01Set.JPG | Hits: 854 | Size: 135.92 KB | Posted on: 10/8/13 | Link to this image
After Greg left work, we met at his house just to check out the area for the big pull on Thursday. But then he wanted to see how far the winch cable would reach, so we stretched it out, and things just sort of kept going...
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02Tight.JPG | Hits: 685 | Size: 128.13 KB | Posted on: 10/8/13 | Link to this image
Greg wanted to see what would happen if I put a strain on the cable, so I put the front bumper against a small tree and tried to stall it. But I hadn't fully locked the clutch in, so it popped out & birdnested all the cable. After backing up to spool out the birdnest, we winched the truck back to the little tree on the e-brake, and then stalled the winch on the stump.
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03Tight.JPG | Hits: 641 | Size: 131.77 KB | Posted on: 10/8/13 | Link to this image
This is how the tree looked when we started. It came down in a storm about 6 years ago, so it has begun to rot, but it's still pretty solid. He has been cutting on it when he could get his chain saw to run, but it's pretty intermittent, so he hasn't made much progress and it's almost like a telephone pole. I didn't measure it, but I'm guessing over 30 feet, plus the root ball.
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04Strain.JPG | Hits: 648 | Size: 137.36 KB | Posted on: 10/8/13 | Link to this image
With the winch fully stalled on the 3rd layer, there's about 8600 lbf of pull.
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05Lift.JPG | Hits: 653 | Size: 126.85 KB | Posted on: 10/8/13 | Link to this image
We were both surprised that it had lifted the entire ~30-foot tree trunk nearly a foot off the ground.
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06Cable.JPG | Hits: 603 | Size: 107.22 KB | Posted on: 10/8/13 | Link to this image
Greg wrapped the cable over the end, then around, and it dug in pretty deep.
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06Dig.JPG | Hits: 601 | Size: 121.21 KB | Posted on: 10/8/13 | Link to this image
Greg wrapped the cable over the end, then around, and it dug in pretty deep.
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06Embed.JPG | Hits: 613 | Size: 117.73 KB | Posted on: 10/8/13 | Link to this image
Greg wrapped the cable over the end, then around, and it dug in pretty deep.
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07Saw.JPG | Hits: 648 | Size: 120.85 KB | Posted on: 10/8/13 | Link to this image
With tension still on the cable, we decided to see if the chain saw would run. Eventually we learned that anything above half throttle caused it to stall, so it took a while, but we cut the bottom trunk just about even with the top.
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08Sawed.JPG | Hits: 623 | Size: 126.6 KB | Posted on: 10/8/13 | Link to this image
The log bit down on the saw bar, so I had to cut it out with my axe, and I accidentally hit the end of the bar, cutting the chain.
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09Stump.JPG | Hits: 626 | Size: 134.05 KB | Posted on: 10/8/13 | Link to this image
With the trunk cut, it was surprisingly easy to winch the stump up.
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09Stumped.JPG | Hits: 653 | Size: 138.62 KB | Posted on: 10/8/13 | Link to this image
With the trunk cut, it was surprisingly easy to winch the stump up.
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09Stumps.JPG | Hits: 659 | Size: 130.1 KB | Posted on: 10/8/13 | Link to this image
Greg wanted to stand the stump up, but I wanted video during daylight, and I wasn't sure about winching the stump fully across the creek from where I was parked, and I didn't want to have to climb a 10' stump in the dark to get my cable unhooked, so we decided to lower it and unhook until Thursday. It took almost as long to chop the cable out of the end as it had taken to saw through the log, but I was being more careful since it's more expensive to repair 100' of 1/2" cable than to replace a chain & bar.
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09Stumpy.JPG | Hits: 641 | Size: 120.73 KB | Posted on: 10/8/13 | Link to this image
Greg wanted to stand the stump up, but I wanted video during daylight, and I wasn't sure about winching the stump fully across the creek from where I was parked, and I didn't want to have to climb a 10' stump in the dark to get my cable unhooked, so we decided to lower it and unhook until Thursday. It took almost as long to chop the cable out of the end as it had taken to saw through the log, but I was being more careful since it's more expensive to repair 100' of 1/2" cable than to replace a chain & bar.
