back in the stump business

[imagineero]

+1 on that!

I figure my stump grinder probably wont be paying itself off any time soon, but we bought new and it doesnt see a lot of hours so I'm figuring to get at least 5 years out of it. We only do residential, so I bought a small machine. You just can't win residential without doing the stump a lot of the time. I end up using grinding as a bargaining chip, you often end up throwing in the stump for free to win the tree work. It doesn't take long to do stumps up to about 2'. Beyond that I sub someone in. I'm not going to be grinding out a stump that's 8' at the ground with root flair, I'd be there for 2 days. I can go do a few other trees in the same amount of time and come out ahead.

 

[mikewhite85]

100 min on stumps unless I can easily dig it out with a mattock and don't need to haul over the grinder.

I got $800 for 2 ash stumps last week- 1 was 5' the other was 2.5'. It produced a ton of chips which we meticulously cleaned. Ended up taking 1.5 days with the 252 incl cleanup. I got another 3100 to take out the trees though, which took 2 days. Well worth it.

Most of my stumps are 150-250.

I have an alpine magnum too which I has been good to me aside from when the powerhead is having issues (TS 760 is finicky)... I made $300 on a 20 min bird of paradise stump not too long ago. I had to go up several flights of stairs with it. Hope I get more jobs like that! Believe it or not it actually performs better on palmate type plants than the 252.

 

[a_lopa]

it really depends on what machine you are using!! IMHO you can charge more for using a 1625 super junior because you will be there 4 times longer than a 70hp tow behind!!

 

[imagineero]

I have an alpine magnum too which I has been good to me aside from when the powerhead is having issues (TS 760 is finicky)... I made $300 on a 20 min bird of paradise stump not too long ago. I had to go up several flights of stairs with it. Hope I get more jobs like that! Believe it or not it actually performs better on palmate type plants than the 252.

I was working with a guy who had one last year, we affectionately called it 'the backbreaker'. It got carried up stairs, through apartments etc. Went ok for what it was and like you said it did well on cocos palms etc. His one was powered by an older ts400 or maybe ts360 from memory. Saw a guy last year running one on a husky 3120 powerhead and it sure looked a whole lot faster. Maybe it just sounded faster though. I don't think I'd take one even for free. I still wake up with nightmares that I'm grinding stumps with that alpine magnum!

Shaun

 

[deevo]

Theirs a guy around here that has a few big machines that will take them out for 100$ a pop with no cleanup i use him a lot. and then just clean it up its sometimes cheaper to do that than pay to have employees watch it getting chewed out. if any of you guys close to me want me to get you the hook up on 100$ a piece let me know. he uses the 200hp carlton and I've never seen him grind for much more than 10 minutes. usually takes him longer to get it off the trailer than to grind a 70 inch stump.

stump grinders in my neck of the woods are a bad investment i just picked up a carlton hurricane with 140 hp. that machine will probably never pay for itself off of residential. if we didn't make money on land clearing i wouldn't have considered it. and on some residential jobs you wouldn't be able to bid them without one.

Well after having my own and running it the last month (SC252 with 10 hours on it), I would have to say it was a great investment, I have a 1/4 of it paid off already, I needed it more less for my commercial/gov't contracts, but I have been raking it in on residential jobs as well. I charge $6 for hardwood, flare to flare. $5 for soft wood flare to flare. But I can offer the customer the whole service in one shot and do the stump for a lot cheaper. Have sold many jobs this spring as the local hacks can't sell the total package! (nor can they afford a grinder!) Every stump I have done has been in a backyard or tight spot, no way you would get a tow behind in, ground has been very soft this year as well, and I am very happy with the machine!

 

[mattfr12]

Well after having my own and running it the last month (SC252 with 10 hours on it), I would have to say it was a great investment, I have a 1/4 of it paid off already, I needed it more less for my commercial/gov't contracts, but I have been raking it in on residential jobs as well. I charge $6 for hardwood, flare to flare. $5 for soft wood flare to flare. But I can offer the customer the whole service in one shot and do the stump for a lot cheaper. Have sold many jobs this spring as the local hacks can't sell the total package! (nor can they afford a grinder!) Every stump I have done has been in a backyard or tight spot, no way you would get a tow behind in, ground has been very soft this year as well, and I am very happy with the machine!

ya the total package is the main reason i have one i had 2 bobcats so i sold one since they barely get used anymore. and put the money down on the carlton hurricane and it is an animal. it has one of those svandisk wheels on it. and it is definitely impressive. its a big machine tho two it fills up my 18 foot trailer. but the 140hp is pretty effortless.

id love to have a 252 if i ever run across one for a good deal close enough that i don't have to travel across a few states to get it ill pick it up. everything i buy anymore seems like i gotta drive 7 hours at least to get it. the carlton was in SC with 100 hours on it.

 

[deevo]

ya the total package is the main reason i have one i had 2 bobcats so i sold one since they barely get used anymore. and put the money down on the carlton hurricane and it is an animal. it has one of those svandisk wheels on it. and it is definitely impressive. its a big machine tho two it fills up my 18 foot trailer. but the 140hp is pretty effortless.

id love to have a 252 if i ever run across one for a good deal close enough that i don't have to travel across a few states to get it ill pick it up. everything i buy anymore seems like i gotta drive 7 hours at least to get it. the carlton was in SC with 100 hours on it.

