An Old Fashioned Stump Grinder

Stump Be Gone!

We had three water oak trees that died in the side pasture a couple months ago and we chronicled how we brought them down in a couple of earlier posts.  We hauled off the branches and threw them on the burn pile that we burned in the big bonfire over Thanksgiving. All of the wood itself was cut into size perfect for firewood and we'll split that later and stack it.  It is so nice to have the dead trees out of the way.

One problem that remains, though, is the stumps.  The stumps present an obstacle that you have to drive around when putting out hay.  Time for the stumps to be removed.  You can rent a stump grinder and grind them for a hefty sum OR you can do it the old fashioned way.  I told my boys that back in the pioneer days, the settlers had to clear the land and remove the stumps before opening up tillable land to farm and survive.  There was no stump grinder to rent.

They did it with an ax or cross cut saw and with maybe the assistance of an ox or mule.  We got the ax out and worked and worked until we had the stump cut down pretty close to ground level.  We then picked up all of the wood chips, stacked them around the stump along with sticks and made a big fire on top of the remaining stump.  It was a nice time to sit around the fire and talk and enjoy the outdoors.  As you can see in the picture above, even the pioneer woman came out and joined us. She's actually sitting on the next stump that we'll remove using the exact same process.

When the coals from the fire cooled, the stump was exactly at ground level.  No more obstacle.  You can drive right over it.  In time it will rot and will leave a hole there that I'll need to fill, but for the time being, we're pleased.  There are easier and faster ways to remove a stump that's in the way - that's for sure, but those methods don't nearly give you the sense of pride in our accomplishment or allow you to work up the appetite that we did in the process.