Stump Grinding as a way of life

[theNakedApiarist]

Hello

 

From reading around the forums, I see that some people seem to do stump grinding only. The stumpbusters franchises, for example.

 

Is this right, that folks make a living only grinding stumps, or they doing wider arb work, and maybe marketing themselves as stump grinders separately from their other work? Are there enough stumpgrinding jobs done that people have work every day?

 

Thanks all

[Steve Bullman]

Theres a few doing it. The likes of stumpbusters however started up in the early days when stump grinders weren't quite as accessible as they are now. I think you'd be hard pushed to fill a week stump grinding as a new start. I suppose a lot will depend on your area though.

 

Stefan on here(whose posts I have no doubt you have read) seems to be doing ok out of it in a relatively short time.

[theNakedApiarist]

Do arb guys and girls tend to have their own stump grinders, or hire them? Or hire someone who comes and does the grinding on their behalf? I presume that the machines take quite a bit of looking after? Servicing, and cleaning off fungal spores and the like? I wonder if folks like to subcontract stump grinding so they don't fill their days servicing hydraulic machines.

 

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[Richard 1234]

Do arb guys and girls tend to have their own stump grinders, or hire them? Or hire someone who comes and does the grinding on their behalf? I presume that the machines take quite a bit of looking after? Servicing, and cleaning off fungal spores and the like? I wonder if folks like to subcontract stump grinding so they don't fill their days servicing hydraulic machines.

 

Sent from my GT-I9195 using Tapatalk

 

 

Hydraulic parts of machines are generally quite reliable the hydraulics should outlast the engines as they are running in oil. Just very expensive to fix if they do break

[silky fox]

I find stumpgrindinding very theraputic....especially with 60+ horsepower and a wireless control.

[dan494]

I find stumpgrindinding very theraputic....especially with 60+ horsepower and a wireless control.

 

 

Yeah I bet you would with that machine! 3 hours grinding that one out with a 13hp machine.. Not so theraputic!

[silky fox]

Maybe not....well done!

[dan494]

Just a few roots left going next door left. The little £1500 machine does me proud when the bigger machines aren't available 👍🏻

[richy_B]

If you are willing to travel you will find enough work. I'd expect to covering several counties to do that though.

 

Could be a fairly easy thing to set up though. Pickup, trailer, large tracked grinder, medium and or small wheeled grinder, blower, basic chainsaw and you are away. You could do it for £30k with some decent used stuff. Work from home as long as you have a means to dispose of the arisings.

 

I haven't done a lot myself but would imagine it would get boring after a few months of day in, day out grinding.

Edited April 27, 2016 by richy_B

[HertsWood]

My old company - Midland Tree Surgeons, in Burton in Trent offered and still do a stump grinding service Nationally. & made a lot of money. (Probably still do) owners were cash rich, able to buy the best machines outright - not just one. When I was there, they ran a Vermeer 630B, 2x Rayco 1625's and a monster Rayco 1665.

 

As an example, in a week (Mon - Sat), I did 2 days in Cheshire for the Grosvenor Estate, 1 day in Edinburgh, 2 days in Anglesey & a day in Dublin. That was an average week....