Finally starting... let the adventure begin.

ArmyDoc

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They finally cleared the trees. This is where my shop will go.
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Now I have to get rid of some stumps and get it level. Each of those little piles is a stimp I tried grinding.
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I used a stump plane - basically a giant wood auger. Drills a big 10 inch hole in the stump.
20200912_101100.jpg
Unfortunately, for the ones up slope, that didn't work. Even after taking them 12 to 15 inches below grade, as I move the dirt, I just uncovered the stump. Got to dark for more pictures. Maybe tomorrow.
 
I know you are not anxious at all. May everything go as you plan or better.
Looking for more pics as you progress.
Chuck
 
When I need to remove a tree including the stump I don't cut the tree down and then try to dig out the stump. I figure out which way the tree will fall. Then I dig a hole on that side of the tree and cut out any roots. Then dig a shallow trench along each side of the tree again cutting any roots and finally dig a hole on the back side. The tree will fall over ripping the stump out with it. Wet ground also helps. This works best if it doesn't matter which way the tree falls. If the tree has to fall in a certain direction then you have to help it along by cutting off branches on the backside and have a tensioning rope pulling the tree in the direction you want it to fall.

If I have to remove a stump I only dig as a last resort. Stumps get narrower as they go into the ground. I use my chainsaw to cut vertical slices off the stump. First on one side and then the opposite side. Then the two remaining sides.

The slickest method is how they remove orchards here in the central valley. They use a rather large bulldozer with a huge fork on the front. The bulldozer forces the forks into the ground at an angle under the tree and then raises the forks popping the tree out of the ground, stump and all.

Another way is to use a trencher like a ditch witch. It will cut the roots as it digs the trench. I sold a palm tree in my front yard at my old house to a landscape company that specialized in palm trees. They used a crane to hold the palm tree up while they trenched around the tree. Then the crane pulled the tree up and set it on a flat bed to haul it away.

Lots of ways to do this. Do whatever works for you.
 
Depends what kind of trees you have, If they don't have a huge root system, I just put the loader bucket up high and push them over, and the roots come along for the ride. 60 ' aspen come down pretty easy. When I worked with my dad as a kid he would put one ripper tooth in (small Oliver track machine) and cut the roots on big hardwoods, and then climb up the tree with the machine, and bring them down that way. Mike
 
Wish I had pushed them over, but the timber company was cutting and that was my mind set. Did three with the Bobcat yesterday. Will do a few each weekend till done. Thought about renting an excavator, which would be a lot faster, but I already own the bobcat, so not really keen on spending more just to save time. That may change...
 
Elevate slab above dirt level. Design with / rain runoff considered. So many projects are built with no thought put into rain runoff.
Definitely. I plan to have the terrace above it drain away the water towards the ends, and after getting the new terrace level, building up at least 6 inches of crusher run, compacting that then putting the slab on top. Want to have the crusher run extend a few feet beyond the slab, so the inside surface should be a foot higher or so.
 
I used a D6 Cat to remove several hundred stumps. A couple of jabs with the 4 way blade angled down along the
tree to dislodge the roots and a push straight on usually does the job and on to the next tree...:)
 
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