ETERRA AUGER STUMP PLANER?

[MNBobcat]

Anyone own one of these Auger Stump planers? I'm thinking of buying the 10". My auger only has 2,200 foot pounds of torque but they say 2,000 will work on the 10"


Here is a video of it.

I'm thinking for the money it may make sense to buy it rather than renting a stump grinder multiple times.

 

[AlanB]

Interesting. I am looking at $200 a day, $500 a week to rent from Bobcat, probably the way I am going.

I think you will have to have enough solid wood for that center point to bite into or it will really wander.

I wonder how it does when you are not hitting solid wood pieces. I would sure want to rent or try one a couple times before plunking down that kind of money on one.

 

[Industrial Toys]

I would bet you that some subsequent cuts won't be that easy. And roots!

Also, you always cut down a stump as much as possible. Why make all that extra work and dull sharpened edges unnecessarily? And what of stones? Every stump around here is ringed with at least a few stones.

 

[ArmyDoc]

I have one. It works. It cuts very well on my v519 telehandler. If the stump is under 9 inches, it's perfect. Just put it in the center and drill a way. Bye-bye stump. Trouble comes with larger stumps. You can over lap circles and it will work, but it takes a while. If you have a lot of stumps, I think I would rent something or buy something better. You can get an economy grinder for a bobcat for $4-6k, and the time you save will pay for it. If you have lot's and lots of stumps, a higher end grinder for a skid-steer will be about $10k.

Bottom line, the planer works, but it's very slow for large stumps.

 

[Captain Dirty]

Anyone own one of these Auger Stump planers? I'm thinking of buying the 10". My auger only has 2,200 foot pounds of torque but they say 2,000 will work on the 10". <snip>

I first became intrigued with vertical-axis stump grinders, "post-hole diggers on steroids," after watching a video of an Italian, PTO-powered brand, Ferri-Rotor Rotor S 15 – 25 Hp with drill. They appear ideal for urban landscapes (think verges between roads and sidewalks or parks) because of the minimal surface disturbance. The relatively slow speed limits flying projectiles common with "buzz-saw" horizontal axis grinders. However, the minimum power requirement is 80 or 90 HP, and the videos showed big, heavy tractors being moved around by the reactive forces. Fecon Stumpex Auger Stump Grinder | FECON, an American company, makes hydraulically powered vertical-axis stump grinders for skid steers and excavators. They state they can operate on as little as 20 gpm but list torque on the order of 36,000 ft-lbs. They even make a 6" diameter model for walk-behind mini-skidsteers.

I do not know the specs for your Bobcat nor the thickness of your wallet (I think the machines started at just under $20K). I would be leery of coming in at the bottom of the power threshold.