Using a stump grinder?

[Paulinkansas]

This weekend I want to rent a stumpgrinder. It's $150.00 from Saturday afternoon until Monday morning. It's a Bluebird model #1314A, and is powered by a 13 horsepower engine. In other words, it's not a PTO driven grinder.

I have 6 green stumps to grind that are between 24 to 36 inches across, and I have several dozen more stumps that are 12 inches or less. The 6 big stumps are my primary ones that need grinding.

About how long will it take for a 13 horsepower stump grinder to remove a 24 inch stump? They are all about 3-6 inches above ground level, and I want to bring them a few inches below ground level. Would I be able to do all the green stumps in an afternoon with the grinder, or should I persue other methods?

 

[Jim in Ma.]

As long as the machine is in good condition, you should be well on your way in a long afternoon.
To give yourself a hadstart - try to remove the dirt and or rocks from around them before you start. For most grinding - If you go 6" below grade you can plant grass and never know a stump was there. Good luck

 

[Pete-IN]

Be sure the grinding teeth are sharp. I rented one a few years back with dull teeth. With dull teeth you about have to burn thru the stump rather than grind your way thru.

 

[supergrumpy]

watch out for buried pipes and elctrical cables

 

[MSS3020]

I have a buddy who manages a heavy machine rent place and he told me it will go faster if you can chainsaw those stumps at or as close to ground as possible. He did tell me that if green, takes longer unless you live in the frozen areas of country then wont matter. GOOD LUCK..

 

[Ron-MO]

I have never tried this, but I have been told that if you drill several holes in the stump, then soak with diesel for about a week, (add more each day), then set on fire. The story is that it will litterally smoulder until it is all burned out. Of course being green will obviously hinder that process. Might be worth a try and cheaper unless diesel keeps getting more expensive. I have a couple I would like to try, but haven't gotten to them.

 

[RickB]

Come Monday morning all your questions will be answered.

 

[Charlie M]

Several years ago I rented one for the day as I had about a dozen stumps I wanted ground down. Some were pretty good size but I had cut them all as close to the ground as I could. They were all locust - extremely hard wood. I got them all done but I was never so tired from doing something in my life and I still had to return the machine to the rental place. I've got a couple to do now and I'm going to get a quote from people that do it for a living before I rent another machine.

 

[LAA]

I own a similar machine, carbide insert tooth, it does a good job, you have to let it grind and drift back and forth side to side, let it go at its own pace like a rototiller. On big stumps you grind across until the back wheels hit then start from another angle until you can go all the way across. Important to stop pretty often and rake away the chips and dirt because the when the carbide teeth get hot they don't clean themselves and cut like they are dull. The machine is not meant to be man handled, it will only work the crap out of you if you fight it, kind of like a concrete finisher or floor waxer.

 

[RandyB(MI)]

You are looking at at least two weekends to do all that with a 13 hp machine. We build industrial stump grinders with 75 - 100 hp and some on tracks and all remote control (Morbark Inc) and also have used pretty large Vermeer and even with them those big ones will take the better part of a long day. I am not impressed with ANYONE'S stump grinders including our own. They need to build them with a high speed carbide coated hammer mill like our large industrial whole tree grinders instead of the "tooth wheel" they all use. Just can't get them to think outside the box on this one. Everybody coppies everybody else,s machines. Tell you this...by the time you get ONE of those 24" ers done you will be ready to take the machine back and hire someone to do it.RB