- Reserve your stump grinder from the rental store as early as you can. Weekends are very popular for stump grinder rentals since stump grinding is so time consuming.
- Use a chainsaw to cut the stump down as close to the ground as possible. This will save you time during the stump grinding process.
- Estimate 20 minutes of time for each straight-line inch of stump to grind. For example, a 12” stump will take approximately 2 hours to get down below grade. If you have a taller stump it will take even more time. Remember to factor in exposed root grinding as well!
- Wear protective clothing like long pants, long sleeves, safety glasses, steel toed boots, and a face shield. Stump grinding mulch (or rocks!) is thrown from the cutter wheel at a high rate of speed and can injure yourself, other people, or even pets nearby. Remember to keep the area clear from other people and pets, and set up a safety fence around the stump.
- Pay a professional company to locate all your underground utilities. This is probably the most important part of your stump grinding project. Cutting a buried power line can be potentially fatal, and so can cutting a natural gas line. Even if a fiber or internet line is hit, it could be an expensive repair! Put the liability on someone else and have them locate the utilities first.
If you don’t have the time to invest in this project, consider Piedmont Stump Removal for all your stump grinding needs!