Stumpgrinder rate of return

[Ty Korrigan]

On 18/11/2021 at 08:16, Hodge said:

19k plus vat, I had one. When running well it's a great machine, I did not like the engine. It was always hunting. I now have a SG40

Just received a quote for the 37-110

€29'000 plus tva  (£24'700 plus vat)

 Does any-one know the Vermeer prices of any of the 3 smaller grinders?

    Stuart

 

[aspenarb]

I don’t think you need a calculator to justify a small grinder or even the big ones if you are into clearance work. It’s the mid range grinders I am not sure about, currently hire in medium sized tracked grinders. I am not convinced you would get a decent return on investment when you look at the cost of maintenance  and resale/trade in unless the thing was out every day.

 

Bob

[Ty Korrigan]

5 hours ago, aspenarb said:

I don’t think you need a calculator to justify a small grinder or even the big ones if you are into clearance work. It’s the mid range grinders I am not sure about, currently hire in medium sized tracked grinders. I am not convinced you would get a decent return on investment when you look at the cost of maintenance  and resale/trade in unless the thing was out every day.

 

Bob

Other friends have told me similar. 

In fact, 4 of them run used Vermeer 252, one with a 30hp engine.

Simple and effective.

I've just looked again at hire machines, really nothing more than 25hp available here.

      Stuart

 

[Mick Dempsey]

I get the same for a days grinding on my 35hp machine as a days felling/climbing.

 

Or a grind on a tree I’ve done myself turns an average day into a bumper day.

 

I’ve had it since 2014 done 500 hours. Good moneymaker.

[Dan Maynard]

I get the same for a days grinding on my 35hp machine as a days felling/climbing.
 
Or a grind on a tree I’ve done myself turns an average day into a bumper day.
 
I’ve had it since 2014 done 500 hours. Good moneymaker.

Taking Bobs approach to calculation you could figure that at 1000 half hour stumps at say 150 quid a go average, so 150000 turnover over 7 years, obviously knock off costs of teeth, fuel, belts, etc but looks like a return for sure.

I think where I live so many of the stumps and gardens are smaller that the 35hp machine would not be used as much, which is stopping me from rushing out to buy one.

[Mick Dempsey]

Pricing is rarely so cut and dried.

Say I take an oak out for €750, I know that I can get it done by 1pm and so I’ll push the grinding which will be an easy hour and a half on a free afternoon, I am going there anyway so I’ll do it for €250, et voila a 4 figure day no sweat.

But if a random client phones up with a similar size stump in their garden it’ll be €490. 
 

Sometimes it’s a discounted sweetener, sometimes it’s a straight out earner.

I don’t want a third party involved, and I don’t want to go back to the site on another date to clear up or generally keep an eye on things.

 

Edited December 22, 2021 by Mick Dempsey

[doobin]

Great post Mick.

 

What I like about any kind of machine work is that it doesn't wear your body out.  And the more machines you have, the more extras you can tack onto your price for very little physical effort.

[Mick Dempsey]

A day on the grinder with decent teeth fitted is a happy day.

[aspenarb]

On domestics our small grinder gets thrown in the back of the transit whether there are chips/chogs in there or not, chipper is up the back of the transit and that's it. If our four wheeled rayco or a hired in tracked mid sized grinder are taken to a job its another truck/trailer involved, true costs of that grinder/grinding start to rack up. 

The big rayco up the chuff of the mog eats nothing other than a bit of maintenance and that's still doing battle 30 years on.

 

 

 

 

 

[trigger_andy]

On domestics our small grinder gets thrown in the back of the transit whether there are chips/chogs in there or not, chipper is up the back of the transit and that's it. If our four wheeled rayco or a hired in tracked mid sized grinder are taken to a job its another truck/trailer involved, true costs of that grinder/grinding start to rack up. 
The big rayco up the chuff of the mog eats nothing other than a bit of maintenance and that's still doing battle 30 years on.
 
 
 
 
 

Just bought myself a 1620. Old machine but since I’ve been using the 1625 a lot I guess I know what to expect.