Stump grinding, how do you do it?

[tmc_31]

Hey guys, I may have an opportunity to grind around 60 stumps in a park area. The trees are dead from the drought and are being removed. The spec requires that the stumps be ground down to 3" below grade or more. Also all exposed roots beneath the canopy must be ground. Most of the stumps are in the 12"-30" range, Ash and Pecan.

I have never run a stump grinder before, it doesn't look to be that hard (this from a guy who has never run a stump grinder before). I have a NH L190 skid steer with an enclosed cab (and AC) that I intend to use My questions are:

1) How long should it take to grind a 30" ash or pecan stump to spec?

2) Do you need to dig around the stump first? If so, how big a ditch?

3) What am I missing?

4) Any other suggestions you can offer are appreciated.

Thanks,

Tim

 

[Coyote machine]

60 stumps of those dimensions is going to likely be a grueling task and will wear down the machine operator and some grinder teeth most likely. Somewhat depends on what the grade of the 'lawn' around the trees is as to how much prep or not is required. The tougher part may be doing all the exposed roots, depending on quantity.
Are you quoting the job or doing it on a per stump x time basis? What machine are you using/renting?
You may have a cab and AC but most grinders I'm familiar with require manual operation from alongside the grinder.

 

[tmc_31]

Coyote, I am looking for a grinder that attaches to a skid steer and runs off the skid's aux hydraulics. These are operated from inside the cab of the skid steer. The ones I have looked at (on the web) are mounted on a pin attached to the skid attach plate so that they swivel side to side (operated by a hyd cylinder) The idea is that you drive up to the stump and swivel the grinder rather that waggling the skid steer back and forth thus tearing up the grass. My first problem is finding one that I can rent. I spent some time this afternoon calling the local rental yards with no luck. I am going to have to expand my search to the Dallas/Fort worth area I guess.

I am not sure yet how I want to quote this. I do some land clearing in the area and I usually charge by the hour for that. I would rather quote this by the hour also. I have read threads on tbn that indicate as many as 5 stumps per hr could be done. That sounds like a lot to me. I will just be responsible for the grinding, others will clean up the chips and backfill the holes with top soil. I have watched several youtube videos (now I'm an expert right). It seems that 2 -3 stumps might be more realistic. The park has little if any rock from what I could see.

 

[Piston]

I wouldn't plan on 5 stumps per hour if they're 30" diameter. That is a good size stump and it gets exponentially larger as you grind below the surface. What kind of grinder are you getting? They're not cheap, my Shaver is about 7k new, so you need to grind a lot of stumps for that.

I would say on average I could grind maybe 2 stumps an hour at that size. I would charge about 100 per hour plus a 10% safety factor. These teeth cost 50 bucks each so breaking just a couple really eats into your profit.

Being a complete newbie at it you should probably charge
Less and it will most likely take you more time.

 

[lumberjack1986]

If the teeth cost $50 each, you should find a new supplier or change cutter wheels. Green Teeth and the Sandavik based wheels' teeth cost about a third of that.

 

[94BULLITT]

You could rent a stand alone stump grinder for $400-500 a day. Probably less for more time.

 

[Coyote machine]

All good advice from those above who seem to know more than me. The skid steer operated one from the cab sounds good, but I would hazard a guess that the learning curve might be pretty steep. From my limited experience watching others do stumps the stand beside grinder might give a better view of the work and therefore be more accurate and possibly quicker to learn. Teeth becoming dull or broken is a big part of any job like this, but others can comment on those pitfalls better than me.

 

[yellowdogsvc]

I grind 4-5' live oak stumps quite often. You can spend an hour per stump if you are chasing flare roots and going deep below grade. For stumps your size, you can probably do several per hour or more if you are only going a few inches. i usually go about 10" below grade.

Unless your machine is high flow, you will probably struggle through the dry pecan. Chasing flare roots is a PITA. I'd paint them with fluorescent orange paint or have a spotter to make sure you get them.

Keep wind at your back if possible. You will probably have to find something NH makes so that the electrical connections line up or you will need a specific adapter to use all the functions like swing, tilt, etc.

Unless you are in a lot of rock or pure sand, I don't think tooth wear will be a big problem.

 

[tmc_31]

Thanks guys, I appreciate your thoughts. It looks like if I based my bid on being able to average 2 stumps per hour I should be safe. The largest of these stumps are 30" in dia. most are somewhat smaller and I only have to grind down to 3" below grade. Chasing the flair roots may be more time consuming than grinding the stump (thanks for the heads up yellowdogsvc)I looked at the Shaver SC-25-H and it looks like the ideal stump grinder for this project that would work with my skid loader.

At this point finding a stump grinder similar to the Shaver SC-25-H that I can rent may be the biggest problem to overcome. At $7800.00 buying one is out of the question. I have searched all over town and am expanding my search to all of Texas. I guess if I could find one anywhere in the adjacent states it wouldn't be too bad to have it shipped in. Does anyone know of someone who rents a skid steer attachment like this anywhere in the southwest?

Thanks

Tim

 

[Digdeep]

Stump Cutter Attachments Craft Machine Design

Might consider contacting these guys. I know they make a quality attachment. Might have a demo unit that they could sell at a discounted price.

 

[yellowdogsvc]

That's one BA looking grinder. I LIKE

 

[tmc_31]

Thanks Digdeep but it appears that all of their skid mounted stump grinders require high flow which I do not have. There is a kit that can be added to my skid that adds high flow but the cost is too much to justify it for this one job. However, I did talk to Jeff Craft at Craft Design about a 3 point mounted one that I could use with my tractor (TN70D). He gave me the number of an equipment dealer in Ruby Tx that he thought might be able to help me.

Tim

 

[Digdeep]

Thanks Digdeep but it appears that all of their skid mounted stump grinders require high flow which I do not have. There is a kit that can be added to my skid that adds high flow but the cost is too much to justify it for this one job. However, I did talk to Jeff Craft at Craft Design about a 3 point mounted one that I could use with my tractor (TN70D). He gave me the number of an equipment dealer in Ruby Tx that he thought might be able to help me.

Tim

Good to know. I don't know anyone at the company, but i do know a couple guys who have dealt with them and they have been very happy with working with them and their product.

 

[makinmulch]

With out high flow you might be better off trying to rent a big tow behind. Bid it the same but you will finish alot faster

 

[tmc_31]

Yeah makinmulch, but I am trying to avoid standing out in the hot sun for hours working the grinder. Another possibility is to find one that mounts on a three point. I have a NH TN70D with a cab & AC that would drive one with a PTO.

Tim

 

[yellowdogsvc]

Have you seen the "stump screw". check it out on Youtube. Interesting concept for up to 30" stumps and runs off a tractor PTO.

 

[tmc_31]

I have seen the video of the Stump Screw. That's a big old thing. I am not sure my tractor would drive it. That looks like a pretty good size JD in the video. Sure takes a bite out of the stump though doesn't it?

Tim

 

[Redbug]

I was looking at the stump cutters just recently and posted on the Arborist site about them. It looks like they are used overseas but have not caught on over here...

http://www.arboristsite.com/commercial-tree-care-climbing/241293.htm

 

[tcartwri]

Backhoe makes short work of most stumps. Grinding would be pretty tedious.