A Guide to Stump Grinder Maintenance Costs

Stump grinders are easy-to-use stump and root removal tools, and maintaining them should be just as easy

Stump grinders are fantastic tools for cleaning up your property, and the cost of stump grinding should be affordable to all acreage owners. 

For that reason Woodland Mills has engineered its stump grinders to be easy to maintain, reducing the overhead so every property owner can get rid of troublesome stumps without high stump grinding costs.

Tree removal is a pivotal part of property maintenance, and the stump grinding process is an important last step to tidying up your property and readying your land for its future use.

But what goes into stump grinding and what kind of maintenance costs do you need to think about?

Getting Started with your Stump Grinder

Before we go over the maintenance your stump grinder may need over time, it's important to discuss the basics of stump grinding so you know how your machine operates.

Step 1: Attaching your stump grinder to your tractor

The first step to stump removal is attaching your PTO stump grinder to your tractor. If it's your first time doing so you may have to trim the PTO shaft, the details of which are outlined in the product manual.

Once that's done, attaching PTO stump grinder to your tractor using a three-point hitch is easy.

Step 2: Turning on your PTO stump grinder

Turn on your tractor and engage your PTO. This will cause the stump grinder cutting wheel to start spinning. Refer to the product manual for the specified PTO RPM. With the stump grinder lifted, position it over the stump to begin grinding.

Step 3: Grinding away the stump

When doing stump removal, it's recommended you start by bringing the cutter wheel down on one side of the tree stump, removing up to the top two inches as you work your way across the stump. Once you've ground away the top few inches into wood chips , lower the stump grinder and redo the process again.

Repeat this until you've reached the ideal cutting depth, that is, when the stump and the majority of roots are gone. Now you're ready to remove more stumps from your property.

How Much Does Stump Grinding Cost?

Tree stump removal does require upfront investment in equipment. Across the spectrum of costs you're looking at:

Entry Level: $2,400+ for models like the WG24 Stump Grinder

Mid-Range: $2,800+ for models like the WG24 PRO or WG28 Stump Grinders

High End: $3,500+ for professional stump grinding models like the WG28 PRO

Thankfully owning a stump grinder opens a door to be able to profit from your machine. By charging labor costs to grind other property owner's stumps, you can potentially break even or even make money with a stump grinder. Reach out to your neighbors and see if they have stumps that need grinding.

Tree removal costs can be exorbitant if done by tree care professionals, but not every task requires them, so see if you're able to do some jobs and recoup the cost of your stump grinder.

Expected Maintenance Costs

When we’re engineering our stump grinders, it's one of our goals to make them easy to maintain. Included with your stump grinder is a the step-by-step maintenance guide in the manual.

In general the areas you want to pay attention to include:

• • The teeth: The carbide teeth have been designed so they can be resharpened and replacement teeth are available if needed. Replacement teeth are available, with a set of six costing less than $150

  • Greasing: Bearings and pivot pins must be greased as needed before each use. This can be done affordably using grease you may already have in your workshop or that's available at the hardware store for less than $20

Alongside standard care procedures laid out in the manual, these are the only parts that require maintenance or additional cost. Just follow these steps and you can continue grinding stumps for as long as you need.

General Stump Grinder Care

Stump grinders see a lot of heavy duty use, not only having to dig deep into the ground for root removal, but they work just as hard as the operator. Regular property maintenance or tree services put their stump grinders through a lot of use.

With that said, the best way to save money is to take good care of your machine. To help keep your stump grinder in top shape, here are some steps we recommend you follow:

• • Avoid forcing the machine: Stump Grinders, or any machine, do a better and safer job when used in the manner for which they are designed

  • Storing the machine: When the machine is not in use, store it in a dry, secure place or keep it well-covered and out of the reach of children

  • Inspect the machine: Make sure it is in good working condition prior to storage and before each use

  • Cleaning: Use a pressure washer to clean the carbide teeth while taking care not to pressure-wash the bearings as this could introduce water into areas of the machine that may cause malfunction or damage

  • Operate the machine with all safety devices and guards in place: Do not modify or make changes to safety devices. Do not operate the machine if any safety devices or guards are missing or inoperative

Avoid making alterations or modifications to the stump grinder which would affect its safety or integrity. Always be conscientious when operating the machine and avoid using it for tasks in which it was not intended.

By following all care instructions, inspecting your machine before use and using sharp teeth and greased bearings, you can save money by avoiding costly repairs.

Paying a Professional Service

Is it cheaper to pay a professional tree care service to come in and do stump removal?

That depends. Do you have a longterm plan for your property that involves removing more stumps in the future?

On average, the cost of stump grinding can be between $100-800 per stump, depending on the services available in your area.

The questions you have to ask yourself are:

• • Is it worth doing the entire process myself?

  • Do I have plans to do more stump removal beyond just the first stump?

  • Are there other trees on the property that need similar care?

  • What is the average cost of stump grinding in my area compared to buying a stump grinder?

  • Do I have multiple stumps that need to be removed?

If you find yourself asking yes to enough of those questions, you may consider taking on the cost of stump grinding yourself to have the best tool to do it in the long term.

Can you use a Woodland Mills Stump Grinder for commercial purposes?

Plenty of stump grinder owners make money with their machines, which helps to recoup your investment and lower your costs.

Some of the ways people make money with their stump grinders include:

• • In a tree removal service which covers tree and stump removal

  • As a part-time service offered to neighbors and friends

  • Lending it out to fellow property owners to use on their own land

We fully encourage and support our customers using their stump grinders to make money for their businesses. Make complex jobs easy for your customers and get homeowners paying you to help deal with their property maintenance needs.

What are your DIY Stump Grinding plans?

Stump and tree removal are a core part of property maintenance, and while the cost of stump grinding ranges depending on the horsepower of your tractor and the equipment you choose to purchase, there's always an affordable option for keeping your property stump free.

There are lots of stump grinding projects that might be in the cards for the owner of a machine, such as:

• • Individual residential or farm property maintenance

  • Upkeep of commercial properties like golf courses or resorts

  • Paid tree company or lawn care services that offer stump grinding services

Whether you have a rotting stump on your lawn or offer a full package with tree trimming or entire tree removal, there are stump grinder options available to you at a level you can afford. Renting a stump grinder or stump burning can be costly or ineffective options. Why factor in labor costs for paying someone else to do the job when you can do it yourself? Tree care services can cost a lot of extra money but a stump grinder can pay dividends going forward.

Instead we recommend looking for a stump grinder that is:

• • Easy to use

  • Easy to maintain

  • Has a low maintenance cost

No matter what stump size you're looking at, whether they're rotten stumps or from healthy trees, a stump grinder is an investment in your property maintenance arsenal, able to turn every square foot of your land into useable space for something new.