AuthorsJust a Dad and his three sons passionate about getting rid of as many ugly stumps as they can. Read as Steve, Tyler, Spencer, and Trevor discuss their family business and why they do what they do. Archives
July 2023
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How do you remove a stump yourself?5/29/2023  So maybe you’re not ready to hire a professional just yet. I get that. I do all of my own work too. I change my oil, paint our interior, and mow our lawn. There’s lots of jobs I’d rather do myself, simply because I can. Before you get excited to get rid of that stump yourself, let me tell you some of the ways I’ve seen it attempted.
Burning You can burn a stump out but it’s going to take a lot of time. You will likely have to leave the stump burning for several hours or days which poses a bit of a wild fire hazard. Not only that, but it likely won’t burn all the surface roots, which may leave you with still having to hire a stump grinder. Chemicals You can use specialized chemicals to rot a stump a little faster, but not by much. These chemicals are dangerous to you, your kids, and pets. They may also prevent grass from regrowing in the same spot. Rental Stump Grinder You can go rent a grinder in some hardware stores. I caution people against this though. Rental grinders are not typically very powerful, meaning it will take a long time to grind your stump, possibly longer than what you anticipate, making it just as expensive to hire a professional. It’s likely that if your stump is bigger than 6 inches across, they won’t even let you rent it. These little rentals are not meant for large stumps. You also won’t have the same level of expertise when it comes to grinding your stumps with precision and care. You will also be liable to any damage done to your home or property. We always recommend to avoid the hassle and hire a professional like Mr. Stumpgrinder. This may be your more expensive option, but our work is guaranteed, and we’re licensed and insured.
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Will insurance cover stump grinding?5/22/2023 It’s always possible that the tree love so much in your front yard will fall. The manner in which it falls will determine whether or not your homeowners insurance will cover it. In Most cases, fallen tree removal is covered on your policy. Stump grinding is a part of the removal process and can likely also be covered under your policy.
So what fallen trees are covered? If your tree fell on your home in all cases except earthquakes, floods, rot, or age, it’s likely covered. In some cases, even if the tree falls on your yard or property, it can be covered. In cases of fire, lighting, explosion, riot, aircraft, vehicles not owned by you, vandalism or theft, tree and stump removal is covered even if it did not fall on your house or other structures. It’s important to know what your policy covers. Talk to your agent or insurance provider today to see if you can get that ugly stump ground. We’re happy to work with you.
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Flat Tire Fiascos5/15/2023  Sometimes, life happens. There is no exception when it comes to stump grinding. But occasionally, when it does happen, it’s in unexpected ways. By now, I know to expect my machine to go down at least once during a job in one season. But I rarely expect silly things like flat tires to happen.
Two times I’ve had tire fiascos en route to and from jobs. The first time it happened on my way up to a job in Fort Wayne. I was going down the highway when one of my bent up fenders must’ve caught the trailer tire when I hit bad pot hole. Fortunately I was close enough to i69 Trailer Center who fixed me up with a new tire. I did have to leave my trailer and machine there on the side of 69 which I was not happy about. I would’ve been in trouble if anything happened to it while I was getting the new tire. Fortunately I came back, and after a bit of finagling with my awful emergency bottle jock in my truck, I was up and running again. It only cost me an hour and a new tire. The second time came after I had upgraded to my tilt deck trailer. We bought it cheap and refurbished it to be useable again. It had an older style axel that they don’t make anymore for good reason. The tire bolts are designed in such a way that if just one were to fail, the whole wheel would come right off. And that’s exactly what happened. There must’ve been a hairline crack in those old wheel bolts and two snapped right off and that wheel went flying. As I came to a stop, that tire kept right on going straight into the middle of a corn field. All this happening during a torrential down pour. I quickly retrieved the tire, unhitched my trailer leaving it all behind once again to get new parts . As quick as I could, I returned with the parts and my broken bolt removal tool. In the pouring rain, I got the bolts out and put the tire back on and I headed home at last; albeit soaking wet. So, lessoned learned: always keep a spare. Trevor
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Buying the SC60TX5/1/2023  When I decided to get into the stump grinding business several years ago now I jumped in with both feet. I had a good job that paid the bills and I could’ve, and some would probably say should’ve just ridden it out until retirement. But instead I took the plunge and went all in. I quit my job, sold my house, loaded up and moved from Roanoke, Virginia back to my old stompin’ grounds in Michigan.
I knew nothing about the stump grinding business but fortunately for me, I had a life-long friend that had gotten into stump grinding 20 years earlier and had built it into a thriving business and was having trouble keeping up with the demand. Instead of seeing me as his competition he brought me on as a partner of sorts. Instead of turning down business he was too busy to handle he referred those jobs to me. I in turn would give him a percentage of what I earned from those jobs. It was a win for us both. But I’m getting ahead of myself. My plan was to hit the ground running as soon as we got back to Michigan. To do so I would need to have a machine ready to go. The price of even used machine was mind blowing. Little 25 hp entry level machine were $20k and Bigger mid-level machines could run $75-85k new. I didn’t just need a machine, I also needed to buy a truck and trailer. In addition my friend advised me to buy the “biggest machine I could afford.” I didn’t have any savings to draw from and nobody was going to lend me money to start a business so I finally decided to take out a home equity loan. I traded in a car and bought a 2014 Ram 3500. With the $25,000, I started shopping for a stump grinding machine. After searching unsuccessfully for several months for the right machine my friend offered to sell me his 2005 Vermeer SC60TX. It was an old machine that had seen a lot of use and he only used as a back up after he bought a larger machine. He sold the machine and trailer to me for half what he could’ve gotten for it. That spring was the year of the pandemic. Two days after we moved, Michigan was locked down for six weeks. I wasn’t able to get started grinding stumps as soon as I would’ve liked, but by mid April it was full speed ahead. Turns out the lockdown proved to be beneficial for the stump grinding business. People got tired of staring at the ugly stumps in their yards while working from home. Once I got rolling that spring I had enough business to pay for my first machine in the first 2 months. It obviously would’ve taken longer if I had to pay full market value. But my advice to anyone getting into the stump grinding business is buy the biggest machine you can afford. It feels risky but if you work hard it’ll pay for itself in no time! The old SC60TX has required some big ticket maintenance, including a new motor but It’s a great machine that grinds fast and has made and continues to make money for our business. Since I’ve upgraded machines, Trevor in Indiana is now running the SC60TX. Steve |
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Mr. Stumpgrinder is based in Calhoun County and most of south and west central Michigan as well as northern and central Indiana. If we can line up several jobs in your area outside of that and you’re willing to wait on our travel schedule, we can guarantee you a quality job at a fair price.
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Came today to give an estimate and was prepared to do it then if we wanted. Fast, efficient, affordable and a really nice guy
Posted by Patty OHaver on Thursday, June 3, 2021
I can honestly say Mr. Stumpgrinder was amazing. I messaged him over the weekend and here it is Monday evening and the hideous stump is gone. I can not be happier.
Posted by Cindy McTaggart on Monday, May 10, 2021