#3 Pulling Stumps With Snatch Block Pulleys and 42:1 Mechanical Advantage [4K 60FPS]
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- čas přidán 14. 03. 2023
- This is my third attempt at using a complex pulley system to pull hardwood stumps. Last time I broke a chain, so I got rid of them entirely.
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![#7 Pulling Stumps With Snatch Blocks By Hand! 50:1 Mechanical Advantage Needed [4K 60FPS]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/GYnrVLIxAy0/mqdefault.jpg)
Fun watch! I get fascinated with leverage video's. so cool using physics. My 5th wheel RV was tipped over in a storm and I had my first lesson in snatch blocks. It worked well and I righted my rig with the help of some old semi tires. couldn't of loaded ships and sailed the mighty seas in the 17-18th centuries without knowing this stuff.
I know! Before I found this method, I was debating buying a used excavator to dig them all out because I have so many to do. Then I saw a video where someone used two snatch blocks and I did some researching and realized they’re pretty cheap. So I decided to pull the trigger and get my setup. It has been a lot of fun and I enjoy the physics the most (I’m an engineer). I have another video uploading right now.
what type of cables are you using ?@@brainhomestead6
Reminds me of High School math class and civil service tests. Ten thousand thumbs up this is fun and educational!!!
Thanks, man I really appreciate it! I’ve done 5 now and I have a whole bunch left to do. I try to do one a week.
you have great vids. ive been pulling trees also. i use a choker on the tree that im pulling out. sling gets tight and stays there. no need for chains or notches. so far ive pulled about 30 trees that way. love having all the roots out in one go
I’ll look into that way as well. I have a bunch more to do, but hoping I can get out of the hardwoods!
Great demonstration of mechanical advantage
Thanks, I appreciate the compliment!
Nice work. I find being able to preform seemingly impossible things with simple tools is amazing. Thanks for sharing 👍..
Thanks, man! I would be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy it! The best feeling is after the stump is broken free and I can see the sheer size and mass that I just ripped out of the ground!
Nice job. Great explanation.
Thanks. I have a TON of these to do and I have to change my setup each time so far.
Hello soke it with water for two days i used a hose with a steel pipe on the end like a power jet then pushed it round the roots making it soft pushing it 3 feet into the ground waiting for water coming out then finding it soft keeping the tenson on over night then as you bring it up and out wash the dirt off keep cutting the roots with the axe comes out clean pulled out 11 stumps over a week same size
SOKE IT WET IT USE HOSE AND A STEEL PIPE PROBE IT DOWN UNDER WITH WATER COMES OUT BINGO
I was thinking about using the post hole auger on the tractor to bore down 4’ deep all around the tree and then running water into it for awhile to completely saturate the ground. My biggest problem here is sand on the top , then hard clay underneath. It’s hard to get water into the ground.
Nice work. Excellent video.
Thanks, Greg! I’m trying not to break anything!
Very nice to see someone demonstrating the wonders of rope and pulleys. It's a skill most have lost, sadly. Two things I'd recommend - get a copy of the Ashley Book of Knots because it's something every good man should have in his library, and soak the ground for a good hour or two with the garden hose before trying to pull the stumps. The water softens the ground around the stump just like in a rain storm and makes it easy to pull the stump loose. Kinda like how trees love to topple over during a rain. The wind might blow them down, but the wetted soil is what makes that easier for the wind. In your case, pulling force is the wind analog and you're just missing the wet ground.
I appreciate your words! I have been lucky and we’ve had quite a bit of rain this year so the ground is fairly wet, but definitely not soaked. I have a post hole auger for my tractor and I’ve been debating drilling holes around each stump to water them that way. I appreciate the book of knots you recommended as it’s definitely useful and part of my knowledge that is sorely lacking. I can’t tie the synthetic rope as it will compromise the integrity of it, but I have plenty of other applications. I’m going to be doing another pull this weekend.
Well, that was pretty cool! Thanks for sharing. Do more 😁
Belay my last, you did do more!
Not only did I do more, but I have another 50-60 minimum to do!
heres a tip cut a small notch where the straps are to keep them from sliding second tip take a length of 1 in pipe threaded to use a garden hose and pound it in the ground at tree run water for an hour and move and repeat so wet all around tree satuation is key stump will pull a lot easier i use my truck and a winch with 2 blocks also the taller you leave the stump the easier it is to pull have fun
Thanks, man. I’m not sure if the pipe in the ground will work well here because we’re solid red clay here in GA, not really any topsoil. What my plan is to use my post hole digger on my tractor to put a few holes around the tree and then fill it with water to see if it works. I’m also going to give it a shot to pull the trees over whole. No idea if it will work or not and I have 7 more stamps to do before I get to whole trees. I appreciate the advice.
That is a good way. When you have time. Thanks for the video
Thanks, man. I’m getting pretty quick at it now. Just got done with video #6. I enjoy it too.
That's really cool, been toying with doing this on my off grid land once I start clearing, cool to see a video of it in action. i never would have thought a strap was stronger than a chain though! I bought a bunch of random chains and snatch blocks on Princess Auto a while back, but probably need to buy more stuff, as some of the hooks don't fit into chain. It's hard to get a sense of sizes when ordering online and the descriptions are not always that great.
I’ve had good luck after getting all of my stuff. I didn’t get enough straps at the beginning, but it’s good now. The first couple take awhile to set up, but by #5, it goes much quicker.
I have a small tractor with a backhoe and have dug down about 5 feet around a red oak stump that makes that look tiny. I also have a 55hp 4wd tractor that won’t budge it. After watching your video I think with a few snatch blocks using your method I’ll be able to break it loose. Thanks for posting and explaining how it’s done.
No problem! My tractor is a 70hp, but it doesn’t need it. I can almost do it with the car. People have commented that I should soak the ground for a couple of days beforehand to make it easier, but I haven’t had to do that yet.
@@brainhomestead6 funny you said that about the water. I had a stump about the same size several years ago I couldn’t move. We got several inches of rain and it came right out. My well isn’t the best or I’d run a bunch of water in it. It does work.
