Stump Grinders?

[MinnesotaEric]

My tractor is rated at 48PTO hp. I had to turn away a job because I don't have a stump grinder attachment.

At some point I mean to buy one.

Cabelas is selling the Woods Cat 1 and 2 TSG50, a 20" grinder for $3600 right now on sale.

A Shaver 50 with a 34" wheel would set me back $5800 new and the 25, with a 24" wheel would cost me $4800.

Quick Attach has a commercial unit for 9K, with my sales guy promising to chase off to his sales manager and beg for a lower price to get closer to the competition.

I know nothing about stump grinders. Please advise.

 

[Tompet]

Your tractor would run one very well. Check out the Baumalight stump grinder website. At the time I was considering them, Woodward Crossings had a great delivered price. I went with the smaller Woods you referred because it was a better fit for the tractor I had at the time. Also Baumalight had very good communication and I was impressed with the units construction. I traded several emails with a member that had one and he was very pleased with it after a hundred stumps, many as work for hire.

The nicest pto grinder I have seen is one by Miller manufacturing you can find by a search...it has a third function on all but the base model which extends the cutting head forward and back so you do not have to reposition the tractor as much...nice feature...nice machine.

I have read many of your posts and I can tell you will have no problem getting up to speed with what you need and how to plumb a grinder. I thought you may find interesting the reference to a couple other good brands.

Does Cabela's carry the larger Wood's model....it is similar to the larger Shaver brand you mentioned.

 

[foggy1111]

I just posted on my Woods TSG50 stump grinder on another thread. I've ground out over 1400 or so Pine stumps with my grinder. Original teeth! But some of the joints on my grinder seem quite loose now. A few other guys have had this same issue.....not good.

I use my tractors Joystick valve to operate the grinder for swing and elevation.......and hook my loader outlets to the SCV valve. Works pretty slick for my purposes. Low cost method too!

I need to have a look at mine and determine if I can fix it.....as it does chatter at times now. I don't grind so many these days....as most of my work has been completed......so it's not a huge priority to fix it.

I'd have a look at the other brands to see if they are better equipped at the joints. One thing about the Woods grinder tho - they have the Sandvick wheel and teeth....which are TOP NOTCH stuff. I'd want that or similar on any grinder I would buy.

 

[MinnesotaEric]

I just posted on my Woods TSG50 stump grinder on another thread. I've ground out over 1400 or so Pine stumps with my grinder. Original teeth! But some of the joints on my grinder seem quite loose now. A few other guys have had this same issue.....not good.

I use my tractors Joystick valve to operate the grinder for swing and elevation.......and hook my loader outlets to the SCV valve. Works pretty slick for my purposes. Low cost method too!

I need to have a look at mine and determine if I can fix it.....as it does chatter at times now. I don't grind so many these days....as most of my work has been completed......so it's not a huge priority to fix it.

I'd have a look at the other brands to see if they are better equipped at the joints. One thing about the Woods grinder tho - they have the Sandvick wheel and teeth....which are TOP NOTCH stuff. I'd want that or similar on any grinder I would buy.

1400 stumps at $50 a stump works out to $70,000. Even at $10.00 a stump, without counting transportation costs, insurance, fuel, and your time, it looks as through the TSG50 offers good value!

Thanks for the feedback.

Control wise I have three sets of rear remotes, with two intended to be used with a top and tilt. But since the tilt ram has a lock valve on it (going in this week), I'll be able to disconnect it from my remote valve and task that valve for running a second function on an attachment when needed.

rabbit trail: Are the pivot pins wearing loose, or is there more to it?

I have not seen your wear, but I'll throw out an idea for repair and if it sticks, great, and if not, that's okay too: if the pivoting bits are peening out, look to purchasing pipe or bushing stock, grinding out the holes and welding in the new stock to tighten the loose bits back up.

 

[Coyote machine]

If it were me looking for a grinder, I'd see what the pros in the area use most, and what types of issues/problems they encounter. What they buy, what the various models run in $, and what maintaining one costs when used commercially. Then I'd seek out the most reliable local dealer, see what they recommend for your intended use, and then buy the best machine you can afford.

 

[Industrial Toys]

The pros will generally use commercial equipment. Self driven or even self propelled.

Stones are a grinders undoing around here. I just got rid of a large vermeer unit and am keeping a small Steiner grinder. I never did find the market for my big machine. I started to find out a lot more guys then I thought were in that business. The forestry guy that bought mine said it's a service you have to offer but you don't make money at it.

Then there is the liability issue!!!

 

[94BULLITT]

It takes sometime to grind a stump. I would not grind a stump for $50 unless it was small. I am not sure that running a grinder of a tractor would be very efficient. Your going to be sitting there looking backwards for extended periods of time. Then using the remotes to move the grinder up and down, left and right would not be that efficient. Foggy has a good idea on using the loader joysitck to run it. My biggest concern is the weight of the grinder. The TSG50 is only 545lbs. I think it is too light and you would have to take very small bites or it will pick the grinder up since the 3PH does not have down pressure. I recently used a standalone grinder that was 26hp and 1200lbs for 14 hours to grind 70ish stumps, some huge and some small. If I took too big of a bite with it, it would pick itself up violently. I think a standalone unit is the best way to go. The upside to a 3PH unit is the price.

 

[4570Man]

I had a guy grind three 15 inch oak stumps for me. He had a remote controlled stand alone diesel powered grinder. It took him 10-15 minuets to grind all three. He charged me $50, but he was already working at a neighbors house.

 

[DiffuznFlame]

I have a TSG50 on the back of my 50HP PTO JD. I've done many hundreds of stumps, Mostly hardwoods (ash, sugar maple, and oak), some soft maple and box elder. Stumps ground range in sizes from 3.5ft in diameter x 1.5 ft tall to a few inches. Grinding time for that range of stumps is the better part of an hour to seconds.

I have had issues with my TSG50 being very loose in at the joints since day one. A stump grinder can not have any give at the pivot points or the grinder will be very rough grinding which wears teeth and your slip clutch very quickly.

A bigger issue is the weight, which 94BULLITT mentioned and is dead on correct. The TSG50 is too light, period. Rotating mass is everything when grinding. The TSG50 just doesn't have it. I'd look at the Worksaver , Baumalight, anything 800#'s or more. You'll pay more... but its worth every penny IMO.

 

[dpb800]

I just rented a skid steer with stump grinder last weekend and completed 6 stumps in just under 2 hours. Good size stumps and one that was 3 foot tall yet.

That machine was a beast.