DIYbanter - View Single Post - Above-ground Stump removal ideas needed

(Harry K) wrote in message . com...
"Tony" wrote in message ...
I live near Pensacola, FL, and recently experienced Hurricane Ivan.
Fortunately my home had minor damage, but my yard which I had invested much
effort in landscaping these past few months has been decimated.

The biggest problem I face is figuring out the best way to handle the
removal of two root balls from trees uprooted by the storm. The smaller
root ball sits above the ground and is about 4' in diameter. The larger
root ball is about 6' in diameter. I have already cut up the trunk portion
of both trees.

I'm assuming that having the root balls lifted out of the yard by crane
would be very expensive. Having them dragged out by tractor or similar
device would likely damage a large portion of the yard (and the underground
sprinkler system). I could have them ground, but I'm not sure if it is
possible for a stump grinder to work on a root ball that sits totally about
ground and is laying on its side.

Can anyone suggest anything I could do to best remove these? I don't want
to take a chain saw to them because of the massive amount of clay-rich soil
embedded in the roots. I had contemplated using a hose to try and wash the
soil away from the rootball a bit at a time. I'm not sure if this would
really even be feasible, though.

Any suggestions on what to do with these would be greatly appreciated.

Tony

I read through the thread and don't really see any suggestions that
you can use except for possibly burning. My approach would be a
comgination of some of them. Pressure washer to get as much dirt as
possible off, chain saw to cut them into chunks you can move.

No, cutting up the dirty root balls will not destroy your saw. It
will destroy your chain, bar, drive sprocket and possibly the clutch.
These are easily replaceable and not that expensive. Even just
pitching the saw away at the end of the job will be cheaper than any
other method (except burning) You will also be sharpening the chain
several times while working.

This is one of those jobs that will cost money (unless you can burn
them in place). Some jobs just can't be done 'on the cheap'.

Harry K

The only way I can think of doing it on the cheap is to dig a bigger
hole and roll them in. Let the termites take care of them.