Anyone hired a stump grinder for home use? Worth it?

[TT86]

Morning folks

I have taken a few trees out in the garden and have a few stumps I'd like to deal with. Hiring in a tree surgeon is likely cost prohibitive at the moment so I'm hoping to do it myself.

Local hire place has a Camon SG30 (I think 13hp) you can hire for £100 a day which seems reasonable. I have never used one before but have seen them in use. I have my own chainsaw so have suitable PPE I can use.

Have heard hire machines can be a bit rubbish but I'm sure it very much depends on the supplier.

I have this cluster of bay stumps to deal with- the one closest to the camera is quite chunky. Is it likely the type of grinder you can hire will deal with these adequately?

Also have two ash tree stumps to lose, biggest one approx 12 inches across.

Any thoughts/opinions much appreciated.

[Cow Corner]

Not used the model you’re referring to, but it looks a typical type, so i wouldn’t have thought it would have any issues with the stumps you’ve pictured.

Is rebuilding the wall next weekends job

[trickywoo]

Cut as close to the ground with your chainsaw as you reasonably can.

[TT86]

Cow Corner said:

Not used the model you’re referring to, but it looks a typical type, so i wouldn’t have thought it would have any issues with the stumps you’ve pictured.

Is rebuilding the wall next weekends job

Thanks hopefully the little machine will cope with them!

Haha luckily theres a couple of brick piers built the other side to support it. I'm assuming the bay trees I took out knackered it!

[andy43]

Dig down six inches around the stumps and ruin a chainsaw chain getting as deep as you can into the stumps. Even a hammer and chisel and a decent sized wood drill bit in a cordless would be less faff than hiring something for stumps that size.

[Mr Pointy]

Having had a stump ground out by a chap with a machine I'd say do not hire one - look around for someone to come in with his machine & do it. These machines are beasts & if you get a kick back (& they do kick back) then you stand a chance of serious injury. The guy I used was working on his own because his colleague had & machine kick back & it broke his hip.

[Chumley.mouse]

andy43 said:

Dig down six inches around the stumps and ruin a chainsaw chain getting as deep as you can into the stumps. Even a hammer and chisel and a decent sized wood drill bit in a cordless would be less faff than hiring something for stumps that size.

This…..but i use a reciprocating saw to cut the roots off underground



My brother once hired one…….he couldn’t move his arms the next day.

An hour here and there and you’ll soon have those out……..but i think I'm a bit odd as i quite like digging stumps out.

[geeks]

Drill hole, fill with accelerant, light.

Fire fixes everything

[FilH]

Hired one 10ish years ago, with no clue what i was doing!

Watched some American youtube videos on people using them.

Had the day penciled in to remove 6 big stumps.

About an hour later they was all gone.

[TT86]

FilH said:

Hired one 10ish years ago, with no clue what i was doing!

Watched some American youtube videos on people using them.

Had the day penciled in to remove 6 big stumps.

About an hour later they was all gone.

That's good to hear! I think I will go down the same route, being very mindful of the injury quoted above!

I can't face tying to dig these out, I simply don't have the time and have already dug lots of smaller ones out with a mattock. I can get them a little lower with the chainsaw though

Thanks all for the advice, I'll report back with how I get on