block and tackle capacity stump pulling

[brcisna]

Hello All,

New to forum here.
I have approximately 12-14 6" to 8" elm trees that I am clearing from a fence row. Have left about 3 ' above ground of each tree. Have an 25 hp 4WD compact tractor to work with. Have built a root ripper/shear' to try and break as many roots on four corners of each stump this way.
Have pulled about 3 stumps with this tractor some time back slightly smaller than these stumps mentioned. Goes without saying is a lot of working digging and axeing the roots as best i could this way!

Am wanting to purchase a block and tackle twin sheave setup to make pulling much easier. Have been looking at a very marginal twin sheave block and tackle rated at 32KN on ebay.
What are peoples thoughts? Is there any chance this b&t setup would be strong enough to pull these stumps.
Have seen some youtubes with people using very similar setup pulling stumps,but a much better brand name b& t setup , i'm sure.
The stumps are in good block dirt just for completeness.

Thank You,
Barry

[Sixacresand]

Welcome to the Forum, Brcisna.  I don't envy the work you are doing.  Hope someone on here can advise you. 

[YellowHammer]

I have had good success in the past pulling stumps wth a 6 ton come along.  I think I got mine at Tractor Supply.  Hook a chain to the stump. Run a chain around the nearest big immovable object, generally a big tree, and start cranking.  Somethings going to give :D
Never use rope as it has too much stretch, and will also snap back if it breaks.  Chains will just fall to the ground, and have no stretch, which is useful for popping roots.

[brcisna]

Yellowhammer,

Curious. What is the largest diameter stem tree you you have pulled a stump out with, with the come along setup?
Does this come along have the 3/8 inch chain?

Thanks.

[Magicman]

Welcome to the Forestry Forum, brcisna.   

You said Elm which is a deep rooted species.  I wish you much much luck because you will need all that you can scrape up.  I would be thinking more about digging up rather than pulling up.    

[thecfarm]

brcisna,welcome to the forum.
I suppose you have your reasons for wanting to remove the stumps. I am claiming back a pasture. I pull very few stumps out. Just too much of a bother with the equipment I have. And pull out one stump and find 20 big rocks, does not help the removal process either. Now I mow over many stumps and mow around many too. After about 5-6 years small pine stumps can be removed. Takes those big pine longer than that. I would suspect those elm are like the red oak I have. I am still mowing over them. Every so many years,I cut another inch or two off the top of them. And yes,that does a job on a chain too.I keep the suckers off any hardwood stumps,the aspen ones I cut a bowl into the stump and add rock salt and water to it. This keeps it from growing 1000 other aspen trees,beech same thing.I have been doing all this for more than 35 years. Takes some years to really get it the way I want it.

[YellowHammer]

I don't remember, I sold the thing a long time ago, and other than it was heavy as lead, it would pretty much pull or bend down any tree I hooked it to.  It was especially useful for clearing fence lines, as due to the sun making the canopy heavier to make the trees lean over the fence, I would throw a chain up the tree, and pull and bend it back to my side of the fence.  I could either pull it over, or saw it without any fear of it landing on my fence.  I did break some 5/16" chains with it. 

Now I use the best thing since a backhoe, which is a stump ripper bucket for my front end loader.  Its a mean looking crocodile lower jaw contraption that is used to dig and pop stumps out of the ground.





Here's a video I took a little while ago.
https://youtu.be/HcctqGDsKw4

[thecfarm]

YellowHammer,I really like that. That tractor is much bigger than my 40hp too. I have tried to push over trees the size in your video. It took a while. Took more than 30 seconds.

[Brucer]

I had to pull out a cluster of small elm stems 2 years ago >:(.

There were about 8 "trunks" 3-4 inches in diameter, cut off about 2' above the ground, growing on the edge of a bank.

First I tried pushing them over with a 14000 lb front end loader. They just bent a little and then bounced back :(.

Then I tried undercutting them on the lower side of the bank (about 3' below ground level). That didn't work because there were so many roots :( :(.

Then I dug out all the major roots I could find near the surface, using the FEL and various hand tools. Washed off the dirt with a backpack water sprayer and cut them with a chainsaw. Then used the loader again. They just bent a little further and bounced back >:(.

Took the loader back up to the top and tried pulling the things with a 3/8" chain. Chain broke (in the middle, naturally).  >:( >:(.

All right enough messing around. I anchored a 1/2" wire rope to the base of a really big tree, anchored a 1/2" snatch block to the elm stems using several loops of chain, and used the loader to pull the other end of the 1/2" rope. The snatch block blew apart >:( >:( >:(.

Things were getting a little desperate at this point because I was expecting a well drilling rig in the next few days, and it had to get to the other side of the elm cluster. So I attacked those stems. Full on assault. Bounced them sideways with the loader from the top side, went around the bottom and bounced them upward, repeated several times. Then got out the hand tools and found more roots. Cut those. Repeated the process. Each time the whole mass would move a little more, but never enough to tear free. I kept at it. By the end of day 2 my quads looked like a body builder's, just from climbing into and out of the loader. And finally, about 3/4 of the root mass came free .

... You said Elm which is a deep rooted species.  I wish you much much luck because you will need all that you can scrape up. ...

No kidding!!

I finally got that root ball out of the way, the day the well drillers called to say they'd be here the next day . That night it poured rain. Steady downpour. The well drillers came out, looked at the newly graded slope where the elm had been, and said, "We'll never get our rig up that slope when the ground's like this >:( :( >:( :(.

The well eventually got dug, but the next spring I had to get rid of the rest of the root mass. So I borrowed my friend's excavator ;D ;D ;D ;D.

And you know what? American Elm doesn't even grow in these parts. The original landowners imported two Elms to grow beside their house back in 1916. Those trees seeded a bunch of others.

[Al_Smith]

Elm is just tough stuff  no way around it .It's limber as a noodle plus it has roots half way to China or so it seems .

What few in the past I've tried to shove out with a D4 Cat it just cut them off rather than bend them over .I gave up and cut them at ground level with a chainsaw.

Back years ago when they were plentifull it was used for heavy duty loading planks and wagon tongues .It would bend under stress that would break oak .