Husqvarna SG13 teeth conversion

Arborist Forum

Help Support Arborist Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Capitalist

Addicted to ArboristSite
Joined
Jul 22, 2019
Messages
1,214
Reaction score
1,978
Location
Texas
I always swore I would never grind stumps. I saw it as a waste of time/money because of all the people who do it as a side thing for peanuts.

Well, I am buying one.
If they want me to grind stumps I will charge as if I were climbing or hauling.
I have referred hundreds of stumps to a local guy but he is getting old and said he is thinking about selling out. His prices were most of why I wouldn't buy one before, though he is a good honest man.

Anyway, I am paying too much for a Husqvarna SG13 and its a little squeaker I already know. I am a very very impatient man and I know I will most likely want to wrap it around a tree the first time I use it. @250lb and 13 horse I am the kind that would conside it handheld equip.

So I need to make this thing cut as fast as possible.

I am trying to figure out how to convert it to "green teeth" which I have read is much better.

Where can I get a conversion kit and how do I do this? Will the bluebird wheels and teeth swap over?

Also....
Anyone ever put a bigger engine on an sg13?

I have read where guys used a different pulley ratio to keep it from bogging down. Any experience with this?

I realize I can't turn this thing into something its not but I need ever bit of speed I can squeeze out of this thing.
 
My personal thoughts about buying a hand held, push, pull, swing side to side machine is your crazy. While the machine is adequate for small jobs, I cant see anybody in the tree business even fooling with one. If your removing the stump of a tree you had to climb to take down, then you are already dealing with bigger stumps than the little machine is designed for. And thats not saying you cant grind a 4ft dia stump with one, just that by the time you get that big stump ground, you could have climbed and topped several trees and not be half as worn out .I think you already know the limits of such a machine, otherwise you wouldnt be considering a larger engine and different teeth. Now if your in the landscapeing business and just dealing with small stumps of bushes and shrubs, then the little machine might be a nice add on. I dont know what size stumps you plan to grind, but I can say you will tire of you little grinder pretty fast if you are working with bigger stumps.

As to your engine and tooth swap. You can step up to whatever engine you want, but your still limited by the man power operating the machine. More power will probably just mean more bounceing as the teeth strike the wood. Its the manpower that is pushing the teeth thru the wood. As for swapping to green teeth, It depends on how and what type of teeth are currently on the machine. If you already feel the need to swap to more hp, different teeth and cutter wheel, you should just buy what you need instead of cobbleing something together.
 
My personal thoughts about buying a hand held, push, pull, swing side to side machine is your crazy. While the machine is adequate for small jobs, I cant see anybody in the tree business even fooling with one. If your removing the stump of a tree you had to climb to take down, then you are already dealing with bigger stumps than the little machine is designed for. And thats not saying you cant grind a 4ft dia stump with one, just that by the time you get that big stump ground, you could have climbed and topped several trees and not be half as worn out .I think you already know the limits of such a machine, otherwise you wouldnt be considering a larger engine and different teeth. Now if your in the landscapeing business and just dealing with small stumps of bushes and shrubs, then the little machine might be a nice add on. I dont know what size stumps you plan to grind, but I can say you will tire of you little grinder pretty fast if you are working with bigger stumps.

As to your engine and tooth swap. You can step up to whatever engine you want, but your still limited by the man power operating the machine. More power will probably just mean more bounceing as the teeth strike the wood. Its the manpower that is pushing the teeth thru the wood. As for swapping to green teeth, It depends on how and what type of teeth are currently on the machine. If you already feel the need to swap to more hp, different teeth and cutter wheel, you should just buy what you need instead of cobbleing something together.

No doubt.
Like I said though, this is what I am buying and need to maximize it.

Buying bigger is not an option at this time. I already well understand everything you said and you are correct.

Right now though I need to maximize this machine. Jumping into something I will rarely do with a $20,000 grinder is not something I can do. Quite frankly this is why I swore I would never grind stumps. The time vs rate vs energy has never appeared logical to me with so many people doing grinding and only grinding.

This is why I referred instead of doing it.
 
I like it.
Suprised actually.
I ground 10 stumps today between meetings and bids. Last one was a soft maple that was about 60'.

It chewed it up great until I got to the spongy center. Then I might as wellhave been beating it with a hammer.

I will definitely be converting it to green teeth. The difference I see is that the stock teeth are flat whereas the green teeth are converse. I found a way. Gotta change wheels and buy the pockets and teeth.

But heck... It made me over a grand today so I am not complaining.

Everyone complained that it worked your butt off but I question whether those folks know what work is.

That thing is too small to work a worker.
 
Tge other complaint I saw was that its wheels were too small and that it was hard to maneuver....

Maybe for a guy that weighs 140 lbs.
I like that it wheels as fast as I want to go.
Its a good machine.
 
After grinding a lot of stumps here is my full take on the SG13:

It's well worth the money.
It paid for itself the first few days of use.

If you are just starting out in grinding it is a great choice. I made a good decision and do not regret it in the least. Yes big 60 inch stumps are a bite for it but it gets the job done and my customers were thrilled that their stumps were gone.
 
Back
Top