Buying the SC60TX

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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