Escape2Bronco

Badlands
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Steve
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The kinetic ropes are nice aren't they! I used to use the lightning and a trucker's chain to remove landscaping when the spouse decide they needed to go. Fortunately, the Lightning had the grip and the "you know what's" to just pull with brute force. Kinetic ropes allow you to use all soft connections and they will never fly back to the vehicle even when they fail. Just back up about 6 ft and give her the beans!
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Bucko

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I see you hacked down at the base of the stump prior to the pull. Now I need for another owner (not me!) to see what size in diameter and wood type the limit is for our BS's to be able to break off.
 
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Mark S.

Mark S.

Badlands
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I see you hacked down at the base of the stump prior to the pull. Now I need for another owner (not me!) to see what size in diameter and wood type the limit is for our BS's to be able to break off.
Deep thoughts. :ontheloo:
 

Barry S.

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Here's the scenario:

A windstorm blew over a pear tree in my front yard. The wife and I chopped all the branches off, cut the larger pieces into firewood, and donated it to a neighbor with a fireplace. That left the ugly remnants of the stump sticking out of the lawn. I could either hire someone to come and take out the stump for me (average cost ~$350), or do it myself. I hate paying other people to do things I think I can do myself, so I chopped a nice groove all the way around the stump below ground level and then it was time to press the Badlands into service.

Ford Bronco Sport More Utility, Less Sport 20230429_170642


So, what do you think happened (click below to see)?
  1. The stump lost.
  2. The Badlands lost.
  3. Mark pulled the tow hitch off his Badlands.
  4. I don't care, pulling stumps is stupid.

The stump lost!

Ford Bronco Sport More Utility, Less Sport 20230429_171257


In case you were wondering, this was a pretty substantial stump.

Ford Bronco Sport More Utility, Less Sport 20230429_171748


I used a kinetic rope looped around the stump on one end and attached to a shackle hitch at the other using a soft shackle. Everything held together perfectly. I first slowly pulled the rope taut, then applied power to see if I could just pull it over. I heard the power transfer unit clutches engage as the front wheels started to spin, but there just wasn't enough power/traction there to simply pull it over.

Next, I backed up and took a running start. If you're not familiar, a kinetic rope is made for this kind of operation. It stretches a bit so you can use momentum to apply multiples of your vehicle's weight to the tug. I started out slow—perhaps 3 mph—and increased my speed progressively over a few attempts. The stump gave when I hit the end of the rope at around 7 mph.

This is the kinetic rope and soft shackle I used.
This is the shackle hitch receiver I used.

BTW, the blanket over the rope is a safety measure. It acts as a damper to prevent the rope becoming a projectile should it snap.
You got lucky. Safer alternative.... Chainsaw.
 
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Mark S.

Mark S.

Badlands
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You got lucky. Safer alternative.... Chainsaw.
I wanted to remove the stump to below ground level, and you can't get a chainsaw below ground level without digging a pit all the way around the stump, which means cutting out the roots. Way too much work. I'm not sure what you mean by "got lucky." I never planned on going fast enough for the log to rebound all the way to my car.
 
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Barry S.

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I wanted to remove the stump to below ground level, and you can't get a chainsaw below ground level without digging a pit all the way around the stump, which means cutting out the roots. Way too much work. I'm not sure what you mean by "got lucky." I never planned on going fast enough for the log to rebound all the way to my car.
Got lucky referred to your trailer hitch remaining attached to the car.đź‘Ťđź‘Ś
 

DahliaDarlin'

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If you get any sprouts from the remaining rootstock you buried, you could try to grow yourself another tree. Nurture the strongest shoot for a season or so then dig it in spring and see what you have root wise (size), and move it to a different location if you prefer. Most pear trees are on grafted stock though, so you might not get the same kind of pears, possibly they could have used peach rootstock! No flowers or fruit the first year. They flower and fruit on old wood.

And yes. Weird horticultural experiments are why my yard "landscaping" looks like it was planned by a drunken sailor. Apologies to any Navy vets.
 
 




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