ToughButterCup Posted April 7, 2018 Share Posted April 7, 2018 Ideas please. We've had enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onoff Posted April 7, 2018 Share Posted April 7, 2018 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onoff Posted April 7, 2018 Share Posted April 7, 2018 Seriously, drill holes in it with a spade bit, fill with petrol and allow to soak in then get burning! Lot of practical tip vids on YouTube. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newhome Posted April 7, 2018 Share Posted April 7, 2018 We had a similar one. When the crane arrived for the timber frame the guy pulled it out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToughButterCup Posted April 7, 2018 Author Share Posted April 7, 2018 It's in a residential area..... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassanclan Posted April 7, 2018 Share Posted April 7, 2018 Is it sycamore? Does it have to come out or could it be ground down? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToughButterCup Posted April 7, 2018 Author Share Posted April 7, 2018 It has to be removed..... part of the roots are cuddling the manhole access to a sewer..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassanclan Posted April 7, 2018 Share Posted April 7, 2018 I know this won't help (and probably infuriate you more) but it would be easier if the stump was not cut so near to the ground. A good 2/3ft would allow you to rock the stump and loosen it. I think you probably need to split the stump and get the digger bucket to rip out what you can at a time, hopefully then exposing the offending roots which can be dug out. I hope you have poisoned the root Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CC45 Posted April 7, 2018 Share Posted April 7, 2018 DIY - pressure wash to get it clean then chainsaw to it. Dirt & saw chains don't go. Smaller chunks should help. Stumps are a real pain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onoff Posted April 7, 2018 Share Posted April 7, 2018 2 minutes ago, CC45 said: DIY - pressure wash to get it clean then chainsaw to it. Dirt & saw chains don't go. Smaller chunks should help. Stumps are a real pain. I've always been told to be very careful cutting "roots" as they can take up small stones as they grow and bugger your chain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProDave Posted April 7, 2018 Share Posted April 7, 2018 33 minutes ago, Onoff said: I've always been told to be very careful cutting "roots" as they can take up small stones as they grow and bugger your chain. Yes, go carefully and the first sign of sparks STOP. As above, I removed one a similar size. It took a long time, but I had left the stump about 4ft tall (only as it had got to the point the stump was wider than my chainsaw bar) so I could push and pull for all the digger was worth to loosen it and determine what was holding it. The resulting hole was quite large, if that fence is a boundary and you don't want to disturb that, you might have problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeremy Harris Posted April 7, 2018 Share Posted April 7, 2018 The way I've done them in the past (without using explosives - splits them and is fun, but not that effective) is to drill big holes with an auger bit, as deep as you can and pack them with potassium nitrate (salt petre). Cover the stump with plastic sheeting tied down and repeat this process of filling the holes a couple of times over a few weeks, as the potassium nitrate gets absorbed. Then start a small charcoal fire on top, with minimal flames. What you want is barbecue like heat. Over a fairly long period the stump will smoulder away, with most of it's roots, to ash. The process works because the potassium nitrate provides a source of oxygen to sustain the gentle fire inside the stump, with no big blaze, plus the potassium nitrate massively increases the timber decay rate - it will decay timber in weeks, rather than years. If you use potassium nitrate from a farm supplier (it's sold as fertiliser) then grind it down first, as they now sell it in coated granule form to stop people using it as an oxidising agent like this (and for other nefarious purposes). The method is even now mentioned on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tree_stump 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProDave Posted April 7, 2018 Share Posted April 7, 2018 Another related method is cut a number of vertical slots in the stump with a chain saw and light it by emptying your hot BBQ charcoal on top. The slots burn in a similar way and it just smoulders and burns down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichS Posted April 7, 2018 Share Posted April 7, 2018 Can you not just get a man in with a stump grinder?? I had a number of decent sized stumps to remove and I paid about £80.00. He got fairly deep and wide with the grinder and I have no signs of anything coming back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToughButterCup Posted April 7, 2018 Author Share Posted April 7, 2018 1 hour ago, RichS said: Can you not just get a man in with a stump grinder?? [...] An obvious first answer - Lack of access is the issue @RichS Off to buy some potassium nitrate. As so often, thanks @JSHarris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onoff Posted April 7, 2018 Share Posted April 7, 2018 Veg oil + time + charcoal: https://youtu.be/WnOQH4vj2Zk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe90 Posted April 7, 2018 Share Posted April 7, 2018 What about https://www.hss.com/hire/p/portable-stump-chipper ( although I like Jeremy’s idea a well) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferdinand Posted April 7, 2018 Share Posted April 7, 2018 (edited) Is potassium nitrate better than the now banned sodium chlorate used to be, used the same traditional way as suggezted by Jeremy? If it comes down to chainsaws I would get a cheap one in rather than risk the big one. F Edited April 7, 2018 by Ferdinand Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeremy Harris Posted April 7, 2018 Share Posted April 7, 2018 12 minutes ago, Ferdinand said: Is potassium nitrate better than the now banned sodium chlorate used to be, used the same traditional way as suggezted by Jeremy? If it comes down to chainsaws I would get a cheap one in rather than risk the big one. F The two are very different when used on plants. Sodium Chlorate was a very persistent herbicide that was also pretty toxic to lots of other stuff too, as well as being pretty good oxidising agent, but it doesn't work as well on stumps, as it doesn't cause accelerated decay when used like this. Potassium Nitrate is a fertiliser, as well as being a pretty good oxidising agent and accelerating the decay rate of the stump, which aids the final burning out process a fair bit. Sodium Chlorate is also a lot more toxic to humans and other mammals if ingested, which is, I think, one reason why its use as a general purpose persistent herbicide was restricted. In some ways the restriction is a nuisance, as it was far and away the best substance for keeping a gravel drive weed-free for several years in my experience. It's dead easy to prepare sodium chlorate using simple bucket chemistry, as all you need to do is heat up a sodium chloride (common salt) solution and then electrolyse the hot solution. The reaction needs to be done in a well-ventilated space as hydrogen is released, but when the reaction is complete you're left with a strong solution of sodium chlorate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dpmiller Posted April 7, 2018 Share Posted April 7, 2018 On cheap chainsaws- B&Q have a stonking bargain- £65 https://www.diy.com/departments/fpcsp52-petrol-chainsaw/1709118_BQ.prd It's identical to the green one Lidl are doing at the mo for £130. Bought one a while back and I'm darned impressed by it. Starts easy, plenty of power, nice sharp chain. Recommended. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yoopta Posted May 4, 2018 Share Posted May 4, 2018 Out of interest, how did the potassium nitrate work out? Was there much smoke emitted when you lit it? I'm probably going to have a very similar problem myself in the future but the last thing I need is three days of smoke being pumped slowly out! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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