Stump Chipper

[Dwellonroof]

Just wondering if anyone has purchased one of these A-Fab stump chippers and what your thoughts might be, would you buy again or a better brand? Is it worth the cost?
New A-Fab Inc. Stump Chipper - YouTube
Tree Stump Chipper, Grinder, Remover, Shredder, Mulcher Tractor Three Point PTO | eBay

 

[rademamj1]

This will do the job of grinding the stump down. Looks like by design, its depth limited to grinding about 3 " below ground. I not heard of this brand before, but I have seen similar ones to this working, and you definitely need the visibility of a small HST tractor to use this stump grinder. Pricing looks favorable, but you might inquire as to cost of an extra set grinding teeth. This design goes through the grinding teeth fast.

 

[Dwellonroof]

I’m trying to do my homework on it, it doesn’t come with a pro shaft but maybe I can use one from my brush cutter.
My tractor is hydrostatic.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

I'd be looking at the Woodland mills grinder, it's a bit more money, but it looks to be better built than that one and comes complete, ready to go...

I have one, and I don't use it on a tractor with the whiner transmission, my tractor is gear drive with creep gears...

I ground 32 stumps with it the other day...

SR

 

[Captain Dirty]

Just wondering if anyone has purchased one of these A-Fab stump chippers and what your thoughts might be, would you buy again or a better brand? Is it worth the cost?
New A-Fab Inc. Stump Chipper - YouTube
Tree Stump Chipper, Grinder, Remover, Shredder, Mulcher Tractor Three Point PTO | eBay

Firstly, I have not purchased the A-Fab machine, nor am I likely to. I am shopping for a stump grinder having dug out stumps with a BH, but the A-Fab links wave several red flags.

The A-Fab does not have a pivot to allow the blade to tip should the operator take too deep a bite or move forward too fast.

The absence of any reactive movement of the A-Fab vs. videos of the Woodland Mills, Bumalight indicates the the depth of cut must be very small. (Could one tether a belt sander atop a stump, sit down, and sip one's favorite beverage for a more satisfactory experience?)

The machine does not come with a PTO shaft. The required Cat IV, recommended slip-clutch shaft could put the cost up with the Woodland Mills machine.

"The cutting knives must be kept sharp. Dull knives are inefficient and dangerous to use. The design of the unit easily facilitates knife removal and they are easily sharpened and replacements are readily available on E-Bay or other tractor/lawn & garden dealers." No hits on 2 pages with Google "Knives for A-Fab stump grinder"; when I added "e-bay" to the search, the pages I viewed showed Rayco, Greentooth, and other machines, nothing for A-Fab.

"Clear stump of all surrounding soil, several inches deeper than the desired finish height. Clear area of all obstructions to facilitate smooth travel for the tractor." Sounds like "dig the stump out."

Content, grammatical errors, and ambiguous wording in the copy indicates off-shore origin and dubious support.

 

[Dwellonroof]

Firstly, I have not purchased the A-Fab machine, nor am I likely to. I am shopping for a stump grinder having dug out stumps with a BH, but the A-Fab links wave several red flags.

The A-Fab does not have a pivot to allow the blade to tip should the operator take too deep a bite or move forward too fast.

The absence of any reactive movement of the A-Fab vs. videos of the Woodland Mills, Bumalight indicates the the depth of cut must be very small. (Could one tether a belt sander atop a stump, sit down, and sip one's favorite beverage for a more satisfactory experience?)

The machine does not come with a PTO shaft. The required Cat IV, recommended slip-clutch shaft could put the cost up with the Woodland Mills machine.

"The cutting knives must be kept sharp. Dull knives are inefficient and dangerous to use. The design of the unit easily facilitates knife removal and they are easily sharpened and replacements are readily available on E-Bay or other tractor/lawn & garden dealers." No hits on 2 pages with Google "Knives for A-Fab stump grinder"; when I added "e-bay" to the search, the pages I viewed showed Rayco, Greentooth, and other machines, nothing for A-Fab.

"Clear stump of all surrounding soil, several inches deeper than the desired finish height. Clear area of all obstructions to facilitate smooth travel for the tractor." Sounds like "dig the stump out."

Content, grammatical errors, and ambiguous wording in the copy indicates off-shore origin and dubious support.

That’s exactly what I was thinking.

 

[Dwellonroof]

Both Bumalight and Woodland seem to be about the same, has anyone compared the 2 or purchased the one instead of the other?

 

[Captain Dirty]

Both Bumalight and Woodland seem to be about the same, has anyone compared the 2 or purchased the one instead of the other?

In a previous thread poster noted Woodland Mills machine was slightly heavier, something the poster considered a plus. Woodland Mills has had many favorable comments.

