Stump Grinding Business

[River Hill]

I would first like to start off by saying I am not another guy, trying to pretend to be a aborist or add tree removal to my small landscape/lawn care business. I am sure you guys see you fair share of scrubs/unlicensed/uninsured people trying to make a quick buck on tree removal and stump grinding. I have been seriously considering adding stump grinding to my services. I would like to purchase a new skid steer, but I am looking for some ways to justify the cost. I have read, but have never seen stump grinders that are skid steer mounted. Have any of you seen or demoed one of these and what are your thoughts? I have seen people advertise about doing stump grinding, but do you think it's possible to make money in this field? I know there are a few companies in Mass. that only do stump grinding and make a good living a doing this alone. What are your thoughts. I think I would need to do sub-contract work for some tree removal companies who do not want to be bothered with stump removal, but I am looking for some opinions.

The skid steer mounted stump grinders seem like a great deal, since you are actually powering them with the skid steer. But, I don't know how good they actually work compared to a vermeer or others.

 

[treeman82]

Well, one obvious issue you are going to have with using a bobcat mounted stump grinder will be the stumps that you can get to. You should be fine going in and doing stumps at small land clearing sites, or doing work where people are expanding the yard, putting in septic, etc. However backyard stumps might be a bit tough for you because of access.

 

[Stumper]

82 raises a good point-I'm told that some of the Bobcat mounted machines are quite efficient but a lot of stumps will be hard to access. The big issue for me has never been speed of operation but rather, keeping even a small machine busy. Yes it is possible to make a living doing only stump work. I don't. Stump removal is a significant portion of my biz but considerably less than half. My father has made his living doing little else besides stumps for several years-BUT he travels alot and works wherever he goes-he could not make a living in the small community he calls home. I think that you could robably keep a skidsteer busier doing earthmoving/landscaping projects instead of stumps-but nothing says you can't do both.

 

[Striker]

From what i have seen of the loader mounted grinders, you have to move the loader to move the grinder. In other words, the grinder doesn't have a seperate swing function. Maybe some of them do. A skid loader can tear up a lot of yard just swinging a stump grinder.

Jeff

 

[River Hill]

From what I have been looking at the bobcat model seems pretty good. Here are the specs. on the machine. It looks like I could do a 45" diameter stump without moving the machine.

STUMP GRINDER
Make fast work of tree stumps — both large and small — with the SG60 Bobcat Stump Grinder. A 32-inch cutting height, 80-degree swing arc and 27-inch cutting wheel, combined with a unique valve design and rubber deflector shields, give the SG60 the maneuverability, power, ruggedness and safety you've come to expect from the Bobcat name.

The work group is mounted at an angle of 90 degrees to the operator for excellent visibility to the cutting area, giving the operator the same wide view as a pull-behind stump grinder.
The swing cylinder design generates an impressive arc of 80 degrees. This allows the operator to cut large stumps up to 45 inches in diameter without repositioning.
A 32-inch cutting height gives better access for grinding taller stumps, and a 58-inch reach means less forward movement of the loader.
The cutting wheel contains 32 fully-supported teeth.
The cutting wheel on the SG60 is attached to a boom and arm assembly to allow for efficient hose routing.
Rubber deflector shields and screening provide additional operator comfort and protection from wood chips.
The unique valve design controls the swing circuit speed to prevent the cutting wheel from stalling in the cut.

I am looking at the Bobcat A300 which is a All Wheel/Skid Steer model so I could use in in All Wheel steer mode when I am on turf, which should be very turf friendly.

I don't have too much of a concern for getting into back yards, as I have had to do this with equipment many times. I will always remove a panel of fence or take down a section of chain link. It only takes minutes. I don't understand why more contractors don't do this.

 

[Lumberjack]

I would look into an RG50 or the Super RG 50. We have used the RG 50 for 5-6 years (whenever it came out) and it will do anything, and it will go through a 3 foot gate. That, I think would be yopur beset bet. You can pull it with a 1/2 ton and it weights alot less (2500-3000) than a Bobcat (7000).


