Pullin' a tree stump the hard way

David from Kansas · Sep 3, 2009

Had to take out this 60+ year old hackberry tree to make room for a new shed. Boy, was that sucker tough! Couldn't get it loose with the 4555 and 5020 both pullin' on her. Dug around some more to about 3' deep and she finally came out with the 4555. The old 5020 could barely pull her out of the hole.

2x4 · Sep 4, 2009

you picked a hard row to hoe.

Paul from MI · Sep 4, 2009

How many chains did you break gettin' it out? I usually go thru a few on a project like that.

railhead · Sep 4, 2009

Looks like a lot of fun and hard work.

I like that 5020, it looks great. Post pics of it in the tractor shed?

James Howell · Sep 4, 2009

Looks like a "hole" lot of work to me.

We have several of those Hackberry trees at different places on our farm.

If we"re talking about the same type of tree, the thorns on all those crooked limbs will tear you apart.

Thanks for sharing the photo; hope you and your family are doing well.

LOU from WI · Sep 4, 2009

nice lookin tractor. !!! Great picture.
Ya know they still make dynamite. does a lot better job. Not so much work. lol
LOU

David from Kansas · Sep 4, 2009

Hey Lou,
That's what I said to my wife when we couldn't get it to budge; we need some dynamite.

David from Kansas · Sep 4, 2009

How true. We did break one, a 3/8. Broke it with the 5020. Had a monster chain hooked to the 4555, a 5/8. Didn't hurt it any. Glad I kept that old heavy 5/8 around. Last spring our township grader operator got the grader stuck and it took the largest 4x4 tractor we could find to get it out. Used that heavy chain and had no problem.

David from Kansas · Sep 4, 2009

James,
This must be a different tree. No thorns. It is pretty dense wood and gets little berries on it in the fall about the size of a pea. Not much meat around one large seed. Used to chew on them, kinda sweet. Good to hear from you and enjoy your posts.

TimV · Sep 4, 2009

Nice tractor, David, but if you need any help from some BIG equipment, I'll be happy to come out from NY and help for a suitable fee

This was an 18" cherry from my yard a couple of months ago. It was one of 4 I took out and there were some roots that needed to be cut from both sides with my 16" bar chainsaw.

pete black · Sep 4, 2009

be careful about infringing on that power line right of way with a building or you may be moving it. the power company here (TVA) does not allow infringement on their row with buildings.

Dblair · Sep 4, 2009

ever tried to twist them out like they did with mules . chain a long log to the stump and go round in a circle.

thurlow · Sep 4, 2009

Great picture.........I'm gonna guess that this isn't your first rodeo. Most of the similar posts 'we' get are from folks wanting to pull up an 18 inch tree...............with their 'new' 8N.

Bill(Wis) · Sep 4, 2009

Back in the 1870s, when my farm was cleared off, they used a "stump puller". I have never seen one but did see a picture of one. The one in the picture actually screwed down into the top of the stump and had a long arm on it that was pulled round and round by oxen. Oxen were used as draft animals back then. It also employed a sharp blade that cut down into the soil around the stump to sever any horizontal roots. They pulled thousands of big pine stumps which were then piled along the sides of the fields and formed stump fences to keep the cattle in. We cleared out the last stump fence on our farm in 1953 and installed a heavy duty six barb wire fence in its place. Heifers got through the new fence within a week.

Greyhorse · Sep 4, 2009

Makes me think that the oak tree I was trying to pull with my AC 7045 must be pretty darned heavy, broke a 3/8" chain as I eased forward with it idling...... surprised me that it broke so easily. Tree is laying on the ground around 24" at the base, around 50' tall and all the branches still on it.

Nancy Howell · Sep 4, 2009

Angle of the picture makes the Jd in the background look huge! Glad you were able to get it out with no incident. Sometimes tractors + trees = big trouble.

Bobl1958 · Sep 4, 2009

Hey James. I wonder if you are meaning Locust trees? They have thorns on them. Bob

Tom N OK · Sep 4, 2009

Hi David
I was wondering if you were going to bring that 5020 to the tractor pull in Fairview this year? LOL
Great Pic

Tom

James Howell · Sep 4, 2009

I'll make a note to take a picture of one this weekend; getting to that age where I have to write everything down.

Only tree with worse thorns than what we call a Hackberry is the Bois de Arc (Bo Dark).

If I drive within 100ft of a Bois de Arc tree, the tractor has a flat tire the next morning!

David from Kansas · Sep 4, 2009

Ya know, Tom, I've mentioned to my brothers (we make the annual trek to Fairview together) that the 5020 would make a nice attraction there. Just too darn heavy to haul and we would have to leave a couple of our really old tractors at home. Where you from and will we see you in Fairview?

Walterdavies · Sep 4, 2009

Right on about the dynamite. Grampa used two sticks and put the stump about 25 ft. from the hole, as he said:" Right where I wanted it to go."
Walt

Walterdavies · Sep 4, 2009

Grampa always has a few sticks of dynamite around for little jobs. After had passed away we found about 6 or 8 sticks in the old Milk shack where the operators were. We called the sheriff and they send two deputies out to pick them up.
Funny these sticks were all sweaty and oosing with nitro. The deputies picked them up tossed thin the trunk and left.
Never saw or heard from them again???
Walt

railhead · Sep 4, 2009

it is not the angle...a 5020 IS HUGE. I have one...can't haul it around with a pickup that is for sure. mine weighs 17,000 all weighted up.

blinwmiaol.com · Sep 4, 2009

Yea, it is no picture play, the 5020 and 6030 were beasts. My 5020 with cab and duals weighed 19,980 pounds. I pulled it for an expedition at the fair a few years back. Not even close to enough horse for the weight.

Anonymous-0 · Sep 4, 2009

I got smart and bought an excavator. It makes real quick work of any tree. Those Hacks are a bugger though, have to dig and rip up roots on one side or when you shove her over she'll split from top to bottom.

railhead · Sep 4, 2009

yeah look at 4020 or even a 4640 etc then go look at the rearend of a 5020.....the monsters were WAY overbuilt and that is the way I like things. I am a IH man deep inside but I have developed a big love for my 5020. I put a M&W turbo on it and it is awesome. It isn't pretty but it pulls will pull the heck out of any tool I have to hook it to. Mine ain't leaving anytime soon.

RayP(MI) · Sep 5, 2009

We had a weeping willow tree that we needed removed... Had trimmed it back several times over the years. Contractor was doing some other work for me.. Asked him to remove the stump. He had a large tracked hydra-hoe (60 foot reach). Dug around the stump a bit, put the bucket against it and promply tipped the hydra-hoe. Righted himself, dug around stump some more, and tipped himself over again! Next time, he had one heckova hole dug before he pushed on it again! Roots came up from 30 feet away from stump. Willows can be a tough customer.

Pullin' a tree stump the hard way

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