Rlachermeier
Active member
- Joined
- Oct 14, 2015
- Messages
- 40
Hello everyone. Recently sold my Case 580CK backhoe and looking to pick up a mini ex. What would be the smallest size unit that would be able to remove tree stumps? Thanks!
The size tree stumps vary from small to medium. The time it takes to get them out won't be a big issue as I'm retired and in no hurry. I have A Bobcat 751 to help with moving the stumps although they will probably just be burned on the property. The mini ex will be exclusively for personal use. I would like something trailerable. I've been watching allot of videos on the E26 and am amazed at what it can do. Other than tree stumps I also have some light landscaping that will need to be done. I'd like to stay under $20K for a used machine but as you might imagine those are hard to find.I think you need to know what sized tree stumps your talking about, some big ones will tax a lot of machines! unless you don;t care about how long it takes to get one out!, and then, HOW do you plan to load a LARGE one if you get a smaller machine that can DIG em out, but not load them or move them easily? do you have other machines for this?
as I said, the size of the stumps matters when picking a machine!
as they will all dig out small stumps, but as they grow in size, so will the size of a machine needed to remove them, and then, comes again how fast you want to dig them out,. as time is money for most folks, so its an important part of the equation
By the way, you mentioned burning stumps? About 30 or so acres of my ranch is in heavy timber, mainly coniferous and a medium mix of deciduous trees like aspen, birch and western larch. I have logged my woodstand for many years and have burned slash and stumps each fall. I have never been able to reduce stumps much bigger than a foot in diameter to ashes in a single burn. I finally gave up and bought a chipper for dealing with most of the branches. And on a section of my west fence line I started a bullwork of old stumps that I call "stumphedge". I use either the 4 in one bucket on my backhoe or the dipper to transport the stumps and pile them. As you might imagine, stumphedge has become quite the critter condo for squirrels, marmots, racoons etc...we don't have any venomous critters in my neck of the woods so that hasn't been an issue. Eventually, nature will do it's thing and reduce the wall of wood to dirt. I don't have any visible neighbors so no one can claim the wall is unsightly and it can't be seen from the house. I've also started shaving stumps instead of pulling them, where it really isn't necessary to remove the stump. I use a Husky 395XP saw with a 32 inch bar to flush cut the stump. As long as I dig down a couple of inches around the stump I can usually make a good slice without any dirt contact by the chain. I've also shave cut with my smaller 20 inch Husky using the same technique. It takes a little practice and a lot of caution and safety equipment, like chaps, but I think it sure beats pulling the stumps and a lot easier on the equipment and fuel.The size tree stumps vary from small to medium. The time it takes to get them out won't be a big issue as I'm retired and in no hurry. I have A Bobcat 751 to help with moving the stumps although they will probably just be burned on the property. The mini ex will be exclusively for personal use. I would like something trailerable. I've been watching allot of videos on the E26 and am amazed at what it can do. Other than tree stumps I also have some light landscaping that will need to be done. I'd like to stay under $20K for a used machine but as you might imagine those are hard to find.
I never actually got a chance to use the 580 for digging stumps as I was chasing leaks until I decided to sell it. So I don't really have a point of reference. I would like a heavier unit but would also like it to be trailerable without have to purchase a bigger truck and trailer.I've owned a Yanmar B27 mini ex and a Case 580CK. I currently own a John Deere 310SE and a John Deere 450 crawler with backhoe attachment. I have used each to remove stumps on my ranch ranging from a couple of inches to 3 feet in diameter and from fresh cut to several years old. My experience is that if you have used the Case 580CK to pull stumps you are going to be very dissatisfied with an ex under 16,000 pounds. I don't think it will have the breakout force you might hope for? I too am retired, but spending hours to work your way around a large stump is not only hard on the equipment, but not particularly enjoyable on the body. And as you discovered, finding a suitable sized ex that was well treated, under $20k, is a challenge these days. But that may change in about 6 months with the apparent nose dive of the economy?
I do believe renting before buying could avoid allot of regrets.I agree with the above
in order to have a lot of good power and break force, your going to need a heavy machine to come close to what your backhoe once did for you!
and I don;t know what you mean by LIGHT, under 10k or such, is what many can only legally tow in some states
so, at that weight, your going to be disappointed IMO to your old backhoe!
maybe what you should do is rent a few different sized machines and see what you like, and then go from there, this way you will have real seat time to make a decision, only problem with this might be, they will all be newer machines and well past the 20 k price to find used?/
but as they say,
some times its better spend more and just buy once than buy a few times, trying to find what you want
renting gives you again, real seat time to judge things!
