Tree Root Removal with JCB

[Billhook]

I have dug a pit around it and I cannot take any more soil from under it unless I do it by hand and spend ages messing about with a chainsaw and axe and spade making all three blunt. But mainly because if there is an easier way I will try and find it I have some more options without resorting to dynamite! It is right next to the road so I can only approach it from one side.

17 tons of Daisy Etta Caterpillar D7 with a strong chain working in harmony with the JC B should shift it.

 

The JCB bucket is only 16 inches wide and the thing has a six cylinder Perkins and it is quite capable of pulling itself uphill with the boom.

I gave the stump some welly thumping it with the bucket but it showed no signs of movement.

[Billhook]

Just had a look in the book and the JCB 806C with Powerslide in fact weighs 16.5 tons.

[Billhook]

One of these might do the job!

 

[ame]

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[Vespasian]

You haven't gone out far enough to get that out.. no wonder your strugglin..

 

I'm off down the road in a bit to get one half the size of that out..

 

An axe, a couple of spades and a farm jack should do it...

 

I'll take a chainsaw to cut the roots if I can clean em up a bit first..

 

[ame]

[/ame]

 

You could of gone down this rout if you'd had the tackle..

[Benny4817]

I have dug a pit around it and I cannot take any more soil from under it unless I do it by hand and spend ages messing about with a chainsaw and axe and spade making all three blunt. But mainly because if there is an easier way I will try and find it I have some more options without resorting to dynamite! It is right next to the road so I can only approach it from one side.

17 tons of Daisy Etta Caterpillar D7 with a strong chain working in harmony with the JC B should shift it.

 

The JCB bucket is only 16 inches wide and the thing has a six cylinder Perkins and it is quite capable of pulling itself uphill with the boom.

I gave the stump some welly thumping it with the bucket but it showed no signs of movement.

neds digging further out and deeper and it should come out no probs

[Billhook]

You haven't gone out far enough to get that out.. no wonder your strugglin..

 

I'm off down the road in a bit to get one half the size of that out..

 

An axe, a couple of spades and a farm jack should do it...

 

I'll take a chainsaw to cut the roots if I can clean em up a bit first..

 

 

You could of gone down this rout if you'd had the tackle..

 

Wouldn't be too keen on using anything but chain with such forces involved.

He did not even put a heavy blanket or sack over the line behind the tractor which was brave considering there was no cab.

 

Yes, dig a bit deeper I suppose is the first option.

 

It has been exceptionally dry and now we have just had a lot of rain and the hole has filled up with water. I may try one more yank with the JCB to see if the water has loosened anything.

[matelot]

I have a large Sycamore root to dig out with the 15 ton JCB swing shovel

 

I have a strong 24" wide trenching bucket which has three pin holes. Two for the jib end and one for the ram and linkage, about 18 inches from the pair of jib holes

 

Of the two jib pin holes,they are about six inches apart, which one would give the most tear out force, the one nearest the cab or the one away from the cab.

 

Perhaps they give the same tear out force but just allow the bucket to have a different angle

I have been trying to work it out but have come to the conclusion that I am too thick and need one of you brainy lot!

 

you'll have more pulling force the nearer the chain is to the machine.

 

have you considered removing the bucket when doing the pull? just attach the chain to your jib? that way your excavator isn't lifting the bucket as well as trying to pull a tree out.

 

I have to admit if it was me I'd be tempted just to backfill the hole and leave the stump in...

[Vespasian]

He had the rope under the trailer so I think he was covered safety wise..

 

Now, as to the hole now being filled with water, more than likely make the job harder as now you have suction to contend with...

 

Might be an idea to use chains though, if nothing else, at least you should be able to see what roots are holding the stump in..

[drinksloe]

I've just had a mamouth battle with 2 stumps joined together had to split the 2 with a combo of axe, chainsaw, chopping pinch and pressure washer.

Have to say the pressure washer worked a treat esp cmbined with the axe and my chopper (pinch with a 4" brick bolster welded to it)

 

Even now with the roots seperated and out the 5T digger will only just bulldoze them with blade and not lift them. Must off been a hell of a wieght in them when together.

 

Depending on the soil but tree roots don't always go that deep, if u think ur deep enough not to be breaking any as u dig no point in going deeper.

I'd just keep working round the stump with a toothed bucket trying to undermine it as much as possible.

If u can get a petrol/desiel pressure washer it will fairly blast the soil away and undermine it

If i'm digging a stump out i try to leave the stump as high as possible to gt extra leveage

 

The other thing try and find a root that will give u good leverage for pulling, strong and out to the side from stem, i usually attach chain to the blade to take pressure of the machine but usually working with smaller machines.

Wouldn't have thought that machuine would of struggled

[Billhook]

The soil is a heavy loam. As you say I cannot see any roots to cut through at the sides as I seem to have gone deep enough but I suspect a mighty tap root.

Do sycamores ever create a tap root like oaks?

 

It was very exposed to the West wind (coming from the angle of the digger) so I would expect there to be more root mass on the digger side of the stump.

 

This should make pulling it in a Westerly direction easier, but so much for the theory as it has not worked in practice.

 

I suppose I could chain together the D7, the County 1124, the Fastrac 2170 and the Matbro and see what happens!

The neighbour has a 600 hp 25 ton Case Quadtrac.............