Is it OK to use a stump grinder to level the ground around a stump?

[Winchman]

I have some stumps that have been cut down to ground level or below, but there's still an unsightly mound almost a foot high where the stumps were. The mounds taper off to nothing eight to ten feet out from the center. That's a big area to level by hand, so breaking it up with a stump grinder before I start shoveling would make the job a lot easier. Is using a stump grinder to grind mostly dirt and grass (and any remaining surface roots, of course) over such a large area going to hurt it?

 

[TreeCo]

If you are going to remove the stump chips I suggest you do it first. The dirt mound is going to be mostly dirt with a only a few roots and no need to mix all of that dirt with stump chips, unless you want to.

It's not going to hurt the stump grinder, in fact it will be easier on it than grinding a stump.

I'd slow the motor down quite a bit doing only dirt as you don't need much power.

 

[marne]

Put on some dull teeth and let the dirt fly. Stumpers do an outstanding job when it comes to super-rototilling. Did thousands of sqft over the years.

 

[flushcut]

IMO keep the throttle up who knows if you hit a root or something. Not worth stalling the machine or possible breakage.

 

[Winchman]

I've been trying to come up with a way to only remove the mound without digging any deeper than necessary, especially on slopes. Any ideas on that?

 

[flushcut]

Practice

 

[oldoakman]

Using the stump grinder to level off the area will homogenize the soil and make it an e excellent seed bed. The city of Milwaukee used to use a stump grinder to dig the holes when they planted trees and because of the soil mixing saved them a bunch on hauled in soil.

 

[flushcut]

I use my stumper to dig holes for planting. It's so nice digging in too all loose and fluffy.

 

[VenasNursery]

Stumper or auger

 

[flushcut]

Both.

 

[Bucknut]

I don’t want to give away a trade secret, but this is one of our keys to success. Whenever we grind a stump, we also level the entire mound that surrounds it. We have found that people don’t simply want the stump gone, they want the whole area flat so they can re-plant grass seed typically. Otherwise you have a volcano with a hollow center.