Stump Grinder Woodland Mills WG24?

[topbuilder]

The whole stump needs to be gone in the area where the foundation will be. For pines, that's half way to China...

 

[JFoy]

topbuilder: Good point about the taproots. For the foundation though, I guess that'll be a problem for the guy who digs the footings - heh.

 

[dickfoster]

This is an affordable option at an reasonable price point. The lack of slip clutch would be a deal breaker for me as I can't imagine how many shear pins you'd eat up. I've not run one of the feature packed pto grinders but I hired out a 38" red oak grind last year to a guy with a 80 hp morbark tracked grinder.
It was $250 for the one stump and it took him a solid 1.25 hr to grind it 3-4" below grade. I can't think that the pto version would have been much slower.
If I had a large amount of stumps to grind it seems the pto options are pretty cost effective over hiring out at least in my area.

Matt

I had a guy up here grinding a maple stump in the front yard. We're redoing the front landscaping, yard, porch, patio walks etc. the whole works and a maple had to go. The landscaping company hired him. He had a $65K purpose built Rayco machine so I had him take out another couple of stumps for me since he was here already. He took maybe 20 to 30 minutes for two stumps and charged me $100. It did not mess around but it sure ain't cheap either.

RG1X Stump Cutter | Stump Grinders | Ohio | Rayco Mfg.

If you're gonna make a living at grinding stumps, this is probably a tool to look closely at. Oh yeah, he said he can cut 22" below the surface.

 

[dickfoster]

Hey Dick......if you don't mind me asking, did they give you a break by buying the grinder and chipper?

I never heard back. I'm beginning to suspect that my request for quote didn't go though because I was doing it with their online chat and it went away right at quitting time. You know how those Canukistainains can be, clock watchers. LOL

 

[dickfoster]

I wonder how the Woodland Mills grinder is working out for Kenny. He said he ordered one and I figure he should have it by now.

 

[Kryton619]

I never heard back. I'm beginning to suspect that my request for quote didn't go though because I was doing it with their online chat and it went away right at quitting time. You know how those Canukistainains can be, clock watchers. LOL

Ha....not all of us are clock watchers....I'm at 12 hours so far today and looking at the work load in front of me it will be a 15 - 16 hour day.

What's the old saying.....You are better to be looking at work than for it.

 

[dickfoster]

Ha....not all of us are clock watchers....I'm at 12 hours so far today and looking at the work load in front of me it will be a 15 - 16 hour day.

What's the old saying.....You are better to be looking at work than for it.

How true.

In Deutschland working overtime is actually verboten I think in France they just think you must be sick or something. Not so on this side of the little pond but I think it's starting to catch up on them. Those Euro types spend so much time off it isn't funny. I used to have a hard time putting a business trip together in the summertime over there. We had a saying that if you were late coming in on Saturday don't even bother showing up on Sunday. So much for the laid back California lifestyle.

 

[Kennyrichmond]

I wonder how the Woodland Mills grinder is working out for Kenny. He said he ordered one and I figure he should have it by now.

It's worked out magnificently. Two stumps, one about 12" and the other 24" on the same residential property took about 1/2 hour, including extensive root systems. They were both overgrown ewe shrubs that had been about 35 or 40' high. I think the "chat" on the Woodmills site is a robot. You have to get them on the phone. There was a one week delay in the arrival of my grinder. It actually shipped to Philadelphia from a New York City warehouse. I'm not sure what might be going on with that.

So here's my impression: The grinder arrived on a steel pallet with 2 x 4" steel tube runners. The cardboard box was framed with steel angle and slats. I used it with a 1025 FILB with a Curtis Cab that has 18 hp at the rear PTO. It mounted right up without need for any cutting of the PTO shaft that came with the grinder. It is VERY beefy and looks expensive compared to the junk available for rent at HD. The 1025 Deere will raise it 15" from the grade. It is designed to be pulled through a stump. It has 34 brazed carbide chips that remained razor sharp after grinding through buried roots and stumps. The little Deere did get bogged down from time to time in damp clay, but with a hand on the lift while pulling the grinder through, it was easy to avoid a stall by raising it slightly. I left the rear window on the cab and it was good that I did because it chucked wood chips at me. I pulled the sway turn buckles super tight and have Pat's hooks on the draft arms, so to detach the grinder, I had to loosen up everything again. The Deere would sway on Turf Tires, but nothing scary. The lift height and short wheelbase made it very easy to maneuver the grinder over the stump inches at a time and by hard steering, the grinder moved laterally atshallow angles quite nicely. I would take this arrangement over the side to side hydraulic grinder any time. Sitting sideways in the seat (had to remove the arms from the swivel seat because of the cab), with a gentle left foot on the hydrostatic forward pedal, steering with a suicide knob, it was actually fun watching the chips fly. When the tractor was level, the grinder actually pulled itself through the stump at the rate it liked, with just a little assist here and there on the pedal. No need for extra hoses or hydraulics.

Harbor Frieght sells diamond carbide saw blade sharpeners and wheels really cheap. Disassemble the sawblade frame from the grinder motor and you have a nice sharpener for the carbide bits.

