Stump grinding cost, and whether to hire a grinder yourself

Stump grinding cost factors

A stump grinder is a powered cutting wheel that chews the wood away in passes, a few centimetres at a time, until the stump sits below the soil. Nobody can give a sensible figure for that from a description alone, because the same tree can leave a very different stump depending on its species, its age and where it grew. What an honest quote does is look at each of the things below and explain how they shape the job.

If the tree is still standing, it often makes sense to price the stump at the same time as the felling. Our page on stump grinding and removal explains how Craig handles the stump as its own line, so you can choose to keep it, grind it or have it dug out.

Diameter, roots and depth

Measure across the top of the stump at ground level, not across the trunk higher up. A wide, flared base takes far longer than a straight one, because every extra centimetre of width is more wood for the wheel to work through. Large buttress roots running away from the base add more again, particularly if you want them followed out under a lawn.

Depth matters too. Grinding just below the surface is enough for gravel or a planting bed, while new turf or a path needs the wood taken lower so soil can go back on top. Hardwoods such as oak cut more slowly than softwoods such as pine, and an old stump that has started to rot can be quicker than a freshly cut one.

Access: gate widths, slopes and lawns

Grinders come in sizes. The compact ones fit through a typical side gate and can be wheeled down a narrow path, but they work more slowly. Bigger machines finish quickly but need a wide, firm route. Before quoting, it helps to know the narrowest point between the road and the stump, whether there are steps, and whether the machine has to cross a lawn.

Soft ground after rain can leave ruts, so boards may be laid, or the visit timed for drier weather. A stump on a steep bank, right against a wall or tight to a fence is slower, because the wheel has to be worked carefully at an angle.

Several stumps at once

Getting the machine to the site and set up is part of the work whatever the size of the job. Once it is there, a second or third stump in the same garden adds far less than the first. If you have a row of old conifer stumps along a boundary, or stumps left from several trees felled over the years, grouping them into one visit is normally the better value.

Chippings: leave, spread or take away

Grinding turns the stump into a pile of woody chippings and soil, often more than people expect. You can have them raked back into the hole, spread as a mulch on borders, or loaded and removed. Leaving them is simplest, but they settle as they break down and they are not ideal directly under new turf. Taking them away adds time and disposal, so say what you want when you ask for a price.

Hiring a stump grinder: what it really involves

Hire shops do offer grinders, and on paper a day's hire looks attractive. In practice you collect and return a heavy machine, often with a trailer, and learn to control a spinning cutting wheel that throws stones and wood at speed. Eye, ear and leg protection are essential, and anyone nearby must be kept well back.

The bigger risks are underground. Water pipes, drains, cables and gas services can run close to old trees, and a grinder will not stop for them. Stones lodged in the roots blunt or damage the teeth, and a first-timer on a large stump can spend the whole hire period on one job. If the stump is small, the access easy and you are comfortable with machinery, hiring can work. For anything wide, close to buildings or with unknown services nearby, paying a professional usually costs less once time, fuel and the risk of damage are counted.

• Check for buried services before any cutting
• Wear full protective kit and keep others clear
• Clear stones from around the base first
• Plan what happens to the chippings

When digging out beats grinding

Grinding leaves the deeper roots in the ground to rot naturally. If you are building, laying a patio or need the whole root ball gone, digging out with a machine is often the better choice on open ground. Our guide to tree stump removal compares grinding, digging out and leaving a stump in place. If the tree has not come down yet, the tree removal cost guide covers what drives the price of the felling itself, and our tree surgery page explains how Craig plans that work.