Tree Stump Removal

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Need to get rid of 2 small stumps. What is the best way to do it? From a little googling, it seems professionals charge $60 each for small ones. Or I can rent a small grinder at Home Depot for $60 with a $150 deposit. I see the $10 chemical stump removers as well. Any other ideas? Thanks!
 
If legal where you live and in a practical location, burn them. That's what he old timers did. Works well and free. Otherwise, what's your time worth? Do the math. I say let the guy do it.
 
I'd look around and call some smaller tree guys, and get a quote. If there happens to be one near your neighbourhood, you can ask and a lot of times these guys will do it cheap on a whim for cash if they're already there anyways...

You can also look around the old fashioned way for business cards on cork boards and some guys even post their number around major traffic areas on signs, probably illegally. I suspect you can get it done for quite a bit cheaper than $120...

And while I don't know the size of your "smallish" stumps, the unit you rent will likely be a gas-powered unit such as a Vermeer SC252 and not very powerful if you have to get roots. A smaller diesel unit like an SC372 (or equivalent) would be preferable, but those will be a little harder to find as a rental...
 
Drill lots of holes in them with a 1/4 or 3/8 drill bit that is long (6"+). Drill in, let dry a while.

Get a large piece of wood (or two) very, very hot but then go to coals. Fill holes in stump with lighter fluid. Apply hot pieces to wood. Allow to smolder a few days. Enjoy your 2' deep hole.
 
To me it's worth having someone come in with a stump grinder.
 
If it's only $60 each to grid the stumps it's money well spent. Just make sure they grind deep (6+ inches) to ensure the tree is completely dead.
 
Originally Posted By: GeorgeKaplan
If legal where you live and in a practical location, burn them. That's what he old timers did. Works well and free. Otherwise, what's your time worth? Do the math. I say let the guy do it.


Well, My dad told me he and my grandpa used fertilizer and some dynamite after they drilled holes in the stumps on the farm.
I was not around for that fun!!
 
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Originally Posted By: SatinSilver
Need to get rid of 2 small stumps. What is the best way to do it? From a little googling, it seems professionals charge $60 each for small ones. Or I can rent a small grinder at Home Depot for $60 with a $150 deposit. I see the $10 chemical stump removers as well. Any other ideas? Thanks!


The chemical stump removers.
Is that the 1/2 quart container from Home Depot ?
Not a magical cure. It does not dissolve the stump.
If you read the Instructions, it says to:
1) drill vertical & angle holes
2) pour in powder
3) wait a year
The powder will break down the wood fibers so they will burn faster


I have several 6" dia. stumps I want to remove.
For me:
Mine have been sitting for 2 years / I may try burning again (slow smolder)
OR
Rent a chain saw and whittle away at the tops.
 
Burning works great, take a old 5 gal steel bucket and make a chimney. The stump will burn a long time and deep.

Stump grinding works great but pay someone to do it. A few years back a local guy disabled the saftey , got caught by the sleeve and it slowly pulled him in.

The ems said it was the worst thing they had ever seen.
 
I would recommend either the drilling holes and burning it method or pay someone. forget renting equipment and the hassle involved with that, your time is probably more valuable.
 
I have the same issue, i think im going to dig a hole around them with a shovel and cut root with a saw of some sort or maybe a chainsaw. Gota keep the chainsaw out of the dirt though. Will just fill the holes with earth afterwards.
 
Originally Posted By: Rolla07
i think im going to dig a hole around them with a shovel and cut root with a saw of some sort or maybe a chainsaw. Gota keep the chainsaw out of the dirt though.

One of my neighbors had a 40' birch that died. He removed the stump just the way you describe. He used a small chainsaw to cut the in-ground roots after shoveling away as much dirt as he could. Took him most of the day to remove that stump.

When I had a blue spruce removed from my property last year, I called in a company to do it. They ground the stump down. This works well and very quickly, but there are drawbacks to this method also.
 
I had a pair of tree stumps in the front yard, one was a massive 42" oak. Best quote we had was $225 for the pair. We waited 2 yrs and some guy came buy one day and offered to do them both for $60....done deal. He was in the neighborhood with a hot saw and wanted to keep going. I should have had him done a few more.
 
For something 6" or smaller I pull the mattock out of the shed and get chopping at it. Anything bigger and I get a guy in with a grinder.
 
Originally Posted By: Rolla07
I have the same issue, i think im going to dig a hole around them with a shovel and cut root with a saw of some sort or maybe a chainsaw. Gota keep the chainsaw out of the dirt though. Will just fill the holes with earth afterwards.


This is exactly what I do. Done it many many times. I have cutting tools to get at the roots.
 
I had a guy come out and grind 6 stumps at my place this past weekend. It was 1 small one 5 over 20 inches across.
550 bucks for all of them. It was worth every penny! I just need to fill the hole up now.
 
Softwood, hardwood? Under 10" softwood is easy with an axe and shovel. I removed a dozen for my shed area, and they don't take long to do.
12"+ white oak? Then it becomes a much longer project with hand tools.... I like the burning idea if you can do it in your area, but paying someone to grind and be done with it isn't money wasted either.
 
Termites, fungus and carpenter ants will reduce most stumps around me in less than 10 years to nothing.

I've found that once you set fire to them and char the wood this repels the natural stump eaters.
 
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