Carl

 

[Stumper]

IMHO the "32 inch cutting height for grinding taller stumps" is nonsense. Maybe it is helpful to some people but not me. If I'm hauling the chips I don't want all of those extras. If I'm leaving it in the yard (which is typical in my case) the customer doesn't want them. WHY spend all the extra time, cause extra wear and tear on expensive machinery, and create a bigger mess when you can cut a couple of blocks of wood off with a chainsaw? Chainsaws are for cutting the trunk off above ground. Stump grinders are for taking out the dirty below ground stuff. Sure I make my saw cuts 2 or 3inches above ground-more if there is a lot of butt swell and surface roots. I don't usually recut if the stump is under 8" high. If it is more than that when I arrive the saw comes out!

 

[River Hill]

Stumper I argree with you about cutting off the stump. I think it's just a marketing ploy. I knew I would have a reason to buy a bigger saw than my 357XP.

 

[Stumper]

They say that men are but boys with more expensive toys. -But we always need more toy...er... I mean tools.

 

[cjohnson]

stump grinder

I own a Gehl 5635 skidloader and a SG60 stumpgrinder it works very well you are limited to what you can get to with it because of the width of the skidloader. You do not have to move the skidloader besides forward to grind the stump. You can get the grinder from ceattach.com for less money than bobcat wants it is the exact same one made by the same company. Spend the extra and get the SG60 instead of the two smaller models. You may have to get a skidloader with the high-flow hydraulics to run the grinder. Make sure you check into the Gehl skidloaders before you buy any other brand. You couldn't give me any other brand after I drove the Gehl's. I own two of them the other is a 3825 with the grapple bucket for brush.

As for making a living doing just stump removal around MN it would be tough the only reason I bought a grinder is I was loosing jobs because I couldn't remove the stumps too. I made better money when I sub out the stumps but people didn't like that a different company came to grind then I came back a day or two later to clean-up the mess that he made. Plus he owned a bucket truck so he was passing out cards to my customers!

 

[cjohnson]

where to find stump grinder

The stump grinders are under landscaping tools at the ceattach.com website.

 

[Ax-man]

River Hill,

I'm not saying you have a bad idea here with the Bobcat. I like to make you aware that you are basically getting into two different type of businesses that really have nothing in common with each other. Can you do a good job at both without one or the other suffering in some way where you won't lose customers?? It's hard to run two businesses and do a good job at both, especially if your doing a solo act with a few people.

Example that comes to mind:

You get a rainy wet spell, you and your Bobcat can't do one venture or another because of wet ground conditions. Your behind in your obligations 1 to 2 wks. Weather starts to break and drys up you have both stumps and landscape projects to get done, you have to make a decision as to what will make you the most, stumps or landscaping. Think you can handle it especially if you have a tree service leaning on you to get their work done, along with some one impatiently waiting to get their yard leveled or whatever. Kinda get the picture I'm trying to paint here. IMO I really don't think you can do a good job at both and suceed.

Stump grinders are high maintence machines, that require constant attention to sucessfully make money with them. Do you have the time to dedicate to it. What may look good now may be an expensive trap down the road in 6 months. If you think you can handle it Go For It.

Stumper,

I agree with your statement on the 32 " in cutting height as being nonsense, most of the time.

It really isn't a waste when it comes to those wind throw tree stumps. That extra cutting height comes in handy, beats the heck out of chopping roots with grub tools and saves on saws Big Time.

 

[treeman82]

I think that the weight and width of the bobcat will hurt you the most. The grinder itself can really kick some butt. However when you have to get into a highly landscaped garden, or around a pool, behind a septic system, etc you are going to have to rent. The 50TX, RG50, 252, 232, etc are going to be ahead of you in those areas because they can get into tight areas and can go over septic systems. However you will be able to go and do bigger projects. The thing about going into back yards with a fence is, what happens when you are only going back there for 1 or 2 stumps which are only $60 per stump? Not really worth it to tear down the fence. You may want to also look into a used 252 or something like Stumper has. They are still going to be a couple bucks, but they will increase your grinding potential a LOT.

