Why are you comparing apples to oranges? Chipper also (should) make a whole hell of a lot more than a stump grinder..
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Why are you comparing apples to oranges? Chipper also (should) make a whole hell of a lot more than a stump grinder..
Stump grinder= tree service investment with absolute worst "ROI" ever. Bottom line.
Unless I'm missing something?
Unless I'm missing something?
treeman82
Addicted to ArboristSite
My chipper has under 900 hrs on it, and last winter I put 6K into repairs on the thing.
What's your point? I got chipper's with hours ranging from 600 hours up to 3200 hours. They are all great!
Jeff
treeclimber101
UNCLE BUCK
That's a aspect of the full removal of a tree , I don't depend on anyone , seems like. Joke to say well trees gone just gotta wait for the "tree" stump guy to come out as if the stump is someone else's game ! Plumbers like I gotta wait now for the guy to come install the toilet for now your **** outta luck LOL
treeman82
Addicted to ArboristSite
Just that they can all be money pits.
hmmmm
treeman75
Addicted to ArboristSite
I have been thinking about getting a stumper but the guy I have been using will drop what hes doing to grind my stumps. He is 70 some years old and we have become good buddies going fishing and chit.
I schedule it so my guy meets me on the job, clean up with tractor when he gets buried, and make sure nothing is missed. Dude is cheaper than dirt and has a brand new track vermeer. Of course I am Daddy. Lol
treeclimber101
UNCLE BUCK
Lol of course. !
Looks like that must've been a real tricky removal. lol
treeclimber101
UNCLE BUCK
I could use a rope on a few for sure
treeman75
Addicted to ArboristSite
Ya LOL. I was working around the corner and he comes over and asked if we could do his tree. It was like 730 at night and we had a long day and wiped out but we were 30 miles out of town and I didnt want to make another trip back for that tree so we sucked it up and had it down and cleaned up in less than a hour. I told him 800 and he said do it, I kinda felt bad that we got it done so fast but I got over it. We ground the stump like a month later when I had another tree to do in the town.
I was not comparing anything to anything. Someone suggested stump grinders are a money pit. I disagree. I suggested that any pieces of equipment is a money pit. Someone also suggested chippers are less costly to maintain and, in my experience and opinion.....I feel like chippers have cost more to maintain.
I am not saying I am correct but as percentages go.....my stump grinder makes more revenue per $1 of cost than my bucket truck, chipper, chip truck, loader, dump trucks, dump trailers.
I have seen guys baby their equipment and get twice as much as the next guy that beats the **** out of their machine....so are we really comparing apples to apples in this conversation???
I believe this to be the case for you, if you say so.....but there are so many variables that go into a specific set up for tree service that can change things for the next guy.
Now you may argue my prices are out of line but say I do a $1000 tree removal and $200 for the stump. The removal takes 4 hours and the stump takes 3/4 of an hour. Bucket truck, chipper, chip truck, tractor, dump truck, gear ($250k) and stump grinder at $50k. So I got $250 per hour on $250K investment and $200 per hour for $50k. In my business, stump grinding accounts for 20%-25% of revenues every year.
Now I am sure you can slice it and dice anyway you want to make it look bad....I realize some guys with different set ups may not have the same experience. Plus to do a full cost accounting of our all our set ups will be time consuming. I also recognize a decent climber with a pick up truck will have the greatest ROI.
2treeornot2tree
Dont cry, just do it
I really didn't like grinding stumps when I had a rayco 1625a sjr but now that i sold that and got a carlton sp8018trx grinder i don't mind grinding stumps. I can make big money grinding stumps on big jobs with large or lots of stumps. If it's just one little stump some hack will do it cheaper then i am willing to load the grinder up for.
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I really don't want to comment on the relative merits of stump grinders and their ROI. There is a little flaw in your argument though. Their is a great deal more to consider than the hourly revenue vs the initial cost of the machine. Your reasoning has not taken into so many factors like cost of operating each machine and the useful life of each machine.
Others have pointed out that a stump grinder is a money pit; I am inclined to think that the operator, maintenance schedule, make and model are pretty important to what kind of use you will experience. I still have my little Rayco 1625 doing fine after 16 years, but I don't try to make a living at it, either.
So far, nobody has even mentioned soil types, and I can guarantee that someone grinding stumps in the flinty soils of southern Missouri will eat up grinder teeth real quick. That will add a lot to the expense of keeping your machine running well.
pdqdl......you are right their is a flaw and I indicated as so in my post. Like so many other threads on this site.....one's statement of opinion is taken as fact and thus the criticizing begins. Again, I am just saying, in my experience and my opinion.....I am happy with my stump grinders and I believe them to be a big part of my business. I know for a fact, after merging my business with another, not everyone has the same experience.
For me, I take the cost of the machine and double it and divide by the expected useful life of the machine (say 2000 hours) to come up with my cost per hour. Add operating costs, labor and overhead plus profit and I have what I charge per hour. This formula works for me.
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