Stump grinders can be the size of a

lawn mower A lawn mower (also known as a mower, grass cutter or lawnmower) is a device utilizing one or more revolving blades (or a reel) to cut a grass surface to an even height. The height of the cut grass may be fixed by the design of the mower, but g ...

or as large as a

truck A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo, carry specialized payloads, or perform other utilitarian work. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, but the vast majority feature body-on-frame construction ...

. Most accomplish their task by means of a high-speed disk with teeth that grinds the stump and

root In vascular plants, the roots are the organs of a plant that are modified to provide anchorage for the plant and take in water and nutrients into the plant body, which allows plants to grow taller and faster. They are most often below the su ...

s into small

chips ''CHiPs'' is an American crime drama television series created by Rick Rosner and originally aired on NBC from September 15, 1977, to May 1, 1983. It follows the lives of two motorcycle officers of the California Highway Patrol (CHP). The seri ...

. A typical stump grinder incorporates a cutter wheel with fixed

carbide In chemistry, a carbide usually describes a compound composed of carbon and a metal. In metallurgy, carbiding or carburizing is the process for producing carbide coatings on a metal piece. Interstitial / Metallic carbides The carbides of th ...

teeth. The cutter wheel movements are controlled by

hydraulic cylinders A hydraulic cylinder (also called a linear hydraulic motor) is a mechanical actuator that is used to give a unidirectional force through a unidirectional stroke. It has many applications, notably in construction equipment ( engineering vehicles) ...

to push the cutter head laterally through the stump and to raise and lower it. Stump grinding is done with the use of a very powerful, heavy, and potentially dangerous machine. Stump grinding is generally performed by a qualified arborist or landscaper. It is possible to rent a stump grinder from tool hire companies for DIY projects. If choosing to stump grind yourself, there are some safety rules that should be adhered to: * Read and follow all instructions provided with the stump grinder rental or purchase. Stump grinding can literally become a life or death situation if done incorrectly, so this is important to the safety of all involved. * Wear your protection- hard hat, safety goggles, earplugs, gloves, work boots, long sleeves, and pants, avoiding loose clothing, remove jewelry, and tie long hair back. * Remove anything that you can see may become a projectile from around the work area such as small rocks * Check with utility companies for possible underground pipes or wires. * Set up a boundary around your work area for the safety and security of others. * Stump grinding can be incredibly satisfying. Assuming the user is strong enough to handle the machine and all rules are followed, do it yourself stump grinding is a viable working option.

Vertical stump grinder

A stump grinder or stump cutter is a

power tool A power tool is a tool that is actuated by an additional power source and mechanism other than the solely manual labor used with hand tools. The most common types of power tools use electric motors. Internal combustion engines and compressed ...

or equipment attachment that removes

tree stump After a tree has been cut and felled, the stump or tree stump is usually a small remaining portion of the trunk with the roots still in the ground. Stumps may show the age-defining rings of a tree. The study of these rings is known as dendrochrono ...

s by means of a rotating cutting disc that chips away the

wood Wood is a porous and fibrous structural tissue found in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulose fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin th ...

. Machines are available in various models and versions, to cover a power range from 70 to 300 Hp. There are also types of stump grinders that are applied to

tractor A tractor is an engineering vehicle specifically designed to deliver a high tractive effort (or torque) at slow speeds, for the purposes of hauling a trailer or machinery such as that used in agriculture, mining or construction. Most commo ...

excavator Excavators are heavy construction equipment consisting of a boom, dipper (or stick), bucket and cab on a rotating platform known as the "house". The house sits atop an undercarriage with tracks or wheels. They are a natural progression fro ...

skid steer A skid loader, skid-steer loader, SSLs or skidsteer is a small, rigid-frame, engine-powered machine with lift arms that can attach to a wide variety of buckets and other labor-saving tools or attachments. Skid-steer loaders are typically four-whee ...

s and other earth moving and construction equipment. These machines can completely remove the roots of the trees or recover the central part of the roots. Vertical stump grinders are usually used in forests, for plant biomass, for the forestry sector, and for the maintenance of green areas, etc. They can destroy an entire root of in diameter to more than one meter deep in 30 seconds. Studies have shown that the normal stump grinder (with disc and teeth) can eliminate most of the first of stumps. Vertical stump grinder can completely destroy tree stumps of up to in diameter permanently.Diamond Grinding Wheel , Resin Grinding Wheel
/ref> They are made up of a sturdy gear box from which a transmission shaft emerges to which the cutting edges are connected. Vertical grinders can remove the stump to a depth in the subsoil greater than one meter, while with normal horizontal grinders the stump is mostly shortened in the subsoil by 20 or 25 centimeters.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stump Grinder Logging Grinding machines Forestry equipment