Stump Removal: Holistic Approach

[@felixsantana8043]

Damn, this guy means business. Until the end of the video I was doubting he was actually going to put the tree down. Excellent technique, thanks for sharing.

[@terryhale9006]

Thanks, Felix.

[@Sal214OC]

😂😂😂

[@rendesvouxx]

Thanks for sharing Terry, people like you make this world a better place.

[@CornishMiner]

Nice steady work. The gleam on those axe edges shows a man who knows how to sharpen a blade. Excellent video.

[@bigbattenberg]

this is one of my favourite YT channels ever. I'm a mechanical engineer (small DC drives). It goes to show that no matter what line of work you're in, the decisive advantage is using your brain. Your series on wood splitting are the best.

[@terryhale9006]

+bigbattenberg Thanks B. Time and motion studies: give a new process to the laziest employee you've got and he will find the most efficient way to do it.

[@dougbourdo2589]

Very impressed at your tenacity given your comment on having a pacemaker. Well Done Sir. I was taught this method as a very young man and it is a LOT of work. Great end result though.

[@johnjackson9767]

"Stump removal" *Tears down an entire tree* Great vid!

[@honeycat535]

i would rate this as a top satisfying video because it demonstaretes how to PROPERLY do what the title says, this man does all of the very hard work to remove the tree stump throughly. Great job!

[@terryhale9006]

Thanks, Diana! To be completely truthful, though, there was a Lot of subsequent work dismantling the extracted stump for final disposal.

[@honeycat535]

@@terryhale9006 i wish you lived near me! i had trees (small ones, fir types) "removed" before i moved into my new own home last october - removal consisted of series of stumps left in front and back garden, i was stumped when i saw them, the guy merely said..."they will be lovely when the ivy grows over them" , he charged me a fortune and left them there! i was hoping to have a nice wraparound porch but no way thats happening until these stumps and roots are removed as carefully and properly as you do. i even prefer your video to those "satisfaction" videos like oozing caramel and things like that! haahaa. God Bless Your Hands,youre a great worker.

[@paddygorman73]

Hi Terry I think your videos are very informative and easy to interpret your a very knowledgeable man and it's good that you share this knowledge I enjoy your videos and look forward to seeing a few more All the best Paddy

[@terryhale9006]

Thanks much Paddy! I am actually working on an eight part series on felling trees from an engineer's perspective. It won't have much of value for experienced fellers, but I'm hoping newbies will find it before they make some serious, but easily avoidable errors. Probably won't be able to finish the series and post it 'til April. Thanks again, Terry

[@Vfh........y]

You are one tough dude, and smart too!

[@terryhale9006]

Trees tremble when I walk by. Need to lose some weight.

[@mrbob55304]

Ditto. You are a treasure. With a pacemaker.... Please, take care of yourself!

[@steveeaton9126]

Terry Hale At 130#, I take them by surprise.

[@soldtobediers]

This segment brought strong to mind a quote from Henry David Thoreau... ''For every ten people you find clipping at the leaves of evil, you're lucky to find one who's hacking at the roots.'' 122817

[@9hawksway]

Methodically simple requiring patience and stamina. Very well done!

[@maddeusdoggeus1]

Mr. Hale Thank You so much for taking the Time to Make such Great Videos and Passing Your Knowledge on to Others. I wish you all the best from down here in FL. Travis.

[@knottreel]

Most informative video I've found on this subject, removing a stump without relying on power tools. Thanks

[@marekzalewski8447]

Thank you for your most excellent videos. They are truly helpful in the detailed, inteligent and authoritative advice they provide us novices with. I also find them refreshing in that they are free of the machismo that fogs so many other videos on the same subjects. Stay safe and well

[@afternoongarage]

14:35 This was the best part of any video I have ever seen. Watching you bail into the woods was priceless. Kudos to you!

[@terryhale9006]

Favorite for me, as well. LOL.

[@Ricopolico]

Just fantastic! Thank you, Terry, for showing me what can be accomplished whenever determination is harnessed to intelligence. I only wish I had seen this thoughtful approach to tree removal many years ago.

[@terryhale9006]

Thanks for your appreciation! The dark secret is that it took even longer to dissociate the dirt and roots once the stump was extracted. The nice thing is that we now have a nice, little, rock-free flower garden there and a young apple tree, with no worry about a slowly rotting stump.

[@swiminpeak]

I did this today after watching this video... Thank you!!! Worked like a charm

[@terryhale9006]

Great!

[@dblood8529]

Terry Hale, you sir are a legend in my book.

[@ccthepope]

You have inspired me to get to work. I am 61 years old and have let my weight get the best of me. I have alot of trees to take down so I am going to get busy.