@@treetopflyersofva2 I have 900’ of hoses I can use to reach the back of the property if I must, but I have a bunch more to pull on the front of the property first.
Very interesting and great demonstration of the power of the multiplication force. If a person has never tried Pushing a tree or even digging one out, I doubt they can comprehend the force required to do this.
I am glad I have the PTO stump grinder on my tractor though. The time saving on just rigging this and having to try to get the dirt off and fill the hole would be huge. You may be doing it this way for content and it would be fine for one or 2 Stumps and as a teaching exercise but If I had to do 20, the Stump grinder would be well worth it thats for sure.
Very interesting and informative Vid though . That really is some power you generated there.
Thanks for watching! I had some stumps ground down, but the roots are still below ground and they rot slowly over the years, so I get a pit where each stump is and they kick off mushrooms constantly. I’ve noticed it makes them a termite magnet as well.
"Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world." So said, Archimedes!
@@stevemitz4740 Agreed. I’m a little nervous about dropping the trees while with a fulcrum in front to pop out the roots, but I’ll start with smaller trees first.
All the “rent a backhoe” comments are made by people who rent apartments and have never paid for any type of property work whatsoever. Love the pulleys! Pulled down about 6 Siberian elms so far with a 28:1 and a 4000 lb winch.
Nice video. I like a lot to see your videos using pulleys to apply huge amounts of force to uproot stumps and save a lot of money in specialised equipment. Your ingenuity demonstrates that the average "Joe" using a bit of solid knowledge can make a lot of work. If I had a property in need of "cleaning", I would do the exact same thing you are doing. Though you are very careful during your work and you work at very low speeds, I am certain that in time you will learn more on pulley/mechanical advantage practical safety procedures. I would start by placing blankets/carpets ("energy absorbers") on top of those cables/straps/chains, just in case one snaps and hits you...And please, continue posting videos of you uprooting stumps with pulleys, the more, the better...
Very true about being careful. That is why I use synthetic rope and tow straps instead of steel cable and chains. The synthetic rope and tow straps don’t hold nearly as much energy as the others. You can see in my video #2 what happens when a chain breaks. That’s when I decided to stop using chains.
@@brainhomestead6 Thank you for your answer. My ideas drip slowly, slowly instead of torrent flow! If you have so many stumps/trees to remove, why not acquire a block and tackle of 6:1 or 8:1? If you cannot buy one ready or build one by your self, why not show the project to a fabricator? A metal block and tackle with bearings for each pulley. A block and tackle (or even a couple of them) has the big advantage of a compact design and ready to use fast.
@@caotropheus I thought about that but the problem is anchoring it. You have all that force on a single point. By using the pulleys individually, I can split the load to more places.
@@brainhomestead6 At least a couple of block and tackles 4:1? Take into consideration, compact setup and speed of work. Looking forward to see what improvements you will introduce from stump removal to stump removal and I am learning a lot from your videos
@@caotropheus I appreciate it! So far, every pull I’ve learned something. After I get done with this row of stumps, I have 2 really big ones right by the house, those will be interesting.
stump extraction might be better facilitated by saturating the ground with water overnight from a garden hose, which is left on all night, with enough water flow that it soaks in thoroughly, but not so much as to flood your yard and not so little that maximal saturation does not occur.
Thanks. I have had quite a few people recommend this as well. I guess the reason why I don’t is because the stumps have been coming out east enough without. However, I just got done doing video #6 and I have another 7 or so before I get into substantially larger trees. I think at that point I’ll definitely have to start soaking the ground first. My idea was to bore around the tree with my post digger on the tractor and fill in water that way for a day.
You stolid my idea! Except I inject water deep, using 1/2" copper tube as a injection needle, to find & follow big roots! & don't cut down tree first rig high for leverage, & cut it up when down!
@@stevemitz4740 that sounds better to me. Because our soil here is almost exclusively compacted clay, I was going to use my post-hole digger on the tractor and put 4 holes around the tree and flood the 4 holes for a day or two. I figured I would first anchor the tree in the direction I want it to go in case it falls over.
The stumps in the yard, I would cut off flat to the ground, then drill a half dozen holes in them with a 3/4" auger bit, and fill them with Epsom salt, wet it so it penetrates, top them off with salt, and stake a piece of tarp or heavy mil plastic over it....6 months later it will be rotted and dead below grade you can then dig it down with a digging bar or pick and get it out of the way to fill and lay topsoil to plant grass.
The back acreage, call a timber company or a forestry mulcher. I got quoted 3 grand to mulch 2.4 acres completely clearing everything under 2 ft diameter here in N AR.
I heard about that way with epsom salt, but I also read that it doesn’t work all the time depending on tree and weather. I didn’t want to wait 6 months just to realize it wasn’t doing anything.
As far as the back of the property, I don’t want to clear it, I just want to drop a few strategic trees, then only deal with the ones that come down during storms. I can’t find anyone to take any trees, stumps, nothing unless it’s a huge amount.
Thanks for the video! Would recommend you use a few winch dampers/blankets in case something else breaks loose.
I had a few recommend that as well, and I think that’s right. Everything I use doesn’t hold much energy, but it does hold some.
@@brainhomestead6there are quite a few YT vids - synthetic rope is pretty safe, esp compared to steel cable. Some blankets/towels almost entirely dampen any remaining energy if something should break
@@WayneWerner I got 2 new 30’ tow straps and the came in a very nice bag that I’m going to put sand in and use as a damping force.
Pretty cool. Think I’d want to girth hitch the stump and water the heck out of the ground around it. 👍🏼
I’ve been pretty lucky we’ve had a pretty wet year so far. I figure if it gets too dry, I’ll bore into the ground with an auger behind the tractor and water the heck out of it before pulling it.
1/2 a day rental on a mini excavator in our area is 68 bucks full day 125 . You get to regrade the hole sitting on a seat.
That would be nice! Here after taxes/fees, a 4 ton excavator would be $478. I wish I could just talk my wife into letting me buy a 6 ton excavator!
Great job applying mechanical advantage to pull the stump. My big question is why pull it when with about 30 minutes of work you could dig down a little and cut the stump off below ground level so as not to interfere with mowing.
