That stump is not on the "back forty"... and access looks very limited. Backhoe's in Cambridge.....LOL :).

There is no easy way....

Shaun needs a good workout anyways :D

Does it have to be gone? Why not just cut it flush.

And what was said above about Black Locust. Used for fenceposts before PT and it was longer lasting.

Do NOT use an axe to try and break it up.

I found this out at age seven when I proudly went out with my grandpa to help him do just that one morning with a big stump that was front of his house.

I learned two important things that morning:

1. I could run faster than grandpa
2. Wasps like to build nests By tunneling into old, semi-rotted dead wood (like stumps).

I “only” got stung six times. My grandpa got twelve or thirteen (that I know of).

It was not a fun experience. The first whack of the axe and a cloud of pissed-off wasps erupted from the thing.

How would you remove this stump?

I won't ... that's Shaun's stump :D

I'll snap a pic of "my" issue next chance I get... and see what PPOT suggests ;)

Stump has to be gone. Neighbor is the nicest neighbor in the world but I won't bring a backhoe back there. And it would tear up the retaining wall and pavement. Has to be closer to a surgical removal.

I have used a big wet/dry shop vac to dig dirt/sand and small rocks
no or less need to wet the dirt to soup
just loosen it a bit and suck it out
branch clippers to get the smaller roots
saws-all for the bigger ones
digging bar helps also

Funny, I had the same exact experience with my Grand pa. I got lit up bad. They got up inside of my clothes. I was runnig as fast as I could , trying to shed clothes . The neighbors were amused My whole body had a heartbeat that night . Grandma knew exactly what to do . Set me down in a bath of Baking Soda

This video includes a surprisingly high number of successes and relatively few failures. One of the things that shocked me most was the number of soft organic bodies that seemed to be too close to the action. Clearly those folks don't have enough of an imagination.

I'm not remotely an experienced novice or expert, but I'm thinking a combination of chainsaw and sawzall should mostly do the trick. I don't think it's going to be possible to get rid of all of it, and "most of it" will have to suffice. But knowing Shawn, he'll manage far more than I would have though possible.

acetylene/cutting torch? ;)

Great advice. A long pry bar/digging bar is key. I have two that are five feet tall.

Honestly, thanks for this thread, Shaun - I had never seen the angle grinder "chain saw" so I order two:D

Good luck.

Mine are probably 7'... yep, an essential part of the aresenal.

Dump your charcoal on it and it will burn, especially if you drill into it first and can clear out around the roots a little.

Only problem with burning it is enough oxygen, small fan will help with that. I have seen stumps like that burned out with a propane torch too.

Is something being built there soon that puts you in a time crunch?

You’ll need a sawsall with lots of blades. Use a come-along to put tension on it to make cutting easier - it’ll be flopping around and moving with the blade otherwise. Go straight for the roots, don’t mess with the trunk, you’ll need it for leverage to break off small roots. Touch up with that chain grinder thing. Never saw it before, but it looks useful.
The shop vac to clear dirt and sawdust away is a great idea!

I've never used a sawsall on trees (mine has a cord), much less a big ol' stump, but due to the cutting action, I'd still use a chainsaw on this... and an axe, wedges, and sledge.

What do you have Shaun? That angle-grinder circular saw might be fine for carving, but also looks dangerous as hell in situations like this... pass.

All the tree carvers I've seen use a small chainsaw too.... YMMV.

Big one
http://americaloveshorsepower.com/wp...like-beast.jpg

^^^^ Dayum :). Local Stihl dealer has a big a$$ beast on display... with a 5' bar. Said they sell a few each year.... not cheap either.

Outta my league :D

Put some more time into it today. This is going to be a long job. Got 2/3 through the trunk down low and it started to pour sap out. Pic is at the end of the draining. Went through a 4"+ root with the saw. Good news is the dirt is loose. Will need to get another sawzall, loaned mine out and it broke apparently. Ordered the cool chainsaw disc. That ought to be crazy fun. Need to get a new chain and have this one sharpened.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1601069483.jpg

Have you called a stump grinding service yet?

I'm inclined to tell you to hire the guys who did The Big Dig, 'cuz that's what this is.

I removed a stump last year by digging and then using a pressure washer to get as much of the dirt/grit as possible away from the roots. Then went after it with different sized chain saws and pry bars. It take a long time to dry out but works.

You need surgical, so I won't regale you with my success in using shovels and a fence puller on the frame of a Subaru to pull another stump a few years ago.

Indians used to burn out stumps, and make canoes from burned out logs too - but not in urban boston...

Be really careful with that chainsaw disc. Grinders kick back VERY easily. Still have scars from a flapper wheel while cleaning up rollcage welds, and can't imagine what that thing could do. I wouldn't go near it in a situation where it wasn't air on all sides.

And if it lets go, all bets are off. My son was almost blinded on the job by a cutoff wheel that fractured. Safety goggles saved his eyes, but he still went to the hospital for his cheek.

Read entire thread.

Here's my contribution.