[@terryhale9006]

Best of luck to you! Start slow and build up gradually, staying well within your limits. If you do as much as you think you can, you may end up not being able to do much of anything for a couple of weeks.

[@philmoore71]

not me - not 6 hrs but bravo for you :)

[@K3Flyguy]

Quite impressive! Imagine what this dude was like back in his 20',s - 30's !!!!!

[@terryhale9006]

I try not to think about the changes.

[@soil-aint-dirt4903]

Well orchestrated! A pleasure to watch you work, Terry.

[@terryhale9006]

Saint D, Thanks for the views and friendly comments. As a former Geotechnical Engineer, I am well familiar with the message that soil is what you dig, while dirt is what gets under your fingernails. Does your handle reflect a Geotech background?

[@soil-aint-dirt4903]

@@terryhale9006 Good morning, Terry! Such a pleasant surprise to find a reply; and, yes, you are spot about my handle reflecting how I feel about soils. If I had to label myself, I’d say ‘wetland soil scientist’ but find myself preoccupied by anything ‘nature’. The last eleven years were spent in upstate NY along the Southern Tier, so your videos felt that much more personal to me after learning you were rooted up there too! I’ve been clicking through your videos and thoroughly enjoying every moment, so thank you for all your efforts there! Stay well, happy, and healthy, Terry. All the best to you. -Philip

[@mattygersh544]

Thank you for what u do I’m watching your videos to learn as much as I can. It’s like I’m in your video apprenticeship. Thanks again terry

[@mattygersh544]

You are a machine my friend. Very impressive. Very. To bad everyone doesn’t work this hard. But at the same time you work smart.

[@laurastone6578]

Dude...I was really concerned when you said you have a pacemaker! God Bless You!

[@Lake_Trout]

Brilliant! I have seen this video some years ago. I wish I had watched it again of recent as I just removed a tree yesterday, of course the traditional method (i.e. felling tree first, then digging out stump harder way). This is absolutely "holistic", let the tree do more of the hard work.

[@terryhale9006]

I removed my first stump, from a dead 40-year old apple tree, when I was 9 years old. That impressed me with how much work that can be. I had to keep doing it that way until I was old enough to buy my first winch. Even after the stump is pulled over by the "holistic approach", cleaning the soil off of it is still a lot of work, but, overall, a lot less work than attacking an already cut down tree.

[@Lake_Trout]

@@terryhale9006 Agreed. I love your other videos, you exhibit a sound thought process and execute well.

[@TS-xj5mt]

No other video channel on Utube like you, brilliant

[@ethanallenhawley1052]

I grew up using that exact brand of trowel! My mom had it for years and years in her garden. Thanks for bit of nostalgia!

[@SamuelJaytutoring]

Quickly becoming my favourite channel!

[@terryhale9006]

+Samuel Jay Thanks Sam.

[@xra22]

Great video Terry! Wish I had seen it before I cut down my first big tree and left the stump in there.

[@terryhale9006]

When I was eight, we moved into a house with a large dead apple tree in the front yard. I was the crazy kind of kid who got my parents permission to cut it down and remove the stump. It took nearly a month...and a thumb nail. I pretty much decided then that, if the stump needed to come out, the tree was going to help in the effort. Hope your stump is no longer bothering you!

[@Split10uk]

What a great way of removing a tree and having a work out at the same time.

[@DavidRiosTV]

Has a pacemaker and still hatchets 🪓 down a tree 🌳 subscribes just out of respect ✊

[@alphamale3141]

Pretty amazing for an old guy with a pacemaker. Bravo!!

[@Danrower]

One of the most "considered" tree removal videos I have seen. Very nice! I intend to us this method for (4) 40' oaks. Inspirational.

[@terryhale9006]

I like oaks. Sorry to hear they have to go.

[@trumpnut]

Hurrah for you Terry that your still able to work like that! I'm of the same age and attitude but have worn out my hands over the years from like projects. I'm looking into stem cell regeneration treatment for them and hopefully be able to regain full use. I sure don't see the same tenacity or determination in many people these days. Take care.

[@terryhale9006]

Good luck to you, Trump. I definitely sense I am on the descending leg of the arc.

[@bradweston5567]

Thanks for taking the time to share your knowledge.

[@WelshRabbit]

A most impressive demonstration. When you referred to this as "Stump Removal," and then I saw the whole tree still there, I immediately thought, "hmmm... STEP 1, Start with a stump." But you did remove the stump -- tree and all. As for root cutting, I find a reciprocating saw (with several wood cutting blades and some extra batteries) is hard to beat, and it's much less effort than swinging a mattock. I prefer to use my tractor backhoe to do the clearance and excavating around the stump and attack the roots cutting the bigger ones with the reciprocating saw so I don't have to dig quite so big a hole around the stump as would otherwise be required with my compact tractor.