Sounds like a great machine you got Matt, I drove 8 hrs one way to PA to get mine in Feb. Well worth the drive for sure! Post up a pic of yours if you have one. Got 2 pine stumps to do after dinner, 5 mins from my house, easy $120 bucks cash. Too windy for the job I had lined up for today, so sharpened saws, ate the kids chocolate, and ate some more chocolate!

 

[Fairbanks Stump]

you guys are funny!

Sounds like a great machine you got Matt, I drove 8 hrs one way to PA to get mine in Feb. Well worth the drive for sure! Post up a pic of yours if you have one. Got 2 pine stumps to do after dinner, 5 mins from my house, easy $120 bucks cash. Too windy for the job I had lined up for today, so sharpened saws, ate the kids chocolate, and ate some more chocolate!

I have been grinding stumps in Alaska for 12 years with a 4400-4 Carlton and decided to upgrade last year to a 7015 Carlton with a Dura disk I purchased it from a fella on Long Island and yes I drove the 4400 miles ONE WAY to get it .... I also picked up a Goose neck trailer and a chipper in SC and a few other misc parts and pieces on the way back ...... Kind of a working vacation if you will! Just do what ever it takes every time! and you will go far. I generally bill out at 200/hr and cover an area about 400 miles long from Valdez AK to Denali Park. We only have 6 months to work so I need to go like hell if I want to sustain my self!

 

[deevo]

Acme....what made you chuckle about the fireman starting out a stump grinding outfit? I have been doing it for 7 years now. I have a rg1631, it may take me a little bit longer to get the job done, but thats ok, I dont really mind. When I encounter a job thats just too big, I refer them to a guy I know who has a big tow behind unit. In turn, when he gets a job where he cant get to....he calls me. Sometimes on big jobs (20 or more stumps for example) we team up, he takes most of the big ones and I get the smaller ones and difficult access ones. Works out great for both of us. We just did a $1500 job yesterday together. We each had about 3.5 hrs, he got $800 and I took home $700. I dont normally do the per inch thing. I just look at the job and kinda figure out long my machine will take to do it. Sometimes I under bid it, most times I over bid. For example, today...2 stumps, pretty good size for me (oaks), 1 hr 45 min. No clean up, just decent rake job....$350. Earlier in the day, I did 5 little pear tree stumps in a well to do area, 25 minutes, $150. I think I get alot of jobs at the price I want just by being nice to people and talking to them. Going over what Im going to do and what they should expect....and being HONEST! It makes for great word of mouth and repeat jobs!! Hell, I cant tell you how many times I have even had customers tip me. I cant stress how important it is to be nice to people. I love doing stumps, its got to be the greatest part time gig I can think of. I guess I kind of got off topic...sorry.

I do the same on big jobs, I know how long it'll take me as well, it's my first year with my own machine (ex partner had one last 2 years) Single jobs I go by the inch, plus minimum charge $100-125 depending on the drive. So far I have been swamped for stump jobs! It's been an awesome start to the year!

 

[deevo]

I have been grinding stumps in Alaska for 12 years with a 4400-4 Carlton and decided to upgrade last year to a 7015 Carlton with a Dura disk I purchased it from a fella on Long Island and yes I drove the 4400 miles ONE WAY to get it .... I also picked up a Goose neck trailer and a chipper in SC and a few other misc parts and pieces on the way back ...... Kind of a working vacation if you will! Just do what ever it takes every time! and you will go far. I generally bill out at 200/hr and cover an area about 400 miles long from Valdez AK to Denali Park. We only have 6 months to work so I need to go like hell if I want to sustain my self!

Wow! That's awesome! Yeah you must bust it for sure if you only have 6 months! Good for you. That machine you bought is a nice machine for sure!

 

[Cupocoffee]

I have a Vermeer SC352 that I bought used several years ago for $12,500. It easily paid for itself the first summer. I have a minimum price of $80 per job. I will do any stump under 12" for $40. A 48" stump will run a minimum of $300 but if I have to chase roots out too far, I will charge $400. I am retired and am not aggressive on finding work. I let the work come to me with minimal advertising. I think my pricing is decent because I have never had anyone complain about my price except my neighbor who is a self proclaimed millionaire. I make it clear that my work is to grind the stumps and I don't cover the hole. If I cover the hole, I charge a minimum of $10. Now and then, if I know it is someone who simply can't do it themselves, I will cover for them for nothing. My problem is people want to talk forever. Also, I get stung often by bidding jobs over the phone. Even if someone texts me a photo, it is hard to tell what I am really getting into. I would love to have a Carlton SP7015 but to pay for it I would have to really hustle work. I just want to pick up a few bucks here and there. My machine time usually works out to $200-$300 per hour of actual grinding. The SC352 literally sips fuel. I keep sharp teeth on it at all times. It does not pay to try to beat a stump out of the ground. I also always keep my chainsaw with me because I want the stump as close to the ground as possible. Why spend half your time grinding a knee high stump when you can cut it in a minute or less and reduce the chip pile by a ton.

 

[massjake1971]

Exactly my thoughts on the chainsaw. I always have my Husky 385xp with me. Speaking of tools, I always carry these: sledge hammer, long pry bar, small maddox, pick axe, steel rake, big pitch fork and a couple other small tools....