r/interesting 21h ago

MISC. A bit of physics helps with the stump

5.3k Upvotes

118 comments sorted by

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568

u/Sensitive_Wear7112 21h ago

Science. I’m impressed.

105

u/MrRedBellPepper 21h ago

Yeah, Science!

90

u/Yeet123456789djfbhd 21h ago

Science, bitch

29

u/Fibrosis5O 20h ago

Blinded me, with science!

15

u/Shadokastur 16h ago

She's poetry in motion

1

u/TankApprehensive3053 3h ago

She turned her tender eyes to me

14

u/OkWhile4447 20h ago

Wheel science

15

u/adorablefuzzykitten 17h ago

If that chain popped off someone would have gotten the worlds fastest hair cut.

7

u/touchkusa 15h ago

What's the probability of the broken chain hitting hair instead of body?

255

u/front_yard_duck_dad 21h ago edited 21h ago

Better Hope it's not rotted out where that chain's going to whip through the back of your windshield when it goes through the stump

Edit: I watched it with the sound on it's just winch. I've seen these guys do it with trucks and that's some scary shit. This is just a winch. No big deal

48

u/TankApprehensive3053 21h ago

Or slips over the top of it then slingshots into the window hitting whoever is in the vehicle.

25

u/front_yard_duck_dad 21h ago

Sorry that's what I meant. You explained it better

12

u/DreamerOfSheep 17h ago

I have a vivid memory as a child of sitting in the bed of my dad’s truck while he tried to pull up a stump with a chain attached to it. He floored the truck and when the stump finally ripped out it came flying towards the vehicle. Looking back, it’s a miracle I came away from that whole incident injury free.

11

u/TankApprehensive3053 15h ago

You still remember it so that was a learning moment for you. Chains used for pulling things like stumps and stuck vehicles can kill people.

4

u/C-D-W 17h ago

two words.

or one?

snatch block.

5

u/TankApprehensive3053 17h ago

Two words. If used correctly that will have the chain fling away from the vehicle.

1

u/futurebigconcept 13h ago

How do you rig that? We use snatch blocks on sailboats but it's just for minor changes in the sail sheeting angle.

3

u/TankApprehensive3053 13h ago

Off line it from the pulling vehicle. That way if the chain slips or breaks, it will go towards the snatch block instead straight to the vehicle.

3

u/ghoulthebraineater 8h ago

That's kind of like a cock block huh?

1

u/C-D-W 5h ago

Yeah, kind of.

1

u/farts_juggler 15h ago

yeah that’s why you use a nylon strap or a switch block if you’re really concerned

1

u/Rezimoore 4h ago

There is a video somewhere of that happening with a chain, the aftermath was pretty brutal

1

u/TankApprehensive3053 3h ago

There are many videos showing the chain breaking and going into the window of the pulling vehicle. Chains are terrible in that application. But people think chains are stronger, until it happens to them.

0

u/[deleted] 21h ago

[deleted]

4

u/TankApprehensive3053 21h ago

The tire creates kinetic energy. Look up videos of using chains to get vehicles unstuck. The chains whip right back at the vehicles if they detach or break.

3

u/PlaneCat3427 21h ago

yeah, deleted my comment, I didn't realize they could whip around like that. lethal. 💀

1

u/jjmurse 21h ago

Pretty low risk here, but chains absolutely will snap back.

7

u/Rhorge 20h ago

The sane way to do it is to tie the chain to the tyre and give it enough slack not to interfere but short enough to catch the chain slipping off

3

u/lilshortyy420 7h ago

My ex did this to his dads fancy truck lmao lesson learned

4

u/NYCSkaterGirl 21h ago

I assumed they probably nailed it into the stump at the opposite point

2

u/Shadokastur 16h ago

Oh that's smart. I was wondering how the chain wasn't slipping off

2

u/GingerIsTheBestSpice 15h ago

My brother's best friend died because the roots gave way & it went thru his tractor back window. Ever since we never pull them, just cut them flat or maybe set them on fire.

1

u/futurebigconcept 13h ago

Yikes, I'm sorry that happened.

-11

u/[deleted] 21h ago

[deleted]

9

u/Lapcat420 20h ago edited 20h ago

Im too uneducated to explain, but you are wrong lol.

The cable/chain is under tension. All that energy has to go somewhere.