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10Set.JPG | Hits: 599 | Size: 146.06 KB | Posted on: 10/9/13 | Link to this image
This is about the direction I want to pull from, but there's a small tree in the way that Greg hasn't decided to let me get rid of yet.
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11Sprite.JPG | Hits: 648 | Size: 159.7 KB | Posted on: 10/9/13 | Link to this image
I plan to pull it over the other way, ripping out whatever's left of its roots, then drag it up the creek bank onto the flat area in front of my truck.
The Sprite can is there for scale.
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11Spritf.JPG | Hits: 623 | Size: 162.31 KB | Posted on: 10/9/13 | Link to this image
A lot of this was temporarily just a few inches off the ground last night when I stalled the winch.
The Sprite can is there for scale.
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11Spritg.JPG | Hits: 604 | Size: 155.86 KB | Posted on: 10/9/13 | Link to this image
A lot of this was temporarily just a few inches off the ground last night when I stalled the winch.
The Sprite can is there for scale.
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11Sprith.JPG | Hits: 620 | Size: 150.88 KB | Posted on: 10/9/13 | Link to this image
A lot of this was temporarily just a few inches off the ground last night when I stalled the winch.
The log in the foreground is the one I dragged up the hill a few weeks ago.
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11Spriti.JPG | Hits: 635 | Size: 144.83 KB | Posted on: 10/9/13 | Link to this image
This view is from the top of the entry road.
The Sprite can is there for scale.
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11Spritj.JPG | Hits: 626 | Size: 140.79 KB | Posted on: 10/9/13 | Link to this image
This is the view from the first bridge we built. My Bronco is out-of-frame Left.
The Sprite can is there for scale.
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12Stump.JPG | Hits: 590 | Size: 149.52 KB | Posted on: 10/9/13 | Link to this image
The stump might have slid downhill a few inches as it fell, so it should be possible to rip it out.
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12Stumq.JPG | Hits: 602 | Size: 145.47 KB | Posted on: 10/9/13 | Link to this image
The root ball is still holding a lot of dirt, which is helping counterbalance the stumps.
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12Stumr.JPG | Hits: 625 | Size: 144.18 KB | Posted on: 10/9/13 | Link to this image
The bottom of the root pit is about level with the creek bed, so Greg wants to make this the first bridgeless crossing.
That's my original '83 Bronco frame now being used as a foot bridge.
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12Stums.JPG | Hits: 633 | Size: 133.18 KB | Posted on: 10/9/13 | Link to this image
The bottom of the root pit is about level with the creek bed, so Greg wants to make this the first bridgeless crossing.
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13Befor.JPG | Hits: 613 | Size: 125.51 KB | Posted on: 10/9/13 | Link to this image
I plan to pull it over this way, ripping out whatever's left of its roots, then drag it up the creek bank onto the flat area in front of my truck.
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13Before.JPG | Hits: 638 | Size: 130.72 KB | Posted on: 10/9/13 | Link to this image
I plan to pull it over this way, ripping out whatever's left of its roots, then drag it up the creek bank onto the flat area in front of my truck.
14Flopped.JPG | Hits: 750 | Size: 174.94 KB | Posted on: 10/10/13 | Link to this image
It didn't take anything at all to make the stump flop over to the other side of the creek. We probably could have done this much by hand. If we had chain-sawed it a couple inches closer to the root ball, it probably would have slapped us.
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14Greg.JPG | Hits: 655 | Size: 170.24 KB | Posted on: 10/10/13 | Link to this image
14Lined.JPG | Hits: 666 | Size: 137.92 KB | Posted on: 10/10/13 | Link to this image
Once I got set, it wouldn't budge at all, probably because I was already on the 3rd layer of cable on the drum. So to make it roll, Greg hooked up his 12K winch to a high point on the stump, and we put a half wrap around the trunk.
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14Lines.JPG | Hits: 647 | Size: 150.65 KB | Posted on: 10/10/13 | Link to this image
To make it roll, Greg hooked up his 12K winch to a high point on the stump, and we put a half wrap around the trunk.
