Woods Stump Grinder

[J_J]

LandGuy,

I am assuming that you are talking about a 3pt stump grinder.

If you are dead set on getting the stump grinder, here are some things you need to know.

Does the tractor hyd flow match the stump grinder requirements?

Do you have a PB port?

If yes, then you will need a long hose to go from the PB port to a male QD fitting on the back. Call it Aux1

You will need another hose from the 3pt input, to the rear with a female QD fitting. Call it Aux2

Make up a short hose to couple the Aux1 and Aux2 together when not using the stump grinder. With this short hose connected, your tractor will operate normally, including the 3pt.

When you want to use the stump grinder, unplug the short hose and plug in the two hoses from the stump grinder. This will put your stump grinder is series with the hyd flow. Engine rpm will determine the GPM's you are feeding the stump grinder.

Another option is to add a remote valve with PB at the back for all hyd action needed at the rear of the tractor. A two spool valve with one spool having detent would be ideal.

This will give you two sets of QD's for attachments.

If your stump grinder needs more GPM than your tractor can supply, you could install a PTO pump .

I always use the male QD for the hyd supply. I follow this logic for all hyd that uses QD's.

It also allows one the ability to plug the two QD together to keep them clean.

 

[LandGuy]

Thanks, JJ. Actually I'm leaning against getting a PTO-driven grinder. Part of the reason, other than the technical issues that buying one of these would raise for me, is that once the job of clearing this patch is done, I won't have much need for the machine. Most of my land is wooded and I plan to leave it that way; this is the only additional clearing I anticipate for a long time to come.

There is the financial equation. If a PTO grinder costs $3500 or so, how would that compare with the cost of paying others to do the work? I might easily pay at least $2,000 to someone to remove all the big stumps and to rent a small machine to grind out the smaller stumps myself. I figured, I could buy the Woods grinder and still have it when the work was done. Then I could sell the grinder if I wanted (or keep it), assuming it had any teeth left after coping with our quartz rocks.

I suppose I could rent a larger machine and do ALL the stumps myself, but I have no experience with a Vermeer etc. Doesn't mean I couldn't gain it, of course.

Then again, I've found that when I get into something new like this, I handle the learning curve pretty well. As Foggy noted, the dealer (located just 4 miles from me) could install all the connections and show me how to connect/disconnect.

I guess the thought I'm left with is that I wouldn't have much future use for the grinder. Nothing's worse than the sight of good farm implements rusting away from disuse.

 

[foggy1111]

Thanks, JJ. Actually I'm leaning against getting a PTO-driven grinder. Part of the reason, other than the technical issues that buying one of these would raise for me, is that once the job of clearing this patch is done, I won't have much need for the machine. Most of my land is wooded and I plan to leave it that way; this is the only additional clearing I anticipate for a long time to come.

There is the financial equation. If a PTO grinder costs $3500 or so, how would that compare with the cost of paying others to do the work? I might easily pay at least $2,000 to someone to remove all the big stumps and to rent a small machine to grind out the smaller stumps myself. I figured, I could buy the Woods grinder and still have it when the work was done. Then I could sell the grinder if I wanted (or keep it), assuming it had any teeth left after coping with our quartz rocks.

I suppose I could rent a larger machine and do ALL the stumps myself, but I have no experience with a Vermeer etc. Doesn't mean I couldn't gain it, of course.

Then again, I've found that when I get into something new like this, I handle the learning curve pretty well. As Foggy noted, the dealer (located just 4 miles from me) could install all the connections and show me how to connect/disconnect.

I guess the thought I'm left with is that I wouldn't have much future use for the grinder. Nothing's worse than the sight of good farm implements rusting away from disuse.

I have another year or two of clearing some land....and then I wont have much need for my grinder either. Already thinking about selling it when I am done with it....as it will just take up space at some point. For me....prolly only 500-800 more stumps to go....depending on how ambitious I get. :thumbsup:

From what you have described.....I think you should look into those self-propelled grinders at a rental yard. Either a Vermeer or a Rayco (my favorite rental grinder) in at least 25 hp. You dont man-handle those grinders.....you simply operate a couple of levers for all operations. You can learn how to operate one in short order....and they are good self-contained machines.

If I have everything pictured right.....and your stumps are cut reasonably close to the ground and you have good access and are ready to roll......a day or two's work will likely get your job done.

To me it would be hard to justify buying a grinder and doing the hydraulic improvements for the kind of work you have to do. Doubly so....if you have rocks.

Having said that ^ I have a few implements that would be hard to justify too....but I sure like owning my own stuff. :laughing:

 

[LandGuy]

If I have everything pictured right.....and your stumps are cut reasonably close to the ground and you have good access and are ready to roll......a day or two's work will likely get your job done.

