O.C.G.D. Thread, part two

Ooohhh noooo....I have a defective nose!! :cry::lol:

But yes, having a pair to hand is great for when you don't have your specs. I'm going to get a couple of the keychain ones, I've managed to lose the ones I had in the little sticky holder in the truck...took them in the car and they fell down between the seat and slider...haven't been seen since and there was an odd grinding sensation not long after....
It's just hopeless trying to see anything small close up now. Try reading labels in the grocery store without specs...
 
Well, we'll see how this goes...
Vermeer 206 grinder with a basically new engine on it. Old teeth.

My super jr grinder needs a new engine. I don't know how long that will take me to get to it. Sold a stump grinder as part of a removal job, and maybe 4 more stumps soon, that I know of. Rather than rent or sub out, I'll give this a go. IMG_20170913_212621212.jpg

I'm saving to buy a house next year, and need my net income higher for 2017, so I'll squeek by for a bit longer with the equipment I've got, pay down my loader, and think about a dump trailer soon, financing a chipper when the mortgage is settled.


An electric motor adjusts the vertical component. The machine is balanced, and floats back and forth easily. hydraulics only for the drive. 22 hp belt drive. $1600

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/buAef8ny2iI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
 
$1500, $2000 for a better engine. Possibly for a cheap one, $800.

I won't be subbing or renting in the meanwhile, and can sell it later, or have a back up. Several times I've rented/subbed when my machine went down. The Super Jr just had the starter go out, and I broke a Rayco drive belt that needed to be ordered. Naturally, middle of a big stump.
A cheap backup isn't bad to have.
When I get a new chipper, I'll keep my old old one, same reason.

Maybe rent out a grinder, if I have 2. I can probably sell it for as much after use.

$250/ rental adds up.

Looks like it will do the job.


This swivels on a bearing, not like a Dosko handlebar grinder. The side to side effort is easy as can be. Its just overcoming inertia, more than anything.
 
I do the same here Sean. Rent out my second. Splitter, pole saw, trailer.
Trailer I park and,dump for folks. They load, I pick up, charge for haul and they pay dump fees. Park again.
Every little bit adds up.
 
How do you price your rentals?

I rent my log splitter to customers after a removal for $75-100 for an 'average' amount of splitting, if they will pickup/ deliver. I"ll bring it to the job, if they need it at the time of removal.

If they rent it at the store, they have 24 hours for the same amount, basically. Most people don't want to have to do it all at one time. Too much work. I let them have it for a week or so, fixed amount of wood. Let them peck away at it, and enjoy rather than dread putting up their heat. Its out of my way, that way, and mostly sits about 95% of the year, unused.

Making money by driving around, when you have a dump trailer rental, is low risk around here. Paved, urban conditions, with some offroad at properties possible.
 
I think I'll sub-out this 40" dbh grand fir stump for $150-200, and try the 206 on a small plum stump right up on the sidewalk and concrete driveway, on Wednesday.
 
SeanKroll said:
$1500, $2000 for a better engine. Possibly for a cheap one, $800.

I won't be subbing or renting in the meanwhile, and can sell it later, or have a back up. Several times I've rented/subbed when my machine went down. The Super Jr just had the starter go out, and I broke a Rayco drive belt that needed to be ordered. Naturally, middle of a big stump.
A cheap backup isn't bad to have.
When I get a new chipper, I'll keep my old old one, same reason.

Maybe rent out a grinder, if I have 2. I can probably sell it for as much after use.

$250/ rental adds up.

Looks like it will do the job.


This swivels on a bearing, not like a Dosko handlebar grinder. The side to side effort is easy as can be. Its just overcoming inertia, more than anything.
Click to expand...

I kept my old chipper for a bit as a back up, it's just money tied up that could be used elsewhere. €3000 buys a lot of rental. So I sold it, no regrets.
I can point you to a website where brand new Kohler commands are $1500, couple of hours work and you're going again.

That machine looks like it was no good 26years ago, I would not spend 200 on it. Yet you want to tie up $1600 when you want to show you're fluidity for a house loan?

Not having a go, just the way it looks to me from here.
 
Mick, honestly, I value all insight from other successful business people. I don't want to try to figure out things for myself when I have a wealth of collective insight available to me.

I don't want to tie-up any saving or have extra debts if I'm looking to get a mortgage. Stress I don't want. Having a cushion is peace of mind. I have to keep



I think it will work out for a stop-gap machine. Keeping the work flowing, customers happy, etc. I have a two stumps to grind in the next week, possibly sub out the larger one, if he's available, and its not rotten.



