Newbie With A Couple Stump Grinder Questions

[mattfr12]

Hi all just found this site on yahoo searching for teeth for my stump grinder. Im pretty new to stump grinders not running them but maintaning them. I have a 2005 Vermeer 352 with the Vangaurd diesel engine on it. I am a climber for Bartlett Tree Experts In PA and they always had people that do the maintence on the grinders. So the 352 is the first grinder i ever purchased on my own i know all the basics like change the oil and hydralic fluid by the manual. But i think its time for some new teeth my machine had 170 hours on it when i purchased it and the teeth are getting pretty dull. I have a grinder but have no clue on how to sharpen them so if any of you guys or gals could give me some instructions on how to do this properly i would greatly appriciate it. or would i be better of just purchasing a new set where i also have no clue on where to get them other than just calling my local vermeer dealership so also where can i get a good set at a good price.

On another note i was reading some horror stories of other owners with 352's should i have anything to worry about such as i should contact my dealer or should i just let it go since its running fine. Im at about 178 hours now and havent noticed any problems other than the muffler comming loose every now and then but thats just tightening a bolt.

Thanks for your help

 

[A. Stanton]

I just rented a stump grinder. It was a piece of crap. It had handle bars and you would teter it up and down, not seeing where the teeth hit. The rental store made it a point to tell me that the teeth were carbide and cost $40 a piece if I dinged um. My question is how do you not ding something on a rock when you are grinding something in the ground? Never the less, I would say they can't be sharpened. You have to swap them out. By welding is my assumption.

 

[mattfr12]

they can be sharpened im just not sure on how to do it properly such as do i hold the grinder flat or do i do it at some type of angle and what type of disk do i put on my grinder such as green disk is what i think you use.

 

[ropensaddle]

they can be sharpened im just not sure on how to do it properly such as do i hold the grinder flat or do i do it at some type of angle and what type of disk do i put on my grinder such as green disk is what i think you use.

The green wheel will renew an edge but dust is extremely
dangerous without the right ventilation system I would
not recommend sharpening. The best alternative is find
a sharpening machine shop that will silver solder new carbide
tips on usually a third the cost of new and just as good.

 

[mattfr12]

thanks for the advice now i just got to find a place that can do that.

 

[Aaction]

Your owners manual should give you sharpening instructions. If not contact Vermeer, they are very helpful, even to us in Australia.
Use an 8'" bench grinder with a green silicon carbde wheel. Undercut the steel holder below the tungsten to 20 degrees on the gray wheel, then sharpenn the tip at 15 degrees, keeping the original round profile. Wear a dust mask during grinding.
You will get many sharpens before it is necessary to re tip or replace teeth.

 

[Mowingman]

Get ahold of DeMott tool and Saw. They are listed in the "other sponsers" section of these forums.
They rebuild teeth, and I have had great success with their product. It is much cheaper to use them, than to buy new teeth.
Jeff

 

[TreeBot]

The green wheel will renew an edge but dust is extremely
dangerous without the right ventilation system I would
not recommend sharpening. The best alternative is find
a sharpening machine shop that will silver solder new carbide
tips on usually a third the cost of new and just as good.

I haven't even turned the green teeth yet on your old 252 Wayne. I had the rotor bearings replaced though. That was $400 to Vermeer dealer. At least they blew conveniently right as I was finishing the last stumps on my list

Now I have to remember the process you explained to me for tightening the belts, I think one slipped as I finishing up yesterday. The motor seems to rev but the cutter wheel RPM's take awhile to get going when you engage the clutch and there is way less grinding power. This happened all of a sudden, not gradually.

Anyone have any advise? (I don't mean to hijack your thread Matt but I am also a newbie stumper owner with very little maintenance experience)

 

[Bigstumps]

Set up a fan to blow the dust away from you. Sharp teeth are a must on a small machine. I send my dull ones to Raymond Johnson in GA - $1 each to sharpen.

Tightening belts is easy. On a 252 loosen the motor and slide it back towards the tanks. Sure it is not the clutch slipping?? Thought that might be the case since it happened all the sudden. Usually with a belt you will get some squeeling that is a tell tale sign.

 

[stumper63]

Bigstumps,
Is Raymond Johnson sharpening your Sandvik teeth for $1? You must be satisfied with his work, seems like pretty good price. Where can I get his info? Demott Tool will re-tip Sandviks, I think for around $7-8.
Stumper63

 

[Seth3339]

Sandvik Re-tips

Just a note. Sandvik and New River Equipment does not recommend you re-tip your cutter teeth as the re-brazing process weakens the shank considerable.