I’m very skeptical about the 30 minutes of work. I tried that and there’s too many secondary roots and after doing just a few, I’d be dead for the day. I have the means to buy some equipment to make my life easier forever. I’m only 41 years old now, but I won’t be forever.
Very interesting content. Can you explain why you don't have the concern about the ropes storing energy (like a chain/cable might?). You alluded to it when talking about standing near the ropes under tension. I'm guessing this is also why you don't toss a blanket or something over the ropes when pulling (to prevent the whip if something breaks)?
The synthetic rope is called dyneema and the design materials keeps it from stretching. It’s obviously not perfect, but it only stretches something like 0.48%, so very little. Plus, I have had a strap slip off before and it just doesn’t have much recoil. I really still should be using some damping blankets to be safe.
Try to find hoist chain ,that is a must to pull Stumps . Wrap the chain around the stump 2x and no more ,this will force the chain to pull on itself. Use a tractor rim against the stump and place the chain around the rim so when you backup it acts as a pivot. It will take you several attempts to achieve this but overall time will be about 15-20 minutes.
Thanks, man! I had someone else mention this way to me recently, so I’m going to try it. I have some smaller trees I’ll just try bringing down this way so I don’t have to cut them down then remove the stump. Just pull it down and pop the roots out all in one go.
I have a question about the way to hook up the start of the line.
I see that you hook it to the stump to be pulled and I see some other people attach the first line to the anchor tree.
What is the best way to set it up
I will be clearing out about 25 trees on a lot that I will be moving into soon I live in Northern Germany
It really depends on how many pulleys you have and which direction you want to pull. If I had an odd number of pulleys and wanted to pull away from anchor tree and stump, I would hook the end of the line to the anchor tree. Since I use an even number of pulleys and I pull away from stump and anchor tree, I always start with line on stump.
The furthest north in Germany I’ve been to is Frankfurt. I usually fly into FRA and drive down to Schramberg.
I wasn’t hating on last questions another thing protect your straps from sharp edges on the notch strap is or creates an incredible amount of friction when it’s pulling
I noticed that and I wasn’t sure what to do about it, so I made sure the stump was mostly free before I put the straps in the notch to reduce the amount of tension around the edges of the notch. I think in the future after I break it free I’ll go back to chain to finish it off so the notch shouldn’t bother.
Impressive! a couple suggestions... get comfortable doing a bore cut and you can cut out a rectangle in the middle of your stump so your straps don't bunch up. you can even have a 45 degree bore cut for your strap. Also, if you're going to pull lots of stumps get a winch. I promise you will use it, saves lots of time and does lots of work. You have the beginnings of a good system and in a year's time you'll have it really worked out well. Good job, thanks for taking the time. I do lots of tree work, climbing, milling, skidding, and I learned from your post.
I appreciate it. While I was pondering the tree saver straps, I thought about that rectangle in the middle as you suggested. The winches I see only have a short duty cycle before they need to cooldown. Like run for 20 seconds, then cool down for ten minutes. I also don’t really have a vehicle to throw a winch on. I imagine I’ll have to figure out something before too long because the back of the property has much less room to run a car 100’.
Do you have a winch recommendation where it doesn’t have a short duty cycle?
@@brainhomestead6 Im not a wich expert, but as far as I know hydraulic winches have a 100% duty cycle.
But I also think they need to have a running vehicle in order to work.
@@yaykruser alright, I’ll look into that. Usually hydraulic anything is way more expensive…
@@brainhomestead6 I fear this might be no exception... There are also winches that go on the back of a tractor and use the joint shaft to power it.
But they are expensive too, unless you find a used one somewhere.
@@yaykruser I’ll definitely check this out. I would like to think I won’t need one, but I have a suspicion I will.
Watering the root ball for a day will make removing the root balls much easier. When you mount the slings close to the top of the stump, as soon as the top of the stump bends over, the tendency is for the slings to start sliding off the top.
Yeah, I’ve learned that about the slings now. I will have to start watering the root ball when I get to bigger stumps. These have been coming out relatively easily so far, but after another 6-7 stumps, I’ll be getting into much bigger ones.
I wonder what the effect would be from some water injection into the soil to reduce surface tension on the roots.
One of those Ross root feeders should make a pretty good injector.
I’ve had a few suggestions like that. As of right now, I haven’t needed to do this, but I’ll probably need to once I get into the bigger ones on the back part of the property.
I’m wondering during the time that he had to modify his set up because he couldn’t drive any further and looking at how much of the ground around the tree stump was all raised and broken….. my question is would it have been beneficial to leave the garden hose running so the water can seep down into the trees roots and fill all those air pockets with water and leave it to soak into the ground to soften it up…… or could that be counterproductive in that it might cause a suction problem?????
Great question! I personally haven’t had to do this yet and I have 6 of these videos now, but I have had quite a few people recommend I do that. I’ve been lucky enough to have the HP on the tractor that I didn’t have to do that.
However, I have another 50-60 of these to do, so I’ll run into much bigger trees in another 8 videos or so when I get to the back part of the property. I’ll probably have to start soaking the ground then.
Do you have a list of everything you used to get the stump out? Wanting to do this myself...
Yeah, if you go to my videos to the first one in this series, I did a video about everything and put links to products.
nobody got hurt 😁👍 great job
I can say this setup didn’t have nearly as much “stretching” as the last one with the chain!
Sometimes I think you should go with the great mechanical marvels of modern times
Like a stump grinder :)
I get that, but I don’t like the side effects. Anything you miss is a magnet for termites here and as the roots rot underground the dirt falls in and creates a crater. Year after year.
@@brainhomestead6 I.E. why my soak first & pull technique is best, Ya get a lot of big roots! Try it, you'll like it!
@@stevemitz4740 definitely! Going to start my next one tomorrow. I’m going to soak it overnight, make it a 50:1, and try pulling it by hand…. It’s only 6” diameter so I think it’s possible.
@@williamwallace9620 thanks! I have a buddy that burns them, but the problem I have is years after the fact because termites eat the remaining roots and then the ground sinks in. I have to dig all of the secondary roots out if I don’t pull them.
