Removing a Huge Tree Stump with a Compact Tractor

So as we get close to the end of this Project I want to jump in and kind of Explain why this is so difficult it's Not just that the stump covers 360 Square feet it's that the ground slopes Like this the stump sits like this and Has tears to it The machine is crossing that ground and The foot that holds the grinder is on Uneven ground so in an ideal scenario You're passing like this back and forth Until you're across it but it's much More difficult than that and it scallops All the time Hey it's Brock here from Rock Hill Farms And today I'm going to remove this Enormous stump with my little compact Tractor I've taken out a lot of big Stumps six foot eight foot diameters Tree stumps but nothing on this scale This was three different trees that were 30 40 inches wide grown together if I'm Guessing I would say the grind area is 14 feet wide so first thing I want to do Is get a measurement see how big this Thing actually is then I think we're Going to change some teeth on the Grinder and I'll probably use a chainsaw To cut the top off of this which will be Its own challenge so should be a lot of Fun and a good experiment for what can You really do with one of these Three-point stump grinders on such a Small machine so let's get started

If you measure the stump You know two feet up in the air which is How high we are over here It's 64 inches at the widest point so a Little over five feet which is pretty Good But that's width and this thing is so Long and no stump grinding guy talks About how wide it is at the top of the Stump that's 64 inches this way It's another foot on each side to take Out the root flares so it's not five Foot wide it's seven foot wide now let's See how long it is including the root Flare So we're 106 inches At the top of the stump on the length so Almost nine feet let's see how much root Flare we have on each side We've got six feet Of exposed root on this side That takes us to 15. And three feet of exposed root on the Other side so to a stump grinding guy if I call them for a price They're going to rate this as an 18 foot Stump it's longer than the tractor if You don't count that long stump grinder So first thing I want to do is get the Top cut off this so I'm gonna grab the Saw and get started I've cut a lot of Big stumps like this down low to reduce The amount of grinding time and the Amount of wear on the teeth on the

Grinder And So I've got a pretty good routine for That but this is so irregular shaped and It's on a hill so the lowest I can cut It here is this and here I could go so Much lower I'm gonna see maybe if I can Stair step it I think I'm going to cut down through Here and then come in from the side Which is totally different than what I Normally do but We'll see how it goes [Music] [Music] [Music] Foreign [Music] [Applause] [Applause] Foreign [Music] Foreign [Music] [Music] Foreign [Music] Wasn't completely sharp when I started And I thought well it'll just make these Couple cuts and I also didn't want to Put a new chain on it because I thought I'd probably hit it in the dirt And looks like I did because it's not Cutting at all now

I've got this one here that I sharpened The other day actually looks really Sharp should do a lot better job [Music] Thank you Foreign I said I was going to grind these Outrunners but those would take forever Because You can only grind a little spot at a Time you get a lot of width not you Can't move back and forward like with The fixed kind so I'm going to pull up At a 90 degree to it and hit it with my Swing Thank you [Music] Foreign [Applause] [Music] [Music] I've tested out a lot of different Tractor Mount stump grinders and I've Probably removed at least 50 stumps with This grinder and this monster stump Still taught me a few things part of it Being the fact it was on a Hillside and Part of it being that it was a regular Cut on the top of the stump and finally Just the sheer size of it so it was Quite an adventure [Music] Foreign [Applause]

[Applause] So I have already done a lot of grinding And I'm not even to the stump yet the Stump where I really measured the stump Starts here I've got to keep going back Another eight inches just to hit the Stump So that's why I was talking about Factoring in the whole grind area if You're going to price a job like this But The other thing I wanted to point out That sucks about a grinder like this Is the head is in a fixed position it Doesn't pivot like this So even though it goes up and down it Doesn't tilt and the way this guard is Shaped my guard is hitting the stump Before I'm down to the depth I need Which means I've got to work the top off Of the stump Before I can even I'm not below grade Here and that's made worse by the fact We're on a hill if this was flat ground I wouldn't be having near as many Problems but just the the shape of this Guard makes it hard to get the depth I Need so I'm gonna have to come up here And knock the top off of this then back Up so I can take this down You do with this kind of grinder you do Have a great view of the grinding head To really see what you're doing Oops

[Applause] [Applause] This one's a weird one for me The part of the stump that's still there Is almost waist high from where I'm Standing So I'm building a driveway right at the Edge of this stump I'm gonna have a rock Drive and I'm gonna build all this up I Really don't have to get it as far below Grade as I normally would But just because of what I'm gonna do Here I can bury what's left but I'm Going to take it as far as I can now I Got to get this other run out so that my Approach can make full swings [Applause] [Music] Thank you [Music] [Applause] [Music] Foreign [Applause] For the sake of efficiency I think I Need to come around now and start on the Other side and grind this direction Because just how tall that is from here It's hard to get up on top of that and Work my way down like this I think it'll Be easier coming the other way Foreign [Music] [Music]

[Applause] [Music] [Music] I don't know what it looks like on Camera but I'm actually six inches below Grade on this the first two feet of this Yeah at grade here and then it can step Down into it [Applause] Oops That is still I'm several hours in that is still a lot Of stump But I'm having a heck of a good time Long my tractor holds up She's not the biggest tractor out there But She's been tough and she's done Everything that I've asked her to do Wish they could all be like that [Music] Thank you [Applause] [Applause] I might try something different I've brought each side in to where the Middle part's now only You know two or three foot wide That's still raised but then I've got Run outs in every direction and and the Parts I've already ground they kind of Scalloped like this so you've got kind Of ridges on it I think now that I've Got it this far I'm gonna go this

