# business needs a new stump grinder



## stump-dude

hey there,

heres my question i have a carlton 4012 carlton and a 13hp husqvarna stumper and am in need of another large stump grinder, have been looking at a 7015 on wheels but its alot of money. was thinking of getting another 4012 with the 35hp kubota diesel with a sandvik wheel and remote. has anyone had experience with the larger carltons and is there a better alternative to one of these machines. need to get into back yards and am often in hilly areas with alot of rainfall in the winter. i like the carlton but was wondering what others input is on other machines out there

thanx alot


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## Forreststump

Stump Dude,
I sold my RG50 last fall and am demoing a 4012 Kubota next week. I do not have dealer near me, but from what I could find, these machines are a good compromise between cost and "grindability". I had a good business going, but had to sell when I ended up in a wheelchair after crushing my feet. I could not eat the payments so i am starting over. I do not cut trees, I only grind stumps for several smaller tree companies. I will let you know how the demo goes. The price I was quoted (2wd, Kubota, Dura Disk) was 21,862 which included a 6% Michigan sales tax. The dealer is supposed to e-mail me a video from a demo he does on monday also. If he follows through, I will forward it to you if you like.
regards,
kirk


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## stump-dude

hey kirk that video would be much appreciated, i have already placed my order for the kubota 4012, but its only going to arrive here mid march.i am looking so foward to having a faster grinding machine, my old carlton is just too small now, and if i can 2 or 3 jobs per day i would be a very happy grinder. hey whats your average price on a 2' stump in your area(easy access)? ours out here is around $250-$300, just wanted to see what other parts of the world charged like.

thanx

mike
[email protected]

DYNAMIC STUMP GRINDING INC.


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## Forreststump

Mike,

That is substa​ntially more than we get out here. I would probably get about 100$ for a stump that size. Generally about 4-7$ per inch, the larger the stump the more per inch. Here it is a game of volume as there is a lot of people grinding here. When I get the video I will certainly forward it to you.
When You get yours let me know how you like it.
Regards, 

Kirk

Forrest Stump Grinding, LLC


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## Forreststump

Mike,

I sent some detailed photo's of a 2wd 4012 w/ Kubota that my dealer sent to me. They show some decent detail

kirk


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## undercut

*what?*

That is like over a hundred dollars a foot! where do you live again? |:


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## treesquirrel

stump-dude said:


> hey kirk that video would be much appreciated, i have already placed my order for the kubota 4012, but its only going to arrive here mid march.i am looking so foward to having a faster grinding machine, my old carlton is just too small now, and if i can 2 or 3 jobs per day i would be a very happy grinder. hey whats your average price on a 2' stump in your area(easy access)? ours out here is around $250-$300, just wanted to see what other parts of the world charged like.
> 
> thanx
> 
> mike
> [email protected]
> 
> DYNAMIC STUMP GRINDING INC.




Holy moly! My stump grinding service would charge me only 50 bucks for a 2 foot stump.


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## rbtree

stump dude, this isn't about your question, but for difficult access stumps, you oughta consider the Alpine Magnum. I just got one, and it is great, except the teeth dull or break very easily, so a lot of digging is required. But it's fully portable, unlike that Husky, and is probably faster. Check it out at alpinemachine.com there's videos.


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## bushinspector

rbtree said:


> stump dude, this isn't about your question, but for difficult access stumps, you oughta consider the Alpine Magnum. I just got one, and it is great, except the teeth dull or break very easily, so a lot of digging is required. But it's fully portable, unlike that Husky, and is probably faster. Check it out at alpinemachine.com there's videos.



How much time was spent grinding that stump?


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## rbtree

The customer dug for who knows how long, I dug and cut with a sawzall and chain saw for a couple hours, and ground for maybe an hour. 

I did three very difficult stumps plus a bit of a fourth one, for $900..should have charged $1200...or brought a laborer to help with all the digging, winching and cutting. (Pulled out one hard maple root with a chain saw winch to save grinding it.... 

no access by a normal machine to any of the stumps.

From now on, I'll be trying to get $200 per hour for using the machine..and include a laborer for all the digging needed (to save the teeth)


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## stump grinder

*What!!!!!*

$250- $300 for a 2 foot stump. Wow! I would feel guilty charging that much.I usually get $2.00/ inch no cleanup. I am pushing it to $2.25 this year and $2.50 on the large stuff. I usually clear at least $100 per hour at this rate. More than covers the bills. Gas has been a SOB the past few years though.


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## SinglerM

*2 ft. stump*

I charge $85-$95 for a 2 ft. stump. $50 is too cheap....$200 and up for one that size, I don't believe I could get anyone to agree to that price.
Not for anything I could access with my grinder. Now for difficult access that would require an Alpine Magnum...I could see that.


Mitch


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## notahacker

Shouldn't the price per inch be effected by the local competition? In addition, shouldn't your price/ inch be effected by how fast your stump grinder can grind?

I'd like to know how *fast* you guys are getting them ground. -- To me that is what is important.  The bottom line baby!


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## mastermind24

i would stand behind a hi-flo stump grinder attachment for an skid steer. you can use the bucket to make cleanup easy, and to rip out and roots with ease. its expensive, my machine was 60 grand and the attachment was another 7, but i have ground 34? hemlock stumps in an 8 hour day and thats with wore down teeth. the machine is absolutely amazing. and you can pick up a ton and a half....


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## B-Edwards

I would say stump grinding is the lowest paying job in tree work. go up on prices NOW!!!!!!


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## OLD CHIPMONK

One guy outbid our regular guy on 40 Pine stumps ( 14-24 in.) $ 10.00 per stump. " What was he thinking " ???????? Maybe I'll run him out of business & then raise my price!


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## BC WetCoast

For those who think Mike is charging a lot for a 2' stump, remember that in this city traffic sucks. He is probably driving about an hour between jobs add in parking/set up etc. And if you have to haul mulch, it is a 1.5 hr turnaround to the dump site, providing there isn't an accident on one of the bridges.

The grinding is the fast part, it's everything else that takes the time.


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## ronnyb

$2.75- $3 an inch, rake grindings back into hole. Clean out and refilling/ seeding is going to run an additional $300 to $400.


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