# Stump grinding in icy conditions ...



## Cupocoffee (Jan 7, 2016)

I bid this job yesterday. The tree split in three directions and did considerable damage to this property and the neighbors property. I don't know why the tree guys did not cut the stumps lower to the ground except there is quite a bit of dirt that you can't see and the dirt is hard as a rock because it is wet and frozen. The ground around this stump is frozen hard too. I have done a lot of winter time stump grinding but have never ground when the ground is frozen solid. My question is this ... do any of you northerners grind when the ground is frozen hard? Does it damage your teeth? I have seen plenty of shows where fishermen use chainsaws to cut large chunks of ice up north and they aren't using carbide teeth. Odd thing was, I ground five other jobs yesterday and the ground was soft. The homeowner has not called me back. He is probably still getting over the price I quoted.


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## Jim Timber (Jan 7, 2016)

Curious, what did you bid that at?

Frozen ground has to be hard on the teeth. Like grinding on a brick.


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## Cupocoffee (Jan 7, 2016)

Cupocoffee said:


> I bid this job yesterday. The tree split in three directions and did considerable damage to this property and the neighbors property. I don't know why the tree guys did not cut the stumps lower to the ground except there is quite a bit of dirt that you can't see and the dirt is hard as a rock because it is wet and frozen. The ground around this stump is frozen hard too. I have done a lot of winter time stump grinding but have never ground when the ground is frozen solid. My question is this ... do any of you northerners grind when the ground is frozen hard? Does it damage your teeth? I have seen plenty of shows where fishermen use chainsaws to cut large chunks of ice up north and they aren't using carbide teeth. Odd thing was, I ground five other jobs yesterday and the ground was soft. The homeowner has not called me back. He is probably still getting over the price I quoted.
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> View attachment 476911
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Jim Timber said:


> Curious, what did you bid that at?
> 
> Frozen ground has to be hard on the teeth. Like grinding on a brick.



Jim, I bid $600. I looked at it a long time. In the first photo, I would have cut the stump down very low. The other two stumps have a lot of frozen dirt embedded and I wouldn't be able to cut much. I would just grind them. It is actually a fairly easy grind and in the middle of the three stumps there is about a two foot deep hole. I would have ground the first stump then, the other two stumps, I would have ground a good part of the chips into the hole. The stump on the right might just fall to the ground after cutting the under side. There aren't that many exposed roots. There are also some small rocks, about 1" in size ... but not many, around the stump. They are frozen in place too. The stumps, at the base, are 38" to 42". I like doing blow overs. They look much worse than they are. 95% of the jobs I do, the stumps are cut very near ground level. I think I bid the job a bit low but to the homeowner, I'm sure it is a lot. I expect I would have the stump gone in an hour or, at worst, an hour and a half. I do not haul off chips but I do a rough coverup of the hole. I use a Carlton SP7015, 66HP, with a blade and 4X4.


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## Jim Timber (Jan 7, 2016)

I'm new to grinding, but not new to chainsawing frozen wood. Hitting a rock that's stuck in ice can't be easy on the carbides though.


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## Oldmaple (Jan 8, 2016)

I will grind when the ground is frozen. Only difference I see is if I find one of those rocks that I would normally dig out with the spade, it is now a pain to do. Also the ground is hard along the edge of the hole so when the belt guard normally would push the soil away, it is now hard and needs to be ground. Makes you grind a little oversize.


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## Superjunior2 (Jan 8, 2016)

Once you make a few swipes the ground softens up pretty fast. I like grinding when the ground is frozen, doesn't leave tire tracks in the lawn but it sucks standing there like a popsicle. In my neck of the woods that stump would go for around 300$. 400$ tops, but there are low ballers that would do it for 200ish. That looks like a pretty easy grind with that carlton.


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## Jim Timber (Jan 8, 2016)

I should hook up my grinder and give it a go on something. With snow, it's hard to find the low cut stuff unless it's fresh. Our tree service guys shut down around the beginning of December most years.

The competition runs a little rig, so I plan on only going after the big nasty's that they can't do cost effectively and see about throwing them the little stuff I don't want to mess with and try to work out some symbiosis that way. My main business will be ground clearing for deer habitat - trails, food plots, etc.; but this is second to my gun stuff and more for extra cash on the side. I obviously won't be doing little back yards in town. 

This stump was from a 16" DBH or so red oak. When I started the video I had just touched off on the edge of it to position the tractor. I'm wearing orange because it was rifle deer season when I was shooting this. I have 58hp at the pto.


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## marne (Jan 9, 2016)

To me it seems like the teeth dull a little faster when the ground is frozen. So I tend to bid a little higher.
As mentioned the belt guard is not able to push soil away, which can be really annoying.
Overall I avoid grinding in winter. If it's frozen and hard or wet and muddy both undesireable.
400-550 would have been my bid.


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