We couldn't drag it straight up from the creek like I had imagined, so we set up to roll it out sideways. My cable is wrapped around the base of the stump near the root ball about 4x, and Greg's has a half wrap farther up at the Y, which is why our cables cross. We threw my old '83 Bronco frame into the creek last year as a bridge, so as the root ball rolls, it hits that, helping to force the ball up & onto the edge of the creek.
Mine is doing most of the work because Greg's DiscoII has a weaker alternator & a single battery, and every time he loads his winch, the BCM sets a bunch of low-voltage fault codes, which he had to keep clearing out every few seconds to keep the engine running.
When the roots hit the bridge, the winches load up. Greg only has 1 Optima and no factory dash voltmeter, so when his bogs, every system on his Disco2 sets a fault code for low voltage, turning on every light on the dash. So he spent most of the time watching his scantool & clearing codes. He revved up trying to get more from his alternator, but it didn't help.
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14Looped.JPG | Hits: 623 | Size: 161.69 KB | Posted on: 10/10/13 | Link to this image
With the 2nd 12K winch attached, it really started moving.
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14Looping.JPG | Hits: 609 | Size: 171.35 KB | Posted on: 10/10/13 | Link to this image
The first roll was fairly easy, but when the root ball hit the Bronco frame bridge, it took a lot to make the heavy end climb up the creek bank. It crumpled the frame, too.
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14Loops.JPG | Hits: 621 | Size: 165.79 KB | Posted on: 10/10/13 | Link to this image
The first roll was fairly easy, but when the root ball hit the Bronco frame bridge, it took a lot to make the heavy end climb up the creek bank.
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14Mbed.JPG | Hits: 762 | Size: 161.79 KB | Posted on: 10/10/13 | Link to this image
Both cables are really digging into the tree, even past the rotten bark.
My truck is off-axis, so my winch isn't wrapping straight onto the drum. And on this layer, it's wrapping toward the load, leaving big gaps for later layers to dig into, which is why I had to stop frequently to back off & rewrap. My winch pendant died, so Greg had to move to my truck to work the dash switch.
My other problem was that, because I have 2 batteries, and my winch spent most of the time bogged dragging the stump uphill, its power wire got so hot I could smell it. So we had to let it cool a couple of times.
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14Mid.JPG | Hits: 610 | Size: 161.1 KB | Posted on: 10/10/13 | Link to this image
I'm guessing this is around 6 tons of wet logs & dirt, but I have no way to really judge it.
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14Middle.JPG | Hits: 569 | Size: 163.84 KB | Posted on: 10/10/13 | Link to this image
We had to stop to reset Greg's cable to keep the stump rolling, and to let my winch's power wire cool.
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14Midway.JPG | Hits: 613 | Size: 163.47 KB | Posted on: 10/10/13 | Link to this image
After a few more cycles of re-wrapping my cable & letting the wires cool, we could see we were making real progress.
Finally, it flopped over. We spent the next half hour pulling it a couple feet farther, and then getting the last few wraps of my cable off the trunk. Then a few more guys showed up to do some wheeling and we blazed a trail straight through the root pit.
.
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14Teter.JPG | Hits: 674 | Size: 159.42 KB | Posted on: 10/10/13 | Link to this image
It took a lot to get it rolled up this high - I thought we were gonna have to stop again to let my winch positive wire cool off again.
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14Timber.JPG | Hits: 619 | Size: 161.17 KB | Posted on: 10/10/13 | Link to this image
When the winches suddenly sped up & the cables unloaded, we knew it was coming over.
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14Toppled.JPG | Hits: 667 | Size: 158.77 KB | Posted on: 10/10/13 | Link to this image
And it came down with a dull crunch.
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14Wasteland.JPG | Hits: 647 | Size: 159.94 KB | Posted on: 10/10/13 | Link to this image
It looks like something out of a Jurassic Park movie.
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14Y.JPG | Hits: 694 | Size: 151.23 KB | Posted on: 10/10/13 | Link to this image
Ultimately, we pulled it a few more feet past here, just to keep the weight off his septic drain line.