[@terryhale9006]

Power equipment is a definite game changer. I enjoyed using a skid-steer to take down about twenty and have taken down five with the loader on our tractor.

[@mattfleming86]

The carbide blades (very coarse tooth) in a mains powered recip with a small generator is a fantastic option. The AC powered versions have great power and a longer stroke length. Carbide for resilience. While they will dull some, you'll still likely have a few beater blades for odds and ends cutting later. Near hunting season I often use hand saws and a battery power sawzall in the weeks before season to lower my overall presence in the wood. Much quieter than my old arborist saw.

[@jsbounds27]

My new favorite video on KZbin! Can you imagine clearing a 40 acre field in this manner? Or even 1, for that matter!

[@terryhale9006]

Yikes! Rent a D10 dozer.

[@paddygorman73]

That's good news I look forward to seeing it I'm watching all the way from Ireland and I'm 18 I've been using a chainsaw for just over a year and watching videos like yours have proven invaluable to me I learnt so much from your videos and I think the 8 part series will be very useful to people like myself

[@terryhale9006]

I'm just going to sit here for awhile and envy your age and location. Best, Terry

[@terryhale9006]

I have most of the illustrations for the series done, but my desired delivery date has slipped a month. I'll blame the late departure of our snow this year,

[@Anthem127]

I find that a sawzall with a demo blade (on that will go through wood and nails) goes though roots and dirt very quick

[@terryhale9006]

If you've got the soil for it, great. I wouldn't want to risk mine on the rocky soil we've got.

[@fairbornCCF]

This is one of my favorite youtube video's. Extols the virtues of patient methodical manual labor culminating in man over tree, or maybe tree nearly over man, ha ha.. Thank you for sharing this with us.

[@terryhale9006]

fairbornCCF Thanks CC. "Patient and methodical" is what's left to you when young, strong, and energetic abandon you. "Tree over man"..he, he.

[@txrepgirl]

You did a awesome job. Great video. I'm very proud of you. This is some very hard work.

[@terryhale9006]

Thanks. The docs tell me my heart has started to heal. I do feel better.

[@08yallvon]

Terry Hale Taking this tree down shows that your heart healed!

[@terryhale9006]

They tell me my ejection factor has improved from 10% to 30-35%. That's still not great, but is is a noticeable and very welcome improvement.

[@txrepgirl]

Terry Hale. Have you talked to your doctor about electric shock treatment for your back yet ? My neighbor back surgery before and got the shots and nothing really worked. He got the electric shock treatment and he has almost no pain now. This treatment usually lasts for a year. Sometimes longer. He is very happy that he finally got it done.

[@RussellBallestrini]

I had to see it to believe it. Excellent work and video.

[@terryhale9006]

Ha ha. Thanks.

[@richardfederico1672]

For a minute there I didn't think I was gonna get to see it fall, but it happened real quick at the end! I thought you would have to return to cut a bit more root as the tree leaned to expose more of its under region and that back and forth process would continue for a while, Tough work at first, but nice pay off in the finish. Using an axe below grade is always a dreadful deterrent so my compliments on your good health and strong back. Nice video and food for thought when I consider removing a tree.

[@terryhale9006]

Thanks. Gravity can make things move pretty quickly.

[@bobbyd218]

Terry, Very informative and nice work..... Can you tell me how you got those two winches up high enough in that tree to get the angle you did??? Thanks.....

[@terryhale9006]

There are fancy ways, but I used the basic tall ladder. Frankly, the chain was quite strong and therefore quite heavy. Adding my bulk and the 70 pounds of chain probably exceeded the safe rating for the ladder.

[@bigoledude1]

Good job ole dude! I'm about to make 60 and this is encouraging. My son has some trees about that size that need removing and I am gonna start with one and go until I have them all removed. He's gonna have to buy the tools though.LOL

[@terryhale9006]

Good call on the fiscal responsibility! "Old Dude"; First time I have been so honored, but it fits. Hope you have an enjoyable and successful set of projects and that your health stays with you a long time.

[@cbr600rrturbo]

Ok I'm impressed I didn't think it was gonna go that smooth

[@MECS1987]

Impressive, I wish I could do that but I have wires too close to the trees. I really enjoyed that video it's the best one I've seen so far...and I've watched about 20

[@terryhale9006]

Sorry to hear about the wires. That pretty much means the tree will need to be taken down piece by piece, which can be pricey. I have never tried to check it out, but it might be cheaper to have the wires taken down while the tree is quickly felled, then have the wires put back up. That might be a possibility if the wire are just the service to your own house.

