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Removing stumps: which backhoe?
QUESTION:I am wondering how big of a backhoe to rent to remove some stumps. The
stumps range from 6" to 24" in diameter.
ANSWER: Well, I'm no expert, but I do have a backhoe 8-) My take on this is that
it would depend on the local soil conditions and on what kind of stumps
these are. Pine stumps tend to be pretty easy to pop, since their roots
usually don't go very deep. In fact, on our land, I can usually take
down smaller pines with the front-end loader (drop bucket, rev, and PUSH!)
Oak stumps are another matter entirely; oaks tend to have large taproots
that end somewhere in Australia
If your soil is primarily loamy or sandy, you can get away with a smaller
backhoe than if it's extremely rocky.
Didja ever hear the old riddle: "If God is all powerful, can he create a
rock so big he can't lift it?" Well, I think God actually tried this one
day and dropped all his practice rocks on our land... nothing like a rock
sitting on a big root to slow down your stump-popping...
In any case: I'd recommend renting the largest backhoe that (a) you can
afford and (b) you feel comfortable operating. It's false economy to
rent a Tonka-toy backhoe only to have it say "You want me to move WHAT?!!"
when you hook the bucket under the stump..
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