It exceeds my expectations and 18 hp PTO does drive it acceptably.

Ken

 

[Piston]

Great to hear it's working out well so far! I like that there are more and more choices out there for all of us to decide on, competition makes the manufacturers constantly need to improve.

It sounds like a great value compared to my $7k dollar model!

How about some pics?

 

[dickfoster]

It's worked out magnificently. Two stumps, one about 12" and the other 24" on the same residential property took about 1/2 hour, including extensive root systems. They were both overgrown ewe shrubs that had been about 35 or 40' high. I think the "chat" on the Woodmills site is a robot. You have to get them on the phone. There was a one week delay in the arrival of my grinder. It actually shipped to Philadelphia from a New York City warehouse. I'm not sure what might be going on with that.

So here's my impression: The grinder arrived on a steel pallet with 2 x 4" steel tube runners. The cardboard box was framed with steel angle and slats. I used it with a 1025 FILB with a Curtis Cab that has 18 hp at the rear PTO. It mounted right up without need for any cutting of the PTO shaft that came with the grinder. It is VERY beefy and looks expensive compared to the junk available for rent at HD. The 1025 Deere will raise it 15" from the grade. It is designed to be pulled through a stump. It has 34 brazed carbide chips that remained razor sharp after grinding through buried roots and stumps. The little Deere did get bogged down from time to time in damp clay, but with a hand on the lift while pulling the grinder through, it was easy to avoid a stall by raising it slightly. I left the rear window on the cab and it was good that I did because it chucked wood chips at me. I pulled the sway turn buckles super tight and have Pat's hooks on the draft arms, so to detach the grinder, I had to loosen up everything again. The Deere would sway on Turf Tires, but nothing scary. The lift height and short wheelbase made it very easy to maneuver the grinder over the stump inches at a time and by hard steering, the grinder moved laterally atshallow angles quite nicely. I would take this arrangement over the side to side hydraulic grinder any time. Sitting sideways in the seat (had to remove the arms from the swivel seat because of the cab), with a gentle left foot on the hydrostatic forward pedal, steering with a suicide knob, it was actually fun watching the chips fly. When the tractor was level, the grinder actually pulled itself through the stump at the rate it liked, with just a little assist here and there on the pedal. No need for extra hoses or hydraulics.

Harbor Frieght sells diamond carbide saw blade sharpeners and wheels really cheap. Disassemble the sawblade frame from the grinder motor and you have a nice sharpener for the carbide bits.

It exceeds my expectations and 18 hp PTO does drive it acceptably.

Ken

Good to hear. Now I'm a little more interested than I was.
I did get them on the phone yesterday. I have a shuttle drive tractor and was a little concerned but their tech guy Derek said no worries. His main concern was PTO engagement, I have an independant PTO on the gear driven tractor so I guess I'm OK.
Another concern I had was being able to see well enough to get the depth of cut set. Has that been a problem for you? I've thought of putting a camera back there to help with seeing what's going on from the seat.

Oh yeah they have some interesting looking PTO chippers too but they didn't seem to want to give a package discount for buying both.

Still thinking about it but the price seems reasonable enough to consider compared to all the other stuff out there. Maybe thinking harder now after hearing of your good results. If I ever got done with all the stumps on my place I suppose I could always sell it.

Oh yeah their price for an extra set of cutters didn't seem so bad either so I think I'd probably spring for an extra set along with the grinder. Sharpening carbide isn't all that easy as it takes diamond wheels to touch the stuff.

Thanks for the report and enjoy your new tool. I bet you're having a little bit of fun giving those nasty ole stumps what for.

 

[Kennyrichmond]

Piston, I couldn't get pictures while grinding, but I can get some of the equipment and end result.

Dick, There is not a good view of the wheel's contact with the work from the seat. This is a 250 lb. wheel, so engage the PTO at idle, spool it up and it runs smooth as a turbine. With 34 staggered teeth taking small bites from the same direction, the stump's cut surface looks like it's been planed. On my SCUT Deere, the speed of the drop is controllable. When it's the right depth of cut, it sounds nice and my tractor does not sway any on the turf tires. Too much cut and the turbine whine lowers in pitch. That rotating mass gives a real stable feel to it all, you'll see.

The HF grinder I referenced works real well hand holding the motor while grinding the carbide teeth of my Brown Bed Edger blades. Those $9.00 HF 4" diamond wheels dress those teeth evil sharp.

Ken

 

[TSO]

I'd like to see video of you using this grinder on your JD SCUT

 

[Kennyrichmond]

Just got a call from Woodland Mills for customer follow-up. They're sending me a hat for a video. What are you sending me? Or better yet, let's swap. Show me your selfie stick. The one you use for your videos while grinding stumps with your Massey.

Ken

 

[TSO]

Why are you getting defensive? I'd really like to see video of your JD SCUT using this grinder in action. From your long description of it, it sounds like it works really well on your machine, and I'm looking forward to seeing it work.

 

[dickfoster]

Just got a call from Woodland Mills for customer follow-up. They're sending me a hat for a video. What are you sending me? Or better yet, let's swap. Show me your selfie stick. The one you use for your videos while grinding stumps with your Massey.

