Why a stump grinder is worth it it

[sixdogs]

Was gonna buy a used 'Shaver' at auction out west but it went used for what I paid for mine new and the frame was broken on it. Could have welded it but when the bid price equaled the new price, I quit bidding on it. Probably needed new cutter teeth as well.

Very hard to find used. I had a pto chipper and sold it. Easier for me to roast the stuff. I still have plies of chipper chips sitting around. Sold the chipper for what I paid for it so that was a wash.

I was shocked as well whenI saw a used chipper go for nearly new. Same with a stump grinder.

I already had one of those so took an offer on my used chipper and traded up.

 

[BackRoad]

I agree on the stump grinder...guy quoted $1800 to take out 6 stumps...

So I bought one. That was over 50 stumps ago...

There's over 20 stumps ground in this one area between the drive and fencerow...

 

[Runner]

I agree with your thoughts totally.

I ground 10 stumps ranging from 6" to 18" one afternoon a couple of weeks ago (with a Woodland Mills WG24). The whole time, I was thinking how much "fun" it would have been doing it the old way - with an axe. It was very satisfying to see them disappear into a pile of dirt and chips in a few minutes.

Now, the only time I take out stumps with a backhoe is if I'm going to place another tree in the exact same spot.

 

[nyone]

I had to clear some forest for a driveway and cabin site. I much prefer to remove the stump with the tree still attached vs trying to dig out a stump with my 3,500lb micro ex. The really big 24in stumps outside of the driveway and cabin foundation I left and will grind. For a 1-2x job like this il just rent a tracked grinder, beat the snot out of it and return it.

 

[mikester]

WG28 PRO Stump Grinder

Woodland Mills supplies high-quality Bandsaw Mills, wood chippers, trailers, and accessories! Get the equipment to tackle big logs & long hours today!

woodlandmills.com

I picked up one of these woodlandmills 28" stump grinders before Christmas and was able to use it for the first time last week to remove about a dozen stumps. Mostly 12-16" norway maple, ash and a few small 6" conifers.

My initial impression was a fair bit of initial vibration and poor visibility from my M59 seating position. Surprisingly the dry ash chipped up easier than the green norway maples. The small softwoods just evaporated and left very little mess to clean up. The chips get mixed well into the soil spoil and I could easily kick the spoil back into the holes.

At the end of the day I got better at it and I liked that I could also quickly grind down the exposed roots of the norways which were a bane of my lawnmowing existence.

For taking out simple small stumps in the lawn it worked well. I can get down at least 6" below grade.

Time wise it took me 1 hour to do my first 5 green norway maples and one dead ash stump. Stumps were initially cut just above grade.

The nice thing about the stump grinder is I can grind problem stumps I wouldn't be able to get at with my ripper without damaging other things. My one dead ash was within 12 inches of a telephone box at my road easement. I was able to grind it down just below grade and backfill no problem. I would have taken out the phone box if I tried removing the root with my BH and ripper.

Next on my list is to start grinding down the remaining stumps around my field edges. I think if will be less abuse on my tractor with the grinder over the BH and I have no stumps to get rid of afterwards.

 

[BackRoad]

Definitely watch the Woodland Mills video for anyone using their stump grinder. Starting from the right side of the stump is important based on the grinder rotation.

The technique is easy to pick up, and following it helps reduce bouncing and chatter.

 

[sixdogs]

WG28 PRO Stump Grinder

Woodland Mills supplies high-quality Bandsaw Mills, wood chippers, trailers, and accessories! Get the equipment to tackle big logs & long hours today!

woodlandmills.com

I picked up one of these woodlandmills 28" stump grinders before Christmas and was able to use it for the first time last week to remove about a dozen stumps. Mostly 12-16" norway maple, ash and a few small 6" conifers.

My initial impression was a fair bit of initial vibration and poor visibility from my M59 seating position. Surprisingly the dry ash chipped up easier than the green norway maples. The small softwoods just evaporated and left very little mess to clean up. The chips get mixed well into the soil spoil and I could easily kick the spoil back into the holes.

At the end of the day I got better at it and I liked that I could also quickly grind down the exposed roots of the norways which were a bane of my lawnmowing existence.

For taking out simple small stumps in the lawn it worked well. I can get down at least 6" below grade.

Time wise it took me 1 hour to do my first 5 green norway maples and one dead ash stump. Stumps were initially cut just above grade.

The nice thing about the stump grinder is I can grind problem stumps I wouldn't be able to get at with my ripper without damaging other things. My one dead ash was within 12 inches of a telephone box at my road easement. I was able to grind it down just below grade and backfill no problem. I would have taken out the phone box if I tried removing the root with my BH and ripper.

Next on my list is to start grinding down the remaining stumps around my field edges. I think if will be less abuse on my tractor with the grinder over the BH and I have no stumps to get rid of afterwards.

I've found I don't need to go down the 6" and less will do if I clean out some of the wood chips and replace with dirt.

I've also found that I can pile the wood chips on smooth ground with no grass and rake smooth. Wait for rain and it washes all the dirt out of the mix and I can then rake up a pile of clean woodchips to burn. I don't mind putting some chips back in the hole but if I rake up the big stuff the grass gets a faster start.

 

[sixdogs]

The video of the Woodland Mills grinder is worth watching. That is a very appealing chipper. But in order to move, you have to drive the tractor very slowly so you need a real slow tractor and slipping the clutch to work it. Is that how it's done?

It looks well made but no mention if assembled in Canada or elsewhere.n It certainly looks ruggednand a good choice for a chipper.

 

[Runner]

The video of the Woodland Mills grinder is worth watching. That is a very appealing chipper. But in order to move, you have to drive the tractor very slowly so you need a real slow tractor and slipping the clutch to work it. Is that how it's done?

It looks well made but no mention if assembled in Canada or elsewhere.n It certainly looks ruggednand a good choice for a chipper.

No. You get a tractor with hydrostatic transmission and no clutch slipping. Start on the right side of the stump, back up past it, lower the cutter so you are taking a VERY small cut and slowly ease forward. Rinse and repeat, lowering the cutter slightly and moving to the left slightly with each pass.

If it starts to bog down and the slip clutch on the unit kicks in, then you immediately back up a little. Again, hydro helps.

 

[5030]

The video of the Woodland Mills grinder is worth watching. That is a very appealing chipper. But in order to move, you have to drive the tractor very slowly so you need a real slow tractor and slipping the clutch to work it. Is that how it's done?

It looks well made but no mention if assembled in Canada or elsewhere.n It certainly looks ruggednand a good choice for a chipper.

I run mine (articulating swing grinder) with one of my M9000's but in creep gear only. A stump grinder on any tractor would work better with a hydrostat however, but the creep gears are a good substitute.

The China clone to the Landpride unit I purchased years ago is an exact copy. I suspect today the price differential is moot. My issue with most of them is they don't use the industry standard carbide teeth so you are stuck buying their teeth whereas mine mounts the industry standard teeth and they are indexable to 3 different positions before replacement and the outfit that produces the industry standard carbide teeth is 20 miles from here (Green Manufacturing) so I can drive over there and buy them direct. Greenteeth are the industry standard for stump grinders.