How to Remove a Tree Stump
There are several ways to remove a tree stump. You are probably reading this article to learn how you might do it yourself and save some money! I commend your tenacity and frugalness, to be honest, I think this way about most everything I purchase or pay for.
Common Methods Used to Remove a Tree Stump:
- Using a dedicated stump grinding machine.
- Using an excavator or similar, to dig out the stump.
- Hand digging the stump.
- Burning the stump.
- Drilling holes in it then filling them with the best concoction you were able to find online or talked about.
- Do nothing and eventually it will decay and rot away.
Pros & Cons of Each Method To Remove a Tree Stump:
1. Stump grinding machine
- Is the fastest and most cost affective method to remove a stump. The next question becomes, is it cheaper to rent a stump grinding machine and do it yourself or hire a professional? In some cases, yes renting a stump grinding machine is the way to go especially if you are an ambitious person who likes to work outside.
- The key to using a rental machine is how much horsepower it has and how sharp the teeth are! Lot’s more can be said about this topic but do know if you have it set in your mind to grind it yourself, then by all means you should. My recommendation is to ask the machine rental company lots of questions before signing the rental contract.
- Hiring a professional may or may not be cheaper than renting a machine but can say for certain is a whole lot easier!
- In either of the above two scenarios, you will also have to do the work of removing the chips assuming you are looking to replant.
2. Excavator or similar
- This too is a fast way of removing a stump. In this case, it may not be a good idea to do it yourself unless you have the experience operating such a piece of equipment. Digging out even a medium sized stump requires a sizable machine and know how to dig and leverage the capabilities of an excavating machine.
- Generally speaking, to accomplish the task with an excavator or similar you should hire a professional.
- Once the stump has been dug out, there is the issue of how and where to rid of the stump and all the roots that are connected to it. Trust in the fact, it will be much larger and heavier than you would imagine.
- Once the stump has been removed, the hole remaining will be significantly larger than one created by the grinding process.
- Excavators and other similar equipment will not be friendly to your lawn or surrounding landscaping. You need to consider the amount of damage and include the cost and timing of repair.
- Considering the costs to higher an excavator, possible hauling & dumping fees of the removed stump, remaining hole size and the resulting yard damage caused by most excavation procedures, this may not be a viable solution for your project.
3. Hand digging
- This is one of the cheapest methods but will be the most labor-intensive method of all. You can dig, chop, saw and whatever else you can think of but the roots in most cases will prevail. Should the roots prevail, you will most likely rent or hire a professional to grind the stump after all. This constitutes several of our jobs each year. The stories are sometimes unbelievable what people have done to try and dig the stumps their selves.
- Sometimes, this even makes the grinding process more expensive should you have dug holes such that we cannot get the grinding machines close enough to grind.
4. Burning
- Sometimes, this is the most fun solution but usually takes an equivalent to several days of a good old fashioned hot fire. One caution to note especially if you’ve never tried this before, stumps do not burn easily and care must be taken with any fire!
Drilling holes, then filling them to remove a tree stump
- Some say this works but we’ve never seen a stump completely eradicated by simply drilling holes and pouring in your best concoction. Usually, people who try this forget about it, after a period of time, or attempt one of the other methods.
Doing nothing
- Mother nature will remove the stump for you at no charge if you are in no hurry. Probably will take more years than you or I have left.
In Summary
Cost, time, experience and personal ambition are some of the key factors to consider before making your final decision, on how to remove your stump(s). The Stump Guy has built its business and reputation by helping people and companies in the community improve the appearance of their landscape by easily removing their unsightly stumps.
Please give The Stump Guy the opportunity to earn your trust and, ultimately your business. You have nothing to lose. We simply guarantee your satisfaction 100%!
Price, professionalism, quality of work & our 100% satisfaction guarantee is what The Stump Guy has and always will stand for. Your job will not be an exception!
The Stump Guy
Additional Resources
How to Remove a Tree Stump
There are several ways to remove a tree stump. You are probably reading this article…
How Much Does Stump Grinding Cost?
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What to Do with Stump Grinding Debris
What to Do with Stump Grinding Debris The result of grinding a stump is mulch…
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Price, professionalism, quality of work & our 100% satisfaction guarantee is what The Stump Guy has and always will stand for. Your job will not be an exception!