Getting rid of stumps

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gzecc

Minister of Fire
Sep 24, 2008
5,123
NNJ
I have about 15 large stumps I need to get rid of from my yard. You guys know the best, most cost effective way to get rid of them?
 
Are they pulled or still in the ground? I have about 50 pulled and another 100 to pull _g. I was going to bury mine with the excavator on an used portion of the property so when they cause sink holes in a few years it'll go unnoticed ::-)
 
Rent a stump grinder. I had 5 spruce stumps and one choke cherry tree stump that a local guy grinded for $150, if I didn't find this guy I was going to rent a grinder, everyone else wanted $1,000-1,200.
 
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These have all been taken out by a friend with an excavator. Now I need to get rid of them.
 
I make a living in the tree business and I have done my share of pulling stumps with a machine. I vote for grinding them as the best solution for getting rid of them. Its quicker, cheaper, and much less destructive than pulling them. How big are they? I can give you an idea how long it would take a pro to grind them with a productive machine and then you could make them an offer. Grinding with a small machine is like watching paint dry. I would suggest if you hire a pro to grind them find someone with a large diesel powered machine. They will do a better job and for less money. You could also call a dealer who sells stump grinders and request a demo on a large machine. Of course that would be just wrong.
 
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Rent a rolloff container and have them haul it to a tree/brush dump.

That looks like the winner. Unfortunately $700 for a 40 yard container.
 
offer them up on craigslist as yard decorations, put some trinkets, knickknacks, bird baths on one of 'em, take a picture, and tell the ladies it's a wonderful addition to anyones yard......offer to deliver if possible, free!
 
Rent a dump trailer and have the same friend with the excavator load it up and make several trips to the dump.

If you don't have a truck capable of pulling the dump trailer then it is going to cost some money to have someone do it for you.

Other option, pressure wash the dirt from the stumps and cut them up for firewood. PIA but might be cheaper.
 
If you have some land, have them pushed up in a pile, wait a year, then burn them. Or have them pushed back out of the way or out of sight. I had that done. 15 years later, nothing left of them. Aside from that, hunt around for a contractor willing to come get them and haul them off.
 
That looks like the winner. Unfortunately $700 for a 40 yard container.
That's high and might reflect tipping fees at a landfill.
I do 40 yd clean fill rolloff containers "Rock Box" for $300. Brick, block, stumps ,brush, concrete etc. It goes into an old gravel pit for reclamation. You may need to specify on the phone when you call that it is all clean fill and no trash/demo will be in the container.
 
I'd burn the buggers but that might not be an option for you. Depending upon size, you could always cut them up and throw them in the stove.
 
Sunbelt rents a little dump trailer pretty cheap if you have a place to dump them and access to a pickup. Otherwise, the Uhaul open trailers have pretty low decks, Back up to a tree and wrap a chain around your stumps.
 
These stumps are huge. From 60' pine trees. Town doesn't allow stump burning.
 
These stumps are huge. From 60' pine trees. Town doesn't allow stump burning.
A carbide chain or two or even a couple loops that are on their last bit of teeth quartered and burned in an outdoor fire pit - if those are legal in your area
 
A local arboretum/semi-public garden uses stumps as a garden fence. It looks like the stumps were cleaned, maybe with a pressure washer, then turned on their sides. Line them up so the roots form a sort of fence. It looks nice as the background to a flower bed.
 
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