[NicoleC]

I have a large (2 1/2 foot radius) maple tree stump that is about 1 foot above the ground which I want to remove. I had one removal company come in and quote a $750 price to grind it - which I thought was rather high so I would like to explore other ways of removing the stump at a much lower cost.

Any information would be greatly appreciated.

[RickJ]

That price is absolutely nuts.

Chain saw it down to as low as you can without having your blade grinding in dirt.

As long as it's no more than a couple inches high, the price (in my area anyway) to grind down to 6" below grade should not be more than about $2-$3 per inch of diameter (not circumference).

If you're not having any luck, you can rent the grinder for $75-$100 for a half day.

Either way, you'll need to get it down closer to ground level.

[labman]

If you do have it ground down or rent a grinder yourself, grass will not grow in the mixture of dirt and wood chips they leave behind. You need to clean it out and put dirt in.

If you can get away with fires in your area, that is fairly effective way. Just build up a good fire over it. Once started good, it will char away to below ground level.

The last alternative is to let it rot. I don't know if the stuff that is supposed to accelerate it helps or not.

[NicoleC]

Thanks, I thought the price was rather high and will do some more looking around. I was going to try and cut the stump closer to the ground but when I did some test boring around its' permiter I found dirt and some stones so I would probably have trouble with the chainsaw blade going dull or snapping.

Will look into renting a grinder and if that does not work then I'll break out the old axe and use some stump degrading chemicals... understand that high nitrogen fertilizer (the higher the better) along with water/dampness will hasten the rotting process.

Once again thanks for your advice. :)

[jyost]

Nicole,
That price is crary. Some people in this business determine their prices based upon what it would take to have an excavator do the job. The way I look at it is an excavator cost $80,000. The truck and trailer to get it there... $40,000. My stump grinder cost me $13,000 and I have to have a truck anyway. Maybe I'm a poor business man, but my return on investment doesn't need to be made in a week!
Good luck.

[skiberger]

Drill 3/4" holes into the stump and use rock salt. (if rock salt is available where you live)

[talaniman]

Talk to the people at Home Depot. They have poisons that work very well on weeds as well as tree stumps