Can You Grind A Stump Yourself?

Sometimes people ask me, "can I grind these stumps out myself?"

I always try to discourage them from doing so, not just because I operate a stump grinding business and want their business, but also to save them the heartache of trying to do it themselves.

I've received negative feedback from countless customers who have rented stump grinders. Most have told me they would never do it again. The grinder rental was manually operated, underpowered, and had dull teeth. Their expectations are rarely met because they thought it would take much less time, be much less painful, and the end product would be much better.

I have rented stump grinders in the past, and they were the largest ones available at Home Depot and Herc. I learned to ask for a grinder with the sharpest teeth, which seemed to help the most. But even those teeth became dull very quickly.

On rare occasions, I might recommend a DIY'er to grind their own stumps. If the stumps are hard to access and there are many small ones, I might say it's worth it.

Otherwise, my clear course of action is to discourage anyone from trying to grind out their stumps with rented grinders. The benefits rarely outweigh the costs. It is usually better to simply hire a professional who can knock it out in no time.

However, if you decide to do it yourself with a rental, make sure to ask for a stump grinder with sharp teeth. This will cut down on the time it takes drastically.

Hope this helps! And as always, feel free to give me a call or shoot me a text with a picture of your stumps and I’ll get you a free quote.

Wondering what it should cost you to hire a professional? You can read our price guide here.