Rooters. Device and operation.

Rooters. Device and operation. During the construction of roads, a significant part of all types of work on their creation are auxiliary cycles, which ensure the further use of heavy earthmoving equipment.

One of these auxiliary cycles carried out on the route, after the cycle of removing trees and shrubs, is uprooting stumps and removing stones. For this purpose, devices called uprooters are used. The uprooter is equipment mounted on a caterpillar tractor and powered by a control system installed on the carrier tractor.

Mechanized uprooting

If a plot of land needs to be cleared of a large number of stumps for future construction or planting a garden, it is better to use heavy equipment - a tractor, bulldozer, truck crane. Especially if there is no danger of damaging any elements of the landscape design.

An electric or chainsaw is suitable for removing the above-ground part of the stump. This option is cheaper, but without removing the root system of the dead tree, the area cannot be planted or developed.

Many owners use a rented stump grinder. It is also best used when it is necessary to remove a large number of stumps.

The above-ground part of the stump is cut off with a chainsaw.

If you need to free the area from 1-2 stumps, it is better to use other methods. Hiring equipment in such a situation will be unreasonably expensive. In addition, equipment, especially heavy construction equipment, can damage various elements of landscape design.

Stump removal is not as difficult as it seems. The main thing is to approach this problem competently: get an idea of ​​the root system of various trees, choose the appropriate uprooting method, prepare everything you need - tools, materials, substances.

To successfully remove stumps without extra effort, you need to find out:

• age, species and type of tree;
• type and depth of the root system;
• location of the main roots.

Working conditions and use of uprooters.

The main working force when uprooting is the horizontal traction force of the carrier's tractor, which, when extracting a stump, breaks off the roots remaining in the ground one by one, while the vertical force for removing stumps when turning the blade is much greater, due to the need to simultaneously tear off all roots Uprooters are used to remove stumps with a diameter of up to 45 cm from the route, remove root systems of trees, after uprooting stumps, remove large stones, remove trees and bushes away from the route, for loosening dense and frozen soils.

Sometimes, with the help of uprooters equipped with a mechanism for turning the blade, trees are felled and loaded onto vehicles to be moved to a place remote from the highway. Currently, lifters with a front-mounted working body and hydraulic control are the main equipment of the entire lifter fleet. Their mounting points on the tractor are located in accordance with this arrangement.

The main elements of the uprooter are: a rotating blade equipped with teeth, a rotating pushing frame and a control system for the working parts. The uprooter blade is a lattice frame structure on which replaceable teeth are attached, equipped with wear-resistant surfacing. Blades can be attached to the supporting pushing frame either rigidly or movably, which is most applicable in today's designs of uprooters. This arrangement allows you to rotate the blade, after deepening it under the lower part of the stump, to reliably uproot the stump torn from the roots, which significantly increases the efficiency of the uprooting process.

The pushing rotary frame is made by analogy with the mounted frame of a bulldozer. With a mechanical (rope) control system, the rotating supporting frame is driven by a winch; with a hydraulic system, it is driven by two-way hydraulic cylinders controlled from the lifter control hydraulic system.

More about the root system of trees

The root system of trees consists of the main root, lateral and adventitious roots. Based on the degree of development of the main and additional roots, the following types of root systems are distinguished:

• rod;
• fibrous;
• superficial.

The taproot system is distinguished by the presence of a powerful main root that goes deep into the soil. The fibrous root system is formed by adventitious roots after the main root dies. It is located at a shallower depth than the core one, but its components weave the soil better. The surface root system is formed by powerful horizontal rods and their shoots and lies in the upper layers of the soil.

With age, the root system of trees becomes more powerful due to the lengthening and thickening of the main roots, overgrown with many additional shoots. The approximate size of the root system in most cases corresponds to the size of the crown.

Types of tree root systems.

An exception is, for example, cherry or plum trees, whose roots grow far beyond the crown.

Most fruit tree crops have a fibrous or superficial root system. The depth of the roots is no more than 70-75 cm. If the location of the horizontal shoots is correctly determined, the stumps remaining after cutting them down can be easy, although troublesome, to remove.

The most difficult task is considered to be uprooting pine stumps. The reason for this is the powerful taproot, which lies at a depth of 2 to 6 m. Spruce stumps usually do not cause trouble. Their root system is of a superficial type; the horizontal rods are not very thick.

The main typical parameters of uprooters are:

traction (pushing) force of the tractor, determined by engine power; the size of the dump, which varies in length from 2.5 to 3.2 m, in height from 0.8 to 1.2 m; the height of the blade lifting from the ground ranges from 0.6 to 0.8 m; the amount of descent below ground level ranges from 0.2 to 0.4 m; cutting angle (penetration into the ground) is about 50-60°; vertical blade installation angle –90°; control of the working body is hydraulic, using hydraulic cylinders operating from the tractor hydraulic system; the weight of the mounted uprooter is up to 1.8 tons.

The blade is rotated by hydraulic cylinders. When an additional four teeth are installed on both sides of the blade, it can perform the functions of a uprooter-collector.

Removing a stump manually

Digging up a stump is an inevitable labor-intensive operation.

After finding out all the data about the cut tree, you can begin uprooting the stump. First, a hole is dug around the stump using a shovel and other entrenching tool. In this case, the blade of a shovel or hoe must be inserted into the soil parallel to the location of the main roots. As the hole deepens, its diameter must be gradually expanded.

