We have 4 tree stumps approx 6 inches in height we want to remove. The trees were cut down 3 years ago.
Other than digging them out/grinding them down, is there a fairly easy way to remove them. Ideally we'd like to get it done within the next week or so.
Cheers
Pete
Doh!! Wrong forum, although when they're gone I'll have a nice patio to fettle..
nope. you'll either have to dig them out or grind them down.
personally i'd pay someone else to do it.
Tree stumps are a proper man-job aren't they? With shovels and rope and big saws and an axe and heaving and grunting and sweat and barked knuckles. I've got one to deal with that my macho-organ is really looking forward to. 
JCB? Or you can use a winch (from a hire shop) if there's something firm to attach the other end to. How hard it will be depends on how big the trees were & what species - are we talking 100 year old Oaks or something like Leylandii?
Spent a day once getting a large tree stump out.
Was a lovely day with a couple of neighbours, big tools, my land rover and a rope.
One of the blokes died of a heart attack 2 days later 
Unfortunately we have an enclosed back garden with no access.
Size wise, they are only about 8 inches in diameter and were delightful leylandi.
Cheers Brant. I'll offer a stump removal BBQ (beer after of course, responsible destruction and all that), but please sign this waiver first..
Leylandii have a fairly shallow & fibrous root system compared to some of the broad leaved trees so you don't get those thick deep roots. Once you get them moving they tend not to put up *that* much of a fight.
if you don't know how useful a digging bar can be now would be a good time to find out ......
Winch is the easiest option
http://www.hss.com/g/69706/Tirfor-Winch-800-1200kg.html
and if you've nothing to secure it to, a ground anchor as well.
Shovel & axe are all thats required. 
Dig round stump to find roots, hack to pieces with axe, pull out detached bit, bury the rest
It all went wrong 3 years ago, if you had left 6ft instead of 6" it would have really helped. You might be lucky and the old roots might not be too painful, but no easy way in my experience.
You can hire a machine for grinding them down I believe.
as this is in the riding forum i was gonna suggest leaving them there and building a ramp up one side of them to make them fun trail obstacles.
As it is, either
a) take a small cup of petrol and pour onto top of stump. leave overnight to soak in. repeat for a couple of weeks until the petrol has soaked in well and truly (if only just cut down it will work its was right down to the roots). Set it alight and it will burn the top off whilst the roots will smoulder for a few days and that will be that
b) take all the coniferous bits you have just cut off the trunk and lay them around the stump and have a bonfire. this will burn the stump to the ground. Conifers burn really well even when 'green'
oh and yes, my neighbour in his late 70's who spent all day one weekend removing a trunk turning down my offer of assistance had a heart attack and died the next day too.
R.I.P. Jack
My old man had 30 6 foot lleylandii up either side of his driveway. We ripped them out with a forklift in an hour and a half and had a nice big bonfire!
Otherwise, shovel and axe has always got me there in the end. Most lleylandii roots tend to branch out sideways not straight down so you should be able to dig down to all the main roots.
Blow 'em up. Its the manly way
Drill some holes in the stump and pour in white spirit. That's the advice I got from a gardener - but I don't know how long it takes to kill it...someone will tell you in a second - probably.
Oh yeah - this being the bike forum - yeah good bike the Specialized Stumpy ! That's what you meant, right ?
Cheers all, out with the spade and axe.
Now, what axe for.....
Dynamite surely?
Drill some holes in the stump and pour in white spirit. That's the advice I got from a gardener - but I don't know how long it takes to kill it...someone will tell you in a second - probably.
That will kill the stumps comparatively quickly. What it won't do is rot the stumps, so they will stay there until nature takes it's course and the wood just decays. 7/10 years depending on the hardness of the wood. Stump grinder is still the easiest way.
Hi-lift jacks are a handy thing to have for this kind of thing. Just be careful, they're more dangerous than nitroglycerin.
Wait until late autumn / winter* and then spray glyphosate (usually sold as "Round-Up" but comes in other names too) onto the stumps. There are other specific chemicals that'll do the job. Drilling holes into the stump will create a bigger surface area for the chemical to get into the tree so that might be an idea.
It'll take much longer than physical removal but a lot easier. The chemical doesn't actually rot the wood, but it does kill it and encourage pathogen infection which will eat away at the stump and roots. It may take a few months and several applications, depending on the size of the main stump and size of the root system, so be patient.
It's best applied to freshly cut wood, so if they've been stumps for a while, take a slice off the top of the stump to expose fresh wood.
* The sap in a tree travels into the roots during the winter months and up from from the roots in the summer months, so by spraying in the winter months, the glyphosate moves down into the roots with the sap.
Grind them out. Either a local tree surgeon or they will know someone who will grind them out.
If all else fails there's always the STW standard answer
i've got a similar one outside my flat where i stopped an oak tree in its early tracks by going at it with a saw.
i can't get the bastard out of the ground, though. suppose i tie one end of a rope round the roots and the underneath of the trunk and the other to the tow loop on the back of the car and pull away, what is the most likely outcome? snapped rope, damage to surrounding area or complete success? 
If all else fails there's always the STW standard answer
Thomson?
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