 

[kurtztree]

Here in Fonddulac Wisconsin Most people charge between $1.10 to $1.25 an inch to grind a stump Don't know how they make a living doing it. If people want me to grind a stump I tell them $1.75 an inch and they go with somebody else then. That is why I cant justify buying a stump grinder.

 

[River Hill]

CJOHNSON does the weight of you GEHL seem to tear up the yards? That is one concern I have as the weight of the All Wheel Bobcat is very heavy, but it's suppose to leave a light footprint.

Stumper what machine are you running now?

Ax-man you made some very good points. I don't do too much landscape work, I actually do mostly mowing.

I don't want to do stump grinding for a living just a add on serive that will help me justify the cost of buying a new skid steer. As you know we don't get much snow in MD, but when we do the pay is great if you own a skid steer.

 

[cjohnson]

Clean up the mess or not

I was wondering if the guys that are grinding stumps for $1.25/inch clean up the chips and fill the hole for that price or is clean up extra? I don't really charge by the inch I just know how long it will take and factor in the distance from home and wether or not I am going to be in the area in the time frame the customer wants it done and figure out my price based on my $100/HR. I don't get many just stump jobs but that is fine too because if you spend your days chasing 5 $50 jobs you will be working all winter because your checking account is too low and I hate being up in a tree when it is -10 F. Back to the oringinal question, I ususally double my price if I have to clean up and fill the hole.(takes twice as long)?

 

[cjohnson]

Weight of skidloader

The Gehl 5635 weighs about 9000lbs with the grinder on. It is fine if you can drive staight into the stump from the road or if you can make wide turns but sharp turns tear the sod off. You can see the impressions in the grass if there has been more than an inch of rain within 3 or 4 days prior to that day. But it is fine most of the time.

 

[xander9727]

I have a Promark walk behind stump grinder and am looking into getting a tractor mounted pto driven larger grinder. 50% of the stumps we do have some access issue. The walk behind grinder will go up and down steps and through a standard walk gate. I would like to get a larger grinder for the big stumps 36" and larger. When I was purchasing a piece of equipment for handling large logs I choose a tractor over a skid steer. I didn't come by the decision lightly. I tested and read up on several models of skid steers and tractors. Ultimately I choose a tractor because of the lawn damage issue. Both machines cost about the same and have equal ability. However, a four wheel drive tractor can operate in two wheel drive and has much less contact pressure due to large tires. The front wheels turn and you can operate on yards after rain with minimal damage. Additionally on land clearing jobs a four wheel drive tractor will skid large logs with ease, skid steers don't have alot of pulling power. If I were going to add stump grinding to my list of services I would by a smaller grinder. If I was going to grind stumps as a living I would have both large and small grinders. Material moving equipment are a must for a tree company.

My .02

 

[treeman82]

???? dude. People over here are getting at least $4.00 per inch for grinding and tossing the chips back in the stump. I heard that the high end is close to $6.00 per inch.

 

[Stumper]

River Hill, I'm running a Rayco RG 12. -A small portable. I don't price by the inch- that is really a poor way to price since doubling diameter quadruples the volume. I quote the job. I might do 20 5"diameter stumpletts for $100 or get $125 for a 30 inch diameter stump. If pressed for a per inch price to give someone a "ballpark" I tell people $1 per inch CIRCUMFERENCE at ground level. That equates to a little over $3 per diameter inch but sounds better and makes peaple measure down where it counts. I do not even offer hauling chips and backfilling with soil-let some one else do the unskilled/no special equipment work. (Yes, I occassionally do haul and backfill-for people who request it and for little old widow ladies, but I don't want to do it if I can avoid it generally speaking. As Cjohnson said- it takes at least twice as long so you need to price accordingly.) My price does include backfilling with the chips and dirt generated by the operation. I expect to gross $100-$200 per hour on the job -travel,conversation with customers and various expenses take there toll.