Learned a lesson, the hard way

[5030]

I'm in need of a 3 point stump grinder as I have at least 30 stumps to grind out so I got on Tractor House and perused the auctions and found (what appeared to be a Worksaver 3 point stump grinder for auction in Missouri and bid on it (and got it). Stated in the blurb that it need a new gearbox which I priced from Worksaver at 1000 bucks and I factored that into the bid price as well as transportation from there to here, no big deal.

Anyway, it arrived last Thursday and to my unpleasant surprise, all the carbide teeth were totally shot and the cutter wheel was bent plus the main frame was broken. Basically junk. I didn't pay an arm and leg for it but I'm still out over 1500 bucks. I'll chalk that up to unscrupulous auctions and move on. In fact I just ordered from my Kubota dealer a new Land Pride SG stump grinder (in Kubota orange) today. The only issue with the Land Pride SG is the input power is quite a bit less than what either of my units put out so I'll run the 1000 flip shaft on the pto with a 540 6 spline adapter. That way, at 540, the engine is below it's max torque and power rating. My dealer was conducive to my idea. The SG grinds to 10 inches below grade and is capable of handling a 30" stump without repositioning the tractor. Really designed for an HST unit but with my creep gears, I should encounter no issues.

learned a valuable lesson and that is, at an auction, an item that is represented may not be way it is.

 

[Yander]

Sorry to hear that but thanks for sharing and please comment back on how that works for you. I will be in the market for a 3pt. grinder in the next couple of years myself. Unless I find a deal on one sooner.

 

[5030]

Used ones are very hard to find (why I jumped on the one out of state actually). Now I have a new one coming, should have just did that to begin with actually. My only issue with the Land Pride SG is the input power. My tractors both make way in the excess of the rated input power so I need to be careful with it and 2 that end, I'll run it on the 1000 pto, 21 spline pto shaft with a 6 spline adapter at 540 instead of 1000 which will drop the engine rpm way down as well as the power and torque. I'll probably part out the auction grinder I bought to recoup some of my money. It was really abused. lesson learned. I've sold a few implements on Tractor House in the past but I'm always honest about the condition and if there are any issues. Didn't happen with this one.

 

[5030]

You might wind up with mine, you aren't that far away and it's not that heavy or cumbersome either. 600 pounds and would fit in a pickup.

 

[jyoutz]

It has always seemed to me that unless you’re an arborist using a grinder regularly, it would be cheaper to rent those. Because after grinding your stumps, what do you do with that implement?

 

[Yander]

I'm planning to use it for retirement income. More tools I have for my tractor the more offering I will have.

I want to be able to go do a tree clean up job and offer stump grinding too.

Sounds crazy but when I was doing tree cleanups with my brothers tree Business it was just me and the brush no bosses. I enjoyed it.

I have two boys and in there late 20s and early 30s; both could use a little extra income so I could get them both to help me with my business.

 

[5030]

It has always seemed to me that unless you’re an arborist using a grinder regularly, it would be cheaper to rent those. Because after grinding your stumps, what do you do with that implement?

Put it in the barn just like I do with my hay tools...lol It's expensive around here getting the number of stumps ground I have. Average charge is 10 bucks an inch here and I must have 25 stumps, some are pretty large, that need to go. Plus getting someone to do it is also a PITA.

No one rents them around here either. I've looked. They do rent the small ones for like 250 bucks a day but those aren't gonna cut the mustard on my stumps (oak and maple) and at 72 years old I don't want to be hanging on to a walk behind stump cutter gyrating like a front tine tiller tilling hard packed clay. I'd much rather sit in the tractor and operate the hydraulic controls and the walk behind ones won't cut below grade like the bigger ones will.

 

[5030]

Like Yander, I have outside interests too. The guy who takes all my wood (and I get a lot) will most likely have me grind stumps for him too. Right now I have at least 10 cords of hardwood he needs to get. He sells it to local campgrounds as a retirement income, kind of like me running hay. It's a retirement thing.

 

[5030]

I did look at the less expensive Baumalight and the Woodland Mills grinders but neither have the swing capabilities. They mount rigidly to the 3 point and all movement (cutting swath and depth) is all done by moving the tractor too and fro and they are really meant for an HST tractor of lesser power. Both mine are gear drive but the one (cab tractor) has the creep gears in it plus the 540-1000 pto. The creep speeds give me a really low first gear, like .5 mph at rated rpm. They are really meant for planting more than anything else but when I purchased the tractor new in 2002, they came with it as well as the 'Artic package' and the 540-1000 rpm pto.

Both of them are about 2 grand less than the Land Pride SG but nowhere near as capable and the SG has readily available and easily replaceable carbide teeth too.

The big expense is of course the carbide insert cutting teeth but then the Baumalight and the Woodland mills also have carbide teeth, chipping stumps requires carbide cutters.