[@believer270]

Terry, thanks for taking the time and show people how to remove the stump but for a single man doing this work every day is too much. I work for a landscaping company here in Miami when we do this type of work in the heat is brutal. Humidity and heat is a bad combination.

[@terryhale9006]

Agreed. Humidity can make even mildly warm weather terrible. We are experiencing the wettest summer here in upstate New York in over 30 years and it is severely limiting the amount of outdoor work I can do. I preferred the hot, dry weather that left grains of salt on my forehead.

[@lxmzhg]

I learned something useful here. Thanks. I'm not that experienced in this area, but I've come up with some original ideas myself. A power vac comes in handy here, especially as you go deeper. Loosen up the soil with a pick ax first then vac. Using this technique the soil has to be dry, especially if it has a lot of clay in it, since it will clog the power vac hose, requiring it to be cleaned out more often. Also, the last step is to use a Wood Post Puller (with hose shutoff) - which is basically just a small diameter pipe connected to a hose, & the pipe inserted into the ground via water pressure - to loosen up the remaining soil surrounding the base of the tree - this will put a lot less stress on the winch. I got the idea after witnessing a 3 foot diam tree in my yard that was taken down, with its roots in tact, by an ice storm. I figured the best way to take down a tree was with the roots, so proceeded to attempt to devise a way to do it using the tree as a fulcrum with the help of water power & weakening of the root system.

[@insAneTunA]

I dug out a stump twice and I had no power tools or a large ax, but for the roots I used a small but very sharp saw for cutting small tree branches, a small ax, and I also used a small hydraulic car bottle jack to lift up some roots, and finally I also used the bottle jack for the stump in order to snap the stump from the deepest roots. First I removed the roots that where easy to cut and then I dug deep enough to put some wooden supports under the bottle jack in order to be able to lift up the deeper roots and finally the stump itself, although it was a slow process it did the job surprisingly well. The hydraulic jack helped a lot because some roots that I couldn't reach for simply snapped of while jacking under a different root and that made it possible for me to gain access to the other roots. Back then I didn't have a welding machine but if I had to do it again I would have made some sort of thick sharp edged metal plate that I could attach or slide over the jack to act as a hydraulic knife in order to cut the roots from below, I don't know if it would have worked, but I would still try it since it is a cheap, simple and easy thing to fabricate, so it would have been well worth to try it. But I am glad that I have done the job already. I saved both stumps and one stump has a new life as a vice stand and the other stump has a new life as cutting block for my fire wood for my rocket stove.

[@mamas8464]

Thank you for the video, will definitely be trying this out this weekend with a much smaller tree, it looks labor intense but very cost effective

[@christiangal2433]

Terry .. This is an Amazing video! There's no way that i would think a tree like that could be removed with only hand tools! And tell me.. from that distance, how did you know the exact moment that tree was about to fall? I see you running but you are cranking for many yards away! Thanks for this video Terry!! :) i LOVE LOVE watching that tree fall in the end! :)

[@penfoldooo2160]

+Christian Gal You can tell the tree is starting to fall when the winch, lifted off the ground due to tension in the chain, begins to drop.

[@kristicutts5253]

I use a similar method on my trees, but as I dig down and cut a few roots I use a water hose and was the dirt away. The dirt collects in the deepest water. I use post hole diggers to keep clearing the dirt out, and keep washing the roots off. When the roots are exposed and clean I use the tree pruning saw or old chainsaw to cut roots. I glad to see I not the only one it takes a weeks to bring down a tree remove stump. thank for video.

[@terryhale9006]

Definitely nice to be able to take your time.

[@terryhale9006]

Agreed. Chainsaw and dirt should never meet.

[@5jjt]

If you have a pacemaker, maybe you ought to make some of those cuts with a small chainsaw. Chains are fairly inexpensive, even if you dull them often.The tree falling is very neat to see. Thanks for recording.

[@jeffquinn5653]

Pretty nimble when you have a large tree falling towards you. Nice job.

[@terryhale9006]

I felt incentivized. Thanks.

[@mrdavidurquhart]

Hi Terry Not only are you a great woodsman but you also make a great instructional video. You clearly have an engineer's mind. Very impressed. Thank you. PS have you ever tried using a blower and/or pressure washer? All the best from Sydney

[@terryhale9006]

Thanks David. I did use a power washer to clean the dirt out from among the roots of the fallen tree. What a mess! Ended up with a pit full of soft mud and mud spatter well distributed all over me. Won't do that again. I'll resort to dragging off into the woods to rot as I have always done. Thanks again.

[@henryathurmanjr]

Great video! i did fast forward in places places...great ending!

[@terryhale9006]

Understood. Not great with short stories.

[@henryathurmanjr]

It's all good.

