Stumps are great for the smoker, I use my cherry and apple stumps when dry ,That reminds me almost time to start it up for tomarrows dinner

 

Maple stumps have made record holding gun stocks. Birds eye wood from it.

In the early and mid 70's we shipped Western Red Ceder stumps from the pacific north west to SoCal. They would sand blast them, turn them upside down in the yard and some was even painted.

 

lmao, ya'll are gonna get this guy in trouble if he listens to half of you. but I agree, we need video whatever you do! I would stop trying to use the truck though. My recomendation is to finish burning it out. First off no matter how big the bon fire is, if it only burns for 3-4 hours it won't get it hot enough to burn deep down. I always burn mine out.

Here is how i do it.

Tools-
1)3-5 30 packs of beer. (make sure you have plenty)
2)Fire wood. Doesn't matter what kind so long as you have enough to burn for a day or two.
3)some friends to help you drink the beer. You'll get pretty bored by yourself.

First step is to make a fire right on top of it. It doesn't have to be huge. A tympical camp fire will do. In your case I would say to make it about 2/3 of the size of the stump. You will increase this to encompase the entire stump towards the end so have enough wood. Build your fire right on top of the stump if it is cut off close to the ground. If not, start on one side and keep with it at that spot.

Make sure you start this fire early in the morning on say a Friday. (Take a vacation day, the beer should start immediatly.) Keep that fire going all day working slowly into the stump. Make sure it has a steady flame all day long. By the first night you should have a nice bed of coals and the stump will still be smoldering the next morning, if not still burning.

Day two and three, repeat with more beer. The truck comes in handy for two things in this situation.

1-Listening to the radio. (Make sure you start it regularly to not run out the battery)
2-The tailgate makes a lovely seat.

Now as days two and three progress you will notice that the stump is going to start getting smaller. As you get the fire to take more towards the center increase the size of the fire. Whith the constant heat the ground temperature will increase arount the immediate stump. This will dry the dirt and allow for air pockets to form. As this happens the stump will eventually start to smolder (as it will dry out too). You will really start to notice progress when the stump starts to add to the coals. It will start to shrink. Keep this fire going untill there is a hole where the stump was. Fill with dirt and add grass seed.

In some cases I have had to do this two weekends in a row. I'm not sure wether I just wasn't wathching the fire well enough or if I just wanted an excuse to drink more beer with the pals.

 

We did the land draining/stump blowing about 25 years ago. We used what then was called ditching dynamite. It was out in the country also so don't try this in your suburban neighborhood! The big obstacle was a Poplar stump that was basically 5 12"-18" trees growing out of it. Cut the trees first then started setting the explosives. Put 27 sticks under it, lit it off and ran, ran far! She went off, the stump popped out of the ground and sat down about 10 feet away. It was awesome. Not even a loud boom like I expected from all that dynamite. It took a big Allis tractor and a JD450 dozer to pull/push it into a nearby ravine.

 

Please don't use chains--Diesel Brad is fortunate to be alive!

Always use straps. Chains are for securing loads, not pulling. Even straps can be dangerous--they need to be in good condition, and don't run them over any sharp edges when you attach them to your vehicle.

Jason

 

Never broke a chain but we use some ridiculously large ones that you wont have. In a wet field, some times we pull a tri axle through deep mud with the chopper. That takes a ridiculous amount of pulling power and when one lets go, the worst I have personally seen is getting out in the mud and re hooking it. If concerned you can through a blanket over the chain to make the flying chain unlikely. What will break here is the root and should break with far less energy than needed to throw the chain.

Warn Industries - Tree Trunk Protector vs. Recovery Strap vs. Choker Chain: Similar products, different applications

Recently there was a discussion on one of the off-road forum sites about recovery straps, tree trunk protectors, and chocker chains. While all three are used for rigging, they all have very different applications, and at the same time, very specific applications. Here's a quick guide to which item to choose for specific situations.


Tree Trunk Protector
A tree trunk protector, also sometimes known as a rigging strap, is made of nylon webbing, and is designed to rig your winch line to a solid object, such as, well, a tree. You'll need a D-shackle or clevis to attached the looped ends of the strap together and attach your winch hook. These are non-elastic straps that are made to handle the high capacity of winch pulling.

So why do you have to use a tree trunk protector in the first place? First, it helps protect a tree you'd be using as an anchor from damage by the winch rope. Using wire rope directly on a tree trunk will damage the tree and possibly kill it. And remember, we want to respect and preserve our trails so we can keep them open, and not killing trees is part of that.

However, tree trunk protectors aren't just about tree preservation, they're about safety. You NEVER, ever want to wrap a winch line around any anchor and hook the line back onto itself. This is a dangerous practice that can lead to rope failure, and that is obviously a very bad thing.

Warn makes a few different tree trunk protectors/rigging straps, three for truck/SUV use (in various sizes), and one for powersports vehicles. FYI, a tree trunk protector should be used with a winch, and not strapped to a vehicle to pull another vehicle. That duty is reserved for the recovery strap.


Recovery Strap
A recovery strap looks similar to a tree trunk protector, but it is designed to "******" or pull out a stuck vehicle. Unlike the tree trunk protector, these straps have elastic properties that are specifically designed for vehicle recovery. Think of it sort of like a giant rubber band. If you stretch that rubber band, it's going to want to pull the object it's attached to toward it. Recovery straps are made to stretch, then transfer that energy to the stuck vehicle and pull it out.