Using a small chain saw cut the stump down as close to the ground as possible. Then start doing plunge cuts to weaken what is left in the ground. Your chain will dig into the dirt and probably get worn but a new chain is not expensive. Heck the whole chainsaw is cheaper than all those pullies.
As pieces get loose and start to wiggle you can hone in on what is left holding them. Often it is a root. Continue plunge cutting and aiming towards the roots. I did several stumps this way. I was done in an hour. The chain was not that badly injured so I just cleaned it up and sharpened it and it was ready to cut again.
I am waaaaay too lazy for that! I’m sure that works, but with the number I have to do, it seems like it’s much more work.
Wrong! Leave the tree long & heavy & soak & rig hi for leverage! Not short!
Great video...! We used cutting, burning and powder; all work pretty with lots of labor. Pulling stumps from damp/wet ground, over the top of a tire and rim OR from under a tripod will be very fast with 3-4 line rigging.
Root balls will "pop" up quickly and safely. You are getting there, add the lifting leverage and your remaining problem will be burning the huge pile of stumps in the corner of the field...!
By the way -- the Army rigging manual is world classic: We used military truck winches with snatch blocks to move "dead" trucks during my three years as Maintenance Officer in the 4th Infantry Division, (Including 13 months in the Highlands of Vietnam). You've got it...! Lift those stumps while pulling and they will "jump" out of the ground for you...!
Very good to know and I appreciate the comments. I may try to find a tractor rim to see if that’s easier.
sweet. Whats the red part next to the shackle on the car at the 16:14 mark?
That part is an end that I put on that cable. When you buy synthetic rope, the manufacturer assumes you’re going to put it on a winch, so they put a metal tab on the end of the synthetic rope, but with what I’m doing, I can’t pull from this metal tab. So, I cut off the tab and got these ends. This particular one is called The Splicer from company Factor 55. They were expensive, but very robust. I had to splice them on myself, but I did a video on it if you want to see.
did you watch the video where the ball on hitch sheered off and went off like a rail gun? just a thought
No I didn’t see that. How much force was on it? If he was using a winch or something like that it’s understandable. I’m using no force multiplier on the tow ball. After doing some research I found that a tow ball with 3/4” shank has a shear force of at least 7000lbs, which is very easy to achieve with a winch or stuck vehicle. For me, at the top end, I have less than 1000lbs of force on the tow ball.
Can you tell me why you don't use pullies like crane does instead of using different holding points.
Hey Brian how many grey 3/8" synthetic ropes do you have in this configuration? It seems like you have two grey ropes
On this one, I have one rope that’s a 7:1 system, being pulled by another rope in a 3:1 system, and lastly another rope pulling a 2:1 system. So, 7x3x2 is 42:1, but that requires 3 ropes. Most stumps I’ve discovered can be done with 2 ropes in a 21:1 or 25:1 configuration.
How many liner feet of rope did you use for your set up? Not including the straps, just the rope. Sorry if I missed that comment.
I’m using 3 ropes and each length of rope says 100’, but it’s actually more like 94’. Each rope is separate right now, but in the future, I may have to splice them together if I start pulling trees down whole.
Thank you for the good video that demostrates the power of utilizing mechanical advantage. However I would highly reccomend not using the ball hitch for pulling. If the ball were to break off, it would be a very dangerous projectile.
Thanks, I have had quite a few people tell me, that but I’m not entirely convinced this could cause an issue. If I was jerking it or abusing it, I could see it potentially be dangerous to anyone standing behind, but I’ll bet the car is putting less than 1000lbs. of force on the ball. It’s a 3.5 ton hitch, which I know is different because it’s a rolling load, but you still have a high moment of impulse on the ball to overcome static friction from rest.
My ancient garage door opens and closes using an internal spring housed inside a tube, and most of it was welded together when installed. I appears to be inaccessible w/o major disassembly, using a plasma cutter and a welder. The alternative is a system of pulleys. Each panel is solid wood and weight about 125 lbs. or more, and there are 4 or 5 of them. While so far only Door #1 has failed, Door # 2 is the same age (made by James B. White & Co, installed in 1937) and is likely to fail at any time. Any suggestions, anyone?
The problem is generally is that all of the individual components likely required to fix it would equal the cost of a new door. You could potentially use some 1/2” and some pulleys to move it manually.
Great video but strongly recommend getting a designated hitch accessory for a shackle instead of a ball hitch
I’ve had quite a few people in all of my videos mention that. I’ve started just pulling straight with my tractor on video #6 and I’m only going to do that now.
If all you have is a ball hitch, at least remove the ball and attach directly. Too much lateral force for that ball.
Curious on how much $ you spent for all the pulleys and straps.
All of the pulleys, straps, ropes, shackles was $1100 altogether.
At the 6:48 minute mark, you should double wrap the straps around the stumps to create a tightening cinch knot. As well, why didn’t you cut the notch in the stump? You knew you would need it based on the first experience. Really enjoy the videos. Thnx for sharing. Be safe.
As I’ve made more videos I’ve gotten good at wrapping the straps and I’m doing another video now. I didn’t cut in a notch because I was initially worried about compromising the trunk and it breaking if I removed wood out of the notch. I know better now.
I'm not sure, but maybe a burm around the stump and saturate the ground with water. Every time I lost trees, it was in extremely wet ground and high winds
Here it’s a little different because we barely get any wind. I’m definitely going to try the water trick to help out in the future!
Better watch out I’ve see those pairs snap link telephone poles, Archimedes Would be proud of you. Nice job.
Thanks, man! I try to split the load as much as possible.
Check-out the Fecon stump grinder if you have a lot of tree stumps & the tractor to hold it.
Way too expensive for a hobbyist. I looked at them and they’re all hydraulic anyway and my little 70A doesn’t have enough hydraulic pump to run one. I would have to get a PTO grinder and they’re still too expensive and only go down like 10” below the surface which would leave a TON of roots.
That’s impressive.
Thanks, man! I just posted video #6 and I have a bunch more to do.
Hello , the pulleys have barrings or not ?
Yeah these do and they have grease fittings so they should last for awhile.
