Grinding Big willows, 35+ need bid advice

[gregz]

just looking for some input. I just grind small stuff, strickly homeowner stumps
Well I a got a call from a golf course. They have 35 + weeping willows that they cut down. most of the stumps are 3-4' off the ground and are 4' -7' at there base that will need to be flush cut before grinding. the key here is they do not want any truck pull behind grinder that will leave RUTS.I have a portable. grinding will be done at there time early am late pm. I do not have to remove anything as the ground crew will haul away the remaining stump and grindings. Pretty sure i can grind out the biggest one in 90 mins.
one helper at $25 per hour,gas maintence etc.

35, 5+/-' foot willow stumps

how much
gregz

 

[Mikecutstrees]

I'm not familiar with your machine. Big stumps are a whole different ball game than smaller stumps. Especially with a smaller machine. 90 minutes sounds really quick to me. Even with sharp teeth etc. There will be alot of grindings in your way when your working the stump. Iv'e done some 4-5' stumps with my SC252 they take way longer than 90 min. Especially if you have to flush the stump 1st. Maybe you could do one stump to get an idea of how long it will take you? ..... Mike

 

[howel07264]

just looking for some input. I just grind small stuff, strickly homeowner stumps
Well I a got a call from a golf course. They have 35 + weeping willows that they cut down. most of the stumps are 3-4' off the ground and are 4' -7' at there base that will need to be flush cut before grinding. the key here is they do not want any truck pull behind grinder that will leave RUTS.I have a portable. grinding will be done at there time early am late pm. I do not have to remove anything as the ground crew will haul away the remaining stump and grindings. Pretty sure i can grind out the biggest one in 90 mins.
one helper at $25 per hour,gas maintence etc.

35, 5+/-' foot willow stumps

how much
gregz

$200 per stump,$7000 minimum. If you have something like a vermeer 252 I would recommend you renting a bigger self propelled.Something like a rayco super50 or carlton 7015. You can grind stumps this size in under 30 min. Don't understand the need for a $25 hour helper,only one guy at a time can operate the machine.

 

[gr8scott72]

$200 per stump,$7000 minimum. If you have something like a vermeer 252 I would recommend you renting a bigger self propelled.Something like a rayco super50 or carlton 7015. You can grind stumps this size in under 30 min. Don't understand the need for a $25 hour helper,only one guy at a time can operate the machine.

4' high and 7' across in under 30 minutes? Don't think so. Maybe the smaller 4' across stumps but the bigger ones will take longer.

Renting a big machine is a good idea tho and if you do rent a big machine, it will be a one man job and you won't need to hire someone to help you.

 

[gr8scott72]

Oh, and as far as a price, if it was me bidding, I'd bid somewhere around $3,000 - $3,500. That's just going by what you told us. I know sometimes it's different once you see it in person.

 

[gr8scott72]

Oh, and as far as a price, if it was me bidding, I'd bid somewhere around $3,000 - $3,500. That's just going by what you told us. I know sometimes it's different once you see it in person.

Get me $4,000 and I'll drive up there and grind it for you.

 

[gregz]

$200 per stump was my figure. The $25 per hour help is for my married with 3 kids broke a$$ brother to help clear chips,get gas,lunch, and to grind while i sit in the 19th hole.. I'm no dummy

actually I'm going in tomorrow with a $150 per stump bid..

 

[xander9727]

$7000 is a good number. I would use a bigger grinder. I have a miller hydro on a 91hp gehl that would straight up murder those stumps in a day.

 

[gr8scott72]

$200 per stump was my figure. The $25 per hour help is for my married with 3 kids broke a$$ brother to help clear chips,get gas,lunch, and to grind while i sit in the 19th hole.. I'm no dummy

actually I'm going in tomorrow with a $150 per stump bid..

Sent you an IM

 

[tree md]

I had the same deal last month only it was 400 stumps for a golf course. I came in at around $26K. I think I bid like $80 a stump to grind(most had to be flush cut and some didn't have to be ground). I lost the bid to someone who did it for $12K, less than half of my bid. I'm sorry but I am not going to spend a month grinding stumps (which I hate to do anyway) for $12k. Good luck but I think you are overbidding if you are trying to price this one to do it.

