Well tell me is it a rough job or not that bad? I have about 20 to do they are all pine the area is open so do it myself [cause I'm a cheap bastard] or pay the bucks and have it done  tell me some storys kids....................sheesh ikant spel

I paid the $$

I'm sure you realize you need a stump grinding machine that looks like a big chain saw. A guy sits on it like a tractor and has at it.

My advice to you would be to pay the man.

Piece of cake, IF - you rent a big enough machine, AND let the machine do the work. What diameter are the stumps?

NMSight

We had hurricane Isabel come through here last fall. I spent a solid 2 months doing nothing but cutting up fallen trees. You could not buy a stump grinder for a million $. There simply was not one available within a 1000 miles of here.

After seeing everybody in a rush/panic to get all their stumps ground up, I feel like I've seen every mistake that could be made with a stump grinder.

Now that the initial rush to buy them is over, they are finally becoming available again.

Get a BIG one. Take the diameter of the tree stump and ask what size grinder you need, then get the next bigger size than what they recommend.

MAKE SURE it is hydraulically powered for up and down and the back and forth motions. MAKE SURE the grinding bit itself is powered hydraulically as well. You DO NOT want a chain, belt or gear drive.

Make sure the grinding teeth are sharp or fairly new.

Grind AT LEAST 6" below the surface of the ground, better to go 1' below surface.

If it's pine you're grinding and you want to grow grass where the stumps were, remove the ground up stump debris and replace it with some top soil. Pine acidifies the soil and grass does not like acidic soil.

Do it yourself, unless you're a real office jockey.

If the machine drives itself and everything on it is hydraulic, it's a piece of cake.

Quoted: We had hurricane Isabel come through here last fall. I spent a solid 2 months doing nothing but cutting up fallen trees. You could not buy a stump grinder for a million $. There simply was not one available within a 1000 miles of here. After seeing everybody in a rush/panic to get all their stumps ground up, I feel like I've seen every mistake that could be made with a stump grinder. Now that the initial rush to buy them is over, they are finally becoming available again. Get a BIG one. Take the diameter of the tree stump and ask what size grinder you need, then get the next bigger size than what they recommend. MAKE SURE it is hydraulically powered for up and down and the back and forth motions. MAKE SURE the grinding bit itself is powered hydraulically as well. You DO NOT want a chain, belt or gear drive. Make sure the grinding teeth are sharp or fairly new. Grind AT LEAST 6" below the surface of the ground, better to go 1' below surface. If it's pine you're grinding and you want to grow grass where the stumps were, remove the ground up stump debris and replace it with some top soil. Pine acidifies the soil and grass does not like acidic soil. Do it yourself, unless you're a real office jockey. If the machine drives itself and everything on it is hydraulic, it's a piece of cake.

What he said. I didn't feel like typing that much this morning

Thanks Guys I will attempt it I aint skared

Historically, I've dug up stumps, and that works pretty well, even though it's a royal pain in the ass.  I thought that grinders went way down into the soil to fatally hack up the root ball.  I'd have thought that there would be substantial regrowth if the norm is to stop at 6 inches.

I've always cut the stumps down as close to the ground as I could then drilled a bunch of 1/2" holes in em' so water will set in the holes and rot the stump. In  a couple of years it's rotted out and you're good to go.

Ah do it the fun way, use them for targets until they aren't there anymore!

Tj