Note the crumpled frame.
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14Z.JPG | Hits: 650 | Size: 149.55 KB | Posted on: 10/10/13 | Link to this image
The last job was to remove my winch cable from the stump, which was easier said than done. I had expected the stump to roll more, and to end up with this area off the ground. But it took about 20 minutes using Greg's 4WD tractor to pull the cable from around the stump. Our first guest arrived just as we were finishing.
To inspect some property we're considering buying, I got permission to blaze a trail yesterday. I made it about halfway before it got dark. Today, I've taken Lisa the rest of the way to the back of the property, but I didn't think about shooting video until we headed back. So now I'm driving back over the trees I just knocked down, but I have to dodge the ones that are still up near radiator height so they don't go through the grille guard.
To inspect some property we're considering buying, I got permission to blaze a trail yesterday. I made it about halfway before it got dark. Today, I've taken Lisa the rest of the way to the back of the property, but I didn't think about shooting video until we headed back. So now I'm driving back over the trees I just knocked down, but I have to dodge the ones that are still up near radiator height so they don't go through the grille guard.
To inspect some property we're considering buying, I got permission to blaze a trail yesterday. I made it about halfway before it got dark. Today, I've taken Lisa the rest of the way to the back of the property, but I didn't think about shooting video until we headed back. So now I'm driving back over the trees I just knocked down, but I have to dodge the ones that are still up near radiator height so they don't go through the grille guard.
To inspect some property we're considering buying, I got permission to blaze a trail yesterday. I made it about halfway before it got dark. Today, I've taken Lisa the rest of the way to the back of the property, but I didn't think about shooting video until we headed back. So now I'm driving back over the trees I just knocked down, but I have to dodge the ones that are still up near radiator height so they don't go through the grille guard.
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93-30Haul.JPG | Hits: 710 | Size: 168.36 KB | Posted on: 10/27/14 | Link to this image
This was a light load. The grille guard will carry MUCH more weight.
(It also makes a reasonably-comfortable toilet seat.)
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93-30Tree1a.JPG | Hits: 603 | Size: 178.29 KB | Posted on: 10/27/14 | Link to this image
This dead tree was near a trail I was blazing, so I pushed it over.
It (or one of the others I knocked down today) got into the tie rods & bent the drag link.
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93-30Tree1b.JPG | Hits: 704 | Size: 183.52 KB | Posted on: 10/27/14 | Link to this image
This dead tree was near a trail I was blazing, so I pushed it over.
It (or one of the others I knocked down today) got into the tie rods & bent the drag link.
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93-30Tree2a.JPG | Hits: 685 | Size: 166.62 KB | Posted on: 10/27/14 | Link to this image
This dead tree took a few good hits to get all the way to the ground.
It (or one of the others I knocked down today) got into the tie rods & bent the drag link.
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93-30Tree2b.JPG | Hits: 626 | Size: 174.9 KB | Posted on: 10/27/14 | Link to this image
This dead tree took a few good hits to get all the way to the ground.
It (or one of the others I knocked down today) got into the tie rods & bent the drag link.
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93-30Tree2d.JPG | Hits: 655 | Size: 176.96 KB | Posted on: 10/27/14 | Link to this image
This dead tree took a few good hits to get all the way to the ground.
It (or one of the others I knocked down today) got into the tie rods & bent the drag link.
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93-30Tree2e.JPG | Hits: 721 | Size: 171.92 KB | Posted on: 10/27/14 | Link to this image
This dead tree took a few good hits to get all the way to the ground.
It (or one of the others I knocked down today) got into the tie rods & bent the drag link.
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Timber.jpg | Hits: 936 | Size: 158.55 KB | Posted on: 12/1/14 | Link to this image
This live tree is where I want to put a driveway, and it overhangs the road, so I didn't want to chainsaw it. I decided to winch it out so most of the root ball would come with it. I also wanted to see what the winch (& 2 batteries) could do. The winch stalled before the entire root ball came out, but I can't really say I'm disappointed. It did more than I actually expected. Since the draw bar was chained to a tree behind the truck, this was also a full-load test of the winch & both bumpers' mountings.