[@tzermonkey]

Very true about dulling your axe. I have an axe and hatched that I have left dull & only sharpen to maintain a "triangular-wedge" on both. We have numerous trees on our property & the stumps have been left for me to deal with. (Edit) We have rocky soil. So much so that I have actually chipped steel hatchets.

[@terryhale9006]

What a nightmare! I hope you can see an end in sight.

[@philoso377]

I have been advocate a wise way to deal with a tree stump. At last I stumbled into a video that share my view. Use the last section of (6-10 ft ?) trunk to leverage the thump.

[@seanpcurran2011]

Dude, been there & done that. By what you post it's prima facia you aren't aloof of hard physical work but that's some seriously hard work, back breaking hard. That's a couple of days of meds and naps in front of the tube. Yeah, you boogied out pretty quick, you had that path scoped out way earlier :) Once again, nice job.

[@thefurrylittleotter3460]

I’m fascinated by this method you’ve used. I intend to use this math method to remove an 80 foot tall twin trunk pine here in Berlin New York. It has a massive base and I will be tying the trunks together with a chain and then laying another trunk I have in front of it so that it lifts the stump out of the hole when it hits the trunk laying in front of it. I have some massive ropes coming that I ordered from Amazon (3/4” thick) I will attach one as a “stay” to guide the fall and the other to a 5 ton chainfall for pulling power Should be a fun day. I will be using a backhoe thanks to all the massive rocks in the soil around here. Hand digging is nearly impossible.

[@terryhale9006]

Any chance of posting a video? I'd love to watch the progress!

[@thefurrylittleotter3460]

@@terryhale9006 I may try and video. Hope it doesn’t jinx me.😀🌲 it’s a monster. Garage to one side, solar array to the other... it’s my 4th monster pine removal and the biggest so far. Will be my first with ropes. Used bottle jack method on previous monsters and even removed two giant stumps with bottle jacks, highlift jack and days of work. Nightmare work I won’t repeat. All my trees are diseased and want to put in a passive solar greenhouse for year round growing

[@colorocko1]

Thank you. I really appreciate your videos.

[@TMHarrigan]

What an odd engineer. Shows folks how to do physical work rather than telling them how they should do it. ;)

[@bigmacdaddy1234]

You twit...He DID show them how they should do it. How did you miss that part?

[@bigmacdaddy1234]

@@brokencountry283 So was I.

[@mikemonnig3046]

I was wondering about the particulars on the chains (size and length) and the hand winches. I have a tree about that size, leaning about 5 degrees in the wrong direction. This technique looks like a definite possibility.

[@iditarod4081]

It takes a good set of ears! Love the no look dash. You shoulda been a wide receiver.

[@terryhale9006]

Actually, the fall can be nearly noiseless. As soon as the cable begins to allow a little slack, you know its time to leave.

[@jross9800]

I like how even though it was breezy and all he knew exactly when the tree was going to fall... with out even looking he runs away lol good stuff. Experience.

[@terryhale9006]

I'd love to pretend having great abilities, but when the chain starts to go slack, you know it's time to leave.

[@loveyou-qk4bm]

oh terry had a shave and look like on his 30 .well done good job

[@terryhale9006]

Thanks Carlos. Just an older video before I got tired of shaving.

[@jimmonte9826]

I have dug out many stumps, some quite large, and the approach here looks very appealing after doing that work. I have some questions about the details. Clearly the more roots that are removed, the easier the tree would be to pull down. Can someone give at least rough guidelines on how much torque is needed to uproot a tree as some function of its diameter and height in the worst case where no roots are removed? Also, I how high up in the tree can the chain be put so that it is not likely that the tree will crack instead of being pulled down? I am sure the answers depend on the particular tree a lot, but rough ideas based on lessons learned through experience would be helpful as a starting point.

[@solmar6457]

Hola! Me encantó la forma en que muestras todo el trabajo hasta que el árbol cae. Pero me pareció sobresaliente que hayas colocado la cámara y filmado el momento justo en que las raíces se desprenden del suelo. Gracias por compartir! Te mando un abrazo desde Buenos Aires, Argentina.

[@terryhale9006]

Muchas gracias!

[@bradtindell902]

great video. You should look into a B'root Bar. It's what we use in tha fence industry to cut through big roots quickly. It's like your tamping bar but with an engineered cutting head for strictly cutting large roots.

[@peggyking432]

Man, that’s a whole lot of time & effort!

[@terryhale9006]

True, but the tree spent eighty years making sure of that.

[@mickblock]

This... This is really clever... This is engineering basics.

[@kevinbyrne4538]

A round of applause for you. Well done.

[@homermtz]

I remove tree stumps and charge a good amount because its hard work, this video i can relate and appreciate. well done!

[@terryhale9006]

Thank you, Homer!

