That 'simple' stump removal in a tight backyard took me two full days

Eric Wright · 2026-04-14T19:50:06.931598+00:00

Got a call for a big oak stump, maybe 30 inches across, behind a shed in Cincinnati. Figured half a day with the grinder, tops. The roots had grown under the shed's concrete pad and wrapped around an old, buried gas line that wasn't on the city map. Had to hand-dig and cut everything with a sawzall to avoid hitting the line. What should have been a 4-hour job turned into 16 hours over two days. Anyone else had a hidden utility line turn a simple job into a nightmare?

harperp245mo ago

Always call 811 before you dig, even for a stump. That's on you, not the city map.

10

sean_barnes245mo ago

My buddy in Austin hit a gas line, @harperp24 is right.

2

phoenix_martin405mo ago

Old property lines can have private lines the city doesn't track either.

6

simonk983mo ago

Honestly I've hit a few gas lines doing stumps and nothing ever happened. 811 comes out, they flag the main lines, but half the time the old lines from 50 years ago aren't even on their map. I just dig slow and don't worry about it too much.

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