IF THE IMAGE IS TOO SMALL, click it.
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Stump02.JPG | Hits: 805 | Size: 167.25 KB | Posted on: 12/10/14 | Link to this image
The 12K electric winch alone couldn't rip this out last week, so I'm putting 3 tons of Bronco into the mix today. I expect to use the engine & the winch eventually, but I'm starting off just jerking its chain. The pile of logs under the base will raise the root ball so it's easier to rip out.
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Stump03.JPG | Hits: 630 | Size: 155.24 KB | Posted on: 12/10/14 | Link to this image
I'm starting at the top of this little hill & backing down to snatch the tree out. But it's still fairly wet under the leaves, so traction is scant & the truck is sinking in.
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Stump05.JPG | Hits: 649 | Size: 157.53 KB | Posted on: 12/10/14 | Link to this image
The soft ground is a few inches deep, but it's pretty solid below that.
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Stump06.JPG | Hits: 605 | Size: 167.77 KB | Posted on: 12/10/14 | Link to this image
The fulcrum of logs under the base is working - the root ball is much higher now than when I started.
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Stump08.JPG | Hits: 705 | Size: 166.85 KB | Posted on: 12/10/14 | Link to this image
Even though I'm getting cross-axled on this crest, the truck is heavy enough to keep the suspension compressed & the tires on the ground. So I never tetered or slid.
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Stump09.JPG | Hits: 882 | Size: 162.61 KB | Posted on: 12/10/14 | Link to this image
I expected the ground to be softer & slicker than this, but I didn't have much trouble driving up & down in the same spot about 15 times.
.
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Stump13.JPG | Hits: 625 | Size: 170.62 KB | Posted on: 12/10/14 | Link to this image
There's still one big root down there hanging on, but I finally pulled it far enough up to expose & chop it.
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Stump14.JPG | Hits: 601 | Size: 110.61 KB | Posted on: 12/10/14 | Link to this image
Jerking on that tree caused some cargo shifting...
Eventually, the seat even flopped back.
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Stump16.JPG | Hits: 713 | Size: 163.28 KB | Posted on: 12/10/14 | Link to this image
Eventually, I won the fight.
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Stump17.JPG | Hits: 670 | Size: 129.73 KB | Posted on: 12/10/14 | Link to this image
It came up over the hill pretty easily, despite the slimy ground.
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Stump18.JPG | Hits: 721 | Size: 173.65 KB | Posted on: 12/10/14 | Link to this image
The ruts kept the logs from rolling too far away.
The little Husqy 435 has been doing GREAT.
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Stump20.JPG | Hits: 642 | Size: 138.97 KB | Posted on: 12/10/14 | Link to this image
One stump closer to putting a driveway here...
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Stump21.JPG | Hits: 752 | Size: 162.43 KB | Posted on: 12/10/14 | Link to this image
I pulled the stump all the way to the back of the property into the burn pile. I plan to leave it out long enough for rain to wash most of the dirt out so it'll burn.
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BrushGuard2a.jpg | Hits: 922 | Size: 152.84 KB | Posted on: 12/12/14 | Link to this image
I decided it was time to really load it up. These 2 loads were heavy. The 3rd (near dark) was so much it was hard to steer. But the grille guard still closed just the way it always has, so it didn't bend. I'm saying this bumper is sturdy enough for a 1-ton truck.
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BrushGuard7.JPG | Hits: 925 | Size: 152.98 KB | Posted on: 12/14/14 | Link to this image
It just won't bend!
...and nothing fell off as I drove through the woods, up & down hills, & over bumps.
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BrushGuard4.jpg | Hits: 1468 | Size: 158.07 KB | Posted on: 1/6/15 | Link to this image
I don't know what I'm gonna have to do to bend this thing...
...but I'll keep trying! ;-)
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Topple13.JPG | Hits: 919 | Size: 169.17 KB | Posted on: 2/6/15 | Link to this image
It may be necessary to click Play/Pause or the progress bar a few times to get the video to run.