Direction right across the middle of What's left it should knock out those Scallops on my way But making a lot of progress [Applause] [Music] Laughs [Applause] [Applause] Thank you [Applause] [Applause] Thank you Foreign [Music] [Music] That is a big stump especially to try Grinding with that little tractor but We made a lot of progress I was hoping To finish this all in one day but my Son's got a ball game starts in about an Hour and I don't miss those and there's Definitely more than an hour of work Left here because I want this covered Over completely and we've still got Runners coming off of it out here And rude flares and all kinds of mess to Deal with so True looks like a two-day job I'm back Out here for the second day of working On this stump And there's a lot left but not near as Much as it looks like there are places Down here where I'm through the stump

And into dirt There are also places where it's really Soft and just kind of crumbles apart Actually let me even show you that so we Are down to dirt right here dirt here And this Soft It just kind of smashes when you step on It Broke a big chunk off and that's because I've already removed Over a foot of stuff and this is This is just rotten down here [Music] Too much [Applause] So as we get close to the end of this Project I want to jump in and kind of Explain why this is so difficult it's Not just that the stump covers 360 Square feet it's that the ground slopes Like this the stump sits like this and Has tears to it The machine is crossing that ground and The foot that holds the grinder is on Uneven ground so in an ideal scenario You're passing like this back and forth Until you're across it but it's much More difficult than that and it scallops All the time [Applause] Right there is one little nub that Sticks out you always keep finding them Thank you

[Applause] Foreign Foreign To get all the life I could out of these Grinding teeth And they were dull when I started some Of them So I think I'm gonna go ahead and change At least a few on the outside because The ones on the outside take all the Damage the ones on the inside hardly Ever touch wood so I'm gonna start going Around the outside and changing some of These out see how much of a difference It really makes I'm finishing this off This thing has 54 teeth on it about 45 Or 50 of them you can put a impact right Here Buzz the nut off but the ones you Have to replace the most Are Pointing straight down and you can't get Anything but a A boxed in wrench on it nothing else Will fit in that little spot and the Tooth doesn't turn so you can't turn the Tooth and hold the nut so it is what it Is those are the hardest ones to change And now as I try to break that nut loose The wheels wanting to turn I have to Stick something through the hole in the Wheel and let it bottom out on the frame Of the grinder Changing these bottom facing teeth is Definitely a a pain I got a screwdriver

Here so I can scrape around the nut and Make sure I'm getting the wrench all the Way down on it so I don't round It Off And I'm gonna hit it with some Rust Patrol If we can free it up Now we're going to stick this [Music] Through here To lock the flywheel down or the the Wheel Wow I think that rust Patrol helped in a Hurry because I didn't even I'm not even Putting that much pressure on it at this Point So here's the difference in the teeth First That's what the nut looks like and this Square shaft fits into The The wheel right here And the nut goes on the back side and Fits in a cutout here's the new tooth Versus the old tooth It's not Like it took off so much material that It's dramatically shorter It just loses that edge But my theory on running it all day like This without changing the teeth Is that it loses that edge I wonder if you can see anything there I Wonder if it loses that edge so quickly That changing them doesn't make that

Much difference That I mean it's definitely one sharp And the other's not so let's see what Happens I'm going to change out the First Five six of them and see how it goes so There's not Rings like a ring of teeth On the bottom and then a ring of teeth Two inches up there's one pointing Straight down and then the next one and The next one they angle and they just Work their way up the wheel in a spiral So I'll just go until they look decent I was just gonna do all of these before I turned the camera back on but this one Is more interesting a little bit You can See that the way this angles off now This this tooth sits at an angle like This and it's taken more wear than the Other one there's a lot of material Missing there So just wanted to show you that all Right there were five teeth that pointed Down or down and out I've got those five Done Then the first one that's pointing Then the first one that's pointing Straight out that way Looks like half the side is eating off That one I'm gonna change it the next One doesn't look bad So I'm Gonna Change six total today and Those are the only six I've ever changed

Most most of the time I just do three or Four So the other 48 teeth on this are still From the factory [Music] The height on the profile of these teeth Looks the same But the side of it is gone so you can See it's running on the side a lot When I get in deeper [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] Thank you [Music] [Applause] Foreign But that pass right there was as deep as This grinder will go it's bottomed out And we are below grade on both sides so We the whole thing is underground right Now [Applause] [Music] Thank you All right so the camera is in the same Place that I had it at the start of the Video I left that just slightly mounded Because that's going to rot and sink so If you leave it level today you'll have A dip later so right now the where the

Stump was has that sawdust and mud Stacked up about 10 or 12 inches on top Of it then middle of summer I'm going to put a road Right through here that wraps around the Quonset hut and when I do that I'll grade around all of this too and Get it leveled out but that was a long Slow process probably took Eight hours to actually grind it but It's gone and I appreciate you taking Time to watch the video I'll put links On the screen to a couple more of our Videos I'll see you next time