I finally got that massive willow stump out of a client's yard in Springfield

Thought it would be a one day job, tops. It was a huge old weeping willow they took down last fall, and the stump was maybe four feet across. My usual go-to, the stump grinder, just bounced off. The roots were a tangled mess, running right under a concrete patio slab. Ended up having to dig by hand for two days just to expose enough to get a chain around it, then spent another day with a come-along and my truck trying to pull it free. The whole thing took three and a half days of pure sweat. Anyone have a better method for a willow that's grown into a patio like that? I'm never doing that again without a better plan.

2 comments

2 Comments

nora1841h ago

What's the going rate for a new back after a job like that?

stellaj7047m ago

Honestly, I'd try a pressure washer next time. Tbh, you can cut through a lot of that root mass with just water if you've got a good one, saves your back like @nora184 said. It makes a huge muddy mess, but it gets under the slab and softens everything up so you can cut the main roots easier.