Stumping start up questions

[struggle]

I refurbished to a certain point this dinosour 630A. My goal was intially to get in the buisness with a the least amount of capital out put. I have about $3,500 into the unit including purchase price. I bought it from a man that has been grinder for 30 years in our area as he retired from it. He is giving me all the referals as well.

My question is what is the correct range of price that people go off? $1.50 per inch? and is that measured across the widest part of the stump. Also I want to offer removal of the chips and back filling the holes with dirt for a compelte service start to finish. Is there formula for doing that? I have insurance starting next week.

Here is a picture of it grinding a test stump. First time running it.

Also would like information as to what peoples best experince with different teeth set ups. It currently has the standard teeth it came with new.

 

[MSgtBob66]

I'm a rookie too

I started in mis summer last year. I've wanted to do tree work for a while and took down 3 big trees at my own house, I used it as an excuse to buy a saw and a grinder. I have a walk behind, a Levco HD45. It makes me work though and I am looking for a hydralic machine that is self propelled, something like the vermeer SC252. I'm cheap too, so $5000 is my max for a different grinder with trailer if possible. I thought about the per inch deal, but it doesn't seem to work here in the MPLS/St Paul suburbs. It seems like pretty much every job is unique, so I have to have eyes on the job to estimate. At first I was way too high and didn't get jobs, I dropped my bids down & started getting busy. Cleanup is a big seller, but a lot of work. I actually bid higher on the grinding than the cleanup, and with a good machine it should be the other way around. You are going to get big arms with cleanup. a lot of raking and shoveling. My setup is my grinder pulled by my pickup with a pick to clean out rocks, a snow shovel to scoop the mulch and toss it into the trailer and/or pickup and a rake. I end up raking into he snow shovel. I am actually looking for a 5' or 6' X 12' dump trailer before a new grinder. Gotta cut the shoveling in half if possible. On small jobs or no cleanup, I'll pull with my Jeep Wrangler because it is better on gas. I am going to implement a fuel surcharge on anything outside a 10 mile radius as well. I still need to figure that formula out. My pickup is a pig!

My new standard answer to how much I charge is 2.00 and inch, $75 minimum and every job is unique. With cleanup, I'll charge too little (about half of the grinding or less) but the customer pays disposal fees at whatever closest mulch/yard waste site I find to the job. That includes tree trimming and or take down.

Like I say, I'm still learning. I have found out that most home owners don't mind cutting down a tree themselves or by someone else and then they balk at the stump grinding. You look around and you'll see stumps that have been in yards for many years! Those are easy to grind so when I get them, I charge a little less than if it was a green tree.

Good luck!

BOB

 

[2treeornot2tree]

Around here, we charge about $5 a inch at the largest diameter of the stump. If it has a huge root flare, I will charge more. I did a 48" oak in the fall and I charged them $350. ( $7.29 a inch with no clean up). I have a min of $60 to get me to stop and unload the grinder.

 

[deevo]

Around here, we charge about $5 a inch at the largest diameter of the stump. If it has a huge root flare, I will charge more. I did a 48" oak in the fall and I charged them $350. ( $7.29 a inch with no clean up). I have a min of $60 to get me to stop and unload the grinder.

I am with you I charge $5.00 " for hard wood, flare to flare, that is the key for measuring not on top of the stump. I did a silver maple stump the other day I mentioned in another post it was 80" from flare to flare and was cut as low as I could get it. Took me 2 hours, no clean up. $400.00 I had a big ol' pile of shavings, biggest stump I have done yet with my machine. Luckily my teeth are brand new and cut it with relative ease. I would of added another $150 for full debris cleanup and removal. The ground was very wet, not accessible with a tow behind. So it was what it was, did it with my pretty much new SC252. Going to switch to the green teeth setup soon though. I have been getting so many calls for stumps, my price is my price, I have a minimum $100 fee for anything 20 km away from my house and $150 for anything more then that. I know some places vary in prices but there aren't a whole lot of tree co's with grinders around here, and the hackers can't afford them. So far I am pleased with the $ it has made me that's for sure, well worth the investment. :msp_biggrin: Also I don't know if you wear full PPE or not but I would get some muffs or ear plugs on, and rated safety glasses. Good luck with your new machine! Once word spreads I am sure you will get pretty busy!

 

[struggle]

Just some food for thought on this and thanks for the replies. I have free dump and free dirt all within a miles of our little town. Right now I am charging $2" and I have done so far 7 stumps so far on three diffrent properties. I all has went well do far and on two of the properties I did cleanup and back fill. The last three I just ground down and the homeowner took care of the rest.

The bigger town near us Sioux City the prices range from $1.75 to $3 an inch.

In my small town I would be out of buisness in quick order if I was to get $7 an inch. But obviously the market in your area will bear that. It does seem that it could be quite profitable at the $2 inch range.

