YOUR OPINION: Get a 3pt stump grinder, or get a backhoe for my R4047

[TSO]

I have a never ending supply of stumps to remove. Seriously. I think I have around 100-150 as of now, and more to come. Most of them are medium size ... 12" in diameter. Then some are around 20", then others are closer to 32" or bigger. Most of these are hardwoods. My ground is a lovely layer of clay.

I was going to buy a 3pt stump grinder in the spring, grind my stumps over the summer, then use the grinder to hire myself out to justify keeping the grinder. But today I was thinking ... would I be better off with a backhoe? I know that removing stumps with the BH will take longer than using a grinder ... but then, after thinking about it some more, I could put the BH to more use with other tasks than just grinding stumps.

Part 2 of my questions is this: Has anyone been using the LS backhoe that works with the R4047 ? Is a backhoe this size capable enough to justify using it for stumps?

Thanks in advance.

 

[ultrarunner]

A stump grinder will be a lot cleaner...

How much would it cost to get set-up?

 

[TSO]

Looks like the average cost should be around $4500 for the grinder ($4000-5500 range). A backhoe looks to be around $6000.

 

[DT86]

For that kind of money you would probably be better off buying a older full size backhoe.

You'd be surprised how big of a hole it takes to dig a 20" stump out.

I find it much easier to dig around the tree and push the whole thing over than to dig out just the stump.

 

[dragoneggs]

Boy that is a tough one... the number of stumps suggests a grinder because the of the pile of dirty stumps that you would have to deal with (burn?) using a BH. But a BH as you said will be handy as long as you own it... once the stumps are dealt with you will want to jettison the grinder. Personally, I would lean toward the BH because of the other fun it will give you in the meantime but your stumps will take longer to deal with for sure. I suppose it boils down to how fast you want to rid your sight of the stumps.

 

[Guesseral]

In my opinion I would get the grinder get the job done quick and like you said hire out to grind stumps if you have the time, grinding out stumps is expensive and it could be a nice sideline income. If you really want to get a BH I would agree with the earlier post to get an old larger BH, with more hydraulic flow and faster operation a BH on a tractor is just another implement not a permanent tool! I don't have a BH for a cut but I do have an older tractor with a BH the hydraulic force between the cut and the older ford just has no comparison, don't get me wrong I love the cut and the hydraulic capabilities it has but it just can't compare, the old ford has a pump mounted on the front of the engine that is designed to operate the loader/BH on that tractor the cut (all cuts) has a pump designed to operate the 3pth and anything we add including a FEL is above and beyond the design criteria of the hydraulic system. Yea some cuts have a larger flow pump and some will run a BH better than others and the manufacturers man or may not have designed in a little for additional items but it all boils down to if it wasn't designed in at the time of manufacturing like a TBL it taxes a system that isn't designed to do it, and why would you want to run the chance of damaging your tractor if you don't have to a 100 to 150 stumps is really a lot 10 to 20 yea but! Oh well that's my opinion and that and a buck is still only worth a buck!:2cents:

 

[txdon]

I have a BH and If I had 150 stumps I wanted to be rid of I would go with a stump grinder. With a BH you have a big hole to contend with and the stumps are still on your property and they do not burn easy especially if you have clay that sticks to them. Have you looked into renting a stump grinder for a week.

 

[the old grind]

I've dug up large white poplars with my humble T5C Back Hoe (days/stump), tho' these were not oaks as blanket TSO's spread. (Howdy 'T'!) A friend has done similar with his JD 500C (hrs/stump). (a big'un) Neither of us could do much neatly without re-positioning a few times, something less needed when grinding.

Dug stumps are indeed large for tree dia and become a mess to get rid of. Dirt doesn't just flake off when dry, or rinse off in the rain. TSO's clay soil clinging won't help them burn, and if ashes are added to compost it'll go in there too. (recent pic of poplars dug 8yrs ago, & you can see what's left now .. clay still caked-on)


I had apple stumps ground decades ago, and the only hassle was that tossing all those chips in with the back-fill sucked enough nitrogen from the soil to keep anything from growing there for years. (lawn, not woods or pasture-in-progress, and sink-holes will appear as roots docompose) Soon after, I dug similar (mature) apples with Glenn's big JD. That was anything but the 'snatch-n-grab' job I expected it to be. (Cutting large roots had to be done at random, and works best with a SawZall run off the generator vs trashing chains)

With enough stumps to remove I'd consider grinding to be the more efficient option o'all, needing only a fraction of the time/labor and equally less work to clean up and re-level each hole. A BH would do a lot of other tasks, but digging stumps doesn't seem to be their shining hour regardless of size or power. (say Glenn's 70hp vs T5C's mere 20) IMO, whether a grinder or BH should be an attachment vs dedicated gear should consider other general uses for either. :2cents:

 

[TSO]

Keep the comments coming ... so far leaning back towards the grinder. They hold their value very well, and you rarely see used ones for sale for longer than a day or 2. I suppose I could use one until I was done with it, and sell it if needed ... or keep it to make side $$$. Perhaps I'll rent a mini-ex if I ever need the BH capabilities.

Shoot ... maybe I'll try to make my own grinder :confused2:

 

[Gary Fowler]

A backhoe can be a very worthwhile investment IF you have continued use for one after digging up the stumps. With either method of removal, you will have a depressed hole to deal with. The grinder hole can be a real problem as all the chips/roots start to rot it can turn into a potential quagmire that could be extremely dangerous it your wheel drops into it when carrying a load. At least with a backhoe, you can refill the hole with compacted soil even though you may not have enough to completely fill it back up. The only big holes you will have is with trees above 12" in diameter. Anything below 12" is usually pretty easily uprooted and after backfill it is barely noticeable.
There is pros and cons for each implement, but I myself would opt for the backhoe. I would work the stumps out at my leisure with the hoe and still have it available for other uses whereas the grinder is just that and no other usefulness to it. I didn't realize how handy a BH is till I got my TLB. As for digging time, I can dig out a 24" pine tree in less than an hour while an oak take a lot longer due to more roots to be cut. Pines have a taproot so you just have to dig deeper, but oaks have no taproot but more feeder roots so you have to dig larger area. I always take the backhoe and dig out most of the soil in the root bundle so very little is left and they burn pretty well. Small stuff 8" and below might only take one scoop or perhaps a couple of scoops on each side then push it over if a tree or lift it out of the ground if a stump. It does take a bit of experience learning how to dig them out but after a few are taken out, it gets much easier as you develop a technique.

As for subbing out work with it, make sure you have very good insurance for liability concerns which is going to cost you more money to do this work than you may make. When trying to justify the cost of removal of a single stump in someone's yard, most aren't willing or are very reluctant to pay for your transport time, grinding and loading/return time. They only see the 20 minutes of grinding as costing them a couple hundred bucks and you will waste a lot of time dealing with estimates and the like while getting only a smattering of work.