Yes, Foggy, I cut 'em close to the ground, even when I'm not planning to grind them and they're located deep in the woods. Just looks better (to me).

I'll definitely look into renting a self-propelled grinder when the time comes. I still have some more trees to cut and remove (what a job). Really using that loader to move firewood!

I will leave about six nice tall straight oaks, scattered around. Might have to lime pretty heavily to grow good grass. Grass hates oaks.

Thanks to all those who have commented. You've really helped guide me to think through this.

I love equipment, but I guess the Woods grinder is one fantasy/idea I should let go of.

 

[Reg]

Y'know.....
For LARGE stumps and many of them, I think the TSC-50 is a really good deal.
Even at full retail list price, if you HAVE it you can do a few when you have time and quit before you get too tired and start making mistakes.
Sell it on when you are done, should get at least 60% back.
I bought used, but only slightly used.

This is the biggest bad'est thing about rental gear, folk work WAY after there is enough light to be safe and (however young they may be) they get tired and careless.

For saplings - - I'm gonna get scolded for this one;
Pallet forks; Set 'em close together, angle down to a bit steeper than 45 degrees, push 'em in just in front of the root ball, Cuuuurl and they pop right out - all ready to carry away too (-:

This also works for those big awkward rocks that are hard to get UP and OUT of the ground.
Sometimes it beats a hoe.
{Not that I ever beat my Hoe}

 

[Reg]

JJ,
The TSC-50 grinder only uses hydraulic power for swing and height, the actual grinding power is from the PTO - in case this wasn't clear.

I think there may be flow limiters somewhere in the hydraulics, in any case I haven't been able to slow the swing down much farther by very light touch on my controls.
The speed of the height control isn't something I worry about too much, since the wheel is OUT of the stump anyway when I lower - errr, this is usually true though I have deliberately lowered onto bits of stumps a few times.
Point is very low flow rate and pressure is needed for this grinder, just position cylinders, not power and speed.
You almost can't have "too little" flow for this (-:
If there is enough for a loader, then there is enough for this.

I run mine off the 1,000 RPM PTO gear, so the engine is down around 54% of where it would be for the 540 output gear, I still have PLENTY of flow for this.

 

[LandGuy]

Just a test post to see if my avatar and signature are working.

Hmm, the signature works but the pic ain't there, even though my profile shows it.

 

[Piston]

From post #60...

I'm glad you guys brought this thread up again...

....If you guys keep posting pictures and talking about it, you may just convince me that I need one of these in a year or two!


Why is it that, I don't even know this equipment exists, let alone think I need it, and then I go to TBN and start glancing through threads, and find a new piece of equipment that I just have to have, and all of a sudden I can't do the job without??? :laughing::laughing::laughing:

.....and it didn't even take me a year! :laughing: :cool2:
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachments/248173-3-point-beast-stumpgrinder-checked.html


Thanks for enlightening me to another one of those implements I never even knew I needed....
(this has been a very helpful thread for me:thumbsup

 

[foggy1111]

From post #60...



.....and it didn't even take me a year! :laughing: :cool2:
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachments/248173-3-point-beast-stumpgrinder-checked.html


Thanks for enlightening me to another one of those implements I never even knew I needed....
(this has been a very helpful thread for me:thumbsup

LOL And.....you found a really good HD used grinder.....and a great deal no less! WTG!

Grinding my stumps has reclaimed my land for our recreational purposes and for that of our critters. I now have about 5 acres of food plots and a couple miles of trails laced though my wooded property. Lots of fun......and would have been IMPOSIBLE without the stump grinder.

Operating a 3 point grinder is not for everyone....but grinding out my pine stumps has really been the deal for me and my property. I sure like reading about this topic. It is one of the most demanding tasks you can put onto a tractor...and having a tractor with HST and good hydrualics and power is fundemental. Done correctly....grinding em out is quite satisfying.

 

[Piston]

Foggy,
I never really thought I would own one of these, however, I started thinking about something that I didn't realize before. Many times, I have wanted to take down a tree, but I ended up thinking about how much of a mess I was going to make by digging out the stump, and if I didn't dig it out, all I could do was saw it low, and always see it. A lot of times, I would decide to just leave the tree. (I really suck at renting things because I rarely actually do it, if I have the equipment, I'll do it all day long, but if I have to rent, I tend to put it off forever...hence, not renting a stumpgrinder)

Another thing, I have been dreading clearing some land just because I hate looking at stumps, and when I started a few months ago I was knocking them all over roots/stump and all, which worked well except I didn't realize how much of the earth would be torn up with it, there was almost a 'blanket' of soil all over the stumps, sometimes it was HUGE and of course would leave a huge hole to deal with.