Ken

What would you send me if I posed one of me grinding a stump with my Mahindra 1538 gear?

BTW I've been trying to get Woodland Mills interested in this board. I think it would help them move some equipment. Until I stubbed my toe on them I don't think anyone here had heard of them. Why I don't know they seem to have some pretty good gear at reasonable prices.
What is your overall impression of their build quality. Is it well put together and made so it will hold up? Easy to service etc.

Until I saw their ginder, I'd pretty much given up hope of ever having one of my own.

 

[Piston]

Here is my video, obviously in time lapse.

Figured I'd contribute... Stump grinding Time Lapse - YouTube

 

[Kennyrichmond]

Dick,
I mentioned this thread to the rep and she seemed to be familiar with TBN. I'm a believer in WOM (em' word of mouth)recommendations by real people with real identities. Most of the time I ignore the courageously anonymous posters.

Post a video and get a grey or green hat. I guess I'll have to hire a videographer to meet me at a stump job. If you have a friend in need of a stump removal in Philly, I'll do it for free with a videographer. How's that?

Build quality for the grinder is excellent. The welds are nuclear submarine beautiful and the material scantlings are heavy everywhere. The PTO shaft has an offset style shear bolt (painted with grade 2 markings) the kind that's easy to replace. The wheel seems superbly balanced and mounted in the bearings such that there is absolutely no vibration. No vibration, that is, until you get some big red wet clay glob stuck on it, but spool it up and it throws it off. The pins and stand are cadmium with tight tolerances so that if you cinch up the draft arm sway buckles, absolutely nothing rattles, not even the drop down legs, while working. The only thing that I can't figure out is a pin that seems to make no sense. The whole wheel assy' is hinged horizontally on the frame, but the way the frame and a flat vertical plate intersect, the amount of swing, or kick up movement is about 3/16ths of an inch, so I don't know what the removal of this 1 inch pin does exactly, so I leave it on.

Ken

 

[dickfoster]

Dick,
I mentioned this thread to the rep and she seemed to be familiar with TBN. I'm a believer in WOM (em' word of mouth)recommendations by real people with real identities. Most of the time I ignore the courageously anonymous posters.

Post a video and get a grey or green hat. I guess I'll have to hire a videographer to meet me at a stump job. If you have a friend in need of a stump removal in Philly, I'll do it for free with a videographer. How's that?

Build quality for the grinder is excellent. The welds are nuclear submarine beautiful and the material scantlings are heavy everywhere. The PTO shaft has an offset style shear bolt (painted with grade 2 markings) the kind that's easy to replace. The wheel seems superbly balanced and mounted in the bearings such that there is absolutely no vibration. No vibration, that is, until you get some big red wet clay glob stuck on it, but spool it up and it throws it off. The pins and stand are cadmium with tight tolerances so that if you cinch up the draft arm sway buckles, absolutely nothing rattles, not even the drop down legs, while working. The only thing that I can't figure out is a pin that seems to make no sense. The whole wheel assy' is hinged horizontally on the frame, but the way the frame and a flat vertical plate intersect, the amount of swing, or kick up movement is about 3/16ths of an inch, so I don't know what the removal of this 1 inch pin does exactly, so I leave it on.

Ken

When I asked, they'd never heard of TBN. Oh well maybe things will pick up for them. Good to hear about the quality of construction.
Almost anyone with a smartphone could help you with your video. I could send my wife over but travel costs are prohibitive for a hat. Besides my Mahindra dealer already owes me a red hat anyway.

 

[TSO]

So you don't have a single other living person near you that can hold your cellphone camera pointed in your direction while you use this implement? Seems very suspicious. I'd really like to see this thing in action on your 18 PTO HP JD SCUT. I Might want to buy one for my tractor. Showing me stock pictures, or a "before & after" does little to demonstrate to the world how this unit actually operates under load. And not for nothing, but your overly detailed and technical description of the implement sounds as if you are a salesman for the company, not an actual end user.

I'm truly interested in this product... I'm always buying new implements, especially if I discover one that works better than something I currently have. That's why I'd like to see your JD SCUT operating this machine on a real life stump.

 

[dickfoster]

So you don't have a single other living person near you that can hold your cellphone camera pointed in your direction while you use this implement? Seems very suspicious. I'd really like to see this thing in action on your 18 PTO HP JD SCUT. I Might want to buy one for my tractor. Showing me stock pictures, or a "before & after" does little to demonstrate to the world how this unit actually operates under load. And not for nothing, but your overly detailed and technical description of the implement sounds as if you are a salesman for the company, not an actual end user.

I'm truly interested in this product... I'm always buying new implements, especially if I discover one that works better than something I currently have. That's why I'd like to see your JD SCUT operating this machine on a real life stump.

Why don't you go look at the videos on the Woodland Mills site if you're in such a gut busting need to see a video. The guy just bought his stump grinder and maybe he doesn't have anything to make videos with, not that he owes you diddly squat anyway. He's just an enthusiastic new owner. Get over yourself already.