Anyone pull out bushes or trees with their truck?

[RyanbabZ71]

Just wondering cause my grandpa wants the bushes that are in the front of his house cut dow while he is in NC this week.  Well my dad got the idea to use my truck instead of a chain saw to get em out.  They are pretty good sized bushes.  You think a tow strap would work if i wapped it around the roots?  I plan on using the warn shackle (in the hitch).  Just hope the tires dont tear up his grass (this is how my grandpa would look  :angry: ) hehe

[Jpshostr]

Well, we've never dragged stuff like that out with a towstrap, always ripped em out with a loader tractor (a man's way, haha), but anyways.

 

Before you go hooking up to them and hitting the right pedal, soak each bush root area with a hose for awhile.  Take a spade and go around each bush, pushing it down as far as you can.  Hopefully you'll be able to cut most of the roots, you may have to work at this though, but the results will be much nicer.  When we are working on junk trees in treelines we always use a thick cable, but I'd think a serious rope would do, be careful to not let it fray though.  We've never had any luck using tow ropes for this.  I'd think to avoid grass damage you'll want 4LO, don't just stomp the gas pedal, ease in.

[General Lee 01]

I have some experience with this (Most of you GM-TC veterans would remember my Bamboo saga last year)

 

If you're that worried about tearing the grass up, then the truck is probably not the best route to go.

 

If the bushes are rather thick and stationary, you will almost indefinetly spin the tires before the roots give-way, Unless you use a winch, OR put it in 4-lo.

 

It's hard to tell without actually seeing the bushes

 

 

Don't be like me, and just slam the gas pedal down and roost the front porch.

 

 

 

I've gotten the :angry: face before too.

[Kansas Kid]

If you don't take Jp's advice about soaking the ground, and cutting the roots there is no way you will get them out without some sort of damage to the grass.  Might not be able to avoid some damage even then, especially if the bushes are large like you mentioned.  Last summer we cut down a large bush in our yard, dug up the ground around the roots and used a spade to cut through most of the roots.  Even then I tore up the grass trying to get the stump out.

 

Guess you can always try one and see what happens.  LOL

[HillHound]

Ryan,

 

Be careful-I'd hate to see you damage your truck ripping stumps!  I think I'd use the chainsaw just for the sake of safety :thumb: .

[Shaners]

The first year that Dodge put the 318 in the Dakota, my freind bought one.  He was pretty proud of his new truck...  He did the same thing with it by pulling bushes out of the front of the house using a large chain.  About the third bush the chain snapped and flung back towards the rear of his truck.  You could see 3-4 perfect link impressions in the sheet metal on the tailgate from where the chain hit the back of the truck...  

[rrsob]

pulling bushes out of the front of the house using a large chain.  About the third bush the chain snapped and flung back towards the rear of his truck.  You could see 3-4 perfect link impressions in the sheet metal on the tailgate from where the chain hit the back of the truck...  

I did this same thing with our first house,and my 89 truck. The previous owner had no forsight, and planted everything way to close to the house. After some time everything was overtaking the house and they had to come out. I also had a few marks on the back window of my cap that would'nt come out. (How the window did'nt break I'll never know)

Soaking and a little pre-digging sounds like great advice.

But I sure learned two things:

Don't use a chain. And those little bushes are alot tougher, I mean ALOT tougher than you think.

   :angry:  

[RyanbabZ71]

I'd use the chainsaw just for the sake of safety

 

hmmm id rather damage my truck than loose and arm hehe

[varmint2506]

Good luck on not tearing up the grass. If you plan to use the truck, load it up for the weight. The weight will help a lot with pulling. :thumb:

[CMNTMXR81]

I tried ripping a huge dead branch off a tree up in Michigan with my Tahoe a few years back.  Ended up yanking the front end fo the Tahoe off the ground.  

[Dihappy]

Id do it

 

I ripped out the remaing tree stump my friend had in his back yard.

 

It was about 1.5' diameter and i just put her in 4 lo

 

He did dig a bit and chop some roots off, it was no problem and i didnt even spin the tires.

[SxViper]

I have done it to a smaller bush/tree. My dad cut up a bunch of roots going to it and I got a chain around it and then to the hitch I had on the S10. Put it in 4lo and first gear and bang tree was no more...  

[BDBWTE]

I tried pulling out a oak tree stump in my grandpa's yard last weekend it funny you should mention such...I logged the tree and split everything hauled it off then I was like no sense in leaving the stump...anyway grandpa had been burning on it for about 5hrs now so I figured it would come out with a little 2500HD 4lo bull dog persuasion....I was in his garden so tearing the yard up wasn't a issue.....anyway I hooked to the stump and gave it the old heev hoo which resulted in the front of the truck getting light...so I figured just sit here and slow down use the gears mechanical leverage against that punk.  So I sat there turning to and fro trying to find a weak angle that the stump would give at.  The stump beat the HD's ass it didn't come out...but with the help of the 580 Case from a nearby jobsite the stump lost the battle....if that wouldn't have worked I would have drove the dam CAT D-11H with ripper and taken care of the issue  

 

Anyway if you do chose to try to up-root those bushes/trees with your truck be careful...as I found out the root systems of plants are stronger than you think...as for the yard use common sense and hope for the best

[Jpshostr]

 The stump beat the HD's ass it didn't come out...but with the help of the 580 Case from a nearby jobsite the stump lost the battle....if that wouldn't have worked I would have drove the dam CAT D-11H with ripper and taken care of the issue  

Speaking of such, we've pulled a few trees out of fencerows with the very tractor in your avatar.  Ain't she a beauty?   :thumb:  

[Greg]

According to the commercials, only Fords have enough power to do the job!