I have a neighbor with a mulcher and a tree shear for his ASV, he told me he would help me by shearing the trees but I was worried about having all those stumps to dig out with the backhoe. Now, I can barely wait to start cutting down trees and have him help me by shearing the ones on the land I'm clearing. I never realized how much I worried about stumps up to this point.
Him and I have even been talking about teaming up and specializing in cleanup from loggers, him on the skidsteer mulching and me on the tractor with the grapple and stumpgrinder, although for that, I could certainly justify a more powerful tractor :laughing: I still need some more experience with mine though.


Thanks for posting all about your experiences, I've learned a lot just from reading the threads on here (and only recently has there been more than just a few) I really enjoy seeing the pics/videos and reading about these tools. :thumbsup:

 

[foggy1111]

Foggy,
I never really thought I would own one of these, however, I started thinking about something that I didn't realize before. Many times, I have wanted to take down a tree, but I ended up thinking about how much of a mess I was going to make by digging out the stump, and if I didn't dig it out, all I could do was saw it low, and always see it. A lot of times, I would decide to just leave the tree. (I really suck at renting things because I rarely actually do it, if I have the equipment, I'll do it all day long, but if I have to rent, I tend to put it off forever...hence, not renting a stumpgrinder)

Another thing, I have been dreading clearing some land just because I hate looking at stumps, and when I started a few months ago I was knocking them all over roots/stump and all, which worked well except I didn't realize how much of the earth would be torn up with it, there was almost a 'blanket' of soil all over the stumps, sometimes it was HUGE and of course would leave a huge hole to deal with.

I have a neighbor with a mulcher and a tree shear for his ASV, he told me he would help me by shearing the trees but I was worried about having all those stumps to dig out with the backhoe. Now, I can barely wait to start cutting down trees and have him help me by shearing the ones on the land I'm clearing. I never realized how much I worried about stumps up to this point.
Him and I have even been talking about teaming up and specializing in cleanup from loggers, him on the skidsteer mulching and me on the tractor with the grapple and stumpgrinder, although for that, I could certainly justify a more powerful tractor :laughing: I still need some more experience with mine though.


Thanks for posting all about your experiences, I've learned a lot just from reading the threads on here (and only recently has there been more than just a few) I really enjoy seeing the pics/videos and reading about these tools. :thumbsup:

The lowest cost stump grinding service that I found around here was $10 per stump (I forget the average size for the $10 price....but it was close to what size I have). At first I considered doing this....and I really didnt know how many stumps I had to get rid of....until I operated a rental grinder for a few days.

Given that low price of $10 per stump.....my 1600 stumps would have cost me $16,000....so far...and counting. My $3500 ginder has long since paid for itself.....and I'm sure it's worth over half what I paid when I am done with it. Even with fuel and such....my cost per stump will be around $1.25 or less. Not too shabby!

Three point grinders are a good deal if you have enough stumps to clear and the right tractor to do it. Otherwise rental units are a pretty effective means too IMO.

 

[Dadof3]

Great thread guys. I have a Kubota L39. It has a GST tranny and 30.5 pto hp. Do you think it could utilize the SC100?

 

[Piston]

Dad, (ha, sounds funny calling you that :laughing
I don't believe there is a SC100 so I'm assuming you mean the SG100 that Woods sells. Shaver sells an equivelent called the SC50 (it'd be nice if they used the same numbers!) Those models would both be too big for your tractor, they are rated at 35-100pto hp. The Woods SG50 (or Shaver SC25) would be a great grinder for your hp from what I've read on here, however I don't have any experience with them, in fact I have very little experience at this point with these grinders as I just got mine recently so don't take me too seriously :laughing:
I have 39hp at the PTO on my tractor and it is not nearly enough to use the Shaver SC50 to it's full potential. I can use it, and it does an amazing job the way it is, but I'm certainly missing out on it's full potential by not having more power. I wouldn't use it on a 30hp tractor.

 

[LouieJunior]

I ordered a Shaver SC-25 Stump Buster one week ago. It won't arrive until early August. I decided upon this one because it appeared to be a bit sturdier than Woods and the cutting wheel is bigger. My tractor has 33 PTO HP, which is at the top of the range for this small grinder from Shaver. I have several quality attachments from Woods but the additional weight and size compelled me to go with Shaver for this one. I had never heard of Shaver three months ago.

 

[Nightrain1]

You fellas ever seen a grinder like this. It's all my lil 35 hp tractor wants, but I can grindem stumps out in a hurry-lol.

 

[foggy1111]

You fellas ever seen a grinder like this. It's all my lil 35 hp tractor wants, but I can grindem stumps out in a hurry-lol.

That is a novel design. I have not seen one like that before. I would think you would not be able to get very deep with it....but it may do a good job getting stumps to ground level. Interesting...would seem more like a cut-off saw on smaller stumps. What brand is it? More info? Cost?

