beginner just starting out...

[bigjayfromwa]

Well i have been doing a lot of thinking about picking up a stump grinder and doing it as some extra money on the side.
I am very experienced in the tree climber/faller end of things, but i'm thinking that grinding would be a good service to offer to everyone. A good friend of mine here in the PNW does it and is more busy doing that then felling trees...

My question is what is a decent grinder to pickup? I see a lot of people on here talking about an RG12? I'm not thinking i'm going to go out and buy something brand new and deal with making payments on the thing while still trying to make a profit. I do all the work to my chainsaws and other engines, so i can do mechanical repairs if needed. i just dont want a piece of junk though either.

I DID do a search on here and only came up with one guy that was close, but he had a $100k to spend...and thats NOT me!

Thank you for your thoughts and advice to help me get started.

 

[lawmart]

i think you have afew things mix up rg 12 is a chipper(Rayco), and a 100k stumper dont think so.

lawmart

 

[lxt]

bigjay, just starting out I would look into a good used vermeer 252, thats a nice machine to start out on & dependable, most rental co.`s have em, so I would suggest giving one a test!

Good Luck

LXT...........

 

[Oly's Stump]

Yes...I would go with a small self propelled machine (Rayco/Carlton). Check with tree trader mags and dealers for a used machine for starting out!

 

[Oly's Stump]

I see that on Ebay there are a couple small machines that would fit your needs.

 

[arbor pro]

self propelled vermeer sc252 or the like in a carlton or rayco. $5-8k should get you a good used machine with 500-750 hours on it - broken in but not broken.

machines on ebay generally go cheaper than those sold outright but, if you've been reading today's thread in the 'commercial tree care' forum about the issues with buying online, you know the risks involved if you're not able to conduct a personal site inspection of what you're buying.

I'd try to find a used one within a day's drive or so and go check it out personally. You'll feel better about what you're buying.

For a list of things to look for in buying a used sc252 or the like, just post a new thread asking that very question once you've done a little more research and have decided on the exact make/model you want to go with. There are a lot of listers on this site who can give you some great pointers in what to look for.

My only advice as someone who's not much of a mechanic himself, is to get a machine set up with greenteeth or a sandvik wheel or the new vermeer yellowjacket teeth but, NOT the standard vermeer or rayco teeth which are a total pain to change out. If you can find a machine already set up with the other teeth, that's great. If you can't, just budget a few hundred more dollars to do so and you won't regret it.

 

[gr8scott72]

self propelled vermeer sc252 or the like in a carlton or rayco. $5-8k should get you a good used machine with 500-750 hours on it - broken in but not broken.

machines on ebay generally go cheaper than those sold outright but, if you've been reading today's thread in the 'commercial tree care' forum about the issues with buying online, you know the risks involved if you're not able to conduct a personal site inspection of what you're buying.

I'd try to find a used one within a day's drive or so and go check it out personally. You'll feel better about what you're buying.

For a list of things to look for in buying a used sc252 or the like, just post a new thread asking that very question once you've done a little more research and have decided on the exact make/model you want to go with. There are a lot of listers on this site who can give you some great pointers in what to look for.

My only advice as someone who's not much of a mechanic himself, is to get a machine set up with greenteeth or a sandvik wheel or the new vermeer yellowjacket teeth but, NOT the standard vermeer or rayco teeth which are a total pain to change out. If you can find a machine already set up with the other teeth, that's great. If you can't, just budget a few hundred more dollars to do so and you won't regret it.

My advise is to get the biggest machine you can afford. I kind of regret not just waiting a little longer to have the money to buy a Carlton 7015 or the like instead of the Rayco 1625 I got. Sure, I got started sooner than I would have if I waited to buy a bigger one but I'm finding it hard to be competitive with the guys with the bigger units.