Zetor's and tree stump removal

[treaney]

Hi Zetor -people,

I have to remove 6 tree stumps from an area between the back of my house and the field. These stumps range in diameter from 0.6m (2') to 1.25m (4'). They are a mixture of Ash and Sycamore stumps. There is plenty of room for access.

I got the first one of 0.6m out in about an hour by using my MD digger to sever the roots and then using the Crystal to pull the stump. This one had been cut down about 5 years ago.

Number 2 of similar size is a majorly different proposition! I have already spent 6 hours on it over a couple of evenings and snapped my wire rope 50m x 20mm dia! This was cut down 2 years ago. Numbers 3 to 6 were also cut down 2 years ago as well. (Note to Self: Degree of difficulty in removing is inversely proportional to how long since tree was cut down.)[/]

Any tips, tricks or techniques to simplify removal would be greatly appreciated.[/]

Renze - how do you do this in the Sternboos?
Brian - this should be old hat to you...........


[glow=green,3]Tom in Ireland[/]

 

[markku]

20 tonnes Excavator? I think that would be something.....

Or if you want to do it with your Zetor then dig mud off from other side of stump about 1 meter deep. Put a stong chain around some strong root and pull to un digged side with your zetor.

 

[Renze]

Hmm, i knew i was forgetting something..
I wanted to take a photo of some trees i have pulled last year... Pretty big ones...
But I perfer to push... With the bull-bar against the tree... This way you will never get the tree on the cab....
When the biggest roots of the tree are damaged, and the tree is at an angle of about 45 degrees to the ground, i saw the biggest part of and let a 3 meter end on it, to have some leverage when removing the rest of the tree.

When i dont have enough force, i hook up the chain to my 3p lift bucket, at the height of the top link attachment. This allows me to pull the tractor over, on the rear wheels, to get maximum weight transfer from the tree to the rear axle. the bucket also serves as a safety device, you cant roll back over with the bucket still behind you.
When the tree is really sticky, you can lift up the front of the tractor and then drop it with the 3p lift, when you stop about 50 cm above the ground, you are able to give the extra peak force to make something loose.

When the lift control valve is closed, it has no conncetion with the overpressure valve at the pump,so dropping weight may cause a high peak pressure on the 3p lift.
The Zetor engineers kept this rough treatment in mind, and put an extra safety valve on the main lift cylinder, above the rear axle. Anyway, this "drop valve" is a safety measurement, and blowing off oil every day will kill it in the long run, as the drop valve is adjusted at higher max. pressure than the official pressure regulation valve.
Using this in this kind of "emergency" situation, will not be a big problem if not done too often.


Oh yes.. oaks bigger than 30 cm require to cut some main roots first... I used an axe to cut off two big roots, and then pushed over the whole tree... The roots were removed individually with a chain...
When pushing the whole tree, the weight of the tree crown will help you taking it down....

 

[brian_lofthouse]

Tom from Ireland,
A simple answer, do like we do in the woods, drive over them with your high ground clearance Zetor , or dig chop and pull.
Only joking, Brian.

 

[pudding]

some local farmers are guilty of using dynamite to remove stumps......(the guy at the local quarry enjoys a challenge)

small ones 2in in size.??.......i can chew them up with a howard rotovator.....makes it jump a little thou