Even though my machine is a dinosour it seems to be doing very well with the old shank style teeth and quite worn ones at that. My plan is to get throught this year with the regular teeth and next year step up to green teeth or even go with a sanvik wheel. Seems pricey up front but think it would pay in the end.

Every job I have encountered so far I have been able to drive right up to. In a pinch I can use a neighbors small garden tractor with a bucket in the front if a vehicle can not get through the area.

 

[ROPECLIMBER]

Just some food for thought on this and thanks for the replies. I have free dump and free dirt all within a miles of our little town. Right now I am charging $2" and I have done so far 7 stumps so far on three diffrent properties. I all has went well do far and on two of the properties I did cleanup and back fill. The last three I just ground down and the homeowner took care of the rest.

The bigger town near us Sioux City the prices range from $1.75 to $3 an inch.

In my small town I would be out of buisness in quick order if I was to get $7 an inch. But obviously the market in your area will bear that. It does seem that it could be quite profitable at the $2 inch range.

Even though my machine is a dinosour it seems to be doing very well with the old shank style teeth and quite worn ones at that. My plan is to get throught this year with the regular teeth and next year step up to green teeth or even go with a sanvik wheel. Seems pricey up front but think it would pay in the end.

Every job I have encountered so far I have been able to drive right up to. In a pinch I can use a neighbors small garden tractor with a bucket in the front if a vehicle can not get through the area.

Is gas and oil and teeth and bearings and belts and tags and bread and milk free too where you live at 1.50 an inch you are swapping money no profit if you actually put pen to paper I spent 20 years swapping money and I still rent a house because there is nothing but wages and if you count your own mechanic skills at 85.00 per hour like vermeer charges you will see that the 20 years of swapping money didnt include maintenence hours if it did it would have brought it down to a poverty wages, let some one else work for free and think they are doing good I saw this and want to sell every thing you should be grosing 75-100 an hour if machine is operating good, if you price the stump by the inch the biger the stump the more cubic inches you have so it doent work well, I do it by the inch from were ever the grinding starts IE bump in grade toe roots 6-8 inches deep if they want it deepper then after I get to 6-8" it is 75 per hour, I tuen down a lot of way across town small stumps because it is 30 diesel there and back 20 gas in grinder and then to get a wage for me and a wage for my machine and that wage starts when I back up to hitch the trailer not when I get all the way across town, just trying to help you not do what I have been doing all my life.
you must have a pension or somthing coming in so it is just a hobby not a buisness,
Paul

 

[massjake1971]

First off, get rid of the snow shovel. Go out and get a GOOD heavy duty pitchfork. You will be able to pick up the debris 3 times faster. I have a $100 min. around town, outside of town...well it kind of depends how far out, but the price goes up. GAS AINT CHEAP. Get some hearing protection....Ive got some that have a radio built in....I spent too many hours of complete boredom, I will never do another job with my tunes. Tools that I carry....385xp saw to cut down taller stumps, pick axe to get rocks out, sledge hammer, xtra fuel, steel rake, pitchfork, pry bar...etc. Get work at the gas station....what I mean is, when you see a landscaping company or a tree company at the gas station....pull in and fuel up. Strike up a conversation with them. You never know if the tree guy needs a stump guy or the landscaper would like to get a customer to remove that stump he keeps having to mow around. Basically, all I'm saying is network with other guys who work outdoors. Get some professional cards made up and keep them with you. Hand them out whenever you can. The guy who builds decks for a living is eventually going to get a job where a stump needs to be removed so he can build his deck. Do a good job and he is going to refer you to the guy who lays brick, he is going to refer you to the guy who puts in pools.....etc. Do a crappy job, charge too much, dont show up when you say you are....and your done. Word of mouth is KEY! I say 95% of the time I do not do clean ups. Yes, I rake the debris into piles and make it all neat, but I generally do not take away and lay topsoil, I leave that to landscapers or the homeowner (see...refer a landscaper, they will do it back to you). When the customer insists, it is half the price of the stump. Ex. $300 stump, $150 for clean up and topsoil (customer pays for soil). Pricing is different everywhere, you have to figure out what your area holds. Hope some of this helps...I cant say that I know everything, but I think I do well for myself in this buisness.

 

[struggle]

The stumping is going very well. I do use an ipod for the bigger stumps. Have a debri fork as well.

I have been doubling the price of the stump for clean up and bringing in top soil. I have a free source at this time for dirt and dumping so it is a win win for me. Many people have been very happy to pay for this service.

Word of mouth has been going very well. Have 15 stumps at one property to take out this week. I don't have to do any clean up on that job.

Grinder is just about already paid for itself in two weeks so I am very happy with that. I am starting to charge by the stump and not so by the inch as it has been noted to the flare it can be a lot more than what you see on the surface and some people just want the top taken off and others want them ground down deep. Variables to account for.

 

[a_lopa]

Leonardi tomahawk teeth cut the quickest,and i would charge $2.50 inch and $5.00 per inch with clean up.