Learned a lesson, the hard way

[5030]

I'm in need of a 3 point stump grinder as I have at least 30 stumps to grind out so I got on Tractor House and perused the auctions and found (what appeared to be a Worksaver 3 point stump grinder for auction in Missouri and bid on it (and got it). Stated in the blurb that it need a new gearbox which I priced from Worksaver at 1000 bucks and I factored that into the bid price as well as transportation from there to here, no big deal.

Anyway, it arrived last Thursday and to my unpleasant surprise, all the carbide teeth were totally shot and the cutter wheel was bent plus the main frame was broken. Basically junk. I didn't pay an arm and leg for it but I'm still out over 1500 bucks. I'll chalk that up to unscrupulous auctions and move on. In fact I just ordered from my Kubota dealer a new Land Pride SG stump grinder (in Kubota orange) today. The only issue with the Land Pride SG is the input power is quite a bit less than what either of my units put out so I'll run the 1000 flip shaft on the pto with a 540 6 spline adapter. That way, at 540, the engine is below it's max torque and power rating. My dealer was conducive to my idea. The SG grinds to 10 inches below grade and is capable of handling a 30" stump without repositioning the tractor. Really designed for an HST unit but with my creep gears, I should encounter no issues.

learned a valuable lesson and that is, at an auction, an item that is represented may not be way it is.

 

[Yander]

Sorry to hear that but thanks for sharing and please comment back on how that works for you. I will be in the market for a 3pt. grinder in the next couple of years myself. Unless I find a deal on one sooner.

 

[5030]

Used ones are very hard to find (why I jumped on the one out of state actually). Now I have a new one coming, should have just did that to begin with actually. My only issue with the Land Pride SG is the input power. My tractors both make way in the excess of the rated input power so I need to be careful with it and 2 that end, I'll run it on the 1000 pto, 21 spline pto shaft with a 6 spline adapter at 540 instead of 1000 which will drop the engine rpm way down as well as the power and torque. I'll probably part out the auction grinder I bought to recoup some of my money. It was really abused. lesson learned. I've sold a few implements on Tractor House in the past but I'm always honest about the condition and if there are any issues. Didn't happen with this one.

 

[5030]

You might wind up with mine, you aren't that far away and it's not that heavy or cumbersome either. 600 pounds and would fit in a pickup.

 

[jyoutz]

It has always seemed to me that unless you’re an arborist using a grinder regularly, it would be cheaper to rent those. Because after grinding your stumps, what do you do with that implement?

 

[Yander]

I'm planning to use it for retirement income. More tools I have for my tractor the more offering I will have.

I want to be able to go do a tree clean up job and offer stump grinding too.

Sounds crazy but when I was doing tree cleanups with my brothers tree Business it was just me and the brush no bosses. I enjoyed it.

I have two boys and in there late 20s and early 30s; both could use a little extra income so I could get them both to help me with my business.

 

[5030]

It has always seemed to me that unless you’re an arborist using a grinder regularly, it would be cheaper to rent those. Because after grinding your stumps, what do you do with that implement?

Put it in the barn just like I do with my hay tools...lol It's expensive around here getting the number of stumps ground I have. Average charge is 10 bucks an inch here and I must have 25 stumps, some are pretty large, that need to go. Plus getting someone to do it is also a PITA.

No one rents them around here either. I've looked. They do rent the small ones for like 250 bucks a day but those aren't gonna cut the mustard on my stumps (oak and maple) and at 72 years old I don't want to be hanging on to a walk behind stump cutter gyrating like a front tine tiller tilling hard packed clay. I'd much rather sit in the tractor and operate the hydraulic controls and the walk behind ones won't cut below grade like the bigger ones will.

 

[5030]

Like Yander, I have outside interests too. The guy who takes all my wood (and I get a lot) will most likely have me grind stumps for him too. Right now I have at least 10 cords of hardwood he needs to get. He sells it to local campgrounds as a retirement income, kind of like me running hay. It's a retirement thing.

 

[5030]

I did look at the less expensive Baumalight and the Woodland Mills grinders but neither have the swing capabilities. They mount rigidly to the 3 point and all movement (cutting swath and depth) is all done by moving the tractor too and fro and they are really meant for an HST tractor of lesser power. Both mine are gear drive but the one (cab tractor) has the creep gears in it plus the 540-1000 pto. The creep speeds give me a really low first gear, like .5 mph at rated rpm. They are really meant for planting more than anything else but when I purchased the tractor new in 2002, they came with it as well as the 'Artic package' and the 540-1000 rpm pto.

Both of them are about 2 grand less than the Land Pride SG but nowhere near as capable and the SG has readily available and easily replaceable carbide teeth too.

The big expense is of course the carbide insert cutting teeth but then the Baumalight and the Woodland mills also have carbide teeth, chipping stumps requires carbide cutters.

 

[5030]

...and of course, being a working farm with a Federal ID number, I'll write it off like I do everything else. It's a business expense. Heck, I'd write off my wife if I could...lol