[@cliffmorgan31]

Maybe a regional difference, but it is a mattock, not a mat-axe.....

[@fredwilliams1958]

Terry, Great video! How much pulling force is enough? I'm hoping to topple a 50' Norway maple with one good anchor point (another maple tree) 50' away. I can easily attach 20' up on the subject tree, or higher with more difficulty. Our soil (coastal CT) is glacial till with no clay but plenty of rocks and small boulders. I've dug roots up on smaller trees so I know what I'm in for in the digging department but I've never pulled a tree with winch. I'm considering three options: 1) Maasdam rope puller (1-1/2 ton max. with snatch block), or 2) More Power Puller (3 ton max with Amsteel Blue rope and snatch block), or 3) Jet chain hoist (5 ton max direct pull with no snatch block). The more powerful options are of course also more expensive so I'm leaning toward (no pun intended) the Maasdam puller with Samson Tree Master rope. I already have a 2 ton snatch block. Will 1-1/2 tons of pulling force be enough as long as I sever enough of the roots?

[@terryhale9006]

Fred, Unfortunately, it's impossible to say, as the pull needed will vary inversely to the amount of roots you have severed. I suggest considering what future pulling needs you might have. If you have several trees you suspect you might want to pull down, it would make sense to get a more powerful puller so that you need to do less root work on each. If this Norway maple will be a one-time event, going with the cheapest option and doing extra roots might be the way to go. Be advised that you have to cut enough roots, regardless of how much pull you apply. I have pulled down thirty to forty trees over the years and, on two occasions, I pulled too hard for the number of roots I had severed and succeeded in snapping the trunk.

[@fredwilliams1958]

@@terryhale9006 Thanks Terry. BTW, you mentioned in another video you're located north of Saratoga Springs NY. How close are you to Lake George? The Adirondacks are an arborist's paradise!

[@terryhale9006]

@@fredwilliams1958 About 20 miles.. I do love the variety a trees we have here.

[@08yallvon]

Hi Terry, Thanks for your tutorial. While I like the detailed tutorial you present I mostly consider it as a challenge to do everything w/o a power tool. What if all rooth cutting you did be done with $50 electric chain saw? The chain will get busted but it costs only about $15.

[@terryhale9006]

If you could clear the root so that all the chain would contact would be wood, that would be fine. Otherwise, the chain can VERY quickly become incapable of cutting wood. One of the potential problems is when one side gets dull. Then the saw tries to cut a curved cut an the saw can bind.

[@AroundtheBlueBend]

Thank you for this wisdom!

[@waynegrauel1031]

Terry, I've enjoyed all of your work. What would the root characteristics be for pulling down (big) a tulip poplar? They've all got limbs reaching out for sunlight but I'd like to pull it back into the woods. ( away from the house ) Just curious what I'd be getting into with the root system. Central Maryland here and lot of rocks in the soil. thanks

[@terryhale9006]

Thanks, Wayne. Years ago, we lived in Alabama where we had Tulip Poplars. Fortunately for them, I never had occasion to need to pull one down. Unfortunately, that means I don't know if there is anything special about their root systems. I would not expect there to be. I would expect there to be roots similar to the red maple in the video. "Lots of rocks" is potentially scary. What I dealt with would actually be pretty tame compared to what could be possible with slabby sandstone. In what I would consider close to the worst case, you could have large thick slabs with soil in between. The slabs would make it very difficult to get at the roots. Hopefully, yours would be similar to what I encountered. Separately, if you can conveniently and SAFELY remove branches on the opposite side from where you want the tree to fall, that will help shift the weight in the direction you want it to fall, making it a little bit easier to pull down.

[@jlgoins64]

A nice little fire on the stump and a 12 pack of beer and you have a full day.

[@jackiesplace1588]

You're a genius!

[@jlgoins64]

I'm looking to take down a Eastern Red Cedar tree, ( about 10 inches across) about how far down should I dig down and how far out around should I dig. I would like to save as much of the roots and stump as possible.

[@terryhale9006]

+Lee Goins A lot of "depends" there. I'll assume for starters that you have another tree to winch against. The soil conditions matter a lot. If the soil is predominantly sandy, the tree will not be as well anchored as it is in a more cohesive soil. The water table matters as well. If it's deeper, the roots will tend to seek it deeper. If bedrock is shallow, your root plate will be thin and easier to tip up. I'm not sure why you want to save as much of the root and stump as possible. I assume you have some art project in mind. With the unknowns and if it was me with your objectives, I would remove branches far enough up the trunk to be able to get full swings with an axe or mattaxe. I would make a circle about 18 to 24 inches out from the trunk and use a mattaxe to dig a narrow trench along that circle to locate any roots, which I would then chop as I go. I would make that trench about 9" deep on the side I would be winching towards and about a foot deep on the side away from the winch. I would then begin winching. My initial expectation would be that I could pull the tree over. However, if the wiching gets too hard, I would explore deeper for more roots to chop. Be forewarned that, once you get the stump out, there may be a lot of work getting the soil off of the stump. More, if the soil is clayey, less, if it is sandy.

