Sawing Stumps at Ground Level

2510Paul · Aug 24, 2018

I have a lot of dying Ash trees. I would like to cut off the stumps at ground level but a regular chain saw chain does not hold up well at ground level. Has anyone used a carbide chain saw chain to cut off stumps at ground level. I have Stihl 260 and 360 chain saws.

Or, does anyone have any other recommendations? My other two thoughts are just pay the money for a guy to come in with a Vermeer Stump Grinder, or try a Northwood Mills 3pt stump grinder on my Hydrostatic Compact Tractor.

Paul

showcrop · Aug 24, 2018

Depending on how the roots come off the trunk you could dig a few inches of dirt away from them and let the rain clean them up for your saw.

2510Paul · Aug 24, 2018

I meant Woodland Mills.

https://woodlandmills.ca/product/wg24-stump-grinder/

2510Paul · Aug 24, 2018

I have done that and even pressure washed around the stump. Of course it helped. It may be just me but it seems to me wood at that level has a lot of grit or dirt in it that really dulls the chain even when really careful.

Paul

grizz02 · Aug 24, 2018

rent a stump grinder

davyfireball · Aug 24, 2018

I had a ash tree that had to be cut . I found a old pickup hood drilled holes in the top. And put a little kerosene in the holes put some charcoal down by roots . Got a blower fan from a old furnace and set it on fire. It burned down 2 ft that night. I left the fan going all night in 3 days it was down 3ft roots and all. The hood kept all the heat into the tree

davyfireball · Aug 24, 2018

(quoted from post at 01:50:41 08/25/18) I had a ash tree that had to be cut . I found a old pickup hood drilled holes in the top. And put a little kerosene in the holes put some charcoal down by roots . Got a blower fan from a old furnace and set it on fire. It burned down 2 ft that night. I left the fan going all night in 3 days it was down 3ft roots and all. The hood kept all the heat into the tree

Drill holes in stump - and tilt hood with a prop

Mule Meat · Aug 24, 2018

Emerald ash borer killed all of the Ash trees around here.

I have found that a lot of them where the beetles just ate the layer between the bark and first ring killing the trees. Most of them are still very solid and in great shape. So I have been gathering a few of the larger ones and will have them milled into lumber.

===

I would not waste the money to buy carbide chain to cut them off at the ground. No chain except maybe Carbide tipped chain will stand up to dirt for long. Our local hardware store sells Oregon chain for $1.00 per bar inch (20" bar = $20 per chain). Surprisingly it is the same chain sold that comes in Stihl, Husqvarna, Echo packaging that cost 2 to 3 times more. Only difference is, it comes with just the pitch, gauge and S number printed on a plain white box.

Stephen Newell · Aug 24, 2018

The teeth would stay sharp longer with a carbide blade but the rest of the blade and the bar would still wear out quickly from the dirt. It's very abrasive. I quit doing that when I cleared my land and left the stumps about a foot high. In about three years the stumps usually the roots rot enough I can pull them up with the tractor. If you are in a hurry a stump grinder would be best. Because of the cost I would be reluctant to buy one. I think I would rent one before I bought one. It would be one lest thing to have to store and maintain.

Destroked 450 · Aug 24, 2018

I've cut a number of stumps down to ground level, it's best to have a couple of extra chains or know how to sharpen one.
After digging out around the stump take the saw and bore into the stump a little over half way, then walk the saw around the stump with the chain cutting out, this pulls most of the trash and grit out away from the chain with less chance of dulling the chain.
If you do dull the chain pull the saw out and sharpen or replace the chain with a fresh one.

Bret4207 · Aug 25, 2018

If you want to buy a carbide chain you'd better make sure you have someone in your area that can sharpen it, and find out what they charge before you buy. And carbide doesn't handle rock or metal any better than plain steel chain.

Personally, I'd burn them out.

Jegs · Aug 25, 2018

Vermeer stump grinder, all you need. Rented one a few weeks back, son in law and I knocked 7 big stumps in about 3.5 hours. Easiest time I've ever had with stumps!

Billy NY · Aug 25, 2018

I never really seem to have much trouble doing this if I thoroughly clean around the base of the stump and make sure the bar chain does not contact soil. It's my policy to not leave any part of a stump projecting up and to cut as close to the ground as possible to avoid making a hazard I could forget about, so I've done this quite a bit over the years. You won't get them flush or recessed, but good enough to drive over as long as you dig around them. Removing the stump, that's what a stump grinder is for, or many alternate methods aside from digging them out.

I have on a rare occasion run into things embedded in the stump at that level that trashed a chain. There is always that possibility at ground level.

Dusty MI · Aug 25, 2018

Do not cut all the way across but all the way around just past the middle. the dirt will not hurt the chain much when it's being pulled out, instead of being pulled into the wood.

Dusty

tomNE · Aug 25, 2018

I burn them out with an old wheel and charcoal.

2510Paul · Aug 25, 2018

Thanks everyone for your comments. I will likely, dig around the stump to eliminate stones for both the chainsaw and stump grinder, cut off with the chain saw a couple inches above grade, and then hire a stump grinder. Paul

Geo-TH,In · Aug 26, 2018

I made a device using a 4 hp electric chainsaw so I could be standing when cutting stumps off about an inch above ground.

I have 8 spare chains, because inside some larger stumps is a vein of dirt, which dulls the chain very fast. I would sharpen chains at night.

Chain stays sharper is you use top side of bar and throw dirt and wood chips away from saw.

Better know how to sharpen chains.

D beatty · Aug 26, 2018

Saw them as close as you can and then drill stump with holes and put powdered potassium nitrate in holes and top holes off with water. The stump will be like a sponge after 4-6 weeks.

caterpillar guy · Aug 26, 2018

We cut them close maybe not quite ground level, but close enough to drive over in the woods. As for an Ash stump, most will rot the roots out around them. So they are pretty easy to tip over in a couple to a few years after they are dead. I just tip them over and cut. That way I can cut a couple of feet up from the very bottom.
For Ash it will get brittle if it is dead for to long before it is sawed for lumber. Not sure what the difference is between trees and lumber on that issue just know it will happen.

Bret4207 · Aug 26, 2018

(quoted from post at 12:57:36 08/26/18)
For Ash it will get brittle if it is dead for to long before it is sawed for lumber. Not sure what the difference is between trees and lumber on that issue just know it will happen.

That's what amounts to a form of rot. Spalted Maple is dead wood too. All depends on what you need to use it for. For firewood, as long as it's dry, it's fine. For structural bridge timbers...not so much.

Destroked 450 · Aug 26, 2018

Using the top side of the bar drags all of the dirt and trash into the stump with the chain dulling the chain that much faster.

Sawing Stumps at Ground Level

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