The exposed roots need to be sawed and cut one by one in 2-3 places so that the length of the resulting chocks is at least 30 cm. After removing the top roots, you can begin removing the next root tier. The location of the roots is checked by rocking the stump using a lever and hitting it with an ax or sledgehammer. If necessary, deepen the hole. Before cutting down a tree, you need to leave a piece of the trunk higher, so that later you can use it instead of a lever when uprooting. You can tie a stump with sawed-off main roots with a cable or rope and pull it out of the ground using a winch or manually, inviting assistants.

How does the uprooter work?

On a medium-power tractor equipped with a diesel engine, attachments are installed to perform uprooting work. On the front of the tractor, on two load-bearing beams hinged on the tractor frame, there is a working element—a blade, which, with the help of two hydraulic cylinders, can be rotated, raised, lowered and fixed in a vertical plane. A ripper with a tooth can be installed on the rear of the tractor, which, with the help of hydraulic cylinders, can be raised and lowered to penetrate the ground with a certain force.

The tractor's caterpillar undercarriage is made according to a standard design - rear drive sprockets, front tensioning sprockets, track support rollers support the chain along the entire working length. The maneuverability of the tractor in narrow places is ensured by the design of the chassis.

The lifter operator controls the movement of the tractor and the operation of attachments from the cab using manually controlled hydraulic distributors. Control system.

The working bodies control system is a set of devices, including: a hydraulic tank with a pump, manually controlled hydraulic distributors, rigid pipelines, high-pressure hoses, safety valves, a pressure gauge and a thermometer for monitoring the parameters of the working fluid. Hydraulically controlled lifters are today indispensable machines for preparatory work during road construction and clearing areas for various types of construction.

Getting rid of stumps with water

Such uprooting of stumps is only possible if there is a water supply on the site. First, you need to dig a hole near the stump, connecting it with a groove to the hole surrounding the stump. Then a stream of tap water is directed under the stump using a hose. Flowing down the groove into the hole and washing away the soil, the water will gradually expose the upper tier of the root system so that it can be removed. After this, the soil under the next tier is washed away with a stream of water. There is no need to remove water from a filled hole; it will gradually be absorbed into the soil.

Devoid of main roots, the stump is removed using a lever. This stage usually requires the joint efforts of 2-3 people.

The cost of uprooting and milling stumps

• Conditions of work:
• stump height no more than 30 cm, soft wood - poplar, pine, linden.

• Brief technology of work:
• the arborist removes the stump with a chainsaw to a depth of 5 cm below ground level and crushes it using a Husqvarna SG-13 stump crusher to a depth of 30 cm or removes the stump using a winch;
• the hole in the ground is filled with earth or shavings.

• The price includes filling the holes with shavings and soil and cleaning the area.
• For hardwood trees - oak, aspen, the cost of uprooting may be increased.
• The minimum order cost for removing a stump using a winch is 5,000 rubles, and using a stump crushing machine is 10,000 rubles.

Chemicals

Removing the remains of cut trees using chemicals requires virtually no labor costs. In this case, the stumps are completely removed along with the root system. These are the undoubted advantages of this method, along with its low cost. The disadvantages include the duration of the process and contamination of the soil by the chemical used.

Under the influence of chemicals, the stump will be destroyed gradually - from 1 to 3 years.

To fill the saltpeter, holes are drilled in the stump.

The soil in the vacated area will be unsuitable for planting for 2-3 years due to impregnation with the chemical used.

For uprooting stumps the following can be used:

• nitrate (potassium or sodium);
• urea, i.e. urea;
• coarse table salt.

To get rid of a stump using saltpeter, you need to drill more vertical holes with a diameter of 10 mm in it. It is desirable that the depth of the holes is equal to the height of the stump. Dry saltpeter is poured into the prepared holes and water is poured in, which will ensure that the wood is saturated with the chemical. After this, the stump must be wrapped in polyethylene so that the chemical is not washed away by precipitation. It is more advisable to do this before the onset of autumn rains and winter cold.

Nitrate releases a lot of oxygen, so with the onset of a warm period, the stump can be burned along with the roots by building a fire on it. This method is only suitable for removing stumps on clay or sandy soil. Burning stumps on peat soils is a fire hazard! An underground fire may start, which is very difficult to extinguish.

Carbamide, or urea, promotes increased destruction of wood within 2 years. This chemical is used using the same technology as saltpeter. Only instead of polyethylene, you can wrap the stump with ordinary soil.

Table salt (coarse-grained) also has a similar effect on wood. After pouring it into the prepared holes, the stump is covered with a layer of turf.

Removing stumps using mushrooms

Many property owners prefer to remove stumps using mushrooms. To do this, you need to populate the stump with the mycelium of edible mushrooms, for example, honey mushrooms. The process of their life activity will contribute to the decomposition of wood. This will take longer than when using chemical reagents. But you can cook delicious dishes from fresh mushrooms.

The main danger of this method of uprooting stumps is that fungal spores can settle on fruit trees touched by death, on garden furniture and small garden architecture.

An unusual way to uproot stumps

Recently, gardeners have begun to actively use mushroom mycelium to remove stumps. In this case, the method is completely safe for others, and in addition you get your own mushroom harvest.

To do this, purchase mushroom mycelium from a gardening store, make a hole in the remains of the tree, place the seed in the hole, water it and cover it with moss. The first mushrooms are harvested already in the next season, and after 3-4 years the stump will completely turn into dust.

Having considered the many methods and options for uprooting stumps on a site, we can say that the mechanical method is fast and effective, but economically expensive. You can easily handle small stumps yourself with the help of available tools. The chemical method is effective, but requires much more time and is not safe for the surrounding soil. The choice of method is at the discretion of the site owner.