Domestic Stump Grinders

[Lady Lesley]

I currently have over 60 stumps to get rid of. 2 large ones around 30" to 36" in diameter, 3 around 15" in diameter with the rest between 4" and 10". The larger stumps are hard wood and the smaller ones are mostly soft wood. I will have other stumps over the next couple of years so I want to buy a stump grinder but only have a budget of £1500/1550, which limits me to a walk behind. I've looked at machines 13hp to 15hp and from what I've read I prefer the Lumag. Problem is I don't know anything about the engine they fit in the Lumag and I'm concerned about maintenance and parts availability. I'm okay with basic maintenance but I'd appreciate your thoughts on whether the Lumag a reliable machine or am I wasting my money. 

[Dan Maynard]

Yes, for that number of stumps and especially the big ones you are wasting money buying a 13hp machine.

 

I'd get someone in with a tracked grinder for those even if I already owned a pedestrian machine, it will save days of back breaking effort and there's no need to even break a sweat.

[Will C]

Spend your budget on a contractor with a decent grinder. Any more than half a dozen stumps with a 13hp grinder will leave you wanting to sit in the corner rocking and crying 🤣

 

It is possible but it will probably break you, unless your a Jedi knight or a complete nut case.

[eggsarascal]

30 minutes ago, Will C said:

Spend your budget on a contractor with a decent grinder. Any more than half a dozen stumps with a 13hp grinder will leave you wanting to sit in the corner rocking and crying 🤣

 

It is possible but it will probably break you, unless your a Jedi knight or a complete nut case.

I'm knackered just thinking about it.

[openspaceman]

49 minutes ago, Dan Maynard said:

Yes, for that number of stumps and especially the big ones you are wasting money buying a 13hp machine.

 

I'd get someone in with a tracked grinder for those even if I already owned a pedestrian machine, it will save days of back breaking effort and there's no need to even break a sweat.

It's not often that I disagree with you Dan but in this case I do. Okay so the big ones will take a while but I've done  6 15" hardwood in a morning for my niece, the 3ft ones I did took best part of a day  each but only added about 3 hours on the machine each and access for a bigger machine would have been an issue.

 

I have only put 10 hours on the machine but it stands me in at next to nothing in terms of savings on having someone in.

 

Also the OP says the work is ongoing, so not as if a contractor could hit them all on the same day.

 

It is a pig to use compared with a self propelled machine as it bounces away from the stump where the old firm's vermeer could be held in the cut.

 

I do find it necessary to sharpen the cutters on the machine or it gets very long winded.

 

Of course time isn't much of an issue for me as I am retired.

[trigger_andy]

I currently have over 60 stumps to get rid of. 2 large ones around 30" to 36" in diameter, 3 around 15" in diameter with the rest between 4" and 10". The larger stumps are hard wood and the smaller ones are mostly soft wood. I will have other stumps over the next couple of years so I want to buy a stump grinder but only have a budget of £1500/1550, which limits me to a walk behind. I've looked at machines 13hp to 15hp and from what I've read I prefer the Lumag. Problem is I don't know anything about the engine they fit in the Lumag and I'm concerned about maintenance and parts availability. I'm okay with basic maintenance but I'd appreciate your thoughts on whether the Lumag a reliable machine or am I wasting my money. 

I’ve an old Rayco 1620 Jr for my property and although it’s fully hydraulic I doubt I’d wanna tackle what you have to do with this machine. With your budget I’d run a mile.

[Lady Lesley]

Thanks OpenSpaceMan. We only have 2 days a week and hiring a machine for weekend after weekend involves a lot of travelling plus rain could stop play. We thought that if we had a machine we could take our time and wouldn't feel we had to work until we dropped.  Thanks for the video clip as well. Dave has dug a few stumps out and it's long hard work plus you're left with a stump that's too heavy to carry. We also burnt one stump using charcoal but that took days. We get heavy winds and expect to see at least two 80mph plus winds per season so people with the necessary skills in the tree department are always busy and busy people tend to be expensive. We've plenty of experience with chainsaws, munchers and log splitters etc but stump grinders are new to us. Looks like I'll be the one getting the soil away from the base of the stumps and Dave will be fighting with the grinder.  Most people seem to think we're taking on too much. I hope we aren't.

