care companies who may not want to purchase their own stump grinders. Mid-sized stump grinders have a larg- er spinning wheel, which means they can handle bigger stumps. But anoth- er advantage to mid-size machines is their speed. Smaller grinders take longer to process stumps, while a larg- er machine can cut your time in half. This is especially important if you are taking on multiple jobs or charging by the stump. Additionally, the smaller models won’t be able to tackle stumps larger than 20 inches. Luckily, as Hernandez points out, small-scale operations can develop relationships with local rental companies to provide a backup option for larger jobs if needed. FOR LARGE BUSINESSES Many large-scale tree companies can benefit from purchasing a stump grinder. “Doing a lot of crane work and maybe taking down 60-inch or 80-inch trees, a smaller stump grinder may work, but it will take them three days to do one stump,” says Lou Hicks, regional sales manager for Morbark, LLC, own- er of the Rayco brand. “If they buy a bigger machine, they could take out a huge stump in an hour. Using a small- er stump grinder means they aren’t working as efficiently.” This, he says, can translate into less financial gains in the long run. Owning a stump grinder can also ben- efit large companies “because they can include the cost of stump grind- ing in their bidding price,” says Her- nandez. Putting together a quote can involve several trips to the proposed work site, and “if you are waiting on a subcontractor to complete the work that you've got all of these resourc- es tied up in, that could be a week, a month. That's a lot of money to leave out on the line.” Machine ownership reduces the number of variables and guarantees availability, which can re- duce the amount of stress on a busi- ness owner.
The need to remove stumps is always at a constant demand, and those companies that have the capabilities to offer this service will increase their profitability. Photo courtesy of Bandit.
All three machine types require reg- ular maintenance. Hernandez encour- ages owners to thoughtfully train em- ployees to operate stump grinders and to perform regular maintenance tasks, such as replacing parts and topping off fluids. While these machines are capable of big jobs, they also require educated handling. “It doesn’t have to be intimidating or scary,” Hernandez says. “They are as safe as they possibly can be, with fea- tures such as operator-present switch- es to minimize user error.” Other things to consider when making a purchase are terrain, topography and typical stump size. A company based in rocky, hilly terrain with typically large stumps will require a much different ma- chine than one based in flat, sandy ter- rain with medium to small stump sizes. Maneuverability and ability to work on hillsides are also important factors to consider. An urban company would
WHICH STYLE IS BEST FOR YOUR BUSINESS? According to Ingli, "MAPS” is a sim- ple acronym that sums up the factors to consider when choosing the right stump grinder to meet your needs: • M aintenance required • A ccess to the site • P erformance restraints • S ize of the job Stump grinders are powered in one of three ways: direct drive, hydrostat- ic, and drive belt. Direct drive is the superior choice, according to Her- nandez, who encourages customers to “buy the most capable model that you can afford.” Hydrostatic machines can be more maneuverable, and drive belt-powered systems are perfect for smaller jobs as they require a more delicate operation and are more prone to belt breakage.
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