The advice I'll offer is nothing you couldn't learn the 'hard' way in a few weeks of using your 'new' grinder. I'll save you the trouble.
1) If the machine still has the standard vermeer super teeth and haven't been switched over to greenteeth (round) or yellowjacket (two-sided), then you can resharpen them if they're not too rounded over already. If you can justify the expense, a $350 greenteeth setup is way more efficient and you get 3 sides to every tooth by just rotating them when dull.
2) Once you learn to grind using the autosweep feature, unplug it and learn to grind without it. It takes some learning to get a feel for the machine but you will grind stumps 3 times faster than the machine's computer can. Trust me, I used to swear by the autosweep feature - now, I swear at it.
3) The toughest grinding on a stump is at the root flare. The grinder has to grind the most surface area at this point because you're typically grinding on both the bottom and front of the wheel. Once you get down to the depth you want to grind (8" or so), you move forward an inch or two or three and start at the top of the stump and sweep to the side, then lower an inch or two or three (depends on stump species and teeth condition) and sweep back. Repeat until you're 8" deep, lift, drive ahead and repeat. If you're grinding a big stump that's wider than the grinder sweep, you will have to grind until chips fill up the containment area under the grinder, back up and reposition on the stump. I usually try to 'narrow out' the stump on one or more sides so that I can then approach it from just one direction to finish it up. So, I'll take a 50" stump and grind it to 20" wide x 50" then approach it from the long side to finish it up. If the containment area gets so full that chips are flying forward and piling up on the stump, you stop and shovel it out or move to the other side.
4) I price by the inch but I do so in a tiered fashion. Stumps under 30" diameter that I can typically grind in only 1 or maybe 2 setups on the stump are one price while stumps over 30" diameter that require several movements and maybe some shoveling are at a higher price per inch. The price per inch for each tier is going to be determined by your local market but, the average around here seems to be about $1.50 inch for <30" and $2-2.50 inch for bigger stumps. You can price cleanup and dirt fill based upon an hourly rate for doing such and the actual cost of dirt. You're just going to have to do a few stumps to find out how long grinding, cleanup and fill takes.
If I'm grinding hedges or shrubs, I often do it cheaper as those go very quickly. I always charge a site minimum to cover drive and unloading/loading time. And don't forget mileage if traveling a distance.
5) If grinding near vehicles, siding or windows, take a piece of 4x8 plywood and hinge it 50/50 or 25/50/25 to create a stand-up debris shield. Broken windows or chipped siding will cost more than you'll make on a stump. When possible try to clear landscape rocks away from stumps to prevent projectiles. Always charge a bit more when rocks, brick or other debris is present to cover damaged or dulled teeth.
6) Grease bearings often, change your teeth before they're completely dull and work safe around that cutter wheel.
Good luck.
you`re doing it wrong!!!! I suppose you never heard the belts squeel or stalled the motor either uhh??...if none of these are a familiar scenario to you.....then you dont grind stumps very much!!!
