Stump grinding tips/ tricks/ tools.

[Mick!]

I think that's called damning with faint praise!

 

[Bodean]

Anyone have tricks/tips on grinding street trees out of 30" by 30" concrete squares down to 24" deep for "replanting"?

 

[cory]

Yikes, that sounds like a challenge!

 

[Mick!]

http://youtu.be/QVAJT2ThP-4
A smaller version of this would work if you had a lot of them to do.

 

[Bodean]

Yes, that tractor mount in the fiel of corn looks like a dream.

Ultimately most people say use the Alpine Magnum.

I end up mincing the monkey out of it with carbide chainsaw chain and picks and shovels afterwards.
Lately, I've been looking for something easier.......

 

[Bodean]

I've answered my own question......

Looking to buy one Alpine Magnum! 4000 for the grind kit and then I'll need a big powerhead.
All in time...

 

[lumberjack]

Yeah, the depth wold be the issue for most grinders. The Alpine should offer great control near the concrete's edge.

Do you have to excavate the stump chips?

 

[Bodean]

YEs, if it won't be replanted for awhile. or just leave a barricade over it for a week or so. Tripping/falling hazard.

The problem is when the root system is WAY bigger than the tiny 24"by24"by24" hole you just excavated out of it.
The next tree is doomed.....much of that happens. The HO needs to pay for concrete pads to be replaced in order for complete big machine grinding.
Hard to grind under a sidewalk.

 

[lumberjack]

It looks like it did alright! Still slow but somebody will buy them.

Yeah I wouldn't suggest it for a mature company that's looking to do lots of big stumps day in and day out. Still, for the average tree "company" looking to get into grinding their own stumps or replace an aging 25hp model, this could be a viable option.

I think that's called damning with faint praise!

Haha excellent phrase!

 

[lumberjack]

YEs, if it won't be replanted for awhile. or just leave a barricade over it for a week or so. Tripping/falling hazard.

The problem is when the root system is WAY bigger than the tiny 24"by24"by24" hole you just excavated out of it.
The next tree is doomed.....much of that happens. The HO needs to pay for concrete pads to be replaced in order for complete big machine grinding.
Hard to grind under a sidewalk.

That's absolutely correct. Are these city trees? If so, wouldn't the burden of removing/replacing the concrete fall on the city not the homeowner?

 

[Fiddler]

Many Cities have mandated that homeowners are responsible for maintenance of sidewalks that run in front of their property, be it snow removal or cost of repairs for broken, uneven walks.

 

[Bodean]

Totally....The city of SF gives you the gift of Sidewalk and Street Tree maintenance to Homeowners.
$200/square for sidewalk legit retail. Street trees are at the hands of Homeowners and treeguys now.....I hope the city takes them back.

 

[Peter]

I did one a bit like that recently with my little grinder. Wouldn't really recommend it though, major ball ache.

 

[cory]

Nasty looking stump job.

I'm going to try Murph's system for stump screening. Got the poles at the dump yesterday. Where's a good spot to buy the right kind of tarp material??

 

[flushcut]

I use shade tarp bought it at Northern Tool.

 

[Tucker943]

I recently had to grind 2 5' diameter sugar maple stumps that had soil/ mulch about a foot up them. The HO kept mounding mulch at the base of these trees for many years. When I took them down and flushed the stumps, they remained about 15 inches high because of the mulch. Well I read a trick on this thread about grinding the outer layer of the stump off 360 degrees around the whole stump, then taking a swipe through the now clean wood with a saw to lower the stump more. I did it and it made a huge difference. I was using a 25 horse Rayco too, so I was sort of using a knife at a gun fight. It changed the whole game and I made great money on those stumps.

 

[flushcut]

Nice tip!

 

[SouthSoundTree-]

Buried trees can be dug and peeled off bark. You have clean wood underneath to cut. I had this with a septic install, and a rockery island planting bed.

 

[Fiddler]

Tucker's right, works great. I've done several that way and also just taken off certain parts of the root flair to make it easier to run my saw a bit lower, as I am running only a single dog on my MS460.

 

[cory]

Northern Tool, of course, I shoulda checked them. Thx

 

[flushcut]

You're welcome!

 

[Chris E]

This might be handy: let all willing participants submit notes on varying stump characteristics. here's mine: I've found these stumps have significant underground root flair meaning more work for a complete grind..

Liquid Amber
Golden Elm
London plain tree
crepe myrtle
Chinese tallowood
ever green alder

 

[sotc]

Maple

 

[Mick!]

Poplar and cherry.

 

[murphy4trees]

liquid amber is known as sweet gum on the east coast... one of the worst.... landscaper told me he had eight 1' stumps... therer was 5' between the curb and the sidewalk.. the worst of those sweet gums took the near the entire 5' and went 20' in length..

silver maples are real bad too... norways can be..

and bradford pear can be deceiving..