Idk then again. Maybe you're right. Im sure ropes and stuff on ships are far more dangerous.

6

u/banananuhhh 20h ago

You are correct, rigging that is in tension is storing energy along its length by stretching ever so slightly. If you suddenly release the load it will abruptly use all that energy to go back to its original shape which can violently and unpredictability whip the chain

4

u/B4dz0k 19h ago

Dead wrong. Not to mention the amount of energy stored as it compresses the tire. Do not ever stand in line with a chain under tension. If it snaps it could serious hurt or kill you.

99

u/Slow_Bowler8285 21h ago

Better than dynamite

60

u/DexJones 21h ago

Less fun however

33

u/CoffeePumba 21h ago edited 20h ago

Not sure. Dynamite is somewhat predictable. A ratchet strap snapping mid tow less likely so.

6

u/Silent25r 20h ago

I don’t want the bang from it snapping. Might be the last I’ll hear. 

3

u/brilliant_mind_14 13h ago

Worse than nuclear

2

u/Agarwel 10h ago

Not for the spectator.

39

u/Weekly-Ratio-230 21h ago

So without the tyre the chain will be cut. Then can someone explain the rest of the physics behind it to achieve the unearthing of the tree root?

72

u/PlaneCat3427 21h ago

The chain tossed over the tire causes the pull force to be angled slightly upwards, as well as away.

All that compacted dirt around the tree is extra weight and pressure that won't allow it to be yanked towards the left/right easily.
Pulling up is easier. Pulling at an angle (up and to the right) is the next best thing.

1

u/Weekly-Ratio-230 21h ago

yeah but i'm asking about the physics process. so the pull (tractor) combined with torque (tire) equals force (unearthing)? and does that explain why the chain won't get cut because of short distance it created in between them?

16

u/Pman1324 20h ago

Instead of the force going completely horizontal -->, causing the dirt and roots to resist the pull <--, utilizing the tire to divert some force vertically | allows the stump to be uprooted more easily.

The upward force upon the stump uproots it, because there is less resistance vertically, while the horizontal force keeps the chain on the stump. The angular force is the combination of the horizontal and vertical.

If it was purely vertical force, the chain would slip off.

8

u/banananuhhh 19h ago

The tire is acting like a big pulley. It changes the direction of the force.

3

u/ReplacementLow6704 15h ago

And the midi-chlorians are stored in the balls

6

u/Rhorge 20h ago

The chain doesn’t break because it’s strong enough, the tyre doesn’t change how much force goes through it. The tyre just ensures the stump is getting pulled “out” of the ground instead of being dragged “through” the ground in a straight line towards the car

1

u/leadwind 10h ago

Lift not pull.

15

u/hedmar97 21h ago

That tree has been rotten for a long time lol

6

u/T-MoneyAllDey 20h ago

Idk if that's a tree

5

u/Fibrosis5O 20h ago

It was once a tree, then it became a hazard, after it became a stink and now it’s an ornament

2

u/AlsoAllergicToCefzil 16h ago

That's no moon

8

u/Sir_Earl_Jeffries 21h ago

A notch on the far side of the stump to catch the chain on would be a good idea. Give yourself a bit more purchase.

2

u/migorovsky 7h ago

Or pray not to slide!

1

u/DavidHK 16h ago

Genius thank you

5

u/Invisi-cat 18h ago

STUMP FEST!!!!

3

u/SiliconSoil 18h ago

Please dont do this unless you know what you are doing. Please read up on tractor rollover. Only trying to make sure people are safe out there.

2

u/migorovsky 7h ago

My uncle lives to tell tractor rollover.. several months in hospital only

3

u/Relatively_happy 13h ago

Its always amazed me how strong a tyre with air in it is

2

u/hiroo916 20h ago

anybody have ideas on how to do something similar to pull out small volunteer baby trees?

don't have an extra tire or a winch. Just looking for ideas on how to get a similar change in direction of pull.

3

u/NobblyNobody 20h ago

a long pole or a 2by4 and something to act as a fulcrum, just lever it up?

2

u/Cultural-Play7083 18h ago

They were stumped but branched out and found a kernel of truth and came through with fruitful results.

1

u/futurebigconcept 13h ago

You have extracted the root of this post.

1

u/Pielacine 9h ago

Good chain of reasoning

2

u/Icy-Sample-4718 14h ago

T t t technologia!

