Stump Grinding Only

[bcstump]

Hi Guys,

I'm considering getting into the stump grinding business in the Vancouver area. Just wondering how viable stump grinding would be on its own.
I currently work a full time job (not tree cutting related) ,but would like to eventually do stump grinding as a full time occupation.

I'm looking at a $25,000 investment to get things up and running. My goal would be to have my investment paid off in 36 months.


Your thoughts would be appreciated.

Jamie

 

[Oldmaple]

Hard to say without knowing the market. Lots of cheap competitors? Pretty easy to add a cheap grinder to fleet of lawn or landscaping business and work real cheap. Have to price jobs right. Price by the square inch of surface area of the stump not by diameter inch as most will want to do. 40" stump much more than twice the grinding of a 20" stump. Cleanup much more than twice if you are offering that service also. That said you only have to travel once to a 40" stump for X dollars, whereas you would have to go to two 20" jobs for X dollars. If offering to work for other tree services watch for "taking" their work. I do removals, pruning, spraying, fertilizing, etc., but the equipment I use for stumps does not have any lettering (only removable magnetic signs). I am unmarked when working as a sub for other tree companies. Most customers don't even know I'm a sub. Only if they ask do I tell them (I'm not going to lie) and am careful if they call me the next time to direct them back to original contractor. Maybe even a heads up to the original contractor, might foster good will with them. With another full-time job it probably means working alot on Saturdays, which is good, lots of interested neighbors (potential clients) home when firing up noisy equipment. Also with one grinder make sure it is self propelled, don't limit yourself to ones that you can drive the truck to. Good luck.

 

[bcstump]

Thank you Old Maple,

Some good points made.


Jamie

 

[bombdude]

Check your local paper to get an idea on the competition. I did just what you are planning a little over 5 years ago. I have no regrets, but there were some lean times. I got my stuff paid off at the 4 year mark.

I have 4 tree companies that I grind for on a regular basis, and a few others occasionally. I have a backyard machine and that gets me work that others have to pass on to me. The only issue I've come up against working for these guys is that their money is usually waiting on me to get the stump done. I still have a full time job also. Sometimes when they call, they need it done yesterday b/c the homeowner is holding their check until I finish. I can usually work it out, but sometimes I have to tell them they have to wait a couple days before I can get there.

Hope you luck. It's not an easy undertaking, and I'm def not getting rich, but it's turned out to be a nice salary supplement. Which was my intent all along.

 

[imagineero]

It can be done, but get the biggest grinder you can afford. An RG90, or a tracked SC85 is a good starting point. Every man and his dog has a small grinder, there's so much competition there. It's hard work, slow and doesn't pay well. Small grinders need sharp teeth, and you'll be competing against so many people, and have almost no opportunity to sub. If you get a small grinder you might as well forget it and just buy a lawn mower. It's about the same kind of money.

A big grinder means you are in a whole other class. Being able to punch out a 5' stump in 10-15 minutes without doing any more then press a lever is something that won't grow old fast. You can charge good money for substantial stumps, and there is less competition for them as not that many guys have the gear. You'll be able to get work subbing for tree companies. It's fast, reasonably easy and well paid work doing big stumps. On top of that, you really don't need sharp teeth on a big machine. There are a lot of big machines that aren't much over 3' wide, which means you can still access a lot of places. You'll get creative with fence removal/replacement too. Don't get a tow behind.

Shaun

 

[derwoodii]

Some cons
Working stumps means your at the end of the task food chain, eg people will pay $1000 + to be rid of tree but not want to pay $100 for the stump so it stays and you miss out
Your not likely to get ref on work as again your the last guy and you won't don't hear the customer ever talking about how good and nice and neat the stump man was.
Dirty muddy dusty hard on your gear n back it can be
Must be your own mechanic, if you can't fix it it will cost more than its worth

Some pros ........ hmm ??? errr sigh oh yeah when you quote high and they take it and the job goes sweet and they pay cash its yippie..

Hows yer back, can you swing an axe n dig. Theres a market for tight confined stump removals eg where machines can not get to. If you get good at this with just hand tools for capital input you'll get to know tree stumps well and build your business then move to machines.

My hint, axe crow bar spade hand winch blower sweat .

 

[imagineero]

Some cons
Working stumps means your at the end of the task food chain, eg people will pay $1000 + to be rid of tree but not want to pay $100 for the stump so it stays and you miss out
Your not likely to get ref on work as again your the last guy and you won't don't hear the customer ever talking about how good and nice and neat the stump man was.
Dirty muddy dusty hard on your gear n back it can be
Must be your own mechanic, if you can't fix it it will cost more than its worth

Some pros ........ hmm ??? errr sigh oh yeah when you quote high and they take it and the job goes sweet and they pay cash its yippie..

Hows yer back, can you swing an axe n dig. Theres a market for tight confined stump removals eg where machines can not get to. If you get good at this with just hand tools for capital input you'll get to know tree stumps well and build your business then move to machines.

My hint, axe crow bar spade hand winch blower sweat .

That sounds like the low end of the stump market....

I've got a mate who works a full time job and has an SC85. It's tracked and pretty much fully automated - no personal effort required to operate it. It has a shatterproof windscreen, so you don't even get dirty operating it. In summer, he sometimes mounts a beach umbrella on it. He charges out about $500/hr to run it. He gets a few stumps a week, never takes more than an hour.

Nice little sideline, that grinder has paid itself off many times over.

I've got a 20hp stump humper. it's self propelled but manually operated. It's a great machine on small stumps, but when it gets up to 7'+, I'm not going to get them out with even a full day of grinding. I charge out $200/hr for my machine. I sub out pretty much anything over about 3' to him. A stump that will take me 10 hrs can be ground out in about 15 minutes with his machine, to a deeper level.

Having a big grinder makes all the difference. Some are even remote controlled.

Shaun

 

[sgreanbeans]

So, to the OP, if you paid attention to our resident Aussies, get a big one and a little (but still big) one. Then you have all bases covered. Get a dump trailer and a couple silage forks and scoop shovels and a blower. Plywood with kickstands to contain the chips (keep them from flying everywhere and keeps them from going thru windows, rocks too). I charge double for clean up and dirt. I use screened top soil and buy it in bulk. I can fill my 12'x7.6'x 4' dump trailer for $45. I would get a smaller dump truck as well. I roll up with the stumper on the back of my 250, MY 350 dump truck is full of dirt and has a empty dump trailer with a couple wheel barrows, plywood for the shield and plywood for the wheel barrows. We clean them as we grind them. Boys put on the brush helmets and when I back out to clear chips away, they attack instantly, rolling the chips back out of the way, enough to clean them up with out getting shot by chips. People will pay for full service, I toss seed, but make no promises with it.

 

[davidtuthes]

When doing stump grinding Brisbane for old trees you can buy specialized tools that can dig out old roots. It is a little pricey and better just hire services for it.