Stumper

[Skywalker]

were looking for a stumper for next season

have no idea what to look for


self propel would be nice

how pricey and what size etc

thanks

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

What do you do.... big stumps little ones, can you back up on most of them....

If you do a lot of big removals in back yards the Vermeer tracked units are awsome, but cost the same.

If most of your removals are crabapple and shrubs, then a rayco Jr. would suffice.

WHat is the monthly/ annual production it would do. How many off months will you have (rain/snow I did not read your state) where it will be sitting eating payment money.

 

[Stumper]

JPS is asking all the ight questions. Size and accessibility determine what machine is ideal. So far as versatility is concerned the little manually actuated machines are tops-they can get to almost every stump and there is no limit to how big a stump they can grind.........but they'll beat the operator up doing 5 feet diameter stumps. The little stumpers will win the race on small stumps-you can push the machine over and zap several shrub stumps and a couple of 10 inch tree stumps while the operator is trying to set up a big machine. If most of your work is on 24 inch plus tree stumps in front yards then a tow behind makes good sense. The big self propelled are very versatile... but pricey. The little self propelled and hydraulicly actuated machines are slow.

 

[SilentElk]

i have ben pretty impressed with my buddies self propelled carlton. Does a decent job pretty fast. Dont get a small vermeer, it would cheap and faster to use a sledge hammer.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

The big SP units are slow at first, but with use you can get them in and out fast.

When the big 50hp Vermeer tracked unit first cam out I saw one go through +30in hackberry and oak stumps in under 10 min (with fresh teeth) The direct drive and auto sweep are very useful for the unexperianced.

 

[arbor pro]

start small

Unless you know you have the workload to support both a small and large stump grinder, start with a small self-propelled. With a smaller unit, you can do any size stump. Granted, the larger ones will take a while but, at least you won't have to pass up those stumps that you otherwise couldn't get at with a tow behind unit. I ground hundreds of stumps ranging from 24-60" with a vermeer 252 and it worked fine. Yes, the 60" ones were a pain because, with a small unit, you have to reset up a few times; however, it got the job done.

Once you can justify purchasing a bigger unit, there's no need to start out with a $40k unit when there are plenty of good used units on the market for $5-10k. I bought an older vermeer 665A for less than $5000 and easily paid for it in less than one season working only part-time. It grinds out a 60" stump in about 30-40 minutes and is very easy to maintain.

Yeh, I'd like a new machine with all the frills but, I can't justify the payment working part-time for only 7 months of the year in a colder environment. For me, a smaller self-propelled unit accompanied by an older, yet reliable, tow-behind is a great combination.

If you buy both units up front, you can shop around and probably get set up with two used yet, good units for 10-15k. You may have to deal with a few quirks here and there but, at least your overhead will be low starting out until you build your business clientel. Then, when you're comfortable with your business, you can upgrade to a newer unit.

Good luck.