1

u/TopWealth4550 20h ago

if the chain breaks arent you getting slashed in half?

1

u/Only_Flan_7974 20h ago

Nice tug job!

1

u/Feisty_History9395 20h ago

If only that was a scab on my skin...

1

u/Church6633 20h ago

It ends too soon!

1

u/Pragnlz 18h ago

"Don't put your choker too high up on the stump"

1

u/C-D-W 17h ago

There are not a lot of tires out there uniquely qualified for this job, but an Interco Super Swamper Bogger is definitely on that short list!

1

u/gelly_cube 17h ago

Please dont ever pull with high tension using chains! I know that seems counterintuitive because it seems to be what they're made for. I worked at a place that did this stuff all the time and it only takes one chain popping or being weak and all of a sudden you have a chain snapping at you and everyone else around you at speeds capable of punching a hole through you.

1

u/Doing_it_better 17h ago

Wheel, reinvented.

1

u/Yeti181828282 16h ago

What’s the song in the background? Or is there not enough info to tell?

2

u/Gonskimmin 12h ago

Sounds like Melleefresh vs deadmau5 / Hey Baby about 1 minute into the song

1

u/cbj24 16h ago

So I’m guessing this is probably the inspiration for the crazy eyed lady in the 4Runner attempting to pull a stump up in her front yard?

1

u/SOLID_STATE_DlCK 16h ago

I thought the chain would slip off first.

1

u/BrickHuge3023 16h ago

Even easier is to cut the tree off about 6 ft tall and then tie your chain to the top, lots better leverage.

1

u/Scary-Potential1435 15h ago

Wow that tire is strong

1

u/wakefulgull 14h ago

So glad I read these comments. I didn't realize this could be dangerous. It makes sense in hind sight, just didn't think about it. Was contemplating doing something similar in the near future.

1

u/Unusual-Fault-4091 13h ago

Took a while until I saw the rope leading away from the tyre. Far less impressed now.

1

u/Jelly_Angels_Caught 13h ago

The tire is doing the same thing a patella does.

1

u/Altaredboy 12h ago

Do not do this

1

u/jnthnmdr 12h ago

What vehicle did they use, please?

1

u/OPPAWhoIsShe 11h ago

ed to spending hours digging it out.

1

u/idkfawin32 10h ago

is this like a snatch block in a way?

1

u/psyceratopSB 10h ago

This is exactly how patella (knee cap) works

1

u/SoberDWTX 9h ago

and now you know how they built the pyramids….

1

u/LeOmelette12 9h ago

I am stumped

1

u/kitkatas 9h ago

Who is from the vid where a woman tried this

1

u/propergreased 8h ago

Leverage *jack sparrow fingers*

1

u/Bowelsack 4h ago

That's like a 600 dollar tire

1

u/zroga 2h ago

A bit? Literally everything here is physics.

u/ZoneTiny4041 2m ago

Amazing

1

u/EarlyJuggernaut7091 21h ago

I am the Lorax, I speak for the trees!

But this stubborn old stump is a pain in my knees.

So grab an old tire and a heavy-duty chain,

We’re doing redneck physics to ease the pain.

1

u/Old-Advance6652 21h ago

Is that what they meant by one wheel drive

2

u/westberry82 21h ago

I dunno- to be honest I'm stumped

1

u/mrGreenExit 21h ago

Not the first time

1

u/vigilantesd 19h ago

What happens when the rope slips off and the tire and wheel goes flying?

0

u/Leading-Shop-234 13h ago

If you didnt see the other two comments, the answer to this is to either nail/screw the chain onto the stump or put a large notch in the stump on the other side to catch the chain.

I would have never thought to do either thing, but that is why i love reddit, mostly.

1

u/Top-Bee-3695 19h ago

Physics works a lot faster when the stump is already half compost

1

u/NightShade0912 19h ago

Moving day

1

u/imbetterthanyou8 17h ago

When you morons say “physics” do you just mean every day normal shit that you morons are just not accustomed to?

0

u/saw2thwav 21h ago

What was pulling it, tractor or a Tesla?

1

u/futurebigconcept 13h ago

Just OP's charisma.

0

u/Ramona--Flowers 21h ago

They just had to tire it out.

0

u/Artrysa 21h ago

Yeah science!