If you can get as much removed as possible above ground (I would use a chainsaw for this myself) there is a product you can spray on any leftover exposed wood (including the cambium tissue) that will kill what's leftover so it will not re-sprout.

This is important when you have a species that doesn't die easily and wants to keep re-sprouting foliage - even after you've amputated everything above ground.

The product is called Tordon RTU. You can buy in in a quart size and it is used straight - not diluted (RTU = Ready To Use). Around $25/Qt.

I use a small spray bottle with mine and just spray any exposed tissue I can see and do it right after cutting so the cut is fresh.

Sawzall is too much work for the whole thing - that's where a chainsaw comes in.

Dow AgroSciences RTU548 Tordon RTU Herbicide QT Size

Im burning my stump pile tomorrow night, its huge ! Ill snap a few pictures. I took out 11 trees 4 years ago, and I have been trying to burn off the stumps for all these years, they were just about gone, and then I lost 3 bigger trees last season with all the rains, and winds we had . One took out my tow truck, and another fell on my trailer. Im pretty over trees at this point .
. Its going to burn for a couple of days .
The power company dropped 2 really large pines this spring, and left me the stumps. They popped out really easy for as big as they were. The roots are really shallow . Kind of fun work with a backhoe.

thats a nasty situation. All the stumps iv taken out were with hard work a crappy chainsaw axes bars and jacks. I would just go at it with a chainsaw and fully expect to kill a chain. A pressure washer should help too. Nothin to it but to do it.

I’ve been through this many times. Cutting up high gets you nowhere, and removes the leverage you can use to apply force by pushing and pulling.
Baz’s suggestion to use Tordon is excellent advice. It won’t help you get it out, but it will keep it from coming back. We use it on Japanese Honeysuckle.

^^^ Agree... that cut is wasted effort and not good... and with a dull chain :D. I have old "stump chains" that I put on (sharpened) for work like this. Dirt dulls them after a single cut or two, so I'm constantly hitting them a few strokes with a file on a regular interval during the process. A dull chain is like a butter knife ... I usually don't let them even get dull... by then it's time to put them on my bench sharpener.

Looks like asphalt on top, Asphalt saw, couple bags of cold patch, out with the stump, in with some fill stone, cover with cold patch. How to out with the stump, saw and a mini ex.

BTW if you're gonna use a sawzall, I think I used Milwaukee Axe blades when chopping out roots on a stump I removed. They also make a nice pruning blade with aggressive teeth.

That isn't cut high. I'd have to post many pics. That is the lowest I can cut on the grass side and am at a crazy, read dangerous, angle. The tree is in a double 3D decline in relation to grass and pavement. That cut is 8-12"+ below the pavement.

This chain is now dull after cutting up an entire tree. Going to get a new one and have this one sharpened.

Once I have most of the stump and large roots cut away, I will chemically kill the rest. Just have to have get enough cut out first.

Can you snap a pic that gives us a bigger view? Do you have a round chain file? Get one and use it as soon as your chain loses it's edge. Let it get dull and you're doing it wrong. Don't use a new chain unless your current one is totally shot and can't be ground "true"... it's now your "stump chain".

Practice cussing ;)

Baz-thanks for this tip-I'm doing battle with close to an acre of alianthus, and will certainly use this product. Cutting has been a hassle and couterproductive.

New chains are actually cheaper than my time. So I may just buy 1 or 2 more new chains and be done.

Nope. I have a couple of new chains for all of my saws, but one touch in the dirt and even a new chain needs to be hit with a file.... takes just a few minutes.

But you do what ya want to :D

If you consider to cost of your time, it will be cheaper to hire a pro to do it.

I don't trust most people to do what they are supposed to do. and they will just rip everything up and cause problems for me.

We have a far different point of view of people and professional business.

It's hard being a perfectionist and always doing a job, any job, at the highest level.

99% of my business contracts have turned out more than acceptable. I just don't focus on that 1%.

This is a frigging stump that needs to be removed. I am sure there are competent stump removal companies out there that can come in and get rhe thing done in a day to your satisfaction.

LOL... so what grade would you give yourself on this project so far :D?

One last post... if you don't want to do what experience has taught many others .... keep a chain sharp. My dealers don't carry them, nobody uses them, and they can't be easily resharpened, but consider buying a titanium coated chain. It'll cost twice as much (30 bucks for a 12" baby saw), but will hold up better for dirty stump work.

Good luck Shaun!

I don't really understand what you are trying to accomplish and I may not be understanding what I'm seeing in the photo - but that won't stop me from telling you how to do it. ;)

It looks like everything to the right of the white line is growing over some concrete. If so, I would cut straight down the white line. Instead of ruining multiple saw chains I would use a sawsall.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1601141082.jpg

I learned that lesson too.

At least get some info from a stump grinder tho

I get it, but it's a $100 job for a guy with a grinder. Check facebook Marketplace, and stand over them so they don't screw up.

I was like you, but now that I'm pushing 60 I wish I could 'buy back' some of that 'perfectionist time' that in the long run just didn't matter.

SmileWavy