Stump grinder

Backhoe stump grinder attachment, showing carbide teeth and chips

Rotor vertical stump grinder at work.

A stump grinder or stump cutter is a power tool or equipment attachment that removes tree stumps by means of a rotating cutting disc that chips away the wood.

Stump grinders can be the size of a lawn mower or as large as truck. Most accomplish their task by means of a high-speed disk with teeth that grind the stump and roots into small chips.

A typical stump grinder incorporates a cutter wheel with fixed carbide teeth. The cutter wheel movements are controlled by hydraulic cylinders to push the cutter head laterally through the stump and to raise and lower it.

Stump grinding is generally performed by a qualified landscaper, however it is possible to rent them from tool hire companies for DIY projects.^[1]

Vertical stump grinder

There are also other types of stump grinders that are applied to tractors, excavators and other construction equipment. These machines can completely remove the roots of the trees in a few seconds 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 50 cm (20 in) 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 20–25 centimetres (8–10 in) of stumps, but for stumps with a bigger diameter the problem is not solved as the plant can start growing back. Instead, a vertical stump grinder can completely destroy tree stumps of up to 150 cm (59 in) in diameter permanently. They can be applied on tractors (the mechanical versions) and on the excavators and others earth moving machinery (the hydraulic versions).

Bibliography

Relations of rotor vertical stump grinders :

Anselmi N, Giorcelli A (1990). Marciumi radicali da Rosellinia necatrix PRILL. Informatore Patologico 1: 45-52.

Baraldi G, Capelli G (1973). Elementi tecnici per il calcolo del costo di esercizio delle macchine agricole. Genio Rurale.

Berti S, Piegai F, Verani S (1989). Manuale d’istruzione per il rilievo dei tempi e delle produttività nei lavori forestali. Quaderni dell’Istituto di Assestamento e di Tecnologia forestale, Università di Firenze, vol. IV, pp. 65.

Cellerino GP, Anselmi N, Giorcelli A (1986). Sur la distribution en Italie de Rosellinia Necatrix (Hart.) Berl. Sur peuplier et sur quelques conditions du milieu et des cultures qui en favorisent les attaques. In: Proceedings of the XXIV Conference “Working party on diseases”. Bordeaux (France) September 22–24, 1986. FAO, International Poplar Commission.

Currò P (1963). Dell’utilizzazione e sgombero delle tagliate di pioppo. Monti e Boschi 1: 27-30.

Currò P, Ghisi G (1966). Tempi di utilizzazione di un pioppeto con seghe a catena. Pubblicazioni del Centro di Sperimentazione Agricola e Forestale 9: 69-79.

Giordano G (1954). Tempi e resa nell’utilizzazione del pioppo. Cellulosa e Carta 5 (9): 7-15.

Miyata ES (1980). Determining fixed and operating costs of logging equipment. General technical report NC-55, North Central Forest Experiment Station, USDA Forest Service, Newtown Square, PA, USA.

Picchio R, Verani S, Sperandio G, Spina R, Marchi E (2012). Stump grinding on poplar plantation: working time, productivity, economic and energetic inputs. Ecological Engineering 40 (2): 117-120.

Ribaudo F (1977). Il costo di esercizio delle macchine agricole. Macchine e Motori Agricoli 101:101-116.

Sperandio G, Verani S (2002). Eliminazione delle ceppaie di pioppo: produttività e costi dell’operazione. Mondo Macchina 11 (2): 46-49.

Spinelli R, Spinelli R (1998). La raccolta delle ceppaie di pioppo. Legno Cellulosa e Carta 3.

Spinelli R, Verani S (2000). La raccolta del legno per uso energetico industriale. Sherwood 56: 43-48.

Spinelli R, Nati C, Magagnotti N (2005). Harvesting and transport of root biomass from fast-growing poplar plantation. Silva Fennica 39 (4): 539-548.

Tolosana E, Laina R, Martinez-Ferrari R, Ambrosio Y (2011). Recovering of forest biomass from Spanish hybrid poplar plantation. Biomass & Bioenergy 35: 2570-2580.

Verani S, Sperandio G, Picchio R, Spinelli R, Picchi G (2008). Poplar harvesting. Working Paper IPC/8, Forestry Department, FAO, Rome.

Gallery

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  One vertical stump grinder with an excavator.
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  Land Clearing with a stump grinder
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  A crowd watches a vertical stump grinder in function.
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  A petrol-driven stump grinder in England
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  The Rotor vertical stump grinder equipped by a cylinder for recovery tree roots.
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  The cutting wheel of the English stump grinder

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Stump grinder.

References