Any vermeer sc362 reviews?? Anybody

[jaystihl]

Thinking of buying a new sc362 stump grinder and cant find any reveiws. they have been out for a couple years and no reveiws. anyone own one or know anyone who does? im looking at the 35 hp briggs . thanks for any input

 

[marne]

Afaik it is available since 2 years, I think it will be alright. Proved parts and engine, probably the hydraulic steering may not be as maneuverable as the 252/292 three wheel. Tried it once, the 2 speed is nice. Another cutting system could be a good choice.

 

[jaystihl]

Afaik it is available since 2 years, I think it will be alright. Proved parts and engine, probably the hydraulic steering may not be as maneuverable as the 252/292 three wheel. Tried it once, the 2 speed is nice. Another cutting system could be a good choice.

Hey marne , what did you mean by another cutting system could be a good choice? when you tried it did it seem better than the 252?( since has more power) i have a 2005 252 now and its just getting old. looking to upgrade but cant get a machine to much longer than the 252 as it wont fit in my truck

 

[marne]

Yes for sure it is more powerful and yellow jackets are nothing I would keep on that machine. But I'm not sure if the price isn't a bit tough. For a fraction of it you can rebuild your 252 and a 362 will not propeller you so much forward to judge the difference.

 

[Ztreecutter]

I have a 630b Vermeer that is tired. I am thinking of purchasing a sc362. Hp is roughy the same but believe the torque is a good bit high on the 630b. Can anyone tell me how they are going to compare on grinding? Thanks!

 

[JohnA]

I have a new sc362 with a whopping 14 hours on it. So far I'm loving it but I don't have much to compare to since this is my first grinder. Lots of learning curve but I'm starting to get better all the time. There is a big difference between say
a Pine or Spruce and a Oak. With a soft wood I can take 1 in. with each pass compared to 3/8 in. on the Oak. Chips build up fast so to keep from running over the pile and raising up the machine I pause a lot to rake chips away from the front of the tires. I have mostly been going to a depth of 8-10 in. because people seem to be happy with that. I did smoke the secondary belt because I didn't check tension at 5 hrs. per Vermeer recommendations. I won't do that again.
So far I'm way ahead of the $100. per hour of machine time per job standard. Probably more like $150.
Vermeer tends to build things like Caterpillar so there is a generous amount of steel in this machine everywhere.
I don't think I could hurt it unless I forgot to tie it down and rolled it off the trailer. I'm really glad I didn't get the
252 or sc30tx because horsepower and torque are super important to get in and get out as fast as possible.
The operator presence system is somewhat of a nuisance. It would be nice to be able to let go of the controls for
a few seconds to take a look at the blind side of the stump without stopping the cutter. I'll get used to it.
All comments welcome!

 

[john treeguy]

I have a new sc362 with a whopping 14 hours on it. So far I'm loving it but I don't have much to compare to since this is my first grinder. Lots of learning curve but I'm starting to get better all the time. There is a big difference between say
a Pine or Spruce and a Oak. With a soft wood I can take 1 in. with each pass compared to 3/8 in. on the Oak. Chips build up fast so to keep from running over the pile and raising up the machine I pause a lot to rake chips away from the front of the tires. I have mostly been going to a depth of 8-10 in. because people seem to be happy with that. I did smoke the secondary belt because I didn't check tension at 5 hrs. per Vermeer recommendations. I won't do that again.
So far I'm way ahead of the $100. per hour of machine time per job standard. Probably more like $150.
Vermeer tends to build things like Caterpillar so there is a generous amount of steel in this machine everywhere.
I don't think I could hurt it unless I forgot to tie it down and rolled it off the trailer. I'm really glad I didn't get the
252 or sc30tx because horsepower and torque are super important to get in and get out as fast as possible.
The operator presence system is somewhat of a nuisance. It would be nice to be able to let go of the controls for
a few seconds to take a look at the blind side of the stump without stopping the cutter. I'll get used to it.
All comments welcome!

im thinking of buying a sc362 any more info ?

 

[jz1977]

I bought a new 362 in 2018 and have since put over 1,000 hours on it. I've had no issues with the Briggs engine. Before I had the 362 I had a 252. I like the 362 a lot more than the 252, it grinds twice as fast and the cutter wheel has better visibility. It's also more stable, especially with the duals removed than the 3 wheeled 252. I'm still on the original cutter wheel bearings, the 252 bearings were undersized and didn't last more than 200-300 hours. I have replaced several parts on the 362 but I'm still quite happy with it as well as the support from my local vermeer dealer.

 

[kiwidiesel]

Go to the Greenwheel with 900 series Greenteeth. Huge increase in productivity and a big drop in fuel consumption. Been using one on a SC352 repowerd with the Briggs fuel injected engine for many years and it saved me from buying a larger machine. 6 teeth vs 20 teeth means less drag and more power to the teeth. Cooler running too.

 

[Danstumpman]

Thinking of buying a new sc362 stump grinder and cant find any reveiws. they have been out for a couple years and no reveiws. anyone own one or know anyone who does? im looking at the 35 hp briggs . thanks for any input

Great machine. Plenty of power. Very reliable with the Briggs or the Honda. Have been using both for years.