I don't weld or have metal machining equipment particularly for modifying the grinder engine mounting plate. The last superjr engine swap did not fit quite right, and caused me problems and headaches and time. I learned some things, though.

I don't have the mental energy or time for and engine swap at the moment. Research, measuring, shopping, pick-up or deliver on a day where I have to be home or go to a freight pick-up, installing, troubleshooting the engine to application (last one was a hair to tight and I had to grind down the machine a bit, and the oil plug a bit, and get different belts.

Is it worth half a day and $1500-1800 with shipping and tax for an old 1620 superjunior?


This model of 22hp Predator engine on the 206 might fit that old Rayco grinder for $800. If it seems to do the job, I might consider buying one for a short term ownership before turning them both around into a down payment on a newer grinder.

I don't grind much at all, and have a 60 HP sub for accessible stumps with a bigger machine (and lots more clean-up from more soil grinding mixing with wood chip mulch). Not grinding much makes me not want to have a payment on a grinder.



We'll see.

The guy I bought it from had purchased it without an engine, put the new engine on, ground his stumps, his neighbors' stumps, and was ready to turn it around.

If I save on convenience over rental and subbing small stumps, I can easily turn it around at a profit, I think. I know two local arborist who don't have grinders. Not offering grinding loses some customers, particularly those who are not that price conscious. One only does small removals, the other is probably sorta maxed out on an expensive chip truck, $60k note on his new chipper, and having an accident (compound tib/fib fracture from canyoneering). Either one might want a cheap grinder as a stepping stone. Rental grinders are always dull.



Maybe equipment bought this year doesn't have to be depreciated this year, keeping my gross income up, for financing purposes, where saving 0.25% interest adds up over the life of the loan, or qualifying for $10k more could mean a house with land.
 
Hadn't realised you'd had issues fitting replacement engines, that can scar you!


I subbed my grinding for a couple of years, saved them up for every second Saturday then drove round with the guy backfilling and generally being there.
 
In time it will all work out. I do not like having multiple jobs in motion at the same time, as much as I can avoid it. Being in and out, check in hand, is simpler.

I need to get someone as an office/ shop/ all-around assistance. Clear some mental clutter and stress. Then I"ll enjoy getting the SuperJr fixed, on my time frame.

Switching back to a school schedule changes things, too. I was having a lot more time with Dahlia (not a good time for swapping engines) as her mom was travelling for work a lot in summer.
 
I made my way through that big grand fir stump surprisingly well with the Vermeer 206. I took my loader and grinder on the same 12' trailer. A squeeze. Need to figure that out. Maybe some lay-flat tie-down rings that are somehow attached to the frame in the middle of the wood floor.

http://www.uscargocontrol.com/Ratch...bMSQsFneSCa5WdhccIxpGGTP8UwWxethoC6i8QAvD_BwE

I need to figure out tie-down strength legal requirements.


I knew I could either grind the stump for a few hours or move logs, and sub the stump out at the end of the week. I had in mind to clear the soil with the loader bucket, then really ALAP the stump. I decided to try the grinder to see what it could do, and started to grind the rind off. It was going well, so I just moved the grinder, circling the stump, before cutting off 6-9" of the center. It was somewhat rotten in the core so I didn't mess with trying to cut down into the center of the stump or anything, as I had considered, if the grinding was slow.
Got the bulk of the core and buttress roots ground deep, well below grade. I don't wear a watch (I should) and didn't otherwise check the time, so I don't know the grinding time.

Easy to operate, but no replacement for the SuperJr. Higher center of gravity than the SuperJr, which is a three wheel machine, so I'm used to being careful about tipping the machine.

Most stumps here are softwood. Conifers, soft maple, alder, willow. Limited oaks, madronas.



I've been thinking about a new Alpine Magnum in place of a small grinder. I now should have a sub-contractor stump grinder with a new, big SC60 60HP Vermeer track grinder ($1K/ hp) for the foreseeable future.

One big subcontracted grinder, one AM tiny/ accessible grinder.

If I really need a big stump ground that is accessible to a 25HP sized small grinder, but not the 60HP, I can always rent a dull one.





Ideas for anti-vibration tape for the handles? I was thinking about Hulk anti-vibe gloves

http://www.galeton.com/hulk-anti-vi...lk-anti-vibration-gloves-black/12099-product/

but would rather mount anti-vibe directly on the machine.
 
I saw the pics of the stump on the work pictures thread.