.
If it just says "This div will be replaced" up there, then the page isn't loading right. You can try this link, but it'll take a while to load because the page is so big, and then you'll have to hit CTRL F and enter "gizzard" to find this again.
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Stump02c.JPG | Hits: 1068 | Size: 152.65 KB | Posted on: 10/21/15 | Link to this image
After a few gentle taps, it got the message.
.
Once it was loose, it was easy to drag out of its hole. I'll leave it upside-down for a year or so to wash all the dirt out of the roots before chainsawing the bottom flat to make it a "portable" stump, for landscaping.
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Stump02.jpg | Hits: 259 | Size: 71.79 KB | Posted on: 11/22/20 | Link to this image
The completed bumper has stood up better than I expected. Even knocking a 20" stump out of the ground didn't do anything to the bumper or to the truck. IF THE IMAGE IS TOO SMALL, click it.
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Bumper83s.jpg | Hits: 311 | Size: 113.18 KB | Posted on: 11/22/20 | Link to this image
The completed bumper has stood up better than I expected. It's strong enough for a double-line pull at full-stall on the 12,000 lb winch with 2 batteries & the alternator pushing current through it; and the grill guard won't bend knocking trees down, or hauling them stacked higher than the hood. IF THE IMAGE IS TOO SMALL, click it.
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ShopStump02.jpg | Hits: 372 | Size: 142.6 KB | Posted on: 2/3/19 | Link to this image
The stump in the distance (far side of the white driveway, Right of the brick stack) died a couple of years ago, and I cut it down a few months ago. I left it tall to make it easier to winch out. I thought it should be about ripe by now, and the recent rain has the ground soft.
So I wrapped my big extension cable around this BIG stump near the house and laid it out where I could put the Bronco in-line for hard pulling.
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ShopStump06.jpg | Hits: 289 | Size: 152.31 KB | Posted on: 2/3/19 | Link to this image
This is either 1/2" or 5/8" (if that exists) aircraft cable, and I've used it before as an anchor line, and as a winch extension. I made the ~11ga 2x2" draw bar for the big shackle, and I've used it several times, too.
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ShopStump03.jpg | Hits: 294 | Size: 96.9 KB | Posted on: 2/3/19 | Link to this image
The way I set up the anchor line left me exactly what I need on the winch for the maximum pulling force: just a few wraps on the drum, to keep it from slipping & ripping the cable away from the drum. But any winch develops its maximum pull on the first (innermost) layer.
Note the hook is on the front bumper, meaning the line is doubled back through a snatch block for almost double the pulling force at half the line speed.
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ShopStump05.jpg | Hits: 269 | Size: 142.49 KB | Posted on: 2/3/19 | Link to this image
With 2 lines, I get nearly double the force at half the speed. So I should get up to ~24K lbf on this ~3.5' tall lever, which should be enough to rip it out of the ground. The snatch block is an antique monster that I salvaged from a BIG crane truck abandoned in the woods, so it can easily handle this. I'm not quite as confident about the chain, but with 2 runs, it should be OK. It's wrapped several times around the stump & itself to keep it from shifting or sliding off, even when the stump is laid down horizontally.
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ShopStump11.jpg | Hits: 259 | Size: 155.49 KB | Posted on: 2/3/19 | Link to this image
After tightening up the cable, I checked the anchor, and it had cut into the rotting stump about an inch all around. No surprise...
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ShopStump13.jpg | Hits: 260 | Size: 109.48 KB | Posted on: 2/3/19 | Link to this image
Even though the winch is at full-stall, it doesn't even look like there's any tension on it. It's not leaning, and the ground behind it isn't lifting at all.
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ShopStump14.jpg | Hits: 244 | Size: 141.14 KB | Posted on: 2/3/19 | Link to this image
After stalling the winch a few more times, and several violent pops & shakes, the cable is embedded even deeper in the anchor stump.
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ShopStump15.jpg | Hits: 263 | Size: 141.89 KB | Posted on: 2/3/19 | Link to this image
It's still ignoring me...
