The Home Machinist!

I got myself a subsoiler for my tractor, and it works great for the intended purpose, which is pulling 3-foot-wide rocks up out of my yard. Now I'm thinking about stumps.

I used the subsoiler on a 4"-thick live oak stump, and it yanked it out without hesitation. I used it on a stump a little under a foot wide, and I broke the shear pin. I think I can make it work on fairly large stumps if I move farther out and attack where the roots are thinner. I am also thinking about creating some kind of serrated blade that bolts on in place of the consumable plate at the bottom.

Today I learned about stump buckets. I know they work great on skid steers, but I'm wondering if it's worth it to buy one for a 37-HP tractor. Does anyone here have experience with them?

I plan to kill every small live oak I can, and my intention is to leave the maples and other trees alone so they grow up and dilute the oak infestation.

I think you will be better served by breaking the roots and pulling the smaller stumps. A stump bucket is a brutish animal and quickly passes severe loads to whatever it is attached to with the results being bent and broken parts. Better off to destroy the root system and anchor points first. I intend to build a tooth for ripping out the sapling debris that is left behind form mowing off tree starts. every spring , they work a bit farther out of the topsoil and snag the mower deck or beat the wonder out of the blades on the deck with resulting bearing and belt failures. I cable and pull most, with the aid of a battery reciprocating saw. The battery does not last long in that tool, but it is enough to dig the sod, and cut in the dirt to take off inch thick roots that hold the greater part of the debris. With a tooth, I could rip the soil and roots to weaken them and then pull the stump debris (within reason) with out having to leave the tractor seat. Leave the tractor do the work.