chevy pickup - that would have made an entertaining video ....

[Rcgm]

I grab my 2 king of spades chainsaw and my lopers and say lets go boys.



RCGM
Brad

[leaflandscape]

As far as removing shrubs goes, you should always have locates, so you can chain 'em up and get 'em gone. A come along works great if you can put a tow strap to an existing large tree, since come alongs are cheap and strong. But nothing beats a good mattock for sheer violent sadistic destruction.

[MILSINC]

couldn't have said it better.. pure poetry

[vale of paradise]

I have to agree with lawnpro724 on this. Unless the ones that need to be pulled out are so far away from anything that could cause any damange then yanking might be the ticket. When people want junipers, evergreens removed it is usually around the house. We had a lady that had about 12 evergreens/juniper type trees surrounding her house. They were very well established to say the least. We had done it the same way as lawnpro724.
In the end it is your decision on how you do this.

Good Luck

L

[PORTER 05]

mini-ex with thumb, or come-along---make sure though when connecting chains to stump and come-along to an anchor ( another tree ) that everything in the connection is all rated at the same weight ...we hooked up a big stump with a come-along, carabeaner snapped and almost hit one of my guys in the face..so from know on we check everything out , and make sure everything matches up, but it works GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[green horizons]

A tractor works well. A come-a-long also works well. Both might require some minor mattock work, but not enough to break a sweat. As for damaging utilities... If you're pulling out mature, established shrubs, you better have all utilities marked. It's simple, free and a basic principle for landscape contractors. Can something still go wrong? Yes. But this is true even if you hand dig.