buying first stump grinder advice

[pizzaman]

I'm getting ready to buy my first stump grinder and doing stumps for some extra income. I would like to eventually get into the full tree business but I can't jump in with both feet just yet. I was thinking about starting with the rayco rg1625 super jr. since I've never used this equipment before I was leaning toward buying it from a rayco dealer. At least I have a warranty in case something goes wrong early on. If anyone thinks I would be better off with a used or different machine please tell me why.
Also I could use advice on the most affordable ways to get customers. I was thinking of charging a flat fee,either $75 or $99, for most stumps. I thought this would attract more business my way. If this is the wrong way of going about it please give me your opinion. Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[Treeman14]

I don't have any personal experience with Rayco machines, but I hear they're good. My first grinder was a Dosko 691SP which I still use. I also have a Vermeer 630B, a good mid-size grinder. I agree with buying from a reputable dealer. Stump grinders generally get a lot of abuse and misuse, so buying used is sometimes a gamble. Most companies charge by the inch for grinding with a minimum. Send out a letter of introduction to all tree services in your area, perhaps offering discounted rates if they try you out. Provide fast, reliable, and quality service and your reputation will quickly grow. Keep the teeth sharp and grease often. Good luck.

 

[treeman82]

I have a quick question for you; why are you starting with stump grinding? Have you done it a lot already? Do you have much experience? Just wondering here...

 

[pizzaman]

I'm starting with stump grinding because it seems like there is always a demand for the service and I do not have the tree climbing experience yet to take on whole trees. I've never used a grinder before but I've watched many times. It doesn't look like rocket science to me. Seems like there is good money to be made and the more experience and contacts I get the faster my new venture will grow.

 

[treeclimber165]

Your thought of buying from a dealer with service/warranty available is a good start. The biggest expense in stumping is maintenance of the machine. Purchase price is a distant second. I hope you are mechanically inclined. After paying for bearing replacement or rebuilding of different moving parts of the machine a couple times, you will be much more aware of the wear points on your machine. This will only come with experience, so having a good dealer relationship during your 'learning curve' is imperative.

As T14 said, service is the key to making a profit. Subbing from tree guys is your best bet to establish a customer base and keep the machine running. But if you screw a tree guy by skimping on depth, damaging his customer's property without fixing it, or the worst- not showing up- word will get around and you won't have much work. On the other hand, if you do good work when you say you will, the tree guys will pass your name and number around.

Many tree guys want nothing to do with stumps. Half the tree guys in Orlando use one guy named Tom for stumps and don't worry about making money on them. Let Tom make the stump money, he deserves it because the stump is gone with one phone call- guaranteed.

 

[DDM]

Ummmm Should you happen to work for tree guys dont get caught poaching there tree work.

 

[treeman82]

2 more questions; what kind of truck do you have? and why don't you start with renting a few different grinders to see if you even like doing the work?

 

[Stump Man]

I have been grinding stumps since getting out of college in 1964. I have always used Vermeer Stump Machines. A model 630 A or B is a good mid size to start with. I have an older 2465A with 80Hp diesel for large stumps and a Mini-Chief which is a ride on machine 4 WD and only 36" wide. Great for back yard stumps, has enough power to do any size stump. Getting back to Vermmer, they are very good at factory if you have any problems at all. The smalleest machine I would buy would be at least 30Hp. The rest don't have enough power. Hope this helps you out.

 

[Stumper]

I have a Rayco RG12. I can recommend Rayco highly based on my experience-quality equipment and good factory support if you live far from a dealer. I would strongly advise against a flat fee per stump.(It isn't fair to you or the customer on BIG or small stumps). Set a minimum charge and then charge based upon the size of the stump,degree of difficulty etc. Even a charge based on diameter inches is really imprecise(if you double stump diameter the amount of actual grinding quadruples). I have a per inch price to pullout in certain situations but I prefer to give a free on site estimate-gets more business and keeps the price fair for everybody. Stump Man's reference to a minimum of 30hp is probably reasitic for articulated/hydrolically controlled machines., but I have found that I can smoke a lot of the big boys with my little 12hp Rayco(and at only 30" wide it will access nearly everything) The secrets are sharp teeth and good technique. Be warned however that the little manually traversed machines are a LOT of work for the operator.

 

[FBerkel]

I've got a Dosco 18 horse, hydrostatic drive. I keep it sharp, and the higher rpms allow fast enough cutting, compared to, say a 35 horse with dull teeth. This is a fair comparison, because (and I know from experience) the guy using the bigger machine hesitates longer before changing dull teeth, due to the fact that he's got so many more of them to change. Dosco has 4 sets of 2 each.

You can buy machines with more hydrolics (up-down, side to side), for lots more initial cash. I feel this is a waste if it doesn't improve production, and I'm convinced it doesn't. You have to work a little harder, but isn't that the nature of tree guys? The extra hydrolics are also one more thing to break down.

I bought the machine directly from the manufacturer, and haven't had any problem with maintaining it, largely because nothing major has broken in 7 or so years of pretty hard use. Most components are available locally, anyway, so why pay after market mark-ups from a dealer, on top of the initial mark-up? Had to have a few specialized parts fed-exed from manufacturer,
lost a day or two, but there are always trees to prune/remove while waiting.

Good luck with your decision.

 

[treeclimber165]

T14 recommended the Vermeer 630. I believe that this was good advice 10 years ago, but the Vermeer 262 has evolved into a very strong machine. Our local guy Tom uses 2 of them (He has a second guy working with him now) for most of his work. It rides in a small trailer, goes into backyards, and grinds as fast as a 630 without the access restriction of being attached to the truck.
He has a couple HUGE machines for the big, accessable stuff but uses the 262's for most of his work. It's usually not worth going back home to swich grinders for one or two stumps.

 

[murphy4trees]

Need some more info.
Is that Deleware County Pa.?
What kinda trees have you got there?
Do you want to start off with a big machine for the big stumps and then buy a backyard unit, or vice-versa?
What kind of machines are the locals using. Around here Carlton seems to be well liked
I've been asking myself the same question for over a decade.
God Bless,
Daniel

 

[pizzaman]

where in philly

My pizza shop is in north philly. E-mail me. I'll supply the food and you can let me pick your brain about the business.
thanks Tony

 

[Nickrosis]

Sounds like a nice guy! I need a pizza man around here!

Nickrosis

 

[Jumper]

Vermeer 252

My sole experience is with a Vermeer 252 and it seemed to get the job done. Not difficult to use at all for the inexperienced, and small enough to get into some pretty tight locations.

 

[Jumper]

Also

This machine was small enough to be towed on a trailer behind a 4.3 litre 6 cylinder full sized Chevy without much of a tug. drive on drive off the trailer with it.