New To Stumps

dane-in-ky · Nov 15, 2009

Came across this website and figured I'd join to learn some new things. Im a landscaper/mowing guy in KY. My dad buys and sales heavy equipment(dozers, loaders, etc). I recently went to a Ritchie Bros auction and got interested in a sc352 their. The thing would not start, or even try, and had the blackest oil ive ever seen, It had a Daihatsu Turbo Diesel, and 220hrs. I started to think I could add this service to my buisness. When the lot # got to the grinder, I decided to take a chance on it. Long story short, I bought the grinder, more like stole it, let me put it this way, I have less in the grinder than my 46" exmark lazer ct. I was nervous, got it home on a low boy with a few of the pieces my dad bought, jump it, and it started right up. Changed the oil, its been going strong ever since. Ive got a few questions about grinding, I did 14 stumps yesterday, 11 at one house, and for the last 8 weeks, especially 4, buisness has been strong. I advertise with 18x24 signs I get at the sign shop. And usually get a call a day, putting them at wal mart is the way to go, all except losing a $18 sign every 5-10 days. Anyways, -How many of you guys if any, only grind stumps?
-How much does grinding slow down in the winter?
-Last 4 weeks ive grossed $750+ on grinding alone, this week $1200, do you guys think with more advertising I can keep that up?
-How do I know when I have POCKET Wear?
-How do I know when to buy new teeth?
-How many hours do teeth usually last, I dont know how to sharpen them?

TEETH are vermeer Pro Series, ill post a pic of one,hope you can make it out good,

Thanks for helping the new guy,
Dane

dane-in-ky · Nov 15, 2009

Teeth

pics kinda suck , for sure alot of carbide left, is that all that matters?

lego1970 · Nov 15, 2009

I know a guy that only grinds stumps and that's it. He works close with a friend of mine that own a decent size tree company, and he also does a lot of work with other smaller part-time tree guys. I forget what kind of stump grinders he has but it's a monster so he gets a lot of the big jobs that my friend didn't want to deal with using his Vermeer 25sc? (whatever it's called). On the smaller stump grinders you'll be able to feel when the teeth are getting worn because it will vibrate a lot, even when you should be at the grinders sweet spot. On bigger stump grinders, I don't know if that happens or if you can feel it as easy. I'll be honest, the stump grinder I had was small and only had 8 teeth so I never really paid much attention to how long they lasted since they were pretty cheap to get them replaced. I wasn't kind to my little stump grinder, but it seems like I could get a couple dozen medium size stumps grinded before either the teeth were breaking off or rounded off pretty good. To sharpen them you need a diamond wheel and at least on some teeth you'll need to know how to solder the new carbon pieces on to replace broken ones. There is a lot of good info and videos on shapening teeth on the website, but like I said for my little grinder with only 8 teeth, I just never messed with it. Good luck.

treemandan · Nov 15, 2009

dane-in-ky said:
pics kinda suck , for sure alot of carbide left, is that all that matters?

they look pretty dull. Looks like you can sharpen them, should be OK

treemandan · Nov 15, 2009

I dunno, it looks like the teeth have the same hours as the whole machine.

BC WetCoast · Nov 16, 2009

Congrats on your purchase. We had a 352, the machine worked fine, that Diatsu diesel engine sucked. I think we ultimately blew up 4 of them. Things like the crankshaft breaking. The biggest issue we had (besides the engine) on the 352 was wiring. It seemed like after a while switches were failing, connectors were loosening, wires breaking internally. Nothing really major, just a PITA.

To sharpen them you need two grinding wheels, a green stone for the carbide and a regular stone for the backing steel. Make sure to use a mask for the green stone. I'm not as fussy as some on here, but I sharpen by first grinding off some of the backing steel behind the carbide and then using the greenstone, sharpen the carbide so it has a sharp edge. Buy a new tooth and generally follow the profile. I would replace teeth when there was no carbide left. Usually, the carbide would end up about 1/4 the size of new and would then bust off.

How long they last, has a lot to do with the type of ground you're in. Here, we have very rocky glacial soils, so it would be nothing to bust off the carbide on the first day of using a new tooth. I've read others who are in silty or clay soils getting a month between sharpenings. I think you have to guage it over time.

Do a search on the large equipment section, there is tons of info.

On pro style teeth, you've got pocket wear when the bolt heads get worn off quickly.

How much you grind really depends on your pricing, your area and the competition. Having said that, I can easily grind $1500/day, but I'm just an employee so it is up to the salesmen to put that much work together. I would think the best marketing approach would be to link up with some of the tree companies. Have them feed you their stump work.

Mikecutstrees · Nov 16, 2009

Good advise here, I buy new teeth when there isn't anything left to sharpen. Those look real dull. I sharpen about once an hour of grinding. Alot of rocks in stumps here. And I like sharp teeth. Nice find on that machine..... good luck... Mike