As I sit here listening to you explain your digging and being in the tree industry for over 30yrs with some mechanical knowledge mixed in, before you even start pulling I can see as soon as the stumps start to lean over the slung/basketed straps are going go pull off the tops of the stumps. Even tho of lose strength setting them up as choked at least they will hang on and bite to the stumps
Yeah, I’m having issues with that. I just got done recording video #6 and I couldn’t do it this time because I didn’t have enough slack. Predictable results.
@@brainhomestead6 once you get them tipped over back your tractor in as tight to the stump as you can and choke the top of the stump and it’ll pull out. Make sure to pull off the drawbar of the tractor because you’ll have way more pulling power off the drawbar then the front end.
My father used to tell me when you’re hooking up to a load, you hook a 100 lb bag of grain to a 100’ rope and a horse will pull it but they’ll work a lot harder then hooked up short and that horse will pull it around all day and never know it’s on the back. Always keep this in mind hook up as close as you can to the load.go get yourself a clevis for the drawbar and then set a clove hitch using a 3/8” grade 7 (gold coloured) chain. Always buy your chain with a running hook in one end and a grab hook on the other and learn how to pull “into” the grab hook and also how to make a “running or slip” loop by using the grab hook end when pulling. You’ll have those stumps out in no time once they’re tipped over
@@FYMM69 I appreciate the knowledge. I had some problems today with recording for video #6. I’m still a little gun shy with the chain since I broke one in video #2. I had to use one today though. I’m going to have to get good with them because the straps are nice, but don’t do everything.
@@brainhomestead6 either slip and old tire through the chain or even better just drape an old coat or coveralls on top of the chain and that will stop it from jumping if it does happen to snap but you won’t break that gold 3/8” chain with that tractor. If you can get some side pull on the stumps once you have the backsides broke free, you’ll find they’ll come out a lot easier vs continuing to pull in the same direction
@@FYMM69 I just discovered that yesterday when doing video #6 that I’ll post later this week!
What is the length of the rope with the 6 snatch blocks? What are the lengths of the other 2 ropes?
I use only 100’ long ropes. If I could find longer ropes that didn’t cost a fortune, I would use those also. On a 21:1 system, if I pulled the last rope 100’ it wouldn’t even move the stump 5 five feet. In a 21:1 system, I would have to pull 21 feet of rope, just to get the stump to move 1’ and realistically less because the rope and straps stretch as they’re being put under tension.
it's amazaing how fast you reply! Thank you. This weekend i plan to do my 1st pull base on watchig your video! Previously we been usinf a back hoe to dig everythig out and it's been taking way to long. I'm clearing sone woods to create deer plots.
@@JoeCroghan very nice for the deer plots. I’m assuming that I’ll have to rent a backhoe at some point to get really big stumps out, but it’s been pretty smooth sailing so far.
Are you going to plant some fruit trees and clover for your deer plots?
yes.... on other questions.....i bought some 3/8 synthetic rope but one end di dno have a hook......what woudld you attach?
@@JoeCroghan I use the Splicer from Factor 55 company. I did a stump removal preparation video where I showed how to splice on the end.
www.factor55.com/p-the-splicer
Are you concerned about over stressing the first anchor tree? That looks to have 6/7ths of the force coming off it????
You’re correct about the force it sees and I have been worried about some of my anchor trees before because they were smaller than the stump I was pulling. Fortunately, if I put the tow straps right at the bottom it seems to work really well and I’ve never had any issues with smaller anchor trees. I do keep an eye on them when I’m pulling though!
when you are start notch your stump 8to10" from the top, put your 1st strap on like you did below the notch, put the second strap around the stump two times with the strap in the notch.
Alright, that makes sense so the first strap catches the second one.
Their is no links in the description to the snatch blocks & pulleys
I just checked that video and all of the links in the description are still showing me that they’re in there.
What black rope are you using ?
It’s a 3/8” diameter synthetic winch cable.
Why dont you soak the ground or do this after a healthy amount of rain?
I usually do it after a good rain but not really needed with these as the tractor is way overkill and pulls very easily. I have some big hardwoods I need to pull in the future, those I may have to soak.
@@brainhomestead6 what is the total cost of the rigging?
@@veno8mm for everything about $1100. I put links to everything in the description to my video about stump pulling preparation.
Would love a force gauge at different points to see the forces at play. I know those are expensive. Maybe your channel will take off.
That would be great! I already looked at force meters and it would be something like $4k, which is way too much for me. But if the channel takes off, that’s the second item on the list behind GoPro’s.
Dis is amazing
Thanks man, I like doing it too!
Cool video. What's the rationale of pulling the stumps instead of using a grinder? Just curious
Edit: nvm I see your response to this question in another comment.
Great question! I had some grinded two years ago and at first it was ok, but not now. Grinding stumps leaves a decent amount of the stump and roots below ground level, but all that wood turns into a hotel for termites, I found colonies in them last year. All that rotting wood causes tons of mushrooms to grow there where it used to be and as it rots underground and decays, it leaves a sinking crater. Every year I have to go out dig up where the stump/roots are to remove rotting wood and get more dirt to fill in the new crater that the rotting wood created. It’s way more work in the long run.
@@brainhomestead6 we don't have termites in upstate NY- never heard of that before. Interesting
@@chrisE815 I’m from Iowa and I never heard of that either until I dug up one of those grinded stumps that was sinking in and discovered tens of thousands in it. All of the ten or so I dug up were packed with termites.
Love it !
Always amazes me how big the rootballs are😮
Plus nothing broke this time.
If you have a big wooden plank you can try putting it between the top of the stump and the ground so it doesnt dig itself in again - had that problem too..
That’s a great idea, I’m definitely going to do that next time! Is normal Pine enough or should I look for a hardwood?
@@brainhomestead6 Honestly I dont know , I used a softwood back then and that did the job for me but I guess that really depends on the size and thickness of the plank.
@@yaykruser well, I’ll do some experimenting then. I appreciate the suggestion!
