Another stump grinding nightmare.

Arborist Forum

Help Support Arborist Forum:

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

066blaster

Addicted to ArboristSite
Joined
Dec 10, 2012
Messages
2,172
Reaction score
1,780
Location
West Bend, WI
The guy said he had four stump 8, 8, 12, and 18. I get there his wife shows me 5 stumps 14, 22, 18, and two 12 ' s this is not including root flare and surface roots . So I start grinding the one in the front yard the guy shows up and walks over and said that wasn't one he wanted done. Shows me the other four and then says one is under a smoldering pile of branches. But says he will pay for the one in the front also. So I start grinding the one that is basically on fire a 18 incher. Glad I dint burn anything up. Choked on smoke from the branches the wind off the grinding wheel was re igniting. Also rocks all over the place. I gave the guy a price over the phone so it kinda ticked me off . From now on I'm verifying sizes and actually number of stumps and agreeing on a fair price before I even unload. I ended up doing them all for a $100 took a hour and a half. Only 3 miles from home thank god. Haven't looked at my new greenteeth I just put on yet.
 
I have nightmares about some of the stump jobs I've done. I hate grinding.
 
Yes its always an estimation, but even when you go there and take the dimensions in person, you rarely know whats 6" below the earth.

One day you rip off your teeth, the other you coddle them.
Today I had the luck to do 23' in total around 12 stumps.
There was not one rock or stone, really none! - pure pleasure, 5hrs.

Last week did one 5', stones all around, 3hrs.
to quote myself: sometimes you win, sometimes you loose, even when you get the job.

cheers
 
It's also a real treat when their kids stand 10 feet from you to watch. This guy's kid even asked me if he could drive his bike up my trailer ramps.
 
I had a similar experience the other week, guy was pretty accurate with the diameters but failed to mention the stumps were on a very steep embankment. The job wasn't much fun nor was it a profitable use of time. taught me a lesson to be more thorough when pricing stumps on the phone.... The situation on the ground wasn't noticeable in the photos supplied either.
 
The guy said he had four stump 8, 8, 12, and 18. I get there his wife shows me 5 stumps 14, 22, 18, and two 12 ' s this is not including root flare and surface roots .
CUSTOMERS NEED TO BE TOLD "DIAMETER AT GROUND LEVEL & HOW MANY ROOTS OFF THE STUMPS PLS ? " (Not yelling, just making answers earier to read :) )

So I start grinding the one in the front yard the guy shows up and walks over and said that wasn't one he wanted done. Shows me the other four and then says one is under a smoldering pile of branches. But says he will pay for the one in the front also. So I start grinding the one that is basically on fire a 18 incher.
SOUNDS PRETTY IFFY, I'D TELL THE CUSTOMER TO PUT THE FIRE OUT PRE GRINDING.

Glad I dint burn anything up. Choked on smoke from the branches the wind off the grinding wheel was re igniting. Also rocks all over the place. I gave the guy a price over the phone so it kinda ticked me off . From now on I'm verifying sizes and actually number of stumps and agreeing on a fair price before I even unload. I ended up doing them all for a $100 took a hour and a half. Only 3 miles from home thank god. Haven't looked at my new greenteeth I just put on yet.
MY SUSCEPTIBILITY TO HAVE A GO AT A PHONE QUOTE IS PROPORTIONATE TO HOW BUSY WORK HAS BEEN, IF I NEED A BUCK THEN IT'LL SOMETIMES BE DONE. GENERALLY AVOID DOING PHONE QUOTES OR EL CHEAPO RATES FOR (OLD) FOLKS AS THEY WILL BE THE ONES THAT COME BACK AND BITE YOU ON THE ASS AS YOU FIND SOME STEEL, ROCK OR BRICK THAT DESTROYS CUTTERS AND THEY END UP COSTING YOU MONEY.

ALSO BE CAREFUL OF STUMPS WITH CHAINSAW CUTS IN THEM THAT HAVEN'T BEEN FINISHED, CUSTOMERS HAVE A HABIT OF THINKING OUR SAW WILL CUT OF THOSE BITS OF STEEL, ROCK OR BRICK THAT THEIRS WON'T.

ANNDDD...........ARE THERE ANY SERVICES UNDER THE STUMP THAT I CAN HIT ? EXPLAIN YOU CAN'T SEE UNDERGROUND AND THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANYTHING HIT IS THEIRS.

