Recommendations for the 4500 stump grinder

[MountainBuck]

I've been considering the stump grinder for the 4500.

The YouTube videos of it seem like it runs well and works quickly.

However that mirror in the front looks odd. Is that hard to get used to?

Is it difficult to mount on the tractor?



Thanks in advance.

 

[zmountaineer]

I've been considering the stump grinder for the 4500.

The YouTube videos of it seem like it runs well and works quickly.

However that mirror in the front looks odd. Is that hard to get used to?

Is it difficult to mount on the tractor?



Thanks in advance.

I have a Steiner stump grinder for my ventrac. I don't have a mirror and it is extremely easy to use. Though the Steiner one is more offset.

 

[JackIL]

I consider the mirror on the Ventrac when using a Ventrac Stump Grinder as essential. It requires mounting 2 brackets on the front (2 bolts each) and then the arms of the mirror just slip in and are tightened. Very easy. I remove the brackets when using the Slip Scoop since there can be interference. Watching the cutter wheel in the mirror is not difficult. The mirror makes it very easy to watch the progress of cutting the stump. You primarily use it when moving the tractor forward to start a new pass.

 

[johara1]

I used the Ventrac stump grinder without a mirror, but I stand beside it rather than get beat up and you have no trouble seeing. The option for the Steiner one is a good choice you plan to sit in the seat. It would be nice if you could reverse it to get roots and rocks that jam it up...... a chain and a tree work to get them loose..... jim

 

[Industrial Toys]

I have the Steiner. A bit hard to accept once I got rid of my real Vermeer grinder. But it does the job, albeit slowly and a lot of repositioning.

I use it while standing beside the tractor. The biggest hassle is engaging and disengaging the parking brake from the other side of the tractor.

I'm curious if anyone thinks that adding a mirror to the Steiner would be an improvement. Mirrors aren't the kind of thing that I really want around.

 

[johara1]

I have the Steiner. A bit hard to accept once I got rid of my real Vermeer grinder. But it does the job, albeit slowly and a lot of repositioning.

I use it while standing beside the tractor. The biggest hassle is engaging and disengaging the parking brake from the other side of the tractor.

I'm curious if anyone thinks that adding a mirror to the Steiner would be an improvement. Mirrors aren't the kind of thing that I really want around.

The brake on the Ventrac is on the right same as the controls, it works super........ jim

 

[Industrial Toys]

Oh, the PTO engagement lever is on the "other" side as well!

I bought my BIG vermeer unit, only because I was so impressed with the corded remote control. I never realized what an asset that feature would be. To me, it is critical to see what the cutter head is doing while you operate it.

 

[johara1]

Oh, the PTO engagement lever is on the "other" side as well!

I bought my BIG vermeer unit, only because I was so impressed with the corded remote control. I never realized what an asset that feature would be. To me, it is critical to see what the cutter head is doing while you operate it.

Yes, they are a toy, but they work for little stumps. 2 foot stumps are a long time grinding....... too long..... jim

 

[Industrial Toys]

If you do the stumps as they come up, or a few at a time, these little grinders are nice to have around. It's still very satisfying to be rid of stumps without a huge mess from excavation.

 

[johara1]

Yes, the Ventrac dealer rents them, Not as fast as a D9 with a root rake but it they work...... jim

 

[TNMark1]

JackIL pretty much has it. Mirror makes it easier. Grinder works OK around the house for stumps and bushes with lots of roots... You can grind a 2 foot stump, it takes a while. To do it occasionally would be OK. To do it everyday would take forever. If you want to grind stumps everyday, get a real stump grinder.

Last, unlike JackIL, I've never taken the mirror mounting brackets off the frame of the tractor. They don't seem it interfere with any attachment (I have a power bucket with a grapple, not a slip scoop)...

If you dont have a mirror, you need a spotter and a mirror is a lot easier. Last, not sure how you run it and NOT sit on the tractor, seat switch will turn front belt drive off.

When using it ....You do need to trim as much off the stump as you can with a chainsaw first. You move forward and start cutting, not really deep, but turn the steering wheel side to side to make the cut wider. I usually set the handbrake when turning the wheel.. If you bite in too much, the belt slips and just lift the grinder a bit....

Pretty useful, I do a lot of stumps for the neighbors. Don't charge anything, but always seem to get something back.

 

[johara1]

Sitting on the machine looking at a mirror to see past the chips is half *** at best. That isn't one of Ventracs better ideas, chips flying towards the mirror to see what your doing for depth and length of cut. It is a total joke....... It does work good standing by the machine and actually seeing what you are doing...... jim

 

[JackIL]

The chips are expelled toward the tractor at ground level. The mirror is in front of the grinder, so no chips are flying toward the mirror.

 

[johara1]

On a Ventrac stump grinder I rented was new and the chips go forward ..... jim

 

[johara1]

Also there is very little room to the rear for anything, it is very tight and nothing goes to the rear for those little mud flaps sealing the back off. I wish you could reverse it like the one on a Powertrac when you get a root jammed in it........ jim

 

[JackIL]

Watch this video of the current Stump Cutter. The chips are expelled to the rear.

VENTRAC Stump Grinder KC18 - YouTube

 

[TNMark1]

jackIL is correct ... chips come out the back. Must be something wrong somewhere....

 

[johara1]

Yes look at the video , all the chips are in the front.......comming out over the stumping you try to see trough that with a stupid mirror ? how can you gage depth? ..... jim

 

[TNMark1]

Some chips come out the front. Most come out the back. Wheel turns towards tractor and since the teeth are dished. There is some material that goes out of the front. The amount is small and doesn’t interfere with what you can see.

The Best Way to Remove Stumps Without Destroying the Lawn - YouTube

 

[johara1]

Yes it does turn that way but the back of it is sealed off and chips go forward because they have nowhere to go. That is why they jam up on roots so easy, they can't get away. They need more room to get away like on the Steiner model...... jim