@@brainhomestead6worst case you could make a slege - a few pine boards laminated with another one on top should handle all the abuse. And of course couple that with the choker and you should be able to rip 'em out no problem
@@WayneWerner I’m doing another pull tomorrow and it’s a little different because I’m going to use one stump to pull another and I’m not sure which one will go first.
My stump pull method is to inject water from a 6' X 1/2" copper tube & water hose a few days before, tracing & soaking the roots down, [& rigging high on the subject & low on the other,] than you'er pulling the tree out of the mud, instead of hard dirt! & getting a lot of big roots out! I think if you soaked long enough, you could pull it down with a VW bug?
Oh I’m going to try for sure. I have 7 more stumps to do then I’m going to try this and pull trees over without cutting them down first.
Meanwhile, the neighbor rents a medium sized backhoe and digs out all the stumps in one day or less.
Backhoe would be faster, but on my property, I would need to rent one multiple times per year for trees coming down in the back woods. Believe it or not, this is the fastest/cheapest option in the long run.
Arborist in a previous life ... I confirm ,you`re right at 23;51 about the lines , static ropes are for rappelling , cave exploring winching and hauling because they have less tant 3% of alongation so less prone to snap and causing death or injures. To the opposed , you have dynamic ropes used for budgee jump , ice /rock climbing applications more than 5 % allongation required to absort the shock load, fall factor 1 and more.
This winch rope is supposed to be 0.48% “stretch” or less. I love the persons after I get it set up the most.
What kind of rope is that?
It’s a 3/8” synthetic winch rope. I use 100’ long ropes and splice a different end on the winch side. Has a minimum break strength of 23,000lbs.
Next level below hydraulics but without the heavy mass and complexity. One must engineer each pull and risk management.
What do you mean?
@@brainhomestead6 Heavy equip. always with hydraulic to get big torq ratio, your doing it the hard way. I have tiny pulleys and lines inside to activate home power switches.
Cable transport over terrain cool.
@@davegeorge7094 the problem is getting hydraulic equipment. Too expensive for a hobbyist.
Nice work!! 👍 I was worried for your fence... 😉
If I may suggest... don't pull from your trailer ball. That is a failure point, it wasn't designed to be used in that way.
Granted..your blocks and tackle reduced the stress seen at that point....SIGNIFICANTLY 😁...
You can get a recovery hitch and shackle pretty cheap, and they are much safer. 🙂👍
I have never heard of them before, but a few people brought that up to me, so I’m going to look into getting one.
Not a bad idea but there is no way a car on dirt /grass is going to pull with enough force to come close to the limit of a trailer ball. They are designed to withstand way more force than a truck could pull on pavement.
@@mrbmp09 I hadn’t checked pulling force yet. My vehicle is an AWD, so when I spun the wheels, it was all 4 wheels!
Even an awd on dirt/ grass can only pull less than the weight of the vehicle. Maybe 4000 lbs?
Probably a lot less like 2000 lb.
You were probably giving it very little gas when it started spinning?
I have several 6" stumps that need pulling but a mid sized 2wd tractor won't budge them.
Thanks to you I have to go to harbor freight now ;).
@@mrbmp09 Glad I could help talking you into getting more tools!
Two things:
First and foremost thank you for mentioning backing off the pin on the shackle ! In many You Tube uses of shackles like off road vehicle recoveries and tow trucks almost nobody backs the shackle off and it drives me a little nuts. I think in mopst of those cases they dont have a problem because they are nowhere near the shackles working limits. But after years of rigging things as a millwright it pains me to see a shackle tightened up snug then used.
2nd, If you have a portable high pressure washer and a turbo tip (rotary nozzle for hp washers that spins a narrow stream spray in a cone shape, 10-15 bucks on amazon for one that works well enough but wont last forever to many hundreds of dollars for professional a sewer line root cutting one) you can dig ten or a dozen holes around the root ball the day before and it will be a lot easier to pull. A small electric made in china pressure washer and a turbo tip can cut a 3 inch diameter hole 3 or 4 feet deep in under 2 minutes The drawbacks are it makes it a little muddy in the rootball area and it will settle mud in the hole which will require a little more fill dirt when you fill the hole the stump left. Also it can make pulling stumps possible if you live someplace where it doesnt rain for a month or two at a time.
Very good information! I haven’t come across a stump that difficult yet, but I just got done recording episode 6, episode 7 won’t be bad, but 8 and 9 are going to be exceptionally large trees, so I very well may have to do what you’re suggesting. I’ll see in a week or two when the time gets closer.
Thanks!
That’s awesome, man! This is the first one I’ve ever gotten!
Someone else might have already mentioned this in the comments. If you take those longer slings and do a full wrap and a basket, you will not need to make those notches in the stump. Your slings will stay on there and still maintain the same strength.
Not sure if you are aware, those slings usually have ratings for three different configurations. Stretched end to end, they have one rating (Breaking Strength). If you choke it onto what you are pulling/lifting, you lose about one third of the strength. If you put it in a basket, like you had around that stump, you basically double the strength of the sling. With a full wrap (540 degree turn)and a basket you still have double the strength and it will not slip off the top.
Will, see if you changed that in the later videos, watching them in order.
Some have changed, but I’m still having them slip off. Either I’m doing it wrong, or I need to switch to chains instead.
@@brainhomestead6 choking the sling onto the stump is the best way to keep it from slipping, though like I said earlier, you lose about a third of the strength of doing a strait pull. It is still stronger than those chains. So it would be best to use two slings choked for each attachment point. Most lifting slings have a chart on the safety tag, showing the breaking strength in each of those three configurations.
@@brainhomestead6 found a short video that explains a strait pull, a choker hitch and a basket hitch used with slings.
czcams.com/video/0zMHu4jPunA/video.html
@@brainhomestead6 If you do decide to use a choker hitch on the stump, I would recommend choking it through a shackle, with the pin of the shackle on the eye. That will put less wear on the sling eye (Nylon on nylon)
@@dennisseverns4014 I have plenty of shackles to do that. I have six stumps left to do, then I’m going to try pulling down the trees while and using a fulcrum to pop the roots out at the same time.
Gotta admit I never thought it would be that difficult with the ratio setup you had.
The problem was more caused by me. I just got done making video #6, and it’s going smoother now. Well, less self-inflicted problems anyway.
