What Size Excavator Do You Need for Stump Removal?

Before you start removing tree stumps, it is important to know what type of excavator you will need for the job. If you go ahead and rent an excavator and it turns out to not be adequate for the job, it will not only be a big monetary loss but can also waste a lot of time. Let’s take a look at the different types of excavators and what size should you go for.

Excavators can be majorly categorized into 5 sizes, namely, mini, medium, large, extra-large, and bucket wheel excavators. For small to medium-sized tree stumps, a mini excavator can get the job done. But if you are dealing with a large tree stump, a medium-sized excavator should be used.

If you prefer to hire a company to get rid of the stumps by grinding, feel free to use our form to get estimates from a local company.

What Are the Different Sizes of Excavators?

Before you hire or rent an excavator, let’s take a look at the different sizes of excavators and what their uses are.

Usually, the smallest-sized excavator which you can get in the market are known as mini excavators. They can handle between 1-20 tons of weight and are usually used for work in tight spaces. They are also very popular for DIY uses in people’s backyards, stump removals, or for small-scale landscaping purposes.

Medium-sized excavators can handle between 20-50 tons of weight and are usually used for DIY and Professional construction projects. They are also used for small-scale demolition projects and even tree stump removals. These excavators are also used for pond or small lake digging.

Large excavators can handle between 50-100 tons of weightage and are usually only used for large-scale construction and demolition projects. You will rarely ever need this size of excavators for stump removal.

Extra Large and Bucket Wheel Excavators are large-scale machines that can handle up to 15,000 tons of weightage. These are used for hyper-scale projects only.

What Factors Do You Need to Take into Account Before Renting or Hiring an Excavator?

To decide, what size excavator you will need, first take a look at what your requirements are.

If your stump is located in your backyard and there is not a lot of access area, then you will have a really hard time bringing even a medium-sized excavator to the property. Even if you are dealing with a really large stump, you will have to make it work using the size of machinery which can come into your property. In some cases, it is better to hire a stump grinder to do the job or rent it.

If there is no constraint in terms of access, then you need to take a look at the size of the stump you are dealing with. For small to medium-sized tree stumps, you can easily get the job done using a mini excavator.

Mini excavators have an average reach of at least 6-8 feet which is more than enough for small to medium-size trees.

For large tree stumps, you might need to go up to a medium-sized excavator. To determine the size of the excavator, you also need to take into account the length of reach of the machine.

For large tree stumps, you need an excavator which can go at least 10-12 feet below the ground to completely and easily remove the root ball.

The weight of the stump along with its root ball is also an important factor while determining the excavator size.

The table below gives an estimated weight of the root ball of a tree depending on the average diameter of the tree at breast height.

Average diameter at breast height	Rootball size	Weight lbs
2-2.5”	24-28”	400
2.5-3”	28-32”	650
3-3.5”	32-36”	850
3.5-4”	36-40”	1200
4-4.5”	40-45”	1500
4.5-5”	50-55”	2500
5-5-5”	55-62”	3000
5-5-6”	62-66”	4000
6-7”	66-72”	5000-6000
7-8”	72-76”	6000
8-10”	84-90”	7000-8000

The table below will give you an estimated weight of a 1-foot-long stump of different species depending on their diameter.

Species	10”	12”	14”	16”	18”	20”	22”	24”	26”	28”
Apple	30	43	59	77	97	120	145	173	203	235
Ash, White	26	38	51	67	85	104	126	150	177	205
Basswood	23	33	45	59	74	92	111	132	155	180
Beech	29	42	58	75	95	118	142	169	199	231
Birch, Paper	27	39	53	70	88	109	132	157	164	214
Birch, Yellow	31	45	61	80	101	124	151	179	210	244
Butternut	25	36	49	64	81	100	121	144	170	197
Cherry, Black	25	35	48	63	79	98	119	141	166	192
Chestnut	30	43	59	77	97	120	145	173	203	235
Cottonwood	27	38	52	68	86	107	129	154	180	209
Elm, American	29	42	58	75	95	118	142	169	199	231
Gum, Black	25	35	48	63	79	98	119	141	166	192
Gum, Red	27	39	53	70	88	109	132	157	164	214
Hackberry	27	39	53	70	88	109	132	157	164	273
Hickory	35	50	68	89	113	140	169	201	236	261
Honey Locust	33	48	65	85	108	133	161	192	225	252
Magnolia, Ev	32	46	63	82	104	129	156	185	217	214
Maple, Red	27	39	53	70	88	109	132	157	164	192
Maple, Silver	25	35	48	63	79	98	119	141	166	239
Maple, Sugar	31	44	60	78	99	122	148	176	206	282
Oak, California	36	51	70	92	116	144	174	207	243	324
Oak, Live	41	60	81	106	134	166	200	238	280	269
Oak, Red	34	49	67	88	111	137	166	198	232	265
Oak, White	34	48	66	86	109	135	163	194	228	261
Pecan	33	48	65	85	108	133	161	192	224	269
Persimmon	34	49	67	88	111	137	166	198	232	162
Poplar, Yellow	21	30	40	53	67	83	99	119	150	188
Sassafras	24	34	47	61	78	96	116	138	162	222
Sycamore	28	41	55	72	92	113	137	163	191	248
Walnut, Black	32	45	62	81	102	126	153	182	213	250
Pine, white	20	28	38	50	64	78	95	113	128	145
Spruce, Red	19	27	36	47	60	74	90	106	125	154

Keep this data into account while determining the required weightage of the excavator. Most mini excavators should be able to handle about 3-5000 lbs.

What Size Excavator Do You Need for Removing Tree Stumps?

As I mentioned before, a small or mini-excavator should be more than enough while removing small to medium-sized tree stumps. The usual rule of thumb is that a stump with a root ball size of 50-60” or a stump diameter of 28” can be removed using a mini excavator. This will of course also depend on the weightage of the particular machine you are using.

A medium-sized excavator should only be needed while removing large tree stumps.

Which Is the Preferred Excavator for Removing Tree Stumps?

One of the best excavators for stump removal is the CAT 315 which is preferred by both DIY-ers and professionals. This excavator is technically medium-sized, but because of its compact nature, it can also be treated as a mini excavator.

One of the best things about the CAT 315 is its reliability, effectiveness, and ease of use. This machine also has a reach of 15 feet which is more than enough for even large tree stumps.

Conclusion

In most cases, a small or mini excavator can get the job done even for large trees. They are easy to move around, operate and can access backyards as well. If you are dealing with a gigantic tree, you might need a larger excavator but in such a case you should hire a professional service. The CAT 315 is one of the best choices as it is technically a medium excavator but comes in a smaller.