Just a talking video on how I charge for stump grinding jobs that I've done. I touch on my personal experience in bidding jobs for grinding stumps in my limited experience so far.
Thank you for this video and the rest of the stump grinder related videos. My woodland mills stump grinder is now in my shop. Next, I will carefully open the crate with hopes of removing the top, sides, then adding a wheel to each corner of the crates bottom so I can store the grinder on the crate when not in use to easily move it around my shop, when storing or getting it back out. My intention beyond my own stump grinding needs is not to be a business, but to help family, friends, and neighbors, with those that also help me going to the top of the list and those who never help anyone moving so far down the list that I never get to them. My SCUT (sub-compact utility tractor) is a John Deere 1025R, plus I have a car hauler for a trailer and a list of attachments such as a loader with bucket and forks, snow blower, box blade, mower, and more. Any attachment I get seems to make my “help other people” list to grow. However, since I do not charge anything, I maintain strong boundaries. No reason to do free work for cheap millionaires who are strangers. I’m polite but direct as I refer strangers to legitimate businesses like yours or the local equipment rental place. Any request to borrow my tractor is met with a hard “No.” Any followup as to why is met with “No” is a complete sentence.
Glad i could be is assistance. No one borrows my tractor either. I help out friends and family as well but charge those that don't fall into those categories. Thanks for watching and the comment. Those 1025R tractors seem very nice from what I've seen.
We charge approximately 4-6 per inch measuring the widest part of the tree including roots above ground. I would say that was about 120 inches including the root flumes. It would be between $480-$720, probably $600 that would include hauling off the grindings and backfilling with topsoil. We only do it for select clients. We primarily remove trees.
Sounds like a fair pricing system you have. I only do select stumps as well. Usually go more for multiple stumps on the same job to make it worth the trip, then charge a little less since they are all at the same spot. Thanks for stopping in!
Retired from my tree trimming and and logging business 9 years ago, Have all my equipment. I find keeping it all was great for me in alot of ways cause I love doing but can't do it all the time anymore. I still do the work for others in my area, free tree trims and drop logs and only ask for money to cover cost. Lol I have a family that brings me pizza 2 days a week for the last four years,, and others get me stuff all the time even if months go by doing anything for them, love them all. Bartering is the best seing that money is not a problem at all for me but helping others , thats more to me to see there face after its done knowing they have no way to pay the price..
As I stated in the video I would not bid on a stump of this size as my 3 point grinder will have difficulty grinding it to begin with. It was just a stump on my property that I could use as an example of how I bid jobs. I will grind this stump out and save that money and it will take possibly more than one day of grinding. I also want to add that pricing ranges differently by area. In my area I could have that size stump ground out for about half of the price you indicate in your comment. That is from a well established tree service business in my area that does that job full time as well as tree removals. A person looking to find a way to price should go out and price some stumps for themselves in THIER area to find a reasonable price. Thanks for watching and commenting.
@@leroyholloman4881 or someone who doesn't have a $20000 stump grinder to pay for will price accordingly to their situation. I don't undercut others, I charge to make a decent profit with what I have invested into the stump grinder.
With inflation today, my basic price is 400.00 per site minimum 1 hr. Then it’s 200.00 per stump. 6 stumps = $1600.00 in central Arkansas. If I have to take a tree down, it’s $350. Per tree.
Awesome video, I’m looking at getting into this as a side gig too just trying to wrap my head around how much everything will cost getting started and what’s a fair rate for consumers. Thanks for the video man!
Never charge by the inch. Charge by job. 250 for that 8’+ stump and 6-8” bellow grade will be a short life for your grinder and your business. You also should have a hourly rate that you stay close to. Keep in mind on that 250 stump, break some teeth, belt or anything and you just paid to grind someone’s stump. Grind on.
Tracey, thanks for the input. I felt I came out pretty well on that job and charging by the inch works best for the amount of grinding I do. I'm not a full time stump grinder, just do some side jobs. With the amount I did for myself and the few jobs I had last summer I paid for my grinder. Yes, I'll have to buy more teeth for it before next season, but this grinder doesn't have any belts, it's a direct connect to the PTO on my tractor with a slip clutch. I know, hours on my tractor and diesel usage etc. all come into play. If I were doing it for a living I'd be charging more. This is a small portion of what I do with my tractor. Thanks for watching and commenting!
INSURANCE PAYMENTS ON MACHINE TRAILER WEAR AND TEAR ON TRUCK TRAILER TEETH PRICES $15 plus $1.10 for nut oil change fuel gas hydraulic filters the gear oil on average tune up $1000 evey 4 months don't forget sales tax social security and federal tax on average my cost is $10,000 then health insurance advertising plus my retirement then my groceries and mortgage you have to make a living $2.50 a inch if your a weekend warrior
Agreed, IF I was grinding stumps as my main income all those things would come into account. I have a full time job and work a rotating shift which gives me time off in the middle of the week sometimes in which I can do these jobs. I don't count on stump grinding for all my income needs. There isn't even enough of a demand for stump grinding in my area for someone to just grind stumps and make a living. This is rural Northwest Iowa, not a metro area full of homeowners with stump grinding needs. Thanks for watching and commenting!
