Anyone here know something about trees? Trying to raise stump

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billdz

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What makes it so hard to lift a tree stump? See attached pic, we lost this mango tree in Hurricane Irma, and we've cut off the branches and most of the trunk. We'd like to lift up the remaining stump, but 3 of us can't lift it. Is it the weight of the stump or perhaps something in the roots that is making it so hard to lift? Any tips on what we can do to lift it? We can't get a crane or a truck anywhere near the lake where the tree is. We know the stump will eventually need to be removed but we'd like to lift it to get it out of the way for now.

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Level off the top as much as possible in relation to the ground.
Drill a boatload of holes with a wood boring bit down into the stump.
Buy several bottles of Stump Killer at any Harware/ Big Hardware Chain.
Read directions- Fill holes.
Wait.
Knock everything down when it's good and, soggy.
Rest will die...

Amazing what a little Potasium Nitrate can do to wood-

Or add it to some sulphur and, charcoal and, you've got a wicked base for homemade fireworks!
Shhhhhh.....;)
 
iirc during the last major hurricane in Florida the mango groves were hit very hard, it was common to cut off the upper part of the tree and stand the stump back upright in the hole, the tree would eventually come back. If you are intent on removing the tree, its the roots holding it in place on the one side, find a way to push or pull the stump sideways and as it rolls cut the roots allowing it to roll a bit more, so on and so forth.
 
Your stump is basically already out. All you have left is the rest of the roots holding it in. I always use an axe to remove stumps digging the dirt away around it and working towards the center chopping the roots. You have a good start already, with a shovel clear the dirt away, you will hit roots with the shovel and then chop them with the axe. The stump will start moving more with each root that gets chopped. The axe will dull, but is easier/cheaper to sharpen than a chain saw blade.
 
I went through the same thing a few years back when high wind knocked over a 2 foot diameter, 60 foot pine in my yard. Got a neighbor with a ford tractor, with a front end loader and chain's to help, but could not get it out. As Mushtang stated there will be many roots that did not snap, and will be deep. A chainsaw was out of the question as the dirt, sand and small rocks would have ruined the blade inside of 30 seconds. Ended up using a small shovel to dig the dirt out of the hole and expose a root or two and cut with a hatchet. Uncover another root, and cut with hatchet. Repeat and repeat. Took me three evenings after work to cut it loose. Before I then moved it, as MClark stated washing it out with water will remove a lot of the weight. I did not hose the dirt off before as I did not want a hole full of water and mud as I worked. I would love to hear if anyone has a better method. I did call stump grinding company, but they wanted $350, which was a bit too much for me.
 
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Thanks for the tips, I still don't have it up or out, this could be a tough one.
 
You could cut off the rest of the trunk in manageable sized pieces to start with. If you want the whole root ball gone I would start removing the dirt with a shovel and a hose. Once the dirt is gone it will be much lighter and you should be able to move it enough to cut the remaining roots that are still in the ground.


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