[@jlgoins64]

+Terry Hale ok thanks. I used the medium sized stumps/trunks as the bases for coffee/end tables.

[@terryhale9006]

Sounds nice. You let it dry a while after washing and then use a planer?

[@philoso377]

Good job. Did you climb up that tree? I saw two ropes hung down from it.

[@terryhale9006]

Thanks, YK. Actually, those were lengths of chain and I used a ladder to carry them up into the tree. They were pretty heavy.

[@jesseheilman]

I believe I gave you comments before you and I are cut from the same hunk of cheese you and I both do very similar things two thumbs up for me

[@pawpawtx]

Well if that wasn't the roadrunner coyote process ....funny but effective. Well done. Thumbs up !

[@terryhale9006]

Thanks. I call that the "run like a bunny" phase. A bit dicey at 62, but I have to get SOME excitement in my life.

[@juliusu6615]

Have you considered putting something under the root that you are cutting? Maybe a piece of plywood? Id thing, that it would help keeping the axe off the rocks and soil in general.

[@jjnatteri1245]

Loved the end , the man just took off didn't even come back to see his handiwork or say good-bye!!

[@terryhale9006]

Didn't mean to be rude. Back when I made that video, they were limited to 15 minutes.

[@Acejunior7]

This. Is. Awesome. Thank you so much for helping!! This is simply great.

[@terryhale9006]

Sounds like you have a project in mind. Good luck with it!

[@obfuscated3090]

Nice rigging. Mechanical advantage is a wonderful thing.

[@terryhale9006]

Thanks. ...and, absolutely, on the mechanical advantage.

[@thomasfrye8996]

Great job

[@OzarkFats]

Nice video, Mr. Hale. Do you remove 360 degrees of roots or ~180-270? If you don’t remove 360, is that to help control fall direction? Nice video, fantastic info. Very generous of you to share it. Thank you.

[@terryhale9006]

Thank Oz. A key issue is the roots that are directly under the stump. Because they are so difficult to get to, you want those to be pulled up, rather than having to cut them. You want to rely on leverage to do that. On a big tree, If you don't cut the roots on the side you are pulling towards, those roots will form a large lever arm to resist your pull, possibly four to seven feet from the center of the trunk. With the pivot point that far from the central roots, they will be tough to extract. On this particular semi-large tree, I cut the roots, but, even with them cut, they still placed the pivot point two and a half feet to three feet from the center of the trunk. On a smaller tree, the concerns can go to the opposite extreme. If you cut the roots all around, the pivot point may move so far in that, when you try to pull the tree over, the soil at the pivot point fails and the tree simply pivots about the "tap" roots, without necessarily pulling them up. That's not a disaster, but it does mean you have to cut those roots and it still may not be easy to get to them. For this reason, when pulling over trees with diameters of around 8 to 12 inches, I usually leave the roots on the "pull" side to act as a pivot point. On small trees, around 6" diameter, the pivot point/lever arm concept frequently won't work because the tree is so small that it just bends over in the soil when pulled. Therefore, I cut every root I can get to easily and then pull the tree over. I then sometimes keep winching to pull out all the roots that are still attached. Other times, if the pulling is tough, I'll chop the remaining roots.

[@TomBrooklyn]

What kind of tree was that? The roots came out relatively easy.

[@terryhale9006]

That was a Red Maple. I've done the same with Apple, Black Cherry, White Pine, Northern Red Oak, Poplar, and Basswood. For equal sizes, I haven't really noticed a difference. In a drier climate, there might be more deep roots and that would make it a tougher job.

[@coolramone]

Wow. Great job.... Thanks for the video sir.

[@terryhale9006]

coolramone Thanks Ramone.

[@CarlosLopez-ot6wk]

terrible Terry you the man you did it all by yourself

[@woolysamoan]

Nice video terry. I did some stump grinding this summer. I developed a modest technique through trial and error, with an axe, a hammer and a chisel. Your video quality was very good, so I am curious what type of camera and microphone did you use?

[@terryhale9006]

Thanks, Wooly. The camera was a Canon 5D, with a built in microphone. I used Cyberlink's Power Director to splice the clips together. The latter has a lot of capabilities and a few of my videos from this year reflect my snail's progress at learning to take advantage of those capabilities.

