How to Remove a Stump Using a Hand Winch

Removing a stump with a hand winch and mechanical advantage.

#stump #landscape #snatchblock #mechanical #pulley #diy #lawncare #landscaping #cable #removal

[rickw]

Your video definitely convinced me to rent a stump grinder.

[Moonshinedave]

Thanks for the video, reminded me of a project I did quite a few years ago. Since I was cutting down the tree, so I had the option to leave about six foot of stump, to give me a leverage advantage on the stump. Like you I dug around the stump as much as I could and cut what roots I could get to. I connected a two ton come-a-long to the stump and to a solid tree. I then pulled as tight as I dare, then just left everything hooked up, I poured water around the hole I dug, around the roots. When I got home from work the next day, I would tighten the come-a-long a few more "clicks" (as tight as I dare) and then pour more water around the roots, In about three days it came loose. Took longer, but the end results were the same. Take care and God bless.

[kitsurubami]

Pulling stumps is hard work, but thanks to your strategy and technique it is manageable.

[JM-jdyp]

Hi Jack...I do it pretty much the same way. That pop when the tap root goes it always a good moment. It always amazes me just before it fully goes what tiny roots still hold it in place. I respect what nature gives us and it is good to try and plant replacements somewhere even if it's not in your yard. I hope the project goes well.

[JohnMeyer-hv]

Hard work doing by hand but keeping the stump intact for future project is worth it. Everyone needs to learn how to use snatch blocks. They can help with lots of jobs.

[leodass]

Slow and steady wins the race.
You have a plan and lots of patience.
Great Work Sir!
Well Done

[logancarter]

Cool! Determined, focused work yields good results.

[Tom-Travels]

Jack, after I cut the first root apron, I fill the pit with water. Wait and hour. Then 8K of pressure is plenty. I also use a cheater bar/metal tube to give the hand winch lever 3 times the power (24, 000 pounds).

[Everythingzadrum]

Wow dude solid effort i see you had three of those things by the end - I've removed a stump this way before and for the same reason. A good friend of mine is a cabinetmaker and he made a beautiful outdoor table with it.
I must admit though, since then I've used stump grinders wherever possible 😅

[johncandaux]

I find leaving several more feet of the trunk attached rather than cutting it off a foot or two above ground level gives much more leverage potential when winching the root ball out. Hard but satisfying work when you finally pull the root ball away from the hole.

[mikey]

The reposition for upward force was pretty smart! I'm sure I'm gonna use that idea at some point.
I use an old truck wheel for the same sort of effect when stumps are short.

You can also wrap chain around the stump and use a recovery strap between the chain and wench.
Leave tension on it overnight amd just start a small fire under the base where the roots are. It should slowly pull up as it smoulders. The recovery strap will just keep on pulling as the stump moves.

Make sure the area has nothing flammable and soak it down. And put a fire ring or bricks Around it just to be safe.

[russk]

Lastly, if you know you're going to remove some trees always leave a 4-foot Tall part of the stump. Do not cut it down to the bottom because you can use the leverage of the 4 ft to help break it out of the ground applying pulling chains to the other trees not yet removed. Take advantage of your existing objects/things around you to assist in efforts and with a little bit of pre-planning and leverage removing the tree stumps without mechanization.

[singletrackassassin]

Warms my heart when mechanical advantage is maximized.

[lEuler]

4 hours of hard labor. You are persistent. This is a way much better option than what I know already. Thanks for sharing.

[JohnMeyer-hv]

Several comments regarding wasted time and money. Likely you have less invested than a month of gym membership, you get to keep the stump and tools, and I would bet your body fat percentage and strength would beat any of theirs, Keep it up, there is value in hard work.

[marktottman]

Thanks for the tips, just what I needed thank you.Went & bought a similar hand winch & smaller strops as I am using the tree next to it to do the work. Spent a large part of yesterday with just an axe & a pick & was blowing out my arse, thought I was going to die with exertion! Started setting up with the winch but it was getting dark. Just had a brew & going out with renewed enthusiasm & confidence! Thank you sir.

[andrewbauer]

I'm more impressed that you used a come-a-long for the project. I hate those things! Great job!

[kyleavery-ow]

I love the mechanical advantage idea. It was great up to the point where you pulled on the wrong spot. If you would have pulled on the single line off to the right you would have had 3 times the winche's pulling force as you explained, but pulling on the snatch block as you did resulted in 1.5 times the winche's pulling force. Still some advantage, just not what it could have been.

[dearthworm]

I hate working on my knees and trying to dig soil around roots, so I use a garden hose to blast out the soil around the roots. Do the initial digging with a spade but once I start hitting tangled roots, I start hitting it with the garden hose.it’s kind of messy and mucky, but I do it over a period of a few days, letting the water drain away each time. It saves a lot of backbreaking work, even though it turns into a multi day project.

[philmoore]

tks. it's always nice to know how long a project takes.... now back to my stump