Stumpy Grinder

People often ask me how much tree is underground?! Well I recently found this in a local park. It'iCloud Photos.webarchives a mighty oak growing on the edge of a sandpit where the sand has gradually moved away to expose the roots. Its still standing strong, but spookily looks like it has risen out of the ground and is about to run away?!

Yes I use it all the time! Most of the guys I subbie for cut the trees down and then just use this to send me the exact location of the stump to be ground. Works especially well in big gardens or parks/woodland. I can also have a quick look at the area on the satellite image before turning up. SG

Quite possibly looking at their website? I wouldn't normally rant on an open forum, but I cannot believe how crap they have been! I ordered some teeth once before and there were a load missing as the package had burst due to being not strong enough. Despite several complaints and promise of replacements, they never turned up. I recently ordered a Green Teeth upgrade kit for a Rayco grinder. Order was placed online and clearly forgotten as I was asked to review the product and it hadn't even been dispatched! Order eventually turned up with 6 wrong sized tooth pockets on one side. The error was pointed out very clearly and 6 more pockets turned up. They were also the wrong size and I was charged for them! Phoned Monday morning to complain to be told the right ones would be with me Tuesday or maybe Wednesday latest. Phoned late today to discover that the order was still open and hadn't even been dispatched! Order cancelled and you can have the lot back. I've lost a weeks work and they've lost any future business. One mistake is understandable, but 5 feck ups in a row is surely not acceptable! Not Happy! Order now placed with another company.

I find that hard to believe as there is clearly no communication between them!

Just been through an extremely poor experience with an order of a Stump Grinder cutting system upgrade through Northern Arb who I've used before for other stuff and have been fine. I suspect the problem is with Saturn Knives who seem to supply them? What's the relationship between them before I send a massive shitogram! I've had problems before, but only ever with stump teeth. Not happy! SG

Has anyone ever tried the various brands of teeth against each other to see if there is any difference in wear quality? There is clearly a difference in price between Greenteeth for instance compared to Ammco or Rotatech equivalents. Might be interesting to mount the various ones on the same wheel and see how they compare. Anyone already tried this? SG

I had a decent 5KW stove fitted into a bespoke brick fireplace in a house with no chimney. The stove only cost 20% of the total cost. The stainless exterior flue cost 60% of the total cost! The stove is the cheap bit..........

Met this chap there

Did anybody go?

Use a bench grinder with a 150mm diamond wheel. You can do the face as well as the edges as the sides are slightly angled.

It would work better with a jet washer and a slurry pump.

It gets better than that! As Nigel says above, if you order a bucket of 60, you get 20% off which makes them £6.20 each!!!! Winner! SG

Oh.. and there's this one the other side of the wall to do!

As daft as it sounds, you could use a stump grinder to help you! You are after all only after the main root plate? Use a grinder to cut through all the lateral stumps around the edge which is what is holding it in. There may be a slight tap root but that should pull out vertically. Once the side roots are through you should be able to pull it out with a machine or chain blocks/tirfor winch.

I go to so many jobs where folks have tried digging them out and given up! I've got this one to do next! Big old London plane! The trunk is about 1m across. Why do people even try to do this? SG

I’ve got most other bits if you need any including a crank!

This is one off mine. I’ve got two in bits but sadly only one of these which I’ll need.

If you’re looking for something to do this weekend, “Weird and Wonderful Wood” is on in Suffolk. Not massive but a great day out with plenty of interesting things and some good entertainment. Loads of interesting characters about too. See attached flyer. SG.

The 'Hex' bolts holding the teeth pockets are usually 1/2" which is actually 12.7mm. The trouble begins when people use a 12mm allen key! It doesn't sound a lot different, but with a bit of wear and the torque values involved, it soon ruins the bolts which are then stuck! You really need to get a 1/2" Allen socket on a decent length bar, or alternatively one of the impact torque drivers suitable for removing wheel nuts. Running a line of sacrificial weld in front of the leading edge of the bolt is another method of increasing the life of the pockets. Might not be enough room on the one shown, but the big Vermeer type pockets have plenty of width. A blob of Copper grease on the bolt threads will also make them easier to remove in the future. The 'Angry Grinder' should be the last resort! SG

Found one for you: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Stump-Grinder-Hydrostatic-Pump-Gearbox-Rayco-Dosko-Danequip/123688792219?hash=item1ccc6d309b:g:fs4AAOSw9kNciPqu SG

They are Vermeer 'Yellow Jacket' teeth mate which you will need to get direct from Vermeer UK. http://vermeer-uk.co.uk/product/shop/ They cost £7.21 each but they are double sided and seem to last for ages anyway. You can also sharpen them a couple of times so pretty good value for money really. They come in a plastic bucket which contained enough for two sets on my machine so that must be 60 teeth. That should be enough for 3 sets on your SC40 machine. However, you will only really need to change the outer ones (x4) often as the inner ones don't seem to wear much at all. They cut brilliantly too! SG

Any car type battery should be fine as long as it is 12v and can deliver enough power to start the engine. However, you'd be better off buying one by the dimensions to fit your machine. Measure the battery box and then work out the terminal pole orientation and type and stick them in here: https://www.tayna.co.uk/car-batteries/jis/ They will give you a selection to choose from. Awesome company and much cheaper than anywhere else! Getting one the right size and weight is important as it will affect the balance of a pedestrian type machine. Hope this helps. SG

He found an alternative mate so it is still available. Just had it running. It’s a beast of a thing!!

The only people making money is the people that are selling them I reckon?

Sounds about right! I'll get a new gasket and live with it. A new exhaust is about a third what I paid for the saw! Runs fine and can do no further damage other than back pressure maybe. SG