[h4][/h4]
The only reason I would prefer digging vs grinding is I am trying to convert the couple of tree lines I have back into field. I have 13 acres of alfalfa that I rent to a local farmer and it would be easier to bale without have to go around the trees. The attached pics shows the trees.By the way, you mentioned burning stumps? About 30 or so acres of my ranch is in heavy timber, mainly coniferous and a medium mix of deciduous trees like aspen, birch and western larch. I have logged my woodstand for many years and have burned slash and stumps each fall. I have never been able to reduce stumps much bigger than a foot in diameter to ashes in a single burn. I finally gave up and bought a chipper for dealing with most of the branches. And on a section of my west fence line I started a bullwork of old stumps that I call "stumphedge". I use either the 4 in one bucket on my backhoe or the dipper to transport the stumps and pile them. As you might imagine, stumphedge has become quite the critter condo for squirrels, marmots, racoons etc...we don't have any venomous critters in my neck of the woods so that hasn't been an issue. Eventually, nature will do it's thing and reduce the wall of wood to dirt. I don't have any visible neighbors so no one can claim the wall is unsightly and it can't be seen from the house. I've also started shaving stumps instead of pulling them, where it really isn't necessary to remove the stump. I use a Husky 395XP saw with a 32 inch bar to flush cut the stump. As long as I dig down a couple of inches around the stump I can usually make a good slice without any dirt contact by the chain. I've also shave cut with my smaller 20 inch Husky using the same technique. It takes a little practice and a lot of caution and safety equipment, like chaps, but I think it sure beats pulling the stumps and a lot easier on the equipment and fuel.
Preferably 7K or lessI agree with the above
in order to have a lot of good power and break force, your going to need a heavy machine to come close to what your backhoe once did for you!
and I don;t know what you mean by LIGHT, under 10k or such, is what many can only legally tow in some states
so, at that weight, your going to be disappointed IMO to your old backhoe!
maybe what you should do is rent a few different sized machines and see what you like, and then go from there, this way you will have real seat time to make a decision, only problem with this might be, they will all be newer machines and well past the 20 k price to find used?/
but as they say,
some times its better spend more and just buy once than buy a few times, trying to find what you want
renting gives you again, real seat time to judge things!
[h4][/h4]
like I said, rent a couple , but I think your going to find one's that light don't do much in the way of digging bigger stumps out, or just how hard you will be working a machine doing soPreferably 7K or less
I haven't done any stump grinding on my ranch, although I have considered a grinder attachment for my Bobcat? I have discovered that it doesn't take much soil coverage over a shaved stump to produce grass. And it doesn't take too long for a small or medium stump to become soil. Looking at your pic, and your tree line, I would be reluctant to spend the money on a medium ex if that was my primary reason for getting one. My experience is that the main reason an ex can be superior to a decent and equal sized extendahoe is in speed and in some cases, traction. But by the same token, an equal sized ex doesn't have the loader capability, transit speed or backfill speed of the backhoe. And don't forget the additional maintenance and repair costs of a tracked machine. The other day I rolled the bead of one of my front backhoe tires. An hour of strap up, valve removal and compressor time, and I had the tire back on bead and the backhoe back on line. Conversely, when my dozer lost a track roller a couple of years ago I spent a month waiting for the part and doing the R&R to get it back on line. Don't misunderstand me, I love my dozer and my backhoe can't compete with the push power, but it can get very pricey when you try to fill the barn with various specialty specific pieces of equipment!The only reason I would prefer digging vs grinding is I am trying to convert the couple of tree lines I have back into field. I have 13 acres of alfalfa that I rent to a local farmer and it would be easier to bale without have to go around the trees. The attached pics shows the trees.
I haven't done any stump grinding on my ranch, although I have considered a grinder attachment for my Bobcat? I have discovered that it doesn't take much soil coverage over a shaved stump to produce grass. And it doesn't take too long for a small or medium stump to become soil. Looking at your pic, and your tree line, I would be reluctant to spend the money on a medium ex if that was my primary reason for getting one. My experience is that the main reason an ex can be superior to a decent and equal sized extendahoe is in speed and in some cases, traction. But by the same token, an equal sized ex doesn't have the loader capability, transit speed or backfill speed of the backhoe. And don't forget the additional maintenance and repair costs of a tracked machine. The other day I rolled the bead of one of my front backhoe tires. An hour of strap up, valve removal and compressor time, and I had the tire back on bead and the backhoe back on line. Conversely, when my dozer lost a track roller a couple of years ago I spent a month waiting for the part and doing the R&R to get it back on line. Don't misunderstand me, I love my dozer and my backhoe can't compete with the push power, but it can get very pricey when you try to fill the barn with various specialty specific pieces of equipment!
Good points MRBB. Years ago I had a Ram 3500 Cummins dually and a 25' heavy equipment gooseneck trailer. I bought both new, used them frequently for about 6 months and then parked them in my barn for 4 years. I towed about 30,000 lbs with them in a single max trip. I had a grand total of 11,000 miles on each. One day it occurred to me that I was staring at $75k cash (this was before new diesel trucks cost as much as my first home) collecting dust in my barn. I sold them both that week and went back to a gas dually Ram 3500 and a 14k, 20' car hauler. I figure it's a lot less liability exposure to breakdowns and with the money I saved I was able to buy another piece of equipment that I actually use!like I said, rent a couple , but I think your going to find one's that light don't do much in the way of digging bigger stumps out, or just how hard you will be working a machine doing so
for how often a home owner needs to MOVE a bigger machine, its most likely cheaper to have a tow company move it when needed
most repairs can be done on site these days
so no real need to have to own a larger truck and trailer, be nice to have yes, but honestly, its not really needed!