On Wednesday, December 19, 2018 at 6:44:01 PM UTC-5, Terry Coombs wrote:
On 12/19/2018 5:36 PM, Thomas wrote:
Backhoe?

I would be inclined to ruin some chainsaws.

Â* Backhoe is 200 bucks a day rental if I do it , about 3-4 times that
if I hire it done . And my chainsaws are what I use to cut firewood ,
don't feel inclined to **** them up in the mud and rocks . If I must I
can tough it out and dig the SOB up by hand , but I figger there have
got to be cost-reasonable options . BTW the local stump grinder guy
wanted like 500 bucks for an average 16"-18" stump cut no more than 6
inches above the ground .

--
Snag
Yes , I'm old
and crochety - and armed .
Get outta my woods !

For $500 he should grind any size stump. I can see a high minimum, because there is overhead, ie driving the equipment there, unloading, loading, etc. If you're not in a hurry, try finding someone already doing work nearby. They might be willing to stop by and do it while there.

That reminds me of a story with a neighbor who has become a pain in the ass.. A tree on my property, close to the property line, fell in a storm and got hung up in another tree. I engaged a tree service to remove that and do some other work. The neighbor asked me to get a quote on removing a healthy limb from another tree that overhangs onto his property. Tree service guy would have the bucket truck in my yard doing my tree work, they could easily reach that other limb from the same spot. I told the neighbors they wanted $175 to do it. When they were here doing the work the foreman goes over to talk to them and they tell him they will only pay $50. They finish my work, take the bucket truck out to the street and the dopey neighbor goes out to the street and offers $100. They drove off.
If you're going to be cheap and/or negotiate, that is one thing. But it's stupid to think that once they move the truck they are going to come back on the cheap. Tree guy said he'd charge $300 if they had to come out to do that limb.

Regarding a pressure washer, I'd say forget about it, unless the stump is rotten. The pressure washers I've used can easily ruin wood, raise the grain, but I don't think they will erode it well enough to remove a stump. If it worked, lots of people would do it. If you can use the PW to clean it up, maybe you can go at it with the chainsaw? Those tree guys I had, I wanted them to cut short an existing 18 inch stump for me. They just used the stump grinder and took it below grade because they had the grinder here and it was easier. They really are amazing. What would take us days and lots of pain, the grinder can do in ten minutes.