Optimized stump harvester

A method of operating a stump harvester having a front jaw assembly coupled with a back jaw assembly via a rotative coupling, wherein:

• the front jaw assembly includes a grubbing arm, a front positive stop, a plurality of prying tines that extend outward from the grubbing arm toward the back jaw assembly, and a dual anvil having two opposing walls that extend outward from the grubbing arm toward the back jaw assembly, the two opposing walls separated by an anvil channel, the dual anvil having a planar face and a base portion in opposition to one another, the planar face of the dual anvil containing the anvil channel, and the base portion of the dual anvil supported along the grubbing arm over a length corresponding to the anvil channel;
• the back jaw assembly includes a knife arm, a back positive stop, a cutting blade having a cutting edge that extends outward from the knife arm toward the dual anvil, and a splitter fang that extends outward from a distal end of the knife arm toward the plurality of the prying tines;
• and
• a centerline plane bisects the dual anvil channel, the plurality of the prying tines, the cutting edge, and the splitter fang, the method comprising:
• attaching the stump harvester to a distal end of an excavator arm;
• actuating the rotative coupling to rotate the front and the back jaw assemblies into an open position in which the knife arm and the grubber arm are separated;
• actuating the excavator arm to dispose the front and the back jaw assemblies about a tree stump;
• actuating the rotative coupling to rotate the front and the back jaw assemblies toward a closed position until the front and the back jaw assemblies tighten about the tree stump;
• actuating the excavator arm and the rotative coupling to excavate the tree stump from a ground surface;
• and
• actuating the excavator arm to agitate the tree stump contained within the front and the back jaw assemblies to remove one or more foreign particles from the excavated tree stump.