Need advice on grinding large blowovers ...

[Cupocoffee]

I've been grinding stumps for several years but I have never done a blowover. I have seen only three, here in Oklahoma, and they were probably about 8-10' across. I use a Vermeer SC352 but I am going to pick up a new Carlton SP7015 in a week and I would not be intimidated to take something like that on with my new grinder. If someone has experience, and would like to share it, I would appreciate it. I have only seen one video on Youtube which shows a guy grinding one, in Australia, but I couldn't really tell too much about what he was doing. I know there has to be a technique to keep the top of the rootball from collapsing onto the grinder. I know there are plenty of guys out there who are ready to flame me for asking a very simple question so go find someone else to berate. I am asking this in hopes someone, who has experience, would like to share some safety tips. I did see a group of Hispanic men grind one with an RG1625 and they only charged the homeowner $250. I wanted to talk to them but they didn't speak English. I talked to the homeowner when I saw him outside later and he told me they rented the grinder and hauled off a boatload of chips. They did a great job. That price seemed very, very low to me considering they rented the equipment plus hauled off debris and there were several workers. What do you guys typically charge on large blowovers? I know that is a wide open question, just like when someone calls and asks, "How much do you charge to grind a stump?" Ha! Any productive ideas will be appreciated.

 

[treecutterjr]

I'm in Ky and when we do grind blow-overs we either:

a: cut the trunk off and alot of times the stump/root ball will fall back over and then you can grind safely. It usually doesnt go back in the whole perfectly and neatly so you will still have a lot of grinding.

b: if you cut the trunk off and the root ball/ stump doesn't fall back in the hole I grind it from each side until its done. If it is "huge" or taller than me I take care to stay out of the hole so it doesn't fall and somehow crush me.

some times customers want them hauled off with a crane.

price wise I large over-turned root ball can be easily $200-$300 or more.
And mulch and wood chip removal is extra. sometimes as much as the stump if they want everything removed from the hole and the hole filled back in with dirt/top soil.

 

[Grouchy old man]

In my opinion unless the tree is really small it's not a job for a grinder. It's usual around here to get root plates over 6 feet high and a hole better than 4 feet deep. No way are you going to grind that. Excavator or large back hoe is the only way to go.

 

[OLD MAN GRINDER]

In my opinion unless the tree is really small it's not a job for a grinder. It's usual around here to get root plates over 6 feet high and a hole better than 4 feet deep. No way are you going to grind that. Excavator or large back hoe is the only way to go.

I agree, size would be the determining factor for me, not because i could not do a large one but no one would want to pay what it would cost to do it, when a customer does not object to the price i cut trunk as close to root ball as possible and then grind from the fartherest point out in to the center, u will be grinding a lot of dirt, fill in the hole with chips as u go to make a stable place for the grinder to operate without sinking in, i have done some pretty large ones but there is a point where it becomes a back hoe job as grouchy old man says....

Bob...

 

[Cupocoffee]

Thanks everyone for your input. The only time I have seen them around here, in Oklahoma City, is after a tornado but I have seen posts where people talk about them and there are some videos on Youtube. I think I will shy away from them unless it is not too big.

 

[derwoodii]

you mean like this


you peck away at what you can get easy clear away the spoil start again. Its good if still solid in ground its when they start to rock about that's unnerving. see the shoring timbers to get your angle up as workin high not the low as machine designed.

here we removed the root mass left the log for another day as too wet to get crane gear to... ha actually 2 years+ on that logs still there I just not bothered to collect it

 

[Grouchy old man]

Looks like that's about as far as your going there and you're going to have to get that machine up to about a 45 deg angle to get that top. Not exactly what the machine was designed for. Aerial stump grinding.

 

[BuckmasterStumpGrinding]

I bid root balls high. Sometimes half the price that was paid to take the tree out. If I think a backhoe operator can get it done cheaper than me I will let the customer know and suggest they call to compare prices.

 

[Topbuilder]

Blow overs are alot of work, alot of chips, alot of raking. I've done a couple that were 6' high. It will come down to your cutting level eventually. Nice if you are able to work it all the way around. 3 to 4 hours on one stump. No way a backhoe or a crane does it cheaper. Make it worth your while.

 

[BC WetCoast]

Cranes around here are $400+ an hour with a 4 hour minimum, including travel time.

Backhoes are a little less per hour, but you need a lowbed to transport it to the site. Plus a dump truck to take the stump away. You can grind for a long time to match those dollars.

 

[DangerTree]

Jeez, you guys down south must be desperate? The guy that follows me charges $75 for the first foot of diameter and a hundie for each additional foot. And thats stump in the ground! I leave 3 stumps 36" wide and he makes $900 and doesn't take the chips! For the bigger trees I get a hoe. No point in grinding 6 foot wide stumps!

 

[Topbuilder]

Jeez, you guys down south must be desperate? The guy that follows me charges $75 for the first foot of diameter and a hundie for each additional foot. And thats stump in the ground! I leave 3 stumps 36" wide and he makes $900 and doesn't take the chips! For the bigger trees I get a hoe. No point in grinding 6 foot wide stumps!

At $900 an hour I would think you would have your own grinder?

 

[BC WetCoast]

Jeez, you guys down south must be desperate? The guy that follows me charges $75 for the first foot of diameter and a hundie for each additional foot. And thats stump in the ground! I leave 3 stumps 36" wide and he makes $900 and doesn't take the chips! For the bigger trees I get a hoe. No point in grinding 6 foot wide stumps!

Your math needs work. 3x275 is only 825.

Can't get a hoe into most places where we're grinding. You'd lose your shirt here on lowbed charges and hourly minimums.

 

[B Harrison]

$2.00 a inch for stumps in the ground here is about max. or priced better if there are 4-10 to be ground. $100 a foot, WOW!
A 28" gum cost me $60 while the guy was next door if that gives you an idea of a cheap stump, he left the chips.
on a blow over I would still plan on bringing a machine in to right the stump then get it ground. If your doing it yourself, don't price it, just charge by the hour until its done and be safe. You never know what safe is going to do to your timeline and there is no reason to get dangerous to try and make money at your guessed price.