GOOD LUCK WITH THE WORK, ITS GENERALLY A GOOD JOB FOR NICE PEOPLE :D
 
Definite opening there CTE for some nightmare stories from stump grinders ! :laugh:

Here's one, probably not the worst but a good example -

Quoted four peppercorn stumps up to say 1.0 to 1.2 metres dia. (say 3 to 4 ft) at ground level on a vacant town block. Now a fella should be smart enough to remember that peppercorns were the trees that people threw junk under or into hollows for decades and the tree just grew out over it.

A better spot never seemed to exist for bricks, farm gate fittings and wire straining devices from yesteryear. None being obvious to the naked eye of course as they had slowly been buried under inches of decomposed peppercorn leaves which became soil like over the years.

Cutting them off wasn't to bad, full of dirt but after a few sharpens of the 066 chain they were considerably lower (less to grind).

It all went downhill from there, every bloody stump was surrounded underground by scattered bricks and bits of steel which took a frightful toll on the cutters despite considerable mattocking around them and thinking that must be the last bit of rubbish here today.

It got to the stage that on the last stump at the very start the cutter wheel connected with something that bought a huge bang from the machine and the immediate pressing of the red button on the remote to stop the motor.

Under the edge of the stump wood and undetectable with the mattock was the through post farm gate fitting of 5/8" dia steel rod with a U bend on the end and about 15" long. The grinder had picked it up and flung it upwards into the skirt at the rear of the wheel putting the only dent to this day in it.

Joy of joys it also smashed off 2 or 3 of the greenteeth shoulders at Au$25 ea. that hold the cutters and destroyed some more Au$12 ea. precious cutters.

Muttering profanities the 25km trip home to get spares was time for reflection on the advisability of the purchase of a metal detector and the habit of folks to chuck their rubbish under peppercorn trees.

I think from memory the job was quoted back then for round Au$350. It'd be a fair bit more now and would factor in the vagaries of mankind to use his evergreen peppercorn trees as a repository for junk.

The humble peppercorn tree, maybe only surpassed by the local farmers favourite wind break tree, the cyprus pine and the handiest thing they all had to keep the wind from blowing them over - the steel post - which has been found in the exact centre of huge old cyprus stumps in three consecutive trees at a job, but that's another story..........:givebeer:
 
I've learned after 14 yrs at this job, NEVER ,EVER give a set over-the-phone price.... I will give a price range (i.e. high/low)...even though its been proven all the customer hears is the "low"...I stress that it is only an estimate and that it's not firm til I see the job...
Believe me "over-the-phone " and "thru -the -windshield" estimates will bite you every time....and I always,always,always go over with the cuastomer of exactly what I will do and what I will not do...including the price and how/when I get paid.....before I unload & start the job...
Most phone customer really have no clue as to what size the stumps actually are...Most that call me say.."oh ,its about a foot or so..." When its more like a yard or so!!!!
 
Removed an old nasty rotten silver maple on a farm site this year. The tree must have grown around the scrap iron pile. It had everything imaginable in it horseshoes, rocks, cultivator shovels, etc. it just destroyed a dozen or so teeth and broke a few pocket bolts. I somewhat rotated teeth to get some edges back. I pretty much worked the **** out of my grinder with the half sharp teeth. I didn't want to throw a brand new set and destroy them too. I charged her for the damaged or broken teeth and she understood why. From now on I let customers know that if debris is in THEIR stump and excessive damage is done they will be paying for my broken stuff.
 
I did a job the other day, One Bradford pear 12' or so and a oak around 28" with a large surface root area. I priced it high since the grind area was around 14' to remove the crown and restore the natural grade. Expensive house = alot of clean-up... I start with the BP. Bam, hit a t-post. Not a wimpy tree stake post a real farm type t-post. Sheds a couple edges but is deep enough I just don't go there again. Move on, Bam hit another one. Lose more edges also just deep enough I can move on. Bam hit another one. Able to hit with sledge and drive it out of the grind. I move to the large oak. I have to replace all primary teeth and a few secondarys to get through this. Thankfull this tree is large enough it was not planted and supported like the BP. Its 95 degrees and the stump is in full sun. I go back to grinding. Bam! hit another T-post, more shedding of perfectly good carbide. The owner comes out and explains ALL the trees on their property were planted 18 years ago... long story short, I ended up going home for tools and teeth. I battled t-posts for an hour in the sun. A four hour job turned into 6. The owners added some $ to my price for broken teeth. I got through it without jumping up and down and creating new combo-cuss words. ( been working on that, it really does no good) I Fullfilled my personal mission statement which is - "If you lose money on a job, make damn sure the customer is happy"
So, every job is not peaches and cream...
I did pick up a new Builder while on that job. It'll all work out.
My worst day grinding is still better than working for someone else!
 
Back
Top