[@ioccatonyz1]

I use a post hole digger to find and expose the roots. I find that they handle the dirt very well allowing me to place it out of the way in a neat pile, It even cuts the smaller roots well. For the larger roots the ax is the most economical, however I save old chainsaw chains that are not in the best condition and sharpen them to use on the very large roots I have many of them they do go dull much quicker so it is best to use a hose and wash the areas to be cut. My post hole digger cost $75 dollars, it has silver fiberglass handles it holds the dirt much better that the less expensive one with wood handles. I do not lend it out, people seem to abuse other peoples tools and break them making twisting or prying movements that the tool is not made for. Once I have cut all the large roots I will push and pull it with my tractor like a loose tooth they all come out. Those come along's got the job done but why did you end the video running for cover like that?

[@terryhale9006]

+Tony Iocca The top of the tree ended up extending around 25 feet past where I was working the winch. I expected that and knew that, as soon as the cable began to go slack, I could safely vacate that position.

[@ioccatonyz1]

+Terry Hale That looked like a tall medium size tree. I use a 35hp 4WD hydro-stat Kubota with a front end loader I put a log chain up around 15'-20' on the trunk I have three chains when hooked together are 70" long Log chains are unbreakable "so-far". With that tree I would rake the dirt off the root-ball with the bucket teeth then I could pick up that tree hole and move it or limb it in place. Complete removal of that tree with root ball would be about $300.

[@RealLuckless]

From a safety standpoint I much prefer to use a water lance, basically the love child of a large pry bar and pressure washer, to dig a stump out after the tree is already down. After you get down past the sod you can use the water lance to basically blast soil away from around the roots before you cut them. Can get muddy in some soils, and be a massive mess, but if you have the space to set up a tailings pond then it sure beats the risk of a large tree doing something surprising on you while you're standing around a mass of trip hazards at its base.

[@terryhale9006]

I used a pressure washer to clean off the upturned stump. It took a surprisingly long time. Also, every once in a while, the water jet would bore a hole and the water would come straight back at me. I agree that point and shoot would be good for a stump without a tree attached. Probably even for one with.

[@allthingsconsdrble]

Man of my own heart

[@Hooftimmer]

Have you a video of how to safely cut rootballs from windfall trees? This was a great vid, by the way. When that winch went slack you didn’t look back but took off like a rabbit!

[@terryhale9006]

Exactly on the slackening. No need to turn around to figure out why. On the windfall rootballs, No. The situations can be so different that they each deserve their own analysis. I rarely have examples to use, but will keep that in mind.

[@Nterpol8]

Terry, I've really been enjoying watching your felling and stump removal videos. I live in Albany county, NY and the only method anyone around here knows about involves diesel fuel and lots of heavy equipment. I'm clearing areas of young forest slowly and by hand so I can getter a better sense of where eventually to build. I've left the stumps of 6-10" diameter trees about 4' tall to give me some leverage. Would you recommend pulling straight up with a farm jack (w/ stabilizing legs) or levering horizontally with chain and pulleys? On another note, I've noticed a rattling noise on some of your videos (those with shallow depth of field) -- are you by any chance using a spinning-ground-glass lens adapter?

[@terryhale9006]

Inter, First to the noise. Thanks for the reminder as I need to be careful about that. That noise was really bothering me. My camera is a Canon 5D. It has a stabilization feature for still photographs. I had left it turned on, not realizing it should not be used when shooting videos. Now I know, but need the reminder. As to the stump extractions: You did right leaving the stumps sticking up. I have not used a farm jack, but expect that it would only be appropriate for stumps under 4" in diameter. With larger stumps, it would be hard to avoid setting your jack on or above a root. In that case, you would be trying to pull the stump apart. If you have more than 15 such stumps, I would actually advise, "None of the above." I would recommend renting a skid steer (preferably a tracked one) for a day. I have done this three times in the past. While I am not sure of what current rental rates are, you should be able to get one delivered and picked up for something like $400 to $600. In 8 hours, you should be able to extract over 30 of your stumps. You pass by the stump on its left side, gouging out the roots. Do the same on the right side. Go at the stump, severing the roots in front of it. Lift the blade to within six inches of the top of the stump and push it over. It will not be as simple for the bigger stumps, but the same basic process applies, just with more passes and maybe some digging. Note that most rental places deliver the machine clean and expect it back that way, which could be a problem if you do not have running water at your site or a neighbor there willing to let you fasten a hose to one of their spigots. On the plus side, if you ever enjoyed playing in a sandbox as a toddler, you will LOVE playing with the real thing. Such power! Terry

[@iditarod4081]

Im nobody but i would say use the chains instead of farm jack. I wonder though what terry had his chains tied upto. Dont want to hurt a good tree, and not sure if he anchored them in soil.

[@stroys7061]

I think he is descended from the people that built Stonehenge.