 

[tomtrees58]

willow is easy i have a 630 b can do 3 to4 " a pass a 30" stump 10 minutes tops tom trees

 

[arborworks1]

No way you can do a stump that big in 10.

I still say 12 grand is alot of money for 400 stumps. I don't care if it did take a month to do it. That is 12gs right by yourself. Not bad money imo. I'd take it every month.

 

[tree md]

No way you can do a stump that big in 10.

I still say 12 grand is alot of money for 400 stumps. I don't care if it did take a month to do it. That is 12gs right by yourself. Not bad money imo. I'd take it every month.

That's cool with me, you do the stumps and I'll do the trees. If I do something I hate I am going to be well paid for doing it.

 

[Raymond]

I have alot of big and small gear on my "things to get list" but a stump grinder just isn't one of them. Time consuming, underpay, high maintenance and the mess.

I'll just call my stump grinder buddy when I need to.

 

[MOE]

willows can be pretty deceptive. There can be surface roots and root crowns to deal with. They also like sharp teeth. I did two 6 footers this week that were cut low. I did them for $300 and it took two hours with a 65 hp tow behind.

 

[tree md]

I have alot of big and small gear on my "things to get list" but a stump grinder just isn't one of them. Time consuming, underpay, high maintenance and the mess.

I'll just call my stump grinder buddy when I need to.

To tell the truth, I'm not out there trying to compete with Bubba's Stump Grinding Service. I make my money on trees. I will and do grind stumps but mostly on the trees that I remove. If I can turn a quick profit on a stump job I'll do it but I personally don't want to get bogged down on a large, time consuming stump job. Especially when I am out here having to compete with Bubba working for peanuts. I know there are guys set up to do stumps cheap and make a profit but I wouldn't be one of those guys and don't care to be.

As for my advise on pricing the job, I know what the work goes for in these parts. Could be different elsewhere.

 

[BC WetCoast]

How deep do you have to grind them? Will make a difference in time.

When I do golf courses, I take the guards off and let the chips spray where they go. I don't have to rake them up. It also gets them out of the way and is easier on my grinder.

Willows usually mean NO ROCKS, so will be easy on teeth.

They grind easy, but you may want to consider touching up your teeth every night to max out your cutting capability.

If you find dirt on the stump discouraging you from flush cutting them, you can grind the bark off around the stump, then flush cut it.

The main thing I don't like about grinding willows is the smell.

 

[Raymond]

To tell the truth, I'm not out there trying to compete with Bubba's Stump Grinding Service. I make my money on trees. I will and do grind stumps but mostly on the trees that I remove. If I can turn a quick profit on a stump job I'll do it but I personally don't want to get bogged down on a large, time consuming stump job. Especially when I am out here having to compete with Bubba working for peanuts. I know there are guys set up to do stumps cheap and make a profit but I wouldn't be one of those guys and don't care to be.

As for my advise on pricing the job, I know what the work goes for in these parts. Could be different elsewhere.

Oh I hear ya. I wouldn't want to do but my own stumps either. And you're right we have alot of redneck stump scabs running around. I have one I call.

He'll do a stump I would want a hundred bucks for and do it for 35-40. Hell who could compete with that? I/we do the clean up when he's done though. I find it cheaper than renting one and having to working on it.

 

[Raymond]

To tell the truth, I'm not out there trying to compete with Bubba's Stump Grinding Service. I make my money on trees. I will and do grind stumps but mostly on the trees that I remove. If I can turn a quick profit on a stump job I'll do it but I personally don't want to get bogged down on a large, time consuming stump job. Especially when I am out here having to compete with Bubba working for peanuts. I know there are guys set up to do stumps cheap and make a profit but I wouldn't be one of those guys and don't care to be.

As for my advise on pricing the job, I know what the work goes for in these parts. Could be different elsewhere.

And your 26k stump grinding job you lost to the scabs.
Sorry to hear it. I would of been all over that myself.

 

[Oly's Stump]

Big Willows and Silver Maples create large amounts of grindings. If you have a blade on your machine it will save you time. I get the stump ground level then blade the grindings out of the way and then grind another 8-10 inches down below grade. Most willows are mounded with surface roots and can be time consuming. $175.00 a stump sounds good with no shield set up.