DirecTV stumps

[JohnAndSancho]

I did something very stupid today. I wish I had a full size truck and I could just rip these damn things out of the ground. They replaced this one because the crape myrtle in front of it grew too big so I spent a few hours with the drainage spade (praise jeebus it has teeth) sawing through about 25 years worth of Bermuda grass and tree roots and I still need to get a pry bar and the SledgeOMatic to break it loose. It's in the perfect spot for one of the Redemption colocasias. (See, I made it relevant to this forum after all). I'm not even done and there's 2 more and I wanna die and there's some of y'all almost twice my age running up the sides of mountains with 300 pounds of rocks and concrete. Jesus. 

[miamicuse]

how is it anchored in the ground?

Is it just the post pounded way deep or did they pour concrete around it like a metal fence post?

Can you cut it off say 4 to 6" below grade and leave the rest buried?

[happypalms]

Use it to your advantage. Fix a dish on top of it for a bird bath, that way mr kitty kat can play spot the tweetie bird.

[JohnAndSancho]

I honestly don't know how deep it is. I've dug about 2 feet and I can get it to wiggle @miamicuse. I have 2 more after this one but they shouldn't be as bad with the tree roots. If I had a truck and a rachet strap it's cake. 

 

@happypalms They're ugly lol. And the cats kill birds. Plus this one is in a PERFECT spot for one of my Colocasia Redemption. 

[happypalms]

4 hours ago, JohnAndSancho said:

I honestly don't know how deep it is. I've dug about 2 feet and I can get it to wiggle @miamicuse. I have 2 more after this one but they shouldn't be as bad with the tree roots. If I had a truck and a rachet strap it's cake. 

 

@happypalms They're ugly lol. And the cats kill birds. Plus this one is in a PERFECT spot for one of my Colocasia Redemption. 

Hook up that V8 you got and haul her out of there, oh that’s right the price of fuel now you can’t afford to that V8 to haul her outta there!

[JohnAndSancho]

7 hours ago, happypalms said:

Hook up that V8 you got and haul her out of there, oh that’s right the price of fuel now you can’t afford to that V8 to haul her outta there!

It's a Nissan Rogue 4cyl lol. Neighbor is a country boy with a big Chevy Silverado though and even at today's insane prices I doubt it's $1 worth to jerk these out of the ground after some light digging. 

[happypalms]

10 hours ago, JohnAndSancho said:

It's a Nissan Rogue 4cyl lol. Neighbor is a country boy with a big Chevy Silverado though and even at today's insane prices I doubt it's $1 worth to jerk these out of the ground after some light digging. 

Another way to get them out is tell sancho theres a rat down there, he will dig em out in a rat incurred frenzy ! 

[JohnAndSancho]

5 minutes ago, happypalms said:

Another way to get them out is tell sancho theres a rat down there, he will dig em out in a rat incurred frenzy ! 

Lol oh no. He could care less. He'll bark at the possums and that's it. He'd rather be sleeping in a big comfy bed. 

[miamicuse]

On 3/19/2026 at 7:13 PM, JohnAndSancho said:

I honestly don't know how deep it is. I've dug about 2 feet and I can get it to wiggle @miamicuse. I have 2 more after this one but they shouldn't be as bad with the tree roots. If I had a truck and a rachet strap it's cake. 

 

@happypalms They're ugly lol. And the cats kill birds. Plus this one is in a PERFECT spot for one of my Colocasia Redemption. 

Assuming this is not anchored into the ground with a column of concrete, there may be other ways to get it off the ground if you don't want to just cut it off below grade with a sawzall,

One way that has worked for me is to get two metallic two hole straps like below similar in size to your post which I suspect is either 1-1/4" or 1-1/2" or 2".  Take a piece of scrap lumber like a 2X6 or 4x4 or similar, and put the two hole straps around your TV post and secure them onto the piece of lumber so that it's like 4-6" above ground level, use some larger screws like #10 and drive the straps/collars real tight.  Now you have a piece of lumber oriented horizontally above the ground wedged tight to the post.  If you have a bottle jack or a floor jack, put that under this piece of wood, and sit under it another piece of wood and just start jacking.  It should slowly pull the post loose as you jack up.  This works for me a few times without needing a truck to pull it which in itself can be a problem if a chain or rope snaps suddenly it could create a mean projectile.

[JohnAndSancho]

4 hours ago, miamicuse said:

Assuming this is not anchored into the ground with a column of concrete, there may be other ways to get it off the ground if you don't want to just cut it off below grade with a sawzall,

One way that has worked for me is to get two metallic two hole straps like below similar in size to your post which I suspect is either 1-1/4" or 1-1/2" or 2".  Take a piece of scrap lumber like a 2X6 or 4x4 or similar, and put the two hole straps around your TV post and secure them onto the piece of lumber so that it's like 4-6" above ground level, use some larger screws like #10 and drive the straps/collars real tight.  Now you have a piece of lumber oriented horizontally above the ground wedged tight to the post.  If you have a bottle jack or a floor jack, put that under this piece of wood, and sit under it another piece of wood and just start jacking.  It should slowly pull the post loose as you jack up.  This works for me a few times without needing a truck to pull it which in itself can be a problem if a chain or rope snaps suddenly it could create a mean projectile.

Oh it's concreted in, I've dug around the concrete. I miss my younger days when I could break it loose and pick it up. 

 

Anyway as far as the projectile goes I can't tell if you're trying to talk me into or out of trying that 😂

[SeanK]

About 20 years back I pounded a piece of rebar into the ground to support a plant. I can't get it out. I've dug down about 8 inches and will go out again with a cutoff wheel.

[JohnAndSancho]

14 minutes ago, SeanK said:

About 20 years back I pounded a piece of rebar into the ground to support a plant. I can't get it out. I've dug down about 8 inches and will go out again with a cutoff wheel.

It's in THE MOST perfect spot for one of my Colocasia Redemptions. Maybe one day I'll feel good enough to go out there with a crowbar and the sledge. Or go rent a truck and sign up for all the extra insurance a la Planes Trains and Automobiles.