How To: Dig Up Stumps With An Excavator

A quick how to video showing you the technique to dig up stumps with an excavator. The video is from last fall.
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[@davidlessard7732]

I'm Frenchy...You are a pretty good professor. I knew how to dig a stumps but i bet i'll come again next summer to learn some more...thanks !

[@Fattrac]

Thanks Dirt Ninja!

[@DirtNinja]

We are with snow. And were also gearing up for the start of the hardscaping season.

[@ScoopExcavator]

Nice technique.

[@73DiamondReo]

your a good op. ive told many guys that trick

[@Darlavonderheide]

Thank you.

[@DanielEismann]

nice video

[@RutherfordConLLC]

Yep, just go further out.
Another trick for larger stumps is to work across the side that you're cutting evenly, don't dig all the way down and then advance across. Rather skim the surface so when you hit a bigger root you'll have something behind/under the bucket to pry against to break the roots. Doing that, on hard to break roots that you can't just curl through, crowd out and down while curling the bucket to increase breakout force by prying with the bucket. Make sense?

[@MrBcotton86]

Another trick that works well. After you dig the stump out pick it up from the top with the root ball down. Carry it to the next stump that is not dug out yet and wipe the root ball back and forth across the stump still in the ground. Takes the dirt and small roots off very fast.

[@AndrewHagler418]

you guys should get a little cat 316e if it is worth it for your company

[@DirtNinja]

If that happens, keep digging out away from the stump, eventually the roots will become small enough to break, then work your way back to the stump. Or just do it your way if that worked!

[@tomski38]

hi

[@carrollsanders9376]

Nice but if you can a double slice trench works better than trying a front dig.

[@confusohoje5943]

I love working an excavator, I got to have a few hours on one last birthday, a very special event from a very person in my life

[@carrollsanders9376]

I am happy for you just be careful they are not toys, I have seen the downside, to operating machinery to many times. I am right now using a small John Deere 200 LC.

[@jackgolding1358]

I've never understood why operators only raise the stump 3-5 feet to drop and "jar" the dirt loose and then repeat this process 4 or 5 times. It seems to me that if they raised the stump 10-15 feet before dropping, then the impact with the ground would be significantly greater and loosen much more soil around the root-ball. They would only have to do this once instead of 4 or 5 times (?).

[@sanfranciscobay]

Why not throw the stump down with force instead of letting if fall.

[@Tyee48]

are you guys kepping busy?

[@dankruger2890]

Your work that machine better than your cat machines I think.

[@NZDIRT]

you can see he's already using that technique..