Stump Grinding with stone landscaping

[Oly's Stump]

How do you guys bid stump grinding when you have tree and bush stumps in stone landscaping. I usually give a quote with the condition that the home owner removes all stone 3 feet from the stumps. That stone as you know is a pain in the butt. In 27 years of stump grinding, I had 3 incidents of stones flying threw windows even with shielding set up. Then when you get those bush stump jobs, the homeowner calls you back after the job has been done because they attempted to replant new bushes and hit underground roots. They expect you to grind the whole front yard to get the roots.

 

[Ga. Stumpman]

I have turned down a few jobs where I knew I had a high risk with rocks and other things that could really risk my equipment and other property. The job would just be to big of a pain, If it is not someone you work with a lot I would pass on it. That is my opinion, I am sure others will advise different. If you do bid the job price it enough to factor coming back and using more teeth than normal. I always tell the customer that roots run every where just under the ground and I don't get the ones you can't see.

 

[imagineero]

those are the sort of stumps I sub out and put 10% on ;-)

On the rare occasion I do them myself I think of my highest bid, add in a set of teeth, put 30% on top of that, then agree to only grind the top 12" of the stump and only if there is good access and I can leave the grindings and the HO does all the stone moving. I hate stump grinding.

Shaun

 

[MOE]

I try to bid those high as well. Small landscape rock doesn't seem to bother my 1100 greenteeth too much. I do try to explain the situation well for the homeowner as well. Sometimes you show up to find landscape rock around the trees in the yard that they didn't mention. I clean it up as best I can, and grind slowly at about 1/3 throttle so it doesn't throw them too bad.......Ya, it's a pain.

 

[flushcut]

Shoot the moon.

 

[dtm165]

Stone

Yeah, I rake away the stone/rocks as best I can, and use a set up with a guard from Allied Equipment Stump R' Guard and put that as close as I can from from the stumps in a circle

 

[howel07264]

How do you guys bid stump grinding when you have tree and bush stumps in stone landscaping. I usually give a quote with the condition that the home owner removes all stone 3 feet from the stumps. That stone as you know is a pain in the butt. In 27 years of stump grinding, I had 3 incidents of stones flying threw windows even with shielding set up. Then when you get those bush stump jobs, the homeowner calls you back after the job has been done because they attempted to replant new bushes and hit underground roots. They expect you to grind the whole front yard to get the roots.

I have a 1/2inch scar above my upper lip from ricocheting landscape rock that bounced off brick wall into my face. i had a husky helmet and face shield on but had the shield UP. I was grinding out old shrubs 3ft. from side of the house.Large egg size pea gravel is the worst.