 

[Nightrain1]

Here is an 8 inch stump, probably went down about 6 inches below level. If I adjust the top arm and angle it down, we could go deeper, alot depends on how level the ground is and how the tractor is sitting. It's not perfect but there is not much to clean up, just a stump and few grindings. I've done over 20 stumps at home. Works like a champ, home made, cost 1100.00. I am going to start a new post with better pics if interested.

 

[J_J]

What I am not seeing on that stump grinder is some carbide teeth. Just about anything that grinds in the dirt is using carbide teeth.

The teeth on there now seem they would wear down in the dirt rather quickly.

Could that be a Brown tree cutter.

 

[TSO]

I cut all my clover this morning, then after lunch, I put the Woods grinder on the tractor.

Yesterday we had dropped and hauled away about 25 trees that could fall on my pole shed (thanks grapple)....and there were some other remaining stumps in the area near my building that needed to go. We had to "pull" about half the trees to keep them from falling on my building.

So....with the grinder mounted, in about three hours of operating time I took out about 50 to 60 stumps. Next time I cut trees down....I am going to cut 'em a bit lower. That extra six to 10 inches of wood takes allot longer to grind.

I have not kept close track - but thus far I have ground over 500 pine stumps on the same set of teeth.....and the teeth still cut like new. I bought about 10 replacement teeth and they are still in the package.

OH......my wife did an 'offical" time for taking out a 12 inch pine stump. It took me 1.5 minutes to take a sheared 6" high stump to 8" below ground level. Hmmmm......that may be a new world record in the 30 HP class?

The only issues I have had are the keeper bolts on the big pins shaking loose.....and my rubber flap is now all chewed up. The hardest part for me is constantly looking over my shoulder and positioning the grinder from the tractor seat is a little dicey......a half-day is about my operating limit.

This Woods grinder has exceeded my expectations for a tractor-mounted grinder. Lotsa bang for the buck. :thumbsup:

300+ stumps now. Teeth still cut like new. I dont see any appreciable wear to the teeth or the wheel.....but most of the paint is off the teeth and the right side of the wheel has qutie a bit of the paint wore off. Still.....I dont see any major wear....and I expect to grind another 300 stumps and still be going strong with the original teeth (I hope). I do not have any rocks... but my soil is pretty sandy and I grind the stumps without regard for the dirt and sand to a depth of about 8".

I have ground a few oaks and some other hardwoods...but most are pine and a few years old....so they grind quite nicely. I suppose the oak take 3 to 5 times longer. I get up to 30 pine stumps ground per hour.

For my purposes....this grinder has proven to be the right machine.

Dang Foggy ... I'm jealous of your soft wood!

I just picked up a WorkSaver SG-26 and started grinding with it a couple days ago. My trees are 80% oak, 10% Maple, 9% ash, and 1% other. From the sounds of it, grinding the pines may easily be 3-5... or even 6 times faster than the hard woods. I have ground down about 13 stumps so far in 3 days. I usually work for about an hour+ per day when time allows. My quickest was a small 8" ash that was only a couple inches off the ground... took 5 mins or so. My average stump has been 16-18" at the base, with some pushing 20". The 20" ones take as much as 25-30 mins depending on roots. I find that for the most part, I can take about 1/2"-3/4" per pass. I could probably force more, but it slows the progress down enough that it probably doesn't save any time. The teeth pattern would probably allow 3" per pass, but I would have to have a very soft stump. I don't have quite as many stumps as you, probably a couple hundred, but I'll have use for a few years at least, and will even hire myself out to somewhat offset the cost.

You mentioned that stump-guys charge around $10/stump in your area. Around here, the going rate (for hardwoods anyhow) is $2/inch (diameter at base)... and they will drop that slightly if you have more stumps. Plus, they have a minimum charge ($75 seemed average when I called around). Anyhow, it would probably have cost me $2500 to hire somebody, so buying the grinder was worth it. I'll probably stick to the "couple stumps per day" schedule because it does tax the body (I had been thinking of installing a camera also).

LOL ... I'm thinking of cutting down one of my large Spruce trees just to try it out to see how much nicer it grinds! Oh, also, most of my stumps are only a year old, so that probably doesn't help either.

 

[liberty2701]

I just opened up an old thread here. Great info here and just have a few questions for those who know. Cabelas has a pto stump grinder as part of their WLM products which is made by Woods and according to Woods the exact same thing as the TSG50 just green paint. Cabelas has it on sale now for $3350 which is way lower than my local dealer who wants $4700 for the Woods unit. My Kioti DK50 has one remote. I checked out surplus center for a rear valve that I could use with the grinder. Could anyone steer me towards the valve that would work best for a single rear remote?