Seth Kienzle
New River Equipement
Dir. Sales and Marketing

 

[stumper63]

Thanks Seth.
What has been the experience of you guys that have been re-tipping Sandvik teeth. Have you noticed the shanks being weakened by re-brazing? I know many have been re-tipping other types of teeth w/o any weakening problems mentioned. I know sawmills re-tip the carbide tips on their blades all the time w/o problems.
Stumper63

 

[Bigstumps]

Bigstumps,
Is Raymond Johnson sharpening your Sandvik teeth for $1? You must be satisfied with his work, seems like pretty good price. Where can I get his info? Demott Tool will re-tip Sandviks, I think for around $7-8.
Stumper63

The Sandvik's are $1.75 - the carbide is bigger and harder than the std teeth. Don't know what he charges for Green Teeth, I've never run them. The resharps seem to run as well as new - just don't run them till they are too dull before you send them off.

 

[juststumps]

Your owners manual should give you sharpening instructions. If not contact Vermeer, they are very helpful, even to us in Australia.
Use an 8'" bench grinder with a green silicon carbde wheel. Undercut the steel holder below the tungsten to 20 degrees on the gray wheel, then sharpenn the tip at 15 degrees, keeping the original round profile. Wear a dust mask during grinding.
You will get many sharpens before it is necessary to re tip or replace teeth.

vermeer doesn't have anything like that in the owners manual ,, they sell teeth

like R+S said,, thats bad stuff the breath...

by the time my teeth on the 352 are dull the shanks are so worn from working in rocks,, its not worth it to retip for $6 a tooth new....

 

[juststumps]

I haven't even turned the green teeth yet on your old 252 Wayne. I had the rotor bearings replaced though. That was $400 to Vermeer dealer. At least they blew conveniently right as I was finishing the last stumps on my list

Now I have to remember the process you explained to me for tightening the belts, I think one slipped as I finishing up yesterday. The motor seems to rev but the cutter wheel RPM's take awhile to get going when you engage the clutch and there is way less grinding power. This happened all of a sudden, not gradually.

Anyone have any advise? (I don't mean to hijack your thread Matt but I am also a newbie stumper owner with very little maintenance experience)

check your mouting bolts for the engine,, and the adjusting screws.... on my 352 i had the same problem,, lack of power to the wheel... 3 of the 4 bolts fell out,, and one of the 2 adjusters snapped.. motor was floating,, no belt tension.. luckily the whole engine didn't fall off on to the ground!!!! this happened when the machine was brand new,,, so recomend checking all your bolts on a regular basis...

 

[stumper63]

Hi Bigstumps,

Is Raymond Johnson sharpening your Sandvik's for $1.75 or re-tipping with a harder carbide for that price? Hard to believe he would re-tip for $1.75...too good to be true. I'd use him for sure.
But if I misunderstood and he sharpens for $1.75, what does he charge to re-tip?
Thanks Much
Stumper63

PS: Does he have a phone # or email?

 

[juststumps]

I haven't even turned the green teeth yet on your old 252 Wayne. I had the rotor bearings replaced though. That was $400 to Vermeer dealer. At least they blew conveniently right as I was finishing the last stumps on my list

Now I have to remember the process you explained to me for tightening the belts, I think one slipped as I finishing up yesterday. The motor seems to rev but the cutter wheel RPM's take awhile to get going when you engage the clutch and there is way less grinding power. This happened all of a sudden, not gradually.

Anyone have any advise? (I don't mean to hijack your thread Matt but I am also a newbie stumper owner with very little maintenance experience)

check your mouting bolts for the engine,, and the adjusting screws.... on my 352 i had the same problem,, lack of power to the wheel... 3 of the 4 bolts fell out,, and one of the 2 adjusters snapped.. motor was floating,, no belt tension.. luckily the whole engine didn't fall off on to the ground!!!! this happened when the machine was brand new,,, so recomend checking all your bolts on a regular basis...

 

[Ga. Stumpman]

I have been in the stump business for 11 yrs. and have found I am better off to replace my teeth with new ones on my Vermeer 502A and a 222 that my son has. As some here have said the dust from sharpening teeth can be bad for your health. I have ran re tips and have ran sharpened teeth. After all that I found I am better off with new teeth. Last year I spent $3000.00 on teeth. The part of the country I live in has a lot of rock.