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ShopStump16.jpg | Hits: 269 | Size: 89.36 KB | Posted on: 2/3/19 | Link to this image
I started to worry that the hook might rip the center bar out, or slip out of the cable eye, but everything looks OK here.
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ShopStump23.jpg | Hits: 299 | Size: 83.06 KB | Posted on: 2/3/19 | Link to this image
At about 2K RPM, I'm getting all the alternator can give, but stalling the winch still pulls the batteries down so low that the radar detector starts complaining. So I had to bump it every few minutes to pull half an inch, and then let the batteries soak up more power.
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ShopStump26.jpg | Hits: 314 | Size: 96.59 KB | Posted on: 2/3/19 | Link to this image
I don't think NASA lasers are this straight. And this shows why tree straps are required on live trees.
This is at (repeated) full-stall with 2 batteries & a 130A alternator (which typically maxes out close to 150A), and the cable is mostly out, so there's about 12Kipf on the line, making ~24Kipf on the tree.
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ShopStump28.jpg | Hits: 277 | Size: 145.41 KB | Posted on: 2/3/19 | Link to this image
It's still just smirking...
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ShopStump33.jpg | Hits: 306 | Size: 143.71 KB | Posted on: 2/3/19 | Link to this image
I got sick of it NOT moving, so I sharpened up one of my digging bars and started working around the roots, cutting everything I could find & reach (about 2' down). Most of the heavy ones are near the surface. Then I added a battery via jumper cables, and kept stalling the winch motor any time I saw the stump move.
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ShopStump38.jpg | Hits: 288 | Size: 142.03 KB | Posted on: 2/3/19 | Link to this image
THAT got its attention - now it's leaning noticeably, and the dirt is rising behind it.
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ShopStump42.jpg | Hits: 363 | Size: 136.39 KB | Posted on: 2/3/19 | Link to this image
At this point, it's creaking & popping each time I bump the winch, but it's still at full stall (around 24K lbf on the top of the stump).
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ShopStump52.jpg | Hits: 333 | Size: 123.66 KB | Posted on: 2/3/19 | Link to this image
I found a couple more heavy roots as they came up, and cut them. That really relieved the cable tension, allowing it to start rolling in again. It's getting dark, so I put an LED bar in the grill so I could make sure the cable wrapped up neatly as it started the 2nd layer (where the pulling force is reduced).
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ShopStump55.jpg | Hits: 345 | Size: 104.63 KB | Posted on: 2/3/19 | Link to this image
It's moving much faster now; so much that I have to stop frequently to check the cable wrap and knock dirt chunks off the root ball.
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ShopStump64.jpg | Hits: 334 | Size: 86.45 KB | Posted on: 2/3/19 | Link to this image
Game over - there's hardly any tension on the cable now.
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ShopStump74.jpg | Hits: 338 | Size: 80.27 KB | Posted on: 2/3/19 | Link to this image
I'll leave it here tonight, and probably try to wash some of the dirt back into the hole before ripping the last roots out. I may drag it around my field for a while to knock more dirt off before rolling it up on the burn pile.
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ShopStump83.jpg | Hits: 304 | Size: 151.74 KB | Posted on: 2/4/19 | Link to this image
There are a few more big roots preventing me from pulling this out of the hole, and I can't cut them with the stump on top. So I'll have to let off & add some cribbing...
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ShopStump87.jpg | Hits: 331 | Size: 138.78 KB | Posted on: 2/4/19 | Link to this image
The weight of the dirt pulled it back upright, so I put some of the log sections under the stump to lift it.
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ShopStump89.jpg | Hits: 369 | Size: 134.83 KB | Posted on: 2/4/19 | Link to this image
The stack is nearly gone, but it lifted the root ball enough to break the last few big ones and drag it out of the hole. I was able to unhook the winch without it rolling back in. We're expecting a week of rain, which should get a lot of the dirt off, so the stump will burn eventually.
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LoadUn.jpg | Hits: 249 | Size: 64.03 KB | Posted on: 9/7/22 | Link to this image
It's easier to unload the grill guard than to load it.
Stress Testing