It looks like on the 7:1 section, when using 2 snatch blocks connected to one shackle and one tree saver, that you are overloading the shackle in the tree saver.
You’re right. I tried using one shackle per pulley, but I didn’t have enough. Since this video, I bought 4 more, so I should be able to split them out better now.
@@brainhomestead6 looks like the shackle needs to be 1 1/4" or larger.
@@ericstocker6902 but they’re 54,000lb shackles. I would break the tree savers, rope, and pulleys before I broke the shackles.
@@brainhomestead6 54K is breaking ,look at working limits.
@@ericstocker6902 oh but I like living on the edge!
Awesome!
More coming.
Why did you put factor 55 winch stops on the ends instead of just splicing a eye and use bow shackles lots of factor 55 ends there or should I say money and soft shackles and aluminum pulleys plus everything is a lot lighter
I’m just wondering that’s all winch snatch rings is actual name with soft shackles if ya had a soft shackle you could choke stumps
I’m new to this so part of the reason for it is that I don’t know what I don’t know. I wanted to have a solid end because I was afraid at this tension a soft shackle or plain eyelet wouldn’t be strong enough and would cause same. Since I have so many stumps to do, I want to make sure I’m not wearing anything out. That’s another reason for the snatch blocks I’m using, they have grease fittings and are rated higher weight than the aluminum ones I could find.
Archimedes has entered the chat
Doing it this way because it helps me be lazy!
The principles behind what you’re doing with regards to mechanical advantage are admirable but the time taken to setup, snatch, de-rig, remove soil from the stump, transport the stump away, cut or remove the broken roots then reposition and rig for the next one must have taken an inordinate amount of time plus the fuel for vehicles. Did you not consider getting a stump grinder service in? Maybe £50/stump (less for your quantity and it would be done in a day including the raking level…??
I did that before but I ran into significant problems with stump grinding. I live in the southern USA and if any portion of the stump is missed, it gets turned into a termite colony underground. It’s also $200 per stump where I’m at. Also, the remnants rot underground over the next years so every spring I have to go dig up where the stumps were because as the leftover roots rot in the ground, the ground collapses. I have to dig out the rot, fill in with dirt and wait to see where the next spot is the following year. Grinding stumps here adds way more work in the long run.
I would actually be afraid to stand anywhere near that rig. Scary amount of tension.
It’s not too bad with the synthetic rope. The synthetic rope doesn’t hold much energy. It is a lot of tension though.
Do you own a pulley company or something? I can't dispute your method works, but it would probably be cheaper to just rent a backhoe and dig them all out. I know for certain as a heavy equipment operator it's definitely easier to run the backhoe than figure out how to hook up that many snatch blocks. So my main question is why the snatch blocks and not the stump grinder or backhoe?
Good question. I have trees that come down regularly a few times per year on my property. If I leave the stumps, they turn into termite hotel. If I rented a 6 ton excavator in my area, it’s $500 every time, so I’d have to do that multiple times per year, every year. This equipment in total cost $1100 so not to bad, plus I own it in the future. I had some stumps ground two years ago professionally and it was a big mistake. It leaves too many roots in the ground which again turn into termite hotels, plus the remaining roots rot underground and decompose leading to the ground sinking where they used to be and I have to dig up the decaying roots every year. This is the best way for me, but if I could talk the wife into letting me get a $25k excavator, I would definitely do that!
@@brainhomestead6 I doubt the wife would ever let you buy one, but why not just take out all the trees that are dieing at once? I have a similar issue with cedar trees and some blite that killed em all here. I ended up removing every cedar tree on my property (little over 10 acres) because they all had it. I actually used an old case backhoe (30+ years old) but it had no issues digging them all up roots and all, and with a couple chains it made easy work of moving them. That said I found the snatch block method you use entertaining, I was just curious why you didn't use a backhoe. I'm not very good with snatch blocks, and pullies in general so actually I was studying your design a bit so I can hopefully set up some to lift up the front of tractors and stuff like that when I work on them, because I also repair equipment especially my own. (They are a lot cheaper if you can find one with something you know you can fix yourself wrong with it.)
@@Megellin I’m in Georgia and I almost fully have pines on the back of the property. There’s nothing wrong with them generally, they just break during heavy winds sometimes. I just wanted to have equipment so a few times per year when they come down, I don’t have to rent equipment. I appreciate you watching.
There is nothing wrong with using chains, if you break anything in a setup then you set it up wrong.
Chains have a couple of advantages over other gear.
1: The are far more forgiving in abrasive environments or where there are hard or sharp edges.
2: When a chain breaks it usually just goes dead. Any time a chain whips it's because there is energy stored elsewhere that is being released.
3: When chain has been overloaded it shows up quite clearly on inspection. (the links tend to closeup and bind)
One thing chains will not tolerate is shock loads.
I understand that with chains, but they do stretch and store some energy. I think my problem was more the grade of chains I’m using. They are probably a softer alloy that caused the stretching before the breaking.
Bad advice again. The gift that just keeps on giving!
If it wasn't so close to the fence, I would just start a fire in that pit to burn those roots. After multiple long fires the majority of it would be gone.
My buddy does it that way too, but it just leaves way too much material underground still. If this wasn’t in my yard it wouldn’t be too bad.
I’ve dug a lot of big stumps out in my life , this I have to see , lol.
Oh, just wait. I did video #6 last week and I have 7 more normal ones to do, then I’ll be on the back part of the property getting some really big ones! I’m also going to attempt to put a log at the base of a tree, go up 30 feet and pull the tree over whole with this setup and as it falls, the log I put near the base should act as a fulcrum and pop out the stump/roots at the same time.
@@brainhomestead6 can’t wait 👍
Have you considered using dynamite?
LOL, that would be great, but I need to wait until I get to the trees away from the house!
Might be interesting to add a line scale/ load cell at the car, tractor, etc. just to see what kind of force you're really dealing with. 🤔
I was thinking that too, I may have to figure something out in that regard. Right now I just have my guesses and conjecture, would be nice to really have it locked in.
