This article explains the different ways you need to approach those stubborn roots, depending on how big they are and just how stubborn they want to be.

Before we start, bear in mind that it's not necessary to remove all the roots – only the main ones that come up with the stump. All the smaller roots left in the ground will decay naturally, once the stump has been removed.

Another thing to consider before you start is if you intend to turf the area afterwards, then only 8 to 12 inches of depth needs to be cleared. For harder landscaping, you might well need to dig out deeper, but that will depend on the plans.

Ok, here we go. Typically stump and root removal will fall into one of the following categories:

1. Small trees and bushes.

This kind of stuff can simply be dragged up from the ground, using the teeth on the backhoe bucket. The roots of small trees and bushes will usually be less than four inches in diameter, so just dragging or combing the area with the backhoe teeth pointing down will rake most everything from the ground.

If there are a few stubborn ones left, then dig the backhoe bucket teeth into the ground just past the tree and roll the bucket by curling it and lowering the boom. This will lever the remaining roots and stump right out of the ground.

Alternatively, if there is enough strength in the trunk then use the backhoe to rock the tree forwards and backwards – pushing and pulling to loosen the roots so the stump can be pulled out as I described as above.

2. Small to medium sized trees.

These trees tend to be too well rooted to be dragged out, but still able to be removed in one piece without danger. As above, loosen the tree by pushing and pulling on the trunk using the backhoe bucket.

If there is a lot of resistance, you can cut some of the roots by slicing down with the vertical edge of the backhoe shovel, a foot or so away from the trunk. A good tip is to do this on the side of the tree nearest to you, so that when you push the tree over it falls away from you.

Again, once the main roots are broken and the tree is loosened, it can be dragged from the ground.

3. Larger trees.

These bigger tree will probably need a little bit of extra work. If necessary, you should cut off the top of the main trunk so the bit that's left is only about six or eight feet tall. Don't remove any lower than this because the remaining trunk provides leverage so you can push against it.

To give you extra grip and stability, fully open the loader shovel so both edges are facing down, and then lower it and sink it into the ground slightly – this will give you something to push against.

Slice into the ground in front of the tree (nearest to you) and cut the roots. How close you cut the roots depends on the thickness of the trunk – typically one and a half times the thickness of the trunk is the distance you cut away from the trunk. So for a 12 inch trunk, cut 18 inches in front of it to sever the roots. Any closer and they may be too thick to cut.

Once the roots are severed, then push the trunk over to loosen it. It may require some rocking first, so just do a bit of pushing and pulling to loosen it.

Large tree stump removal

If you've got a backhoe, then sooner or later someone will ask you to dig up a great big old tree stump for them. Yes, you can use the same procedure as above to loosen the stump, but on large trees it might be just too heavy to lift out. If this is the case there are a couple of easy answers.

The first option is to simply dig a hole and bury the stump next to where it used to be. Once the hole is dug the stump can simply be pushed into the hole and buried – no lifting required.

Alternatively, as the stump is loosened by rocking it backwards and forwards, dirt can be filled into the existing root hole. Huh? I know, it sounds backwards, but doing this has the effect of raising the stump up as the hole is filled, so avoiding the need to lift it. You'll quickly end up with the tree stump on the surface, and then you can remove it with the loader.

Firstly, when we talk about backhoes, we sometimes mean the backhoe part, which is the digging arm and the bucket, or we can mean the whole machine. The whole machine is often called a backhoe loader.

Now that might get confusing, so for the purposes of this article, I'll just focus on the backhoe part. If you want further information on the loader then leave a comment or shoot me an email and I'll put something together about that too.

Just before I explain what the controls do, I ought to go over what the main parts of the backhoe are called.

As you sit in the cab, facing towards the backhoe (which is more often than not actually backwards, as on a backhoe loader or tractor) the big arm with the scoop on the end usually has three parts to it.

The first part is between the cab and the middle pivot is called the boom. The boom can be raised and lowered and also moved from side to side. Moving the boom up and down is called raising and lowering the boom. Turning it from side to side is called swinging the boom left and right.

The second part which is between the boom and the bucket, is called the dipper-stick. This can also go up and down, although it looks more like it's going towards or away from the cab.

The last part is called the bucket. The bucket is on a pivot so that it can curl towards the dipper-stick for scooping up, or extend away from the dipper-stick for emptying.

So, we have the boom which raises and lowers and swings left and right. Then the dipper-stick which raises and lowers, and then the bucket which curls and extends. We're doing good.

Ok, back to the cab and the drivers seat. In the cab you'll normally have two controls, a left hand and a right hand one. You might also find two smaller ones that control the stabilizers but we can ignore those for now.

The left hand control (lever or joystick) operates the boom, and the right hand control operates the dipper-stick and bucket.

Both of the controls can move in four directions. Forwards and backwards and side to side.

Moving the left-hand control towards and away from you moves the boom up and down.

1. Move the left hand lever towards you and the boom comes up (towards you).
2. Move it away from you and the boom goes down (away from you).

Moving the left-hand control left and right moves the boom left and right.

1. Move it to the left and the boom swings round to the left.
2. Move it to the right and the boom swings round to the right.

Moving the right-hand control towards and away from you moves the dipper-stick towards you and away from you.

1. Move the right hand lever towards you and the dipper-stick comes towards you (down).
2. Move it away from you and the dipper-stick goes away (up).

Moving the right-hand control left and right curls the bucket in and out, i.e. scooping up and emptying.

1. Move it to the left and the bucket curls, i.e. for scooping up.
2. Move it to the right and the bucket extends out, i.e. for emptying.

Ok, so that gives you an idea of the basics. At least you'll know what to expect when you start moving levers and controls!

Ok, so one of the best habits you can get into with your backhoe is to let it warm up properly each day before you use it. Just like in your car, whenever you don't use it for a while, say overnight, all the oil gathers in the bottom of the engine and stays there until you start it. It's only when the engine is running that the oil gets circulated. That means when you first start your engine there's not much oil on the engine parts, which means there's no lubrication.

It's important that your backhoe is lubricated and running smoothly before you start work with it, and it can take as long as 20 minutes before the oil is fully circulated. In any case, you should let the engine run for at least 10 minutes before you use the machine for any work.

Whilst it's warming up, you should avoid putting any strain or stress on it. That means you can move your backhoe, but don't use the bucket or loader to move or lift anything. If you do put strain on your backhoe before it's warmed up properly you will greatly increase wear and tear, and you'll almost certainly increase the likelihood of damage.

I know it doesn't seem like such an important thing, but it really is worth waiting that extra few minutes before starting work – in the long run, not allowing your backhoe to warm up before you use it will cost you time and money, both with servicing and repairs. It might even mean that you need to buy a new backhoe sooner than you would have done, so come on, 10 minutes is not that long in the course of a days work. Be good to your backhoe and it will be good to you.