Dynamite for removing stumps

................I can think of a few politicans that need a suppository of around a half stick with a short fuse!! Actually , I would think that dynomite would be , Extremely Hard to acquire muchless too utilize for random stump removal and or Outhouse hole preparation. I'm being facetous but blowing things up might be kinda fun......You know, seeing how many pieces you can create out of a 56 Buick with maybe 4 sticks.........fordy... :no: :yeeha:

 

I 'helped' dad use some on a rock 30 years ago. Only time I ever saw dad move fast.

Can't imagine you can buy any any more since 9/11.

--->Paul

 

You would have to find a certified blaster to do the work as you cannot buy the blasting caps yourself since 9/11 unless you have a federal explosives license. Would be cost prohibited. Suggestion on another post is to use a 55-gallon drum open at both ends. Set it over the stump, fill with wood and light. Very important though to have an air flow from the bottom. After the fire has burned out, tip the barrel sideways, clear out around what remains of the stump and repeat.

Ken S. in WC TN

 

I've read somewhere that using charcoal inside a barrel also works quite well as it burns longer, but it isn't free either.

 

Grandpa used to tell me stories about removing stumps with dynamite. Grandpa also used to tell me stories about using a device called a black powder wedge to split elm butts. Both sounded like they were more trouble than they were worth. If you have access to a high-speed modem, you would be wise to review the video of the Infamous Exploding Whale (http://www.hackstadt.com/features/whale/) before giving dynamite more thought. Why not just hire an excavator or a stump grinder to remove the stump?

 

A good friend of mine blows stumps and other stuff up by placing a mixture of ammonia nitrate fertilizer and diesel fuel into a milk jug. This is how he does it: first, find......

Wait a minute. If I tell you how to do this, I will probably be getting a knock on my door....

Never mind.

 

How big is your stump? Unless it is very large you don't need amonia nitrate.
If it is 30 inches across or less dynamite will take it out.
With dynamite you don't need blasting caps if you are a good "shot". You do need to handle it carefully.

 

Posession of an explosive device is a great big no-no nowdays, & if you don't know anything about dynamite it doesn't seem like a real good option for you. :no:

 

A guy in this issue of Farm Show makes stump burners from half of an old water heater. He attaches a piece of stovepipe to the top, sets it over the stump and adds kindling. He also makes sure to have a draft underneath. The stove pipe gives him a good draw and it burns hot and fast. Dynamite would be much more fun, of course.

 

Back in my younger days in another time and place I had a friend with an International TD20 busy cutting me a building pad in a sloped part of my land. He did well, but could not move two big old D Fir stumps that were tougher than the TD20. So he went away, talked to his buddy, and came back with a big grin.

Meanwhile he told me to dig a pit close to the stumps and as deep as I could make them. Little did I know the reason. When he showed up he dragged a bag of fertilizer out of his truck, poured on about a gallon of diesel, mixed it up and poured it all down my two holes. Then he brought out one stick of 80%, cut it in half, inserted the detonator, and took me far, far away where he touched it off.

Those two stumps were located on my land maybe 500-600 yards away from the road...a state highway. Over the next few seconds pieces of stump landed in a circle, including where we were hiding, and included a few pieces on the highway.

Great fun, and a huge education. Doubt you could do this today and not get that knock on the door! But it is as much fun to think about as it was to do way back then.

bearkiller