Stump grinder, a worth while investment?

[Treelife90]

Dear all,

 

I’m looking to buy a stump grinder to add to the arsenal. I’m a one man band, doing small tree removal jobs.

 

Options are:

- predator 360 

- Rayco 25

 

The question is: Are stump grinders a worth while investment? Will I earn my money back on the cost of one £4000-£6500 and make profits? 

 

Is stump grinding: 

- included in the job price as a finishing touch/tidy up?

- An optional extra for customer to pay for? (If yes, how much can you charge)

- Gets you work specifically to just stump grind for people? (How much can you charge) 

- maintenance costs? 

 

Many thanks, wisdom and advice greatly appreciated! 

 

[Ty Korrigan]

Hello,

 You've got to like the monotony of grinding, be disciplined with maintenance and good with simple spannerwork.

If you fit the bill then grinding may add a significant amount to your turnover.

How you make time for it is your concern.

I know many who prefer to sub stumps out as their own diarys are full of tree work.

However, if your diary has regular empty days then grinding can be a profitable way of filling your agenda once you get to know your machine, different stump 'qualities', techniques etc.

This all comes through experience, there is no magic formula of £ per cm.

If in doubt, price high because grinding is unforgiving on machines.

Some grinder manufacturers give a guide to typical grinding times. FSI do this and I find those figures to be fair.

They don't account for stones and metal embedded within and assume sharp teeth.

The latter is down to you and tooth sharpening is itself another thread.

Cut your stump low as possible, trimming off dirty bark beforehand.

Keep a stock of old but sharp chains for the task.

A few minutes mattock work pays dividends clearing around the stump.

David Cropper found a stash of .88 tank shells a couple of years ago and I was once shown a map of minefields around a Chateau which raised hairs on my neck. I also refused a grinding job on the Somme on a site never cleared and which still produces live ordanance.

Anyway, I diverse.

Mrs Miggins urban birch stump might not have any thing worse than a few bricks around it.

Hedge stumps always seem to hide stones tossed by gardeners digging plots over.

I take a large breaking bar, spade, mattock, earth and leaf rakes.

Grinding shields are important, make your own from ply or beach shelters if your budget doesn't stretch.

Personally, I like grinding and the money I make from it.

   Ty

 

 

 

[Stumpy Grinder]

For the amount of work you describe, coupled with the outlay and running costs, the short answer is NO!

Then there's storage, transport (how do you tow a chipper and a grinder?) as well as maintenance. The last point is a very important one too, as you really need to be a capable mechanic to effectively run a grinder - especially and older used one!

If you can gain extra work (providing you have the time?) from other local tree workers, then maybe you could make it more your main job?

If not, you are better off finding some local mug such as myself to come out for the odd hour or so at a fraction of the cost and time of hiring or buying your own machine!

Stumps can be quite 'seasonal' too as there is not much work about during mid summer (bid nesting!) or mid winter.

I work for more different tree surgeons, landscapers, builders, etc that I care to remember, but even then it is not really a full-time job.

I know several guys that were in a similar position as yourself and went out and bought one. Most regretted the decision and sold them on again!

Hopefully this gives you some food for thought.

SG

[Christopher Schroeter]

Some useful information here from both Ty and Stumpy.
Stumpy, what kind of distance from your base do you cover doing only stumps?

[Mick Dempsey]

I bought a grinder as soon as I could afford one, never regret it.

 

It’s important to sell the grinding when you quote the tree or after the tree has just been felled/removed. A lot of peeps don’t consider it until it’s mentioned.

[Stumpy Grinder]

6 minutes ago, Christopher Schroeter said:

Some useful information here from both Ty and Stumpy.
Stumpy, what kind of distance from your base do you cover doing only stumps?

Not as far as the North East!

Seriously though, if it's worth my while I don't mind travelling up to an hour or sometimes more. However, I tend to try and group jobs geographically to cut down on fuel and travel costs. I find this often happens naturally too as most of the chaps that use me will often wait until they've got enough work to call me over to their particular area. There aren't too many of us about either with bigger machines, so a bit of travel is often out of necessity for people to get the work done and they are happy to pay a bit extra to cover it.

I've only done Suffolk, Norfolk, Essex and Cambridgeshire........ so far!

SG

[Stumpy Grinder]

9 minutes ago, Mick Dempsey said:

I bought a grinder as soon as I could afford one, never regret it.

 

It’s important to sell the grinding when you quote the tree or after the tree has just been felled/removed. A lot of peeps don’t consider it until it’s mentioned.

I think it can also give you an advantage if you are able to quote for the entire job. I have a good working relationship with several guys that know roughly what I'd charge and will quote on my behalf within their own quote. I trust them to do this and they then effectively tell me how much I'm getting for the job! It usually works out in my favour with them invariably quoting more than I would have in the first instance!SG

[Mick Dempsey]

I started off getting another guy in to do all my stumps on a Saturday, it worked really well, everybody made money.

 

Disadvantages can be, you have to go back to the job with the guy, whereas very often if you have your own you can rattle the job off in a day.

 

You’re bringing a third party in to your job site, usually fine of course, but there’s always that doubt. (If you bust a pipe or a fibreoptic whose insurance pays out?)

 

You don’t get to keep all that lovely money!

[Mick Dempsey]

If I was in the UK with all the stump grinding contractors with their super duper machines I’d probably get a HB20 that can go on the back of the truck for the small/medium stuff and sub the rest out.

[kevinjohnsonmbe]

All good tips so far! 

 

I’d add, FWIW, a tirfor can sometimes be a very useful, and sometimes over looked option. 

 

Recently had a row of hedge stumps to remove (and another similar but larger scale job coming along) 

 

They are small diameter (<150mm ish) using one to pull the next in the row allows both to be loosened / pulled out at the same time. Appreciate this is only smaller dia stuff, but it was quicker & easier than grinding. 

 

Not a a big fan of grinding but will offer the ‘up-sale’ and do it if required. Priced to reflect the mundane / potential risks associated with this work.