stump grinders

[farmerpsv]

Hey all,
anyone have a stump grinder for their tractor? what kind, how do you like it, cost, effectiveness? i'm buying a cut over piece of land with lots of stumps. i know conventional wisdom says get a dozer to do this, but i am curious about this method. i had some land cleared awhile back with a dozer and it took the guy a long time to remove stumps, took alot of topsoil and compacted the soil, so am interested in tractor mounted grinders, how they work, any experience y'all might have. I have a TN65. thanks
paul

 

[KiotiJohn]

Paul. One thing you need to determine is: What are you going to do with that property after you clear the stumps? Are you ever going to have to plant anything, lay pipe, electrical lines etc. If you only grind the stumps to below level ground, they will be in the way for many operations you may want to do. I don't have one, and I don't have experience using a grinder, but know how it's done. Most people I know who have used them like carbide tips, and cut the stump until it is below ground surface level. I prefer to use my backhoe, dig down at least 3-4 feet all around and then chain saw off that portion so that the stump remains are at least 2 feet and usually 3 feet below ground. That allows me (in Florida) to later install most anything at 48" below the surface without interference from the stumps, and I don't then need to find a place to dispose of the whole stump. See my album on Backhoe here:
Backhoe install and digging
John

 

[farmerpsv]

Thanks for the reply John. I do some market gardening for farmers market and restaurants, not full time though so I rarely have more than an acre under cultivation. i want to make about 15-20 acres pasture and plant the rest in poplar and allow it to reforest. so, the only short term issue with under ground stuff would be the area where i build and the one acre for cultivation. i've cleared land before, just not with so many stumps, i figured having the grinder i could work away at it a bit at a time.
paul

 

[40Kchicks]

That sounds like a good job for a good size excavator. One to three swipes of the bucket and their out of there. Have the local rental shop drop one off for a week and have some fun then use the TN to clean up the area afterwards.

Eric

 

[Slamfire]

I have seen grinders that take the place of a backhoe bucket. They are driven by a hydraulic motor. They threw a lot of dirt at the tractor so were used out at the end of the hoe's reach.

 

[toy1]

I have a stump grinder that is made for skid steers I ran it on my New Holland and did 12 or so stumps before I sold the New Holland. I have yet to install it on my Cat257. I use it only in area's were You can do damage if you were to dig it out. Next to foundations, underground utilities ETC. I would suggest if there is nothing underground and you are not in a finished lawn area to dig it out. In most cases it's faster. also if you do dig it out make sure you have some place to bury the stump.