 

[cjoffutt]

Both Bumalight and Woodland seem to be about the same, has anyone compared the 2 or purchased the one instead of the other?

From what I've seen they are almost identical. I personally have the Bumalight 1P24 and use it with my NX50. It works pretty well. Would I rather have had the 3P24 for the boom swing? Yes, most definitely, but I didn't see the 3k price jump as justifiable for personal usage. Went with the Bumalight solely due to lead time. The WM had a 6 week lead time on it and I could get the Bumalight delivered to my work in 3 days.

I've done close to 50 stumps at my place alone varying from older ash/maple to fresh cut walnut (didn't want to take that one down). From what I can tell the inserts/teeth are just as sharp as they were when I started.

Looking at the one in the OP's post....no way would I purchase that one. Add in a couple hundred bucks for the PTO shaft and you're within $500 of the WM or Bumalight stump grinders. The difference in build quality is well worth that $500 IMO. Granted I've never seen the OP's links in person, it just looks really, really cheap.

 

[Peter 315]

One rock hit and those knifes will be dull....

 

[Sawyer Rob]

One rock hit and those knifes will be dull....

Mine has carbide teeth, not knives.....and I've hit more than one rock already, at least I've seen more than one come flying out..

On mine, one tooth has a chip in it but it's still useful, and the rest still look like new, so I'd say it's going to take more than one rock to ruin the teeth on mine!

SR

 

[oldballs]

So far I have had 3 years of using the Woodland Mills stump grinder with no problems on either Kubota. That includes 30 stumps to date mostly doing 45 YO dead Pine stumps of various species. I'm happy with it for my homeowner use.
Cheers,
Mike

 

[Dwellonroof]

In my search I found these;
Rm24 3-point Hitch /pto Stump Grinders,24'' Cutting Wheel - Buy Pto Stump Grinder,Farm Equipment,Stump Cutter Product on Alibaba.com
Tractor Pto Powered Stump Grinder - Buy High Quality Tractor Pot Stump Grinder,Tractor Stump Grinder,Pot Stump Grinder Product on Alibaba.com

 

[Peter 315]

How many stumps are you grinding down?......

 

[rademamj1]

If it does not come with a PTO shaft from the manufacturer, then seriously avoid that brand, regardless of pricing. It's a sign the manufacturer has not tested his equipment adequately enough to supply the PTO shaft that works best for his implement.

I have been using a woods stump grinder, rather old fashion in design, but extremely reliable. My neighbor uses woodland mills stump grinder and it is a beast after you develope experience with it.

I have been letting my stumps accumulate as I clean and selectively clear 8 acres this year. I now have about 120 stumps ranging from 2" to 30" to grind down. That's 2 or 3 days work. I got to remove them before last mowing before winter gets here.

 

[Dwellonroof]

How many stumps are you grinding down?......

I have 8 stumps, 2 are probably close to 4’ at the base the smallest is around 16”
Also have a few stumps at another place.

 

[mcfarmall]

Rent a real Vermeer stump cutter for a day and be done with it.

I have 8 stumps, 2 are probably close to 4’ at the base the smallest is around 16”
Also have a few stumps at another place.

 

[Dwellonroof]

Rent a real Vermeer stump cutter for a day and be done with it.

If I have my own I can take care of them at my own leisure.

 

[Captain Dirty]

If I have my own I can take care of them at my own leisure.

I won't denigrate the feeling of satisfaction that would come with grinding the stumps out yourself, but I will offer my own opinions to give you things to consider.

Get some bids. If you have 8 stumps from 16-48" that are ready to grind, are "easily accessible", and are not problematic e.g. roots around boulders, hiring it out may be the best and cheapest way. The contractor has to deliver and set up his machine only once; the job will likely take a half or a full day depending on his machine so he does not "waste" time. If he does not have to "clean up" (and your willingness to grind them yourself implies you are willing to clean up), he may lower his price. You may find an acceptable bid and getting the job done beats purchasing your own equipment, learning how to use it, and maintaining it.

Rent a real Vermeer stump cutter for a day and be done with it.

Rental, if possible, is fraught with peril. In my experience rental equipment is either beat to death to begin with, or structured with conditions such that you will pay if you beat it half to death. Smaller equipment often falls into the first category; larger equipment falls into the later. An inexperienced user with a "real Vermeer" can get into trouble quickly.

 

[Peter 315]

I have 8 stumps, 2 are probably close to 4 at the base the smallest is around 16
Also have a few stumps at another place.

I would rent one, I'm tired of buying stuff and use it a couple of times and trip over it and it just takes up space , Then somebody wants to use it and thats when the fun starts... If you hire somebody they just grind and leave the chips. I had 14 pine trees taken down and stumps ground and just hauled the chips to the compost pile..