best investment, chipper or stump grinder?

[flatyre]

I live in an area that has quite a few small scale tree surgery firms in operation, almost all like myself don't have their own chippers or grinders. Quite often the local hire stores chippers are booked up but there doesn't seem to be many stump grinders for rent and those that are, aren't booked out, which makes me thing its not a very popular job amongst the competition. I do see a lot of gardens with ugly stumps left over and initial enquiries with possible customers would lead me to believe that offering a stump removal service may not make me rich but would contribute a noticeable amount of revenue to my yearly income. I wouldn't have the funds for a fancy grinder, maybe an old style machine somewhere between £1,500 and £2,00 at most, but my question is based on your own experiences how much business has owning a grinder generated for you?

[dan494]

My one generates business for me more the face that I can offer the service when taking down a tree so more likely to get the job rather than having to leave it or allow extra to hire someone in to do it. I do the odd job that's just grinding a stump but as a stand alone thing it doesn't make me much money.

[easy-lift guy]

With in reason the more you can increase your skill set the more you can increase your ability to earn more. If you can start out offering a sub contracting service for larger firms or councils you may quickly discover you have more work that you can handle.

Another good problem to have.

easy-lift guy

[simonm]

Depends how you market your business, i bought a carlton grinder as inevitably taking trees down customers often want the stump removing too, we also do a fair bit of fencing so being able to remove stumps is a bonus. I now have 2 grinders which makes sense for me as i don't like hiring tackle its just not convenient enough. Customers like having to get 1 contractor in that has the capability to cover all aspects of the job, that being said there is lots of firms who don't have grinders who will sub the grinding part out, imo to be able to offer a decent service you would need a small pedestrian grinder & also a bigger 1 so you can cover 70% of jobs, dont buy 2nd hand go all out and get new finance it over a few years and it will only have to go out once a month to cover repayments, advertise your services and make yourself known build it up and you will soon be buying a 2nd machine

 

 

I live in an area that has quite a few small scale tree surgery firms in operation, almost all like myself don't have their own chippers or grinders. Quite often the local hire stores chippers are booked up but there doesn't seem to be many stump grinders for rent and those that are, aren't booked out, which makes me thing its not a very popular job amongst the competition. I do see a lot of gardens with ugly stumps left over and initial enquiries with possible customers would lead me to believe that offering a stump removal service may not make me rich but would contribute a noticeable amount of revenue to my yearly income. I wouldn't have the funds for a fancy grinder, maybe an old style machine somewhere between £1,500 and £2,00 at most, but my question is based on your own experiences how much business has owning a grinder generated for you?