Go online.. do it, right now, and google “stump removal”.

The query will provide you with links to all sorts of advice, tips, and anecdotes about people removing tree stumps themselves. You can set stumps on fire, hack them with a chainsaw for 8 hours, or try to drag them out of the ground with your old Dodge pick-up.

You could.

You could also set your whole lawn on fire, cause a nasty gash on your foot and ruin your transmission. We will be the first to admit that a 6″ diameter twig of a tree may be wholly removed, stump and a good portion of the roots too–by anyone with an axe and an hour on a Saturday. But what about that 2-footer? What about that 3 footer? What about that 100 year old oak on your grandparent’s property that fell just short of the garage and landed on the ’69 Corvette you were hoping to get in the inheritance? Face it, sometimes you just need a professional to come in and remove a stump.

For your education and amusement, here are some dangers to removing a tree stump yourself. Please read carefully… STUMPS CAN KILL… (well, rarely the stump itself, but rather the result of trying to remove said stump).

1) Chainsaws can cause serious injury.
2) Heat stroke is nasty.
3) Fire does not always just burn the thing you are trying to burn, but has a bad habit of spreading to shrubs right near the vinyl siding and causing a bit of a “melt down.” (Talk about expensive).
3) Your mini-van was not built to haul thousand pound tree parts out of the ground. We are sure of this, but you can ask your car-repair guy after you have trashed the engine, transmission, and possibly the frame… undoubtedly he will agree as the dollar signs flash behind his eyes.
4) Swinging an axe all day has been known to cause heart attacks–and toe and shin gashes…. is a stump worth that?
5) You could spend 8 hours digging, chopping and cursing and still not get that stump out of the ground.
6) Your marriage could suffer….think about how much your wife just wants that stump removed, and think about how crabby she will be when you can’t do it before Monday morning!

In all seriousness, stump removal can be quite difficult without the proper equipment and training. Gator Tree has the expertise to carefully remove the stump from your property such that it will not damage your home, cars, or marriage. Does it cost more… yes and no. What is your health and happiness worth really? More than the cost of stump removal right?