Using tow strap to take out a stump

As someone who does this shit for a living...

Yes and no.

Depends on the size and room you have. Always try to cut roots and dig out as much as you can before pulling on it.

Never yank things out in reverse if you can avoid it, horrible on ring/pinion gears.

Weigh your strap down with something so if it comes loose it doesn’t fling itself.

And use 4L first gear. Be gentle.

Diesels are best for this stuff. But if you’re careful, these little tacos can do some serious work. I believe i’ve ripped out close to two dozen stumps/shrubs/bushes in the time I have had this truck. Be careful


Just last year I pulled a 75ft birch tree out of another tree with my truck, a chain, a tow strap and another tree as an anchor/snatch block. Its all about leverage. This tree once cut up would have filled the bed of my truck with firewood, twice. I could barely cut it with an 18” bar. So i don’t even want to know how heavy it was

 

My dad and I did it once, used a chain and yanked her out slowly.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBAGm8CNs5Q

 

Just so you know, people have been killed by yanking with straps or ropes.

 

I just yanked out five large shrubs with thick deep roots this past week. The trick is to dig around the tree to loosen the dirt and find the roots. Then I used the sharp end of a heavy ass digging bar and sliced into the roots enough to make the stump wiggle a bit. Then used a looped end tow strap and a hooked end tow strap and attached to the truck hitch. Put it in 4 Lo and out they came...wish I would’ve filmed it for you...

 

I’ve done it with friends, with two caveats.

1. Take an axe, sever all the roots. You’ll thank me later.

2. Go slow, weigh down your strap, use common sense.

A chunk of the root or the strap coming through your windshield will end your day poorly.

 

I luv my Taco truck(s)

proper tool for the job.......

not a Taco.........this maybe......

 

Just rent a stump grinder and grind them.

 

Use a wench with a snatch block, dig the roots first

 

I've pulled about half a dozen small ones (8 inches or less)

It is certainly doable. Just go so and use your common sense...always think, if it snaps right now what will happen.

 

Why not? This pigme palm started to become a nuisance, 1 wheel engaged no prob. Used a old harbor freight strap. Had to dig a little around it and just double looped as far under as I could get.

 

People have also been killed taking selfies.

 

Gotta be careful. Depending on the type of tree some can be much stronger than you think. A healthy 8-10 inch fir tree will stop a small car going 50mph instantly. The taller the stump the easier it will be to pull over if you attach up towards the top but not so high that it will lift the back reducing traction.

 

True. Probably more than have been killed jerkin stuff.

 

Make sure you check for sprinkler lines in the yard. Otherwise you might pull them up with the stump. Tree roots grow wider than most expect.

 

It also works fine with a properly rated strap, if you take the precaution of having it long enough and drape a heavy tarp over the strap to kill the energy if it breaks or the stump pops out. I've done it many times.

 

People have died doing all sorts of questionable stuff-
https://darwinawards.com/

 

4 lo and put in reverse. Use an angle so it won't hit truck or another tree as a pivot point.

Never use a stretch strap. Use heavy duty ones.

 

Oh hey, that’s me lol

 

Not my pic but I used a rim to re-direct the pulling force upward. Worked great to pull out some small stumps. I pulled backwards in 4lo (chain was hooked to the front of the truck)