Stump Grinding Discussion.
- Thread starter SouthSoundTree
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SouthSoundTree
Treehouser
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- #27
Last stump that I ground was way too big for my machine, it was a bigleaf maple with a hollowed butt from ganoderma applanatum, but a good 5'+ across at the soil line due to significant butt swell. I spent too much time doing it for a drive up stump. A bigger machine would have been mucho better.
Before that I had two cedar stumps around 30" and 36" at soil line, 32" gate.
Before that it was a double trunk Port Orford cedar that was at least averaging around 36"+.
I frequently underestimate on stumps, much to my chagrin when I see how long it is taking to get done.
I wouldn't mind grinding so much at 16" with my 25 horse engine.
Before that I had two cedar stumps around 30" and 36" at soil line, 32" gate.
Before that it was a double trunk Port Orford cedar that was at least averaging around 36"+.
I frequently underestimate on stumps, much to my chagrin when I see how long it is taking to get done.
I wouldn't mind grinding so much at 16" with my 25 horse engine.
MasterBlaster
Administrator Emeritus
A good friend of mine once said "If you don't ask for it, you'll never get it."
lumberjack
Young man on the go
The way I read it he's cleaning the stump up for $6/ inch. I rarely do cleanup, my hourly rate is $300/hr with my 85 hp self propelled grinder.
wiley_p
Climbing Up
Hourly is the way to go. Doing them by the inch makes no sense. The 10" tree at 60 bucks seems like good money. Let me know how 6.00 an inch works out on the 30" tree. WAY more wood.
OTGBOSTON
punk in drublic
I just put out a stump contract for 25k, we pay by the inch. If you think grinding stumps sucks, try doing it within a city sidewalk...
lumberjack
Young man on the go
I agree, Dave.
Pi x r^2= Volume of a circle. If you double diameter, you've quadrupled the amount of wood in the stump. Tiered by the inch works, although it can add to the confusion for the customer (sometimes used by grinder's to avoid having to go out and do so many bids).
Pi x r^2= Volume of a circle. If you double diameter, you've quadrupled the amount of wood in the stump. Tiered by the inch works, although it can add to the confusion for the customer (sometimes used by grinder's to avoid having to go out and do so many bids).
HolmenTree
Banned
Well the way I look at it how do you explain $300hr to the customer to take out her maple stumps in her flower bed?
Like I said anything over 36" I don't clean up just grind at $4in. When the customer sees their saving $2 per inch or $72 they will take it on cleaning up. When I said I made $300 HR with my 25hp grinder that was straight grinding 10-14" stumps with no cleanup, most jobs were lot clearing in soft ground.
Cleanup is the cat's ass when you got a 27" wide powerbarrow rated for a 1/2 ton. Greenteeth are the answer for the 25hp, only complaint is they throw chips like crazy, that's where I have a folding plywood blind to keep cleanup to the minimal.
lumberjack
Young man on the go
Even with a wheel loader, 60" bucket, and a 25 yard trailerl; cleanup is hardly the "cat's ass" around here. On little stumps it's easy, sure. But add a lot of surface roots and it becomes a pain. One stump I ground last week hauled off the excess with the loader (on site doing tree work already) yielded ~6 yards of overburden from that one 24" gum stump. That particular stump had roots/mounded dirt over an area roughly 20x20. Thankfully that's the exception rather than the rule.
I've got two more stumps in that front yard that will yield another 8 yards of debris pretty easily. Cleanup sucks, even if you're just doing the broad strokes with the loader.
I've got two more stumps in that front yard that will yield another 8 yards of debris pretty easily. Cleanup sucks, even if you're just doing the broad strokes with the loader.
HolmenTree
Banned
Man if I had to own a wheel loader, big trailer, big truck I'd really be sweating my bag worrying about taking care of all that.
I got my trailer setup now with a back door where I drive my loaded powerbarrow right up the grinder's loading ramp and dump inside the trailer. Only manual work now is just filling the barrow's hopper with the silage fork.
Millions of stumps out there in those beautiful manicured yards owned by good paying customers.
SkwerI
Treehouser
I did a big removal last year including grinding the stump and hauling the grindings. The root base mounded up about 2' and covered an area about 15' diameter. I borrowed an articulating wheel loader which the stump grinder guy used to move chips out of his way while grinding, and we filled my 15 yard trailer with stump grindings.
lumberjack
Young man on the go
The truck, trailer, grinders, and chipper are all paid for, the loader isn't thigh. My hourly rate with the loader pays for it working 4 hours a month.
Not saying your setup doesn't work, I'm saying it's too much like work for my long term goals.
lumberjack
Young man on the go
JoshINtrees
TreeHouser
Most stumpers I know just grind and leave.
MasterBlaster
Administrator Emeritus
Same here. My buddy Mike has to go back and clean it up.
HolmenTree
Banned
Wouldn't have wanted to fork this load onto the trailer. Two pine stumps, their mounds, and a bit below grade to cap with top soil.
that's just one of many loads in a day for me.
HolmenTree
Banned
Lumberjack are you a farm boy or city boy?
G
Greenhorn
Guest
He's real "metro" lol
MasterBlaster
Administrator Emeritus
Hahaha.
sotc
Dormant hero!!
Ha!
lumberjack
Young man on the go
Country boy.
Bushwackertree
TreeHouser
Out here in Alberta I charge $10/in for stump removal and another $4/in for clean-up so I guess what I'm sayin is on a 16" stump with removal and clean-up it would be $224.00. I usually go right around 6-8" below the surface. Depending on the stump my 252 can sometimes make right around 200/hr.
arborworks1
Treehouser
Careful, Willie will accuse you of being "shallow"
woodworkingboy
TreeHouser
Right, Willie is like a gunslinger with that Alpine Magnum that he carries around. Wonder if he has gotten a holster for it yet?
sotc
Dormant hero!!
Yep, I got 3 of em