Sean, again, I'm playing devil's advocacy, but I really don't understand your thinking on this.

I think you should be looking to secure a good reliable grinder for your business as a goal, not getting an even smaller one.

The AM is not for you imo, too small, too slow, pita to use, ok for Deva in SF but not your environs.

There's good money in grinding, I've got 2 grands worth coming up in the next 3 days, I think it's a mistake to think of it as service, a little add on to the tree work, but you need a decent machine, or at least a plan in place to get one.

I'm not seeing that.

Don't get the hump, just my thoughts. (Smiley emoji)
 
I'm looking at it as having a 60 HP grinder available, at a good price, and then having a very small machine for premium/ hard to access stumps. Maybe just a regular 25-35 HP regular grinder. Also, considering a mini-mounted grinder.

In the last year I've got a F450 dually (ton and a half truck), and an F350 (one-ton) crew cab, both with electric brakes and suspension enough for a dump trailer. Sold my old pick-up. My chip truck is two-ton or so, already wired for trailer brakes.

I'm looking at $1000 for BMG scoops, and $8k maybe for a big, but de-rated dump trailer, under commercial weight at 10K, but big cubic footage for brush, and long enough to haul some 16' 10' marketable logs, and smaller millable logs. I might have just found a property to rent, locally, where I can set up a bandsaw mill and chainsaw mill, plus park equipment. I'm really, really cramped for space, causing inefficiency. This potential place is 1 mile from home! I would like to make more money from wood in a shop, and less working in the winter rain. Longer longevity with wood working than tree climbing, and the more of the former can extend capacity for the latter.

I need to focus money more on a chip truck/ chipper than a grinder. I'm wanting to move to subcontracted grapple truck disposal and mini-loaded dump trailer disposal over chipping, or a small grapple truck, under CDL. Being able to subcontract this kind of machine is useful.

Keeping the flexibility to work alone is important. I've been stuck on jobs by unreliable employees too often. Laborers are going to forever be unreliable. Lot of guys that Want to do treework around here go logging.




If I get the power broom and BMG scoops, I can do less manual raking. If the 60 hp subcontractor mixes tons of wood debris with soil and rock, I won't be manually loading or unloading.

If I'm using a dump trailer or grapple truck, I don't have to be finicky about debris in the chipper. This area was bare bedrock, covered in glaciers, only 14,000 years ago. Lots of rocky soil, and gravel driveways. A dump trailer will also be something I can rent out with low risk, compared to a stump grinder which I would't rent out to homeowners.



Background thoughts over coffee. Appreciate people advice and experience, as always. Good, bad, ugly.
Going to build D a play house now.
 
In my earlier days I made my name as a freelance climber. When I got too old to climb effectively I bought my first bucket truck. I built my business model around being a freelance 'hired gun' and not picking up sticks, chipping brush, hiring employees or hauling off debris. This has worked remarkably well for me for many years and I've done pretty well for myself by focusing on doing what I like and not doing what I don't like.

So what is the next logical step for me? I bought a chipper, of course. And since the chipper is not very useful without a chip truck to pull it, today I bought a chip truck. I have a guy that has been working with me for a couple months and it is going great so far. I hate building something reliant upon others but I think the dollar potential is there and I also know I bought this equipment cheap enough that I can use it for 5 years and still get my money out of it.

You guys saw the chipper already in the other thread but I'll add the pics here as well. The truck I bought is a 1997 Ford Super Duty (F450) with the 7.3 diesel and 5 speed manual trans. It's been a fleet truck so it was employee driven and has the typical bumps and bruises but everything looks solid. I'm planning on having a chip cap made for the bed that I can remove with either bucket truck for loading logs if necessary. I refuse to build a wooden chip box because I don't want it looking like Joe Bob built it in his back yard.

Here's the ad for the truck. I can't pick it up until October 1 but that's just next weekend. In the meantime I need to get Ron added on my insurance. All my tags are due next month anyway so I'll be writing a really big check to the tax collector next week.
https://spacecoast.craigslist.org/cto/d/1997-f450-dump-truck-73/6285221777.html

Got the truck for $8K and the chipper for $5K. :wav:
 

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If you're handling disposal now, do you have any grapple truck services, especially with palms that I understand to be a pain to chip?
 
I have a 15 yard dump trailer I bought 8 years ago for $4K. I mostly haul logs but have used it for hauling whatever was necessary. It's paid for itself many times over and I can still sell it for $3500 tomorrow. Here's some old pics of it. I'm not chipping palm fronds. Actually I think these pics were from when I bought it.
 

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