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Is there any money in tree stump grinding?

DozerDan82 said:
Roots yes, but I have 'flush' cut many a stump and never hit anything that would warrant not doing the cut. 12" + of grinding seems silly to me.
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I think it's more fine rocks and sand, not like golf ball sized.

That part goes quick though, I've never seen anyone cut 12" of stump off before grinding.
 
Thought of buying a head for skidsteer, but I'd imagine more folks wouldn't want a 5 ton machine tearing up their yard.
 
I need to post the pics of a tree guy I subcontracted on a job some years back. He had a ride on stump grindwr with a 60"? drum iirc. This thing was powered by a Detroit and could knock out a huge stump in mere minutes.

I swear I posted years ago on the old site.
 
I bought a Woodland Mills WG24 that runs on a 32 hp compact tractor. It gets the job done on oak stumps pretty quickly and didn't kill the bank account. But you do need a tractor. I am thinking side gig for sure with how well it works.
 

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I bought an old tow behind machine for 800 needing rod bearings in the old wisconsin engine... Threw in a set of bearings, hauled it around town knocking on doors of houses with stumps in the yard, made about $1500 in a week or so, decided it would be an ok gig if you had a nicer machine. Then sold the machine I had for $2500 and called it a win.
 
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The little town I live in has literally dozens of "tree guys". We're in Virginia amd get plenty of storm cleanups.

Hell, contractors are still cleaning right of ways from that heavy wet snow that shut 95 down. It folded pines over, tons of cleanup and cut backs.

However, only the biggest guys have grinders. They're also the only ones with skid steers, bucket trucks, large chip body trucks, etc.

Smaller guys have a pickup, and a baby chipper.

There's enough landowners here, and estate homes that you could turn some money grinding stumps.


Eddie and his hired guns, Jose and Felipe might do a bang up job of dropping the diseased 36" oak, getting the debris and wood gone, but they got no way to grind unless it's rented, or contracted 2nd hand.

I've thought of buying one with two or three buddies, I'm getting ready to clear 2.7 acres.
Be a useful tool, even short term.
 
the conservative atheist said:
I'm guessing most people just use the same company they hired to take the tree down
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that's exactly what they do

the conservative atheist said:
Can you make $1,000 a year doing grinding only, with a $3K grinder, or is this too optimistic?
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I assume you're talking net profit.

Being mechanically handy you can probably make that easily. The thing that really kills these ideas is the overhead of doing it the boot licker way you're supposed to. If you carry insurance and pay taxes that will eat all your profit.

It doesn't seem worth it if you're only doing it a weekend a month or so. You could probably make the same amount of money with less work running scrap.
 
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DozerDan82 said:
40 years and first time I have ever heard that....
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Seems like the kind of thing the assholes where I grew up would say. Rich idiots and a captive market are the only way you can get away with consistent shit service like that.
 
Csmith24 said:
I bought a Woodland Mills WG24 that runs on a 32 hp compact tractor. It gets the job done on oak stumps pretty quickly and didn't kill the bank account. But you do need a tractor.
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I bet someone with the right kind of junk in inventory could cobble that onto a plow frame and run it off a hydraulic unit sitting in the truck bed (or PTO if you have an old 4spd truck). Drive in, grind, collect $$, drive out, no loading/unloading fuckery.
 
I rip all mine out.

My yard is destroyed. :laughing:
 
YotaAtieToo said:
Most guys who run a lot of saws don't like cutting close to the ground as there is a much higher chance of hitting rocks that the tree pulled up as it grew.
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I'm not a tree guy, just a homeowner who has cut down around 100 pine trees on my own properties over the years. I typically cut them about 2" above the ground. It seems like whenever I try and cut them flush, or clean up around them a bit and cut them slightly below flush, my chain gets extremely dull. I think it is small bits of sand/microscopic rock dust that just dulls the crap out of the chain.
 
blthomas said:
I've thought of buying one with two or three buddies, I'm getting ready to clear 2.7 acres.
Be a useful tool, even short term.
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After my shit experience with renting them, I too thought about buying one one. I looked on CL, and damn they are expensive! I'm just going to call the man next time.
 
DozerDan82 said:
Yes, - but why would you grind a 'tree' vs a one minute cut, to then grind it down below grade. total waste of 'grinding' imo
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First time to use the machine, took the other stumps out in about 45 min, still had 3 hours left and was having fun. If I was doing it for money, I’d have used a different approach.
 
DannyK said:
I'm not a tree guy, just a homeowner who has cut down around 100 pine trees on my own properties over the years. I typically cut them about 2" above the ground. It seems like whenever I try and cut them flush, or clean up around them a bit and cut them slightly below flush, my chain gets extremely dull. I think it is small bits of sand/microscopic rock dust that just dulls the crap out of the chain.
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I've heard this experience from others as well cutting pine tree stumps close to the ground.

Regardless, I've learned that if you want a tree gone completely the only reasonable way is to do it is an excavator. Cut the root ball 3/4 of the way around it with the bucket and push it over. Don't cut it down first. I've done a lot of this kind of thing "cash on the side" with my mini last summer and it's way faster to take the tree down using it's own weight than when a homeowner cut's the tree off a few feet of the ground. Also results in a smaller hole.
 
I know a few tree guys, I work on their trucks. The smaller tree guys typically do the stumps themselves and the bigger guys seem to farm out the stumps to somebody that they know because it take them too long to grind a stump, they would rather be doing the trees. Stumps don't make as much money per hour vs taking trees down
 
I save up stumps then rent a Vermeer grinder ($270/day) when I have have several to do. I can knock out 10+ 18" or larger stumps with a daily rental. I take the roots out as deep as the machine will go because we are going to come back with dirt for grass or other plantings.