@Timber Visions I was a climber 20 plus yrs had many surgeries now they got spider lifts I work manly other tree or landscape companies I get paid alittle less but I'm not out waisting time looking and pricing at night or morning companies text me address I go do and bill at end of week some of the real big stumps I'm there when they cleanup so if I miss I can touch it up I have a 2018 2550 bandit and a 2020 sg75 bandit but nice to see other people's way of doing things nobody is rite nobody is wrong it what works for you and costumers
Right on Tony. There's more than one way to skin a cat as my Dad would say. Subcontracting out seems to work for you and keeps you busy. That's the main thing. You have some serious grinders at your disposal as well. Mine is a small one that attaches to the 3 point on my subcompact tractor.
I think your grinding the stumps is worth a premium because of the smaller tractor you use. The guys with the bigger bumper pull grinders tear up properties and simply can't get into the tight areas you can. I have a CK30hst simply because its the largest I can have without turf damage. By the way I love the Woodland Mills grinder also and feel like it was a great purchase years ago!
Nice description on how you charge. I have the same stump grinder and charge much like you however I charge 3/inch. Are we short changing ourselves with the big stumps? The square inch increases quickly as the diameter increases. I've been thinking about this concept. Thank you for the video. Just subscribed.
I would bring in a RG80-R for that stump and get it done quickly, I rented a Barrato 30-SG and that was really good for anything up to about 22 inches after that it would get tedious. I had a couple of 24 inch oaks that took a little while. In Florida a guy quoted me $1200 for six hours work I rented the Barrato for $320 and had it all weekend.
The dedicated grinders can really shine on those larger stumps. I'll attempt it this stump with my woodland mills grinder, but it's going to take awhile.
i would charge 600 for a stump like that with the stump grinder that i own vermeer 352 because it was gonna take me at least 4 hours if they accept good if they do not its ok too, equipment is not cheap.
Ya, in some areas that's what is charged for a stump that size. That's my stump and I'll let you all know how long it takes when I get it done this spring. Thanks for watching!
Ummm what? Why would you charge by the width? If you had 8 12” trees, would that still be $250? Not trying to insult you but wouldn’t it make more sense to charge by the volume of stump ground? This accounts for length, width and depth. Heck why not also throw in density too?
All of those could be factored in if a guy wanted to. 8 12-inch trees would take me about 30 to 40 min to do. That's a pretty good rate per hour, wouldn't you say? Of course, milage is figured as well if needed too on top. I'm happy with how this has been working for me. Your milage may vary. Thanks for the comment. Always enjoy seeing other folks' perspectives
Takes a lot less time to to do say 4 stumps equaling 100 inches as opposed to 1 stump of 100 inches. I’m in Australia and I’d charge $500 for that beast. Need to consider how high above ground it is. What type wood( hard / soft )…. Ricks around it …. Etc etc 😊
All good points my friend. I did end up grinding that stump. (It was in my yard) It took me about 3 hours of grinding and raking/ blowing chips to get it done. If I would've had it done it would've been around that mark of $500 to have it done. The pricing I have was for me personally with the grinder I have. I know my prices are lower than most, but I do this on the side with a tractor mounted grinder. I mention prices vary by area, and yes, that was a huge stump and if I priced it today, I'd price it at about $400 just because of the size of it. For the smaller stumps, I'd stick with the pricing I used in the video. Thanks for watching and commenting.
Clean up, as in push the grindings back into the hole and pack it back down? Yes These grinders don't seem to shoot material all over the place like some I've seen used in videos. At least that is my experience.
I believe it! Each area has its own pricing. It's my stump so I'll grind it here soon, but I wouldn't bid one that big. Better suited for a dedicated stump grinder. Thanks for watching and adding your experience for other viewers!
I am sorry but your way of charging make snow mathematical sense at all you’re making good money on small stumps and you’re screwing yourself over on large stumps 10 stumps 10 inches in diameter would be 100 inches and you’re saying you would charge the same for one stump 100 inches across well if you knew your geometry you would know that 10 stumps 10 inches across it’s not the same area as one stump 100 inches across You would be doing 90% more work for just 10% of the cost
Brent, thanks for the comment. First of all, in my area there are no stumps that measure 100 inches across and if there was I certainly would not bid on it with my set up as it could not handle it. This video touches on how I charge for stump grinding in my area. If someone is in an area with huge stumps they would not be doing that job with a 3 point stump grinder on the back of a subcompact tractor. If they were, they would find it's limitation rather quickly. Once again, thanks for watching and commenting. Have a great day!
It would be wouldn't it? I personally wouldn't bid that size stump, was using it as an example because it's in my yard. For a dedicated stump grinding business, it'd be closer to almost twice that I'd estimate. Thanks for watching!
Every area has their price range. Keep in mind, I don't do this for a living. It's a side business that I'm growing. If I had a dedicated stump grinder that I had to pay for I'm certain my prices would be higher. Thanks for watching!
As I stated in the video. These prices are for my area and to figure the price for your area. I was using prices to make the point of how I price, not to tell anyone what to price for their business or side hustle. Have a great day!
Yes, prices can vary greatly depending on the area AND on the equipment used to grind them. Larger dedicated grinders can go deeper than mine will so the charge is usually higher plus those grinders cost 10x what mine does. Thanks for watching!
So you know the market rate and are undercutting the guy trying to feed his family and pay for better equipment than you own because it's only a side gig for you.
I don't do enough jobs to affect that guy's livelihood. I probably take the jobs he doesn't want to deal with. I charge what I feel I'm worth in doing the job. I don't have a huge grinder that can do huge stumps. Everyone starts somewhere, even that guy you're referring to. Thanks for watching and commenting!
Dont be a busy fool! I charge by the hour or day rate or what i feel the job is commercially worth...you are ripping yourself off,..crazy. £600 stump removall and £200 clearing site.