 

[5030]

...and of course, being a working farm with a Federal ID number, I'll write it off like I do everything else. It's a business expense. Heck, I'd write off my wife if I could...lol

 

[EddieWalker]

When I was looking for a backhoe, a local contractor tried to sell me a Deere 710 that he had just bought at auction. He said it needed a new engine, and the price was low enough to have me go take a look at it. The more I looked, the less I wanted it. He said it ran great at the Auction, but when he got it home, it had no power. It turned out that somebody had put a BB in the injector lines to hide the dead cylinders. He also said that it came from the Dealer in that area of Houston, and he believes the dealer did that to sell it with a known problem that they where hiding.

When my Case dozer had a hydraulic issue, my dealer said that they don't repair hydraulic pumps, they only install new replacement pumps, which cost $25,000 for the pump, plus labor and other parts that might be needed. They also said that I should turn down the pumps so it isn't an obvious issue and sell it at the auction. I ended up pulling the pump and having a shop rebuild it for $2,000

Auctions scare me

 

[5030]

Like I said previously, I've sold implements on Tractor House in the past but I'm always up front and honest about the condition and if there are any issues. I guess not everyone is up front as I found out.

Should have been there and inspected it in person, but then it was 900 miles away. Learned my lesson, the hard way.

 

[Captain Dirty]

Four words fraught with danger: "As is, where is."

Advice always comes after you have made your move (ordering the SC-25). Shaver, who I think manufactures for other brands, makes a larger machine (SC-50) rated for 100HP. I do not know prices. Back in 2013, Piston, a member on this site, raved about his SC-50 that he got used.

Both Quick Attach and Erskine (same Parent company) offer 24” (25-60HP) and 34” (45-90HP) PTO stump grinders. From the advertising videos and parts diagrams I think the same size models are the same machine. I bought the QA 25” in 2021 for around $5K with which I am satisfied. I live on rocky soil and excavate around a stump before grinding. When I took out a 48” oak stump I shaved it with 1/8” -1/4" passes and had to use a pickaxe to dig out many imbedded “pebbles”. I wish you better soil.

 

[5030]

No rocks here, just blow sand so the carrbides should go a while plus they are 3 sided. Land Pride builds their own articulated stump grinder btw. Land Pride (Great Plains) uses Green manufacturing carbide teeth btw.

Gave or will give should I say, 5500 for it from my dealer, delivered to the farm. Got some big ones and a bunch of smaller ones once I get it plus I have 3 more storm damaged maples to remove yet. Had a heck of a blow down up here about a month ago. Been sawing and sawing, seems like forever. Sharpening chains too. Even bought an Oregon chain grinder, tired of hand filing.

Looked at the Baumalight articulated stumper but the price was way higher. Least disposal of the wood isn't an issue. All spoken for. We don't heat with wood anyway. Never have. One of my good friends takes it all and spilts it and sells it to local campgrounds, it's his retirement income.

I would have liked to buy a Rayco or Vermeer tracked machine but they are well beyond my price range and all the used ones I looked at looked flogged.

Had excellent luck with Landpride implements, in fact I have one of their bat wing mowers as well as 9 foot wide flat deck shredder.

Already having the neighbors inquiring about grinding their stumps too. I won't do it cheap, count on that.

 

[5030]

As an aside, I looked hard at the QA stumper but could not come to terms with them. They wanted 100% payment up front, I don't do that as a rule. I do 50% down and the balance on delivery plus I'm tax exempt and they didn't like that either so I bought it from my local dealer, he knows I'm TE on any farm related equipment and I trust him.. I don't know those people from mud.

100% payment up front leaves you with no recourse from in transit damage or anything else...

And the QA stumper was more than the LP anyway.

 

[5030]

It has always seemed to me that unless you’re an arborist using a grinder regularly, it would be cheaper to rent those. Because after grinding your stumps, what do you do with that implement?

Not even here yet and the word is out.. I need to quote a job on the other side of town when I get a chance. Go price one (and not a wimpy push one). How about 2100 bucks for a weekend? Told my Kubota dealer my plan, use it and sell it. He said the work will come, guess it is...

 

[RjCorazza]

I bought a Baumalight grinder a few months ago, and I've covered about 60% of the grinder cost so far without even trying. In my area it's difficult to get tree companies to handle the stumps period... They just don't seem to want to do it.
I'm charging a flat rate of $200 per hour, or $3 per inch.

 

[oosik]

There are two reasons I ALWAYS buy brand new implements. 1 - I've yet to find any used implements, of Cat 2 size, in my area. This is after 40+ years of searching. 2 - the experiences of 5030, Eddie Walker and many others.

I'll make my own boo - boos with implements. I don't need to be buying those made by others.