Home made stump grinder

[Screwdriver]

I have a Stihl FS120 brush cutter, strimmer and a bit of old chainsaw chain.

Thinking of using half a dozen chainsaw sprockets, built into a drum, wrapped with a few links of chainsaw chain, bolt it to the strimmer head and see what happens.

Seen a very similar design and looks easy enough to do. I have an awkward stump right next to a concrete feature I don't want to disturb. The stump is a relatively newly cut 5" diameter sycamore but with a cluster of roots. May have a picture of the site somewhere.

Anyone have any thoughts on how err, useable such a thing might be?

S.

 

[octo0072000]

chain saw straight down stump make a cross fill with old battery acid year or two should just pull out

 

[brightspark]

I have a Stihl FS120 brush cutter, strimmer and a bit of old chainsaw chain.

Thinking of using half a dozen chainsaw sprockets, built into a drum, wrapped with a few links of chainsaw chain, bolt it to the strimmer head and see what happens.

Seen a very similar design and looks easy enough to do. I have an awkward stump right next to a concrete feature I don't want to disturb. The stump is a relatively newly cut 5" diameter sycamore but with a cluster of roots. May have a picture of the site somewhere.

Anyone have any thoughts on how err, useable such a thing might be?

S.

wont last 5 minutes not powerfull enough will jump all over no weight and the chain will knack once it touches the soil

 

[Maker]

Overlooking Brightspark's points which would cause an issue first, I wouldn't have thought the strimmer head has the bearings to withstand the kind of radial load that would create.

 

[roofman]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Petrol-stump-grinder-1-day-hire-only-/262607358047

 

[slim_boy_fat]

Anyone have any thoughts on how err, useable such a thing might be?

Nurse!!!

 

[brightspark]

I have about 9 stumps to remove a mates coming round with a jcb and will rip em out no probs

 

[Nick67GT]

5" stump? Should be easy to dig out in an hour or so, even being careful with the adjacent concrete feature....

I had a row of about 23 conifers cut down, the biggest being about 12" diameter - root system was something to believe.

The first one took me over 2 hours, but by the time I'd done half a dozen, I could confidently take one out in about 45 minutes. The trick is to dig around and cut off as many of the peripheral roots as possible and gradually work your way underneath the stump to the tap root. Keep levering and raking out soil with a decent crow bar and you'll be surprised how easily it eventually comes out.

The cheapest quote I got to do the job was £40 a stump - saved me a fortune and gave me a good workout in the process!

 

[WorkshopChris]

Was you thinking something like this:-
https://www.machinemart.co.uk/p/14-...GS-060521418&gclid=CK6EwpnhlM8CFWIq0wodhkgDUg

You might getaway with one without the trimmer destroying its self.
But i recon more than 1 disk and its going to be a pig at low revs and shake its self to bits when running at working speed.
Shouldn't take to long to munch out with 1 should be able to get close to the concrete and still have some control.

 

[Screwdriver]

Cut and paste form another forum....

Next on the list is a spot outside for forging, heat treating and hopefully smelting. I want to progress towards at least producing aluminium ingots/machine stock. Maybe even brass. In the longer term, casting.
So a little corner of the existing shed there's a strange sunken bath. I don't know what it was used for but I wouldn't be surprised to find the odd scrap of tooth down there iyswim :wtf:

It's kinda spooky down there and it doesn't hold water...

My first job is to dig out the offending roots. There was a huge tree out there only yesterday which towered over the remaining part (which has a birds nest in it so is going to stay where it is). So I grab my grubbing mattock and er...

Well that won't do at all!
Clean

Sharp

Stake

BLO

Right. Where were we. Oh yeah. Roots...
Wish me luck.



As you can see, I did get a bit distracted. Since then the old stump has been ring barked to stop any shoots but you can see the problem. I have chopped though most if not all the surface roots and I'm hoping to chop down the other shared trees (if they don't just die).

Destroyed a chain just doing that so am hoping to come up with a powered solution. I also grabbed a couple of dozen triangular carbide inserts for this purpose. I can frame the free end of the strimmer shaft so it can have an outboard bearing and can add weight as required. I can also spend as much time as I like doing it. There's no rush....
S.

 

[rory1]

Hold my beer whilst I fire this home made long armed chain mangler up.......

 

[8ob]

5" stump? Should be easy to dig out in an hour or so, even being careful with the adjacent concrete feature....

I had a row of about 23 conifers cut down, the biggest being about 12" diameter -

The cheapest quote I got to do the job was £40 a stump - saved me a fortune and gave me a good workout in the process!

Its a shame you are not closer I could have sent one of the lads down with our grinder, about 60 seconds a stump I reckon. £40 each?? WTF

 

[Screwdriver]

There are some awesome machines on display there. My favourite has to be some Dutch(?) version: basically a gigantic corkscrew powered by an equally gigantic hydraulic system. I'll see if I can find the video.

Bit like this one:

 

[Crater Creator]

Like was said earlier, touch soil and your chains are toast. Carbide would last longer but I just don't see you can exert enough force on the thing to make it work - even a little bit.
It sounds lethal to be honest.....

 

[Crater Creator]

Its a shame you are not closer I could have sent one of the lads down with our grinder, about 60 seconds a stump I reckon. £40 each?? WTF

Now THAT.....
I'm pretty sure that WILL work - only if the strimmer idea fails of course.

 

[slim_boy_fat]

Was you thinking something like this:-
https://www.machinemart.co.uk/p/14-...GS-060521418&gclid=CK6EwpnhlM8CFWIq0wodhkgDUg

You might getaway with one without the trimmer destroying its self.
But i recon more than 1 disk and its going to be a pig at low revs and shake its self to bits when running at working speed.
Shouldn't take to long to munch out with 1 should be able to get close to the concrete and still have some control.

but with a cluster of roots.

And therein lies the potential for an A&E visit, if it catches a stone or even pebble. I had the Oz equivalent which was a solid disc and I brought back after a holiday there with the intention of shaping wood [which is what they were originally developed for] and it would eat your house given the slightest chance . Let it to someone and never saw it again, he pulled the old "I don't remember ever getting that from you" .

 

[brightspark]

I bet u wouldn't bring your machine out for less than 40 quid to taker a tree stump out no way

 

[Screwdriver]

Like was said earlier, touch soil and your chains are toast. Carbide would last longer but I just don't see you can exert enough force on the thing to make it work - even a little bit.
It sounds lethal to be honest.....

Well ordinarily, the damage is caused to the linkages as dirt grinds its way in. I appreciate dirt and stones dulls the cutting edge too but with the chain fixed on the sprocket, wear to the linkage is a moot point.

I'm liking the chain on a grinder thing, maybe I could make one of those as a test. I'd want a much more robust guard on it though, looks like it would kick back at every opportunity.

 

[Screwdriver]

I bet u wouldn't bring your machine out for less than 40 quid to taker a tree stump out no way

Wouldn't fit down my alley either....

 

[Crater Creator]

Well ordinarily, the damage is caused to the linkages as dirt grinds its way in. I appreciate dirt and stones dulls the cutting edge too but with the chain fixed on the sprocket, wear to the linkage is a moot point.

I'm liking the chain on a grinder thing, maybe I could make one of those as a test. I'd want a much more robust guard on it though, looks like it would kick back at every opportunity.

In my experience it's not the linkages - it's the cutting edge. Small stones or even soil almost instantly dulls the chain teeth and it needs resharpening. I have done it too many times and kick myself every time for not clearing the stump better.