[trigger_andy]

Thanks OpenSpaceMan. We only have 2 days a week and hiring a machine for weekend after weekend involves a lot of travelling plus rain could stop play. We thought that if we had a machine we could take our time and wouldn't feel we had to work until we dropped.  Thanks for the video clip as well. Dave has dug a few stumps out and it's long hard work plus you're left with a stump that's too heavy to carry. We also burnt one stump using charcoal but that took days. We get heavy winds and expect to see at least two 80mph plus winds per season so people with the necessary skills in the tree department are always busy and busy people tend to be expensive. We've plenty of experience with chainsaws, munchers and log splitters etc but stump grinders are new to us. Looks like I'll be the one getting the soil away from the base of the stumps and Dave will be fighting with the grinder.  Most people seem to think we're taking on too much. I hope we aren't.

You do realise a 36” stump will easily double in size by the time you get it 12” below ground level? That’s a massive amount of material to remove with what’s within your budget.

I’ve come to realise the limitations of my machine and have a guy coming in at over £100 an hour to demolish my larger stumps. What would take me half a day he’ll do in 20 minutes. It will be £1500-£2500 well spent

[Lady Lesley]

Thanks Trigger Andy. I'm listening and thank you for taking the time to reply. Both large stumps are dead and they aren't in the way so I think we'll concentrate on the smaller stumps first and pretend the large ones aren't there. Maybe later we'll be able to take them down to ground level and leave them like that. 

Thanks again Lesley

[openspaceman]

9 hours ago, Lady Lesley said:

We thought that if we had a machine we could take our time and wouldn't feel we had to work until we dropped.  Thanks for the video clip as well. Dave has dug a few stumps out and it's long hard work plus you're left with a stump that's too heavy to carry. We also burnt one stump using charcoal but that took days.

If it's on your own property then burning a stump out over a few days is okay. I made a stump burning device in 1976 and it was very effective but frightening. The main feature was a hoover motor blowing and burning from under the stump and using the exhaust heat to preheat incoming air. As the stump comes up to pyrolysis temperature the fire really takes off and it sounds like a jet engine. Basically it was a fire risk and un insurable.

9 hours ago, Lady Lesley said:

 

 

Looks like I'll be the one getting the soil away from the base of the stumps and Dave will be fighting with the grinder.  Most people seem to think we're taking on too much.

 

Well it's your decision but it gives you the opportunity to chase out all the stump till you can just dig the laterals out where a commercial firm may just take the stump out to 10" below soil level and cover with soil and grindings. I tend to spend a lot of time raking the grindings out to see where I am going (I wonder if attaching a leaf sucker hose through the top guard would be effective).

 

Over the years I used a number of grinders from tractor mounted (Myers Sherman on MF165) through pedestrian controlled but self propelled Dosko and Vermeer 252 up to a 75hp Carlton but not regularly just stand in for other operators. I also regularly drove 22 tonne tracked and 12 tonne wheeled mulchers. What I learned is the smaller the machine the more important to keep it sharp, so I sharpen on the machine with a diamond disk in an angle grinder.

 

I took a leaf out of @Ty Korrigan's book and spent a lot of time preparing my first stump with the little machine in order to cut out as much clean wood and only engage soil when necesary.

 

As I say I only have about 10 hours on the machine, it shook a lot of bolts loose in that time so loctite and a set of spanners is necessary. Those first two roots in the picture and video save me £800 between them and put 6 of those hours on the machine.

 

I wouldn't consider it for commercial work other than something to send out on small jobs with a felling crew like @aspenarb advised when he bought one.