@@brainhomestead6 on the subject of books again, look into getting the US Army technical manual named "Rigging" tons of great stuff that may be helpful to you.
@@ericbrack4546 sounds good, I appreciate it!
could have saved lots of time and been a LOT safer by doing some simple things. Use line dampeners for failures. Just because the line has little to no stretch doesn't mean you can't have a failure resulting in a pulley coming at you at 200 mph.Leave the stumps taller for lever mechanical advantage. Always basket configuration on the straps, never choker. Always notch the stump for your straps. Wrap the strap around the stump twice but make sure you have exactly the same length to the shackle. This is called a double wrap basket hitch. Rent a backhoe attachment for a day and cut those roots. This would have reduced your rope,pullies and straps needed by 75% and would have paid for the backhoe rental. You would be done in 1 day. Unless the main goal here is to make youtube videos and get paid. Then you did great!
I appreciate your comments, but I don’t get paid anything for CZcams videos. I can agree with most of your criticisms with the exception of the backhoe. A backhoe rental two times pays for the entirety of the rigging equipment. I have a large enough property that I would need to rent one a couple of times per year in order to remove fallen tree stumps. This is the cheapest way for me.
I think a small excavator would be a lot faster, easier and safer.
It would be all 3! However, they are either $30k to buy, or $700 for a weekend and every time a tree comes down on my property I’d have to rent one again. It also destroys my lawn even more. I would LOVE to have a small excavator though!
But way less funn tho...
@@technolefty I don’t know, I do love running an excavator though. This equipment is actually relatively cheap to get.
No one has time for that.
Remember, safety 3rd.
@@mikeworkman3593 safety….? Nope, never heard of it.
Why not use the two straps in choker configuration? So they dont fly off & kill somebody
Great question. Im still learning and getting this figured out. I did video #6 last week and that one I wasn’t able to because I didn’t have enough extra strap. But after I got the stump to lean, I had enough to do a wrap. Unfortunately, the notch I had it in broke and the strap still flew off.
@Brain Homestead ive done alot of crane rigging. The rigger in me was just screaming "choke it, choke it" the nice thing about it is. the harder you pull, the harder it grabs
@@justincannon9365 I still have another 7 stumps to pull before I start dropping more trees, then whipping out the stumps. I’m going to try to pull the tree down in one shot and pop the roots out at the same time by using logs as a fulcrum.
@Brain Homestead i think it will work great! I dont know why most people seem to have forgotten about the block & tackle, good on you for showing the world how to easily pull trees over with the family sedan! I think its awsome.
@@justincannon9365 thanks man, I really appreciate it. I enjoy doing it and it may be a waste of time, but I enjoy the physics of it.
I'm thinking the cost of the rigging would = the cost of a stump grinder.
I think it depends on the stump grinder. I have about $1100 in all of the equipment. I had some stumps ground two years ago and I’ll never do it again. They remnants rot and cause a crater, they also turn in to termite motels underground.
@@brainhomestead6 Would you be able to post links to where you bought your rigging?
I bought everything except the winch cable ends from Amazon. If you go to my video where the thumbnail picture where everything is laid out, I put the links to everything in the description of the video.
Suggestion: soak the ground thoroughly for a couple of days+ before the pull.
I’ve had a few people suggest that. I just got done with video #6 last week and I haven’t ran into the problem of not being able to pull a stump where I thought it necessary to soak the ground first. HOWEVER, I know that day is coming where I’ll have to. I think my upcoming videos #8-14 might start requiring soaking the ground first. My entire property is on an hill, so I will probably use my PTO auger to bore holes around the stump first and water those holes down to 4’ deep. After video #13, I’m going to attempt to pull down trees whole instead of cutting them down first.
These stumps look like toothpicks compared to the ones I was thinking of pulling out. I wont even bother trying.
I don’t know what kind of setup you have or were thinking about getting, but it has more to do with root structure and whether it’s a hardwood or softwood. You can also soak the ground in water overnight and cut some of the surface roots first to help make it easier. I have more than enough tractor for all of my stumps I’ve pulled so far so I haven’t had to do those other things.
This looks like fun but why not just cut them off and grind the stumps?
Grinding the stumps is $200 apiece and I have 50-100 of them on my property. A stump grinder to buy is $3k minimum and that one just goes down 8” below the surface. Then all of the remnants underground continuously kick off mushrooms and as it rots underground the soil sinks in and leaves a pit. Best to just remove them.
Never been so thankful for a mute button and 2x speed-good grief.
LOL, it’s not that bad!
Save a big round piece of a larger tree trunk to use as a roller so the stump can't hit the ground.
Good idea! I have plenty of that now! I’ll do it on the next one.
I sure you know but if you remove the easy dirt around the stump you drastically reduce the power needed or when you dont cut the tree the weight of tge tree will help you
I figured that but so far with my equipment I don’t have to worry about that. I have some stump removals coming up that I will probably have to do that.
His wife saw the yard and now he’s buried under that stump
LOL, actually she couldn’t care less about the yard! It does make me cry when I see it now. I did video #6 last week and the yard is in way worse shape now.
Any material can break. It's just a matter of the manufactured design ratings. Maybe this guy was just going beyond what that particular chain is capable of.
Yeah, I noticed that chains have a relatively low breaking strength. I prefer the synthetic ropes much more.
You said you have possibly over 150 of these to do?....
You should find some way to shield yourself from the rope. At some point, it can snap.... You know what a whip can do. Now imagine that at 100's of times of force. It WILL slice you in half. Unfortunately, many tow truck drivers find this out every year. DO NOT go by "supposed to be" when reference to the stored energy in the rope. Otherwise, good luck. I'll stick to digging them out (septic field I've got to clear). Thanks for the video tho....
I’m not terribly worried about this synthetic rope, if it does whip off it’s very light, so much lower momentum than steel or aluminum cable.
How about a chainsaw and a shovel? Cool, but slow. Thanks for sharing
It was really slow the first time, but I just did video #6 and my setup time is much faster than it was when I started.
No idea what I just watched. 7:1, 21:1, straps, shackles, trees, other stuff to do, went to Germany, magic, March 14th,
So many options!