How low do you cut a tree down to a stump?

[Ellistrees]

Before I had a grinder, I was cutting them usually within an inch and sometimes closer. Though this was really hard on the chain.
Now that I have a grinder, I leave them higher, hoping to also get the customer to pay to have the stump removed. Is this wrong?
I see where others have left stumps a foot high. I think that is little extreme?
How high do you leave your stumps when not grinding?

 

[Tree Pig]

Depends

Where I cut it depends on what the customer wants, If they are leaving the stump and want it cut flush I cut it as close as I can without damaging my saw. Id its gonna be ground I leave it a little higher to lesson the risk of an oops. Some times they want them left at a certain height for whatever reason, I have left them 10 feet high for a dog run or clothes line (customers request) I have left them 4 feet because their brother in law was gonna make a chair out of it. I dont grind so if I sell a stump grinding I do it at cost and have regular guy that subs for my stumps but I dont make a cent on it. I use it more often as a tool to sell the job by not charging extra. I understand your thinking about leaving it high to sell a grinding but I think what matters is how much compition is out there. I can see a potential for lousing a bid over something as stupid as someone else saying they will flush cut for the same price. Make an attempt but stay flexible to get the job would be my suggestion.

 

[flushcut]

stumps

I cut them as low or as tall as they want but if I am going to be grinding them it's a flush cut.

 

[Mikecutstrees]

I cut them as low or as tall as they want but if I am going to be grinding them it's a flush cut.

Well duh thats your name! I cut them low and flat which means above the dirt but level. Unless they ask for something else..... Mike

 

[BRCCArborist]

If it's hard on the chain then you are cutting too low. If you are using a Stihl saw, and have the correct length bar for that saw, if you hold the saw by the middle of handlebar, it should be damn close to level. With the saw leveled, I simply start at the high side of the stump and use the dogs to push the saw around. I can get a really close, flat stump without putting it into the dirt this way.

 

[Ellistrees]

I also cut high or low per customer request but

7 out of 10 never say or ask about how high of a stump I will leave.
I don't beleive it has ever made a difference on getting the job or not.

I'm thinking leaving around 2"-4" is fair for me and the customer if they don't want to pay to have the stump removed.

I usually bid the job with grinding the stump and point that out. But I do have about 1/3 customers ask how much less without the stump and want to save that money.
And I usually charge only $100 difference for grinding the stump.

 

[clearance]

All my saw have wrap handles, 'cept for the 200. I love the "cant you cut it any lower"?

"No, look"

So, about 3"-4" above the lawn.

 

[BRCCArborist]

All my saw have wrap handles, 'cept for the 200. I love the "cant you cut it any lower"?

"No, look"

So, about 3"-4" above the lawn.

Thats the only thing stopping me from putting wrap handles on my 460. I was just thinking about that yesterday actually.

 

[clearance]

Thats the only thing stopping me from putting wrap handles on my 460. I was just thinking about that yesterday actually.

The only thing? That saw needs a wrap handle. Any saw you fall or buck with does, for safety reasons. Sooner or later you will need it, and maybe not put yourself in a bad spot.
There have been threads about wrap handles here before. With real fallers explaining why, not some wannabe faller like me.

 

[gwiley]

If someone is having equipment come in and remove stumps then 4 feet is a good number - lets the operator get good leverage on a mature tree so that he can pry the stump out more easily.

There is a HUGE difference in the amount of work if the equipment is small (think bobcat) and the tree is large - you really need the leverage that a tall stump offers, otherwise you will need a track loader or back hoe.

 

[Groundman One]

Within an inch or two unless the person gets fussy and asks for perfectly flush with the lawn.

Just FYI, most companies here charge $6 - $7 a linear inch for stump grinding. We don`t do it anymore.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

Wow, even in Canadian dollars that's high; we are around 2.50-3.00.

I tell people if they do not want to pay for the stump grinding, and want it cut low, then they have to pay for the chain.

 

[treeslayer]

I tell people if they do not want to pay for the stump grinding, and want it cut low, then they have to pay for the chain.

good one.

I tell EVERY customer on removals, (and write it on EVERY estimate) stump cut at the butt swell. you want the stump gone, grind it. otherwise, look at it til it rots. I'd be happy to cut it flat for a flowerpot, or table, though. knee high, too.

this one can bite ya in the a$$, if you are not careful.

 

[outofmytree]

The only thing? That saw needs a wrap handle. Any saw you fall or buck with does, for safety reasons. Sooner or later you will need it, and maybe not put yourself in a bad spot.
There have been threads about wrap handles here before. With real fallers explaining why, not some wannabe faller like me.

Don't sell yourself short mate. I would be interested to know why a full wrap. It isnt something we see much of over here.

As to the OP I usually cut an inch or 2 above grade regardless. If you are having trouble with sand, grab the garden hose and wash off the stump first.

 

[canopyboy]

It's actually one of the defaults on my bid form now. "Stump will be cut to within 6" of the ground." I usually aim for a bit lower and of course if they want something different I'll accommodate. But that's my default. At least it's in writing up front.

I've driven by some jobs where the guys left the stump almost 2ft high for the grinder. A couple days later I saw the guy with the grinder chewing away at it. Seemed like it would be easier to at least cut some of that away first. But I don't grind so maybe I'm missing something.

 

[treeslayer]

full wraps are a pain in the arse sometimes, and not needed most times. IMHO

I'd be curious why a faller would have to have one.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

good one.

I tell EVERY customer on removals, (and write it on EVERY estimate) stump cut at the butt swell. you want the stump gone, grind it. otherwise, look at it til it rots. I'd be happy to cut it flat for a flowerpot, or table, though. knee high, too.

this one can bite ya in the a$$, if you are not careful.

One of my clients put it rather well, if they do not want to pay for a stump-grind, why should I have to sharpen a saw for nothing?

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

Don't sell yourself short mate. I would be interested to know why a full wrap. It isnt something we see much of over here.

You manage your felling cut from either side of the tree with ease, using a full wrap saw, using a left or right hand throttle position.

 

[Groundman One]

Wow, even in Canadian dollars that's high; we are around 2.50-3.00.

That's a good price. We were always $6 an inch. I think the company had that price for ten-years. We gave up doing it partly because it meant an extra truck going to the job on top of the dumper/chipper rig, and also because our old Vermeer stumper had no drive motor (mega-busted) and had to be muscled into place. Using that thing on a hill was a cast iron *****. And maybe one job in twenty wanted the stump removed. I t made more sense for us just to give up doing it.

I tell people if they do not want to pay for the stump grinding, and want it cut low, then they have to pay for the chain.

I'd say at least half the people we meet who do want the stumps out are also having work done (septic tank, house extension)where the stump is that requires a backhoe. (We call backhoes "pehpeens" here.) So we tell them to have the backhoe rip out the stump for $50 instead of having it stump grinded for $250.

 

[T1MB3RWOLF]

wrap handles

Thats the only thing stopping me from putting wrap handles on my 460. I was just thinking about that yesterday actually.

I have a wrap handle on my 660 and my 441, and I love them! They are so handy when you cant get into a good position. Not being able to flush stumps lower is about the only limitation. The pro`s definately outweigh the cons.