The tree guys in our area will charge a fortune to grind a stump comparatively. If you want to stay busy with side work be the source for the tree guys in your area to grind stumps for them. It is an extra trip, PITA cleanup and man-power they don't have, most will gladly give you the referrals especially since you won't be competing for their work and can likely give referrals back to them.

It would seem there is profit potential as long as you don't have to spend too much time bidding the work. Not sure how big or fast a $3K machine is, the ones I rent are stupid expensive.
 
If anyone within driving distance of me ever needs one, i have one of the little 8hp ones. It works great sice the itty bitty wheel is sized small enough for the motor. Just take sweeping passes of 1/4" or so and it works pretty good. Maybe 30 steady minutes for an 18" pine stump 8-10" above the surface.

Free to borrow for irate members
 
Just came across this thread. I started a stump grinding side gig in March. Last year I bought a Woodland Mills wg24 grinder for my 850 John Deere. The tractor has a grapple I built a while back as well. Luckily I had all the equipment so that jump started me. Started by doing a few jobs for people at church. After 4 or 5 jobs I started investing heavily back into it. I live in a major summer cabin/tourist district with lots of people from out of town visiting their cottages. Rolled my profits into building a website, insurance, business cards and a social media blitz. Just recently I purchased 25 yard signs that say "stump grinding, insured (with my number) and put them everywhere. That was 3 days ago and I already got 2 calls from them. One job was 32 stumps. Right now I price stumps in increments 10-15" , 15-20" etc that will probably be modified some. For smaller stumps, say a guy has ten 4" stumps. I measure at about 4" above ground, add up my inches and multiply by 10. $10/inch, I am planning on going to a flat rate of $10/inch for all sizes. If a guy has one 5" stump it's a minimum of $100, if it is taller than 8" it's subject to a cut fee. I like jobs with 5+ stumps, that usually equals out to $4-500/hr. Sometimes my machine can make $700/hr, each job is different. Small jobs make the least but still usually around $100/hr.
 
woods said:
I rip all mine out.

My yard is destroyed. :laughing:
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In a yard it's better to rip them out and deal with the destruction then and now vs. Grinding it, covering it, then having to deal with the sunken depression as it rots in ten years. I have a damn near proper sinkhole iny pasture right now from where they buried the stumps. Gonna have a buddy of mine bring me a dump truck full of fill dirt when we get a dry spell to firm up the ground.
 
my friend started out with a stump grinder a couple years back as a side job. he now has a yard full of equipment and does dirt work full time. it makes good money but he moved on to even better money.
 
This is the tractor I use. 1980 diesel, no powersteering and a manual gear box. Woodland Mills recommends a hydrostatic tractor but I have ground 400+ stumps with it. I plunge cut most of the stumps. Take a cut, move forward and repeat. Grapple works good for hauling out cutoffs. A lot of times people see the grapple and have me move some brush or logs. Thinking about getting a little dinky walk behind grinder as well. Some of the cabins are on very small lots next to a lake. Working on a dump bed insert as well for hauling out chips, shrubs, bushes, cutoffs.

Other things are, lots of spares like 3pt link clevises, bars and chains (tough on saws) chip gaurd (mudflap like). It can throw chips pretty far. Leaf blower for clean up on driveways, etc. Things like a come-along and straps incase the tractor gets hung up.

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back woods said:
Just came across this thread. I started a stump grinding side gig in March. Last year I bought a Woodland Mills wg24 grinder for my 850 John Deere. The tractor has a grapple I built a while back as well. Luckily I had all the equipment so that jump started me. Started by doing a few jobs for people at church. After 4 or 5 jobs I started investing heavily back into it. I live in a major summer cabin/tourist district with lots of people from out of town visiting their cottages. Rolled my profits into building a website, insurance, business cards and a social media blitz. Just recently I purchased 25 yard signs that say "stump grinding, insured (with my number) and put them everywhere. That was 3 days ago and I already got 2 calls from them. One job was 32 stumps. Right now I price stumps in increments 10-15" , 15-20" etc that will probably be modified some. For smaller stumps, say a guy has ten 4" stumps. I measure at about 4" above ground, add up my inches and multiply by 10. $10/inch, I am planning on going to a flat rate of $10/inch for all sizes. If a guy has one 5" stump it's a minimum of $100, if it is taller than 8" it's subject to a cut fee. I like jobs with 5+ stumps, that usually equals out to $4-500/hr. Sometimes my machine can make $700/hr, each job is different. Small jobs make the least but still usually around $100/hr.
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I had some ground in March, and $10 an inch… that’s WAY more than the going rate here.

Especially since Home Depot started renting grinders.

Good on you for getting it. Great job.
 
back woods said:
This is the tractor I use. 1980 diesel, no powersteering and a manual gear box. Woodland Mills recommends a hydrostatic tractor but I have ground 400+ stumps with it. I plunge cut most of the stumps. Take a cut, move forward and repeat. Grapple works good for hauling out cutoffs. A lot of times people see the grapple and have me move some brush or logs. Thinking about getting a little dinky walk behind grinder as well. Some of the cabins are on very small lots next to a lake. Working on a dump bed insert as well for hauling out chips, shrubs, bushes, cutoffs.

Other things are, lots of spares like 3pt link clevises, bars and chains (tough on saws) chip gaurd (mudflap like). It can throw chips pretty far. Leaf blower for clean up on driveways, etc. Things like a come-along and straps incase the tractor gets hung up.
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I’ve haven't seen a grinder quite like that. I wonder if you could place some sort of hopper to the side to catch all the debris?
 
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