The no-no with recovery straps is using them with a winch. Do not ever use a recovery strap with a winch due to this before-mentioned elasticity.


Choker Chain
The choker chain essentially functions as a tree trunk protector/rigging strap, but is for use on sharp objects that could have the potential to cut through or fray a tree trunk protector. Additionally, a choker chain can be used to move objects in high-abrasion situations, such as skidding a downed tree across the ground. The hooked ends of a choker chain can be attached to the chain links to create a secure loop.

So just remember this:

Tree Trunk Protector = Winch rigging to tree or other non-abrasive object

Recovery Strap = Pulling a stuck vehicle out of a situation

Choker Chain = Winch rigging for abrasive situations

The WARN winching accessory kits (for trucks or powersports vehicles) will include items such as tree trunk protectors and/or choker chains, depending on which model you choose. The recovery straps are sold on their own. However, all three of these rigging accessories are essential tools for any off-road enthusiast.



Tags: recovery,rigging,accessories
Filed under: Universal

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</form> #1

Lazar Balshen
says June 02, 2013 at 10:36 PM
I need a hoist to pull out of ravine a tree 50 feet long.
What a hoist can you offer?
Thank you.

#2

Andy Lilienthal
says June 10, 2013 at 09:42 AM
Lazar,

We have a whole line if hoists. You can check them out here.

Warn Industries - Industrial Hoists


#3

Glenn Mitchell
says August 05, 2013 at 02:33 PM
Seeking recovery strap set for 2008 Silverado Crew Cab/short bed with curb weight of 6800lb. Completely unfamiliar with the way the straps should be used to pull my truck from sand, if it got stuck. Uncertain if clevis bolts are needed, and where. I can not tell if the strap is supposed to cinch on itself through the front tow loops on the Silverado, or if the eye of the recovery strap loop and the vehicular tow point are supposed to be kept in the clevis bolt. I can find no pdf or other reference that explains this.
Can you help?

#4

Andy Lilienthal
says August 06, 2013 at 08:58 AM
The key, Glenn, is to make sure you have a suitable recovery point on the vehicle. This is a place the vehicle is designed to be recovered by. You may or may not need to use a clevis/shackle. However, we would not recommend you double the strap back onto itself.

If you've got a loop, get the correct size shackle and you should be good.

 

Well, I finally got around to posting a picture of the stump for reference. Here it is:


I will be pulling in the direction the shovel handle is pointing due to space constraints. I'll cut all of the roots that have been exposed before trying to pull it out. It will probably be a few days before I can actually do it, and I'll try to video it for you all.

 

If you cut all the roots you see, it should come right out.

 

You don't think there are more under it? I couldn't dig that far because these roots were in the way.

 

There may be more under it. But ya got to do what ya can with what ya got to work with.
Listen to these guys. Do Not Use just a chain.
Ya need something with some spring and stretch in it.
I used cargo straps like from a freight yard used to lift 40 foot container vans.
The tire between two chains may well work also. I have never tried that.
Be careful. I for one don't want to see a video of you getting kilt.
Remember to rock it out. Let the spring action work for you.

Also I would not use your bumper. I would use a chain or cable
strap to both sides of the frame than hook your tow line to that out past the bumper a bit.

 

Don't tie a chain to the frame, it will probably bend it. There are a lot of roots unexposed.

 

Do you have a frame hitch? This is what I would do.....Take it for free advice. Cut all roots that are seen and cut them long. Hook under the stump and use roots to prevent slippage. I would use a heavy chain and put a good heavy large blanket over it. I wouldn't want something that stretches because if it lets go it can throw something. You never use a nylon rope to tow a boat because if the cleat lets go it is a bullet. No actually it is a cannon ball. Do you have a choker chain? One end has a hook the size that allows a link to slip into the hook. Never put the hook into a link. The first way is more secure and releases when done, the other less secure and may be good and stuck after. The other end of a choker has a larger hook that the chain can slip in letting it tighten on the object like a noose. Pull in low range from the center of the back of the truck preferably from a frame hitch. I would have some one guide me and make sure connections stay good as I SLOWLY take up the slack and put SLIGHT tension on the the pull. When there is SLIGHT tension, cover the chains with a blanket or two. THE HELPER NOW MOVES AWAY, IN THE OTHER DIRECTION FROM THE PULL. Min of 30 feet. Driver window down, radio off so the assistant can be heard. 1st gear, 4wd, low range, slowly test the hook up and slowly pull. Hopefully it comes right out. How long has the tree been dead? Save the beer for later.

 

Oh hell, I can pull that stump out with my BMX bike its almost out cut the roots that you see and hook your log chain to it and your hitch yanker out, its no big deal Bra.

 

Well, I tried pulling it out with a 1" thick nylon rope. The stump did not budge at all. I wrapped it around the roots first and tried to rock it out and when it didn't budge, I tied it around the top of the stump. Again, it didn't move. I'll try and post the video tomorrow. I'll dig deeper and try and cut more roots and try again.

 

Did you cut he roots you can see? What are you putting there? Cut it off below grade and cover it up. It will rot.