Title/Name/Summary
Tree Stump Grinder - Purchase and Delivery
History
The Village’s tree crew, which is made up of arborists from the Natural Resources and Facilities (NRF) Division, utilize a tree stump grinder as part of its daily responsibilities. After a tree is cut down, a stump grinder is used to essentially shave the tree trunk down to below grade, at which point the area is either restored to turf grass or re-planted with a new tree. To date, the tree crew has completed 155 stump grinding work orders in 2021.
The NRF Division has two (2) existing stump grinders at its disposal: a 2001 Carlton walk-behind stump grinder and a 2013 Bradco SG26 stump grinding attachment for a skid steer. The Carlton unit was brought over from the Parks Department and is designed for the removal of small stumps (less than 6”). The Carlton unit is twenty (20) years old and has essentially reached the end of its service life. The Bradco unit can remove larger stumps but has proven to be inefficient and underpowered for most Village stump grinding applications. The Bradco unit, while relatively newer, does not have the mechanical capabilities nor the safety features needed to effectively meet the Village’s needs. Repairs to both units have increased in frequency in recent years as well. The motor on the Carlton unit has been replaced twice in the past five (5) years, while the hydraulic lines for the Bradco unit required repairs on three (3) separate occasions in 2020.
Operating the existing equipment is also a challenge. Both units need to be loaded and transported onto a trailer for each use. Once on-site, equipment is offloaded and maneuvered into place, at which point stump grinding can begin. The process of trailering, loading, and unloading, coupled with the subpar performance of the equipment, results in an overall inefficient and cumbersome stump grinding process.
In an effort to improve this process, NRF staff have investigated new stump grinding equipment optio...
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