Stump Grinders for Sale: What a Tree Crew Should Pay For

Look at the last ten stump jobs you sold or passed on. Write down the tightest opening, the ground you had to cross, stump size, and whether the customer wanted chips left on site. If most jobs were cramped backyards, measure the route with the gate open. Include the posts, hinges, and the room needed to turn.

For scale, one Vermeer SC30TX specification sheet gives a 35-inch width, a 1,550-pound machine weight, and a 12-inch maximum cut below grade. Confirm the exact configuration with the seller. A yard with a 35-inch clear opening gives a 35-inch machine no room for maneuvering. A spec sheet’s maximum depth also tells you little about the time needed to handle roots and cleanup.

All Roads lists a tracked 2021 SC30TX in North Carolina at $15,000 with 875 hours. Vermeer North Atlantic lists a wheeled 2024 SC362 in New York at $22,980 with about 100 hours and describes it as a former rental. The $7,980 difference buys a different configuration and hour history. It doesn’t establish how much either machine will bring at sale.

Get a delivered quote on each unit. Add transport, any trailer you need, replacement teeth, and a first service. Then compare what each machine can actually do on your route. If access rules out half your jobs, a cheaper monthly payment won’t fix it.

For repeat paid jobs, compare what happens on the second and third stop of the day. A narrow tracked unit may earn its keep on fenced lots; a crew grinding larger stumps on open sites might give up too much time with the same machine. Ask the dealer to demonstrate comparable work, and time travel from unloading to cleanup as well as actual grinding. Price the consumables you expect to replace in a typical month. If you primarily want a tractor or skid steer attachment, compare the fitted price and time your carrier will spend away from its other work.

Send the questions with the listing ID so you get answers for that unit:

• Can you send the serial plate, an hour-meter photo, and dated service records?
• Which cutter wheel is on it? Can your service department price a full tooth and pocket set for that wheel?
• What is the narrowest transport width in the exact configuration you are selling? Are removable wheels or other options part of the quoted price?
• Can a qualified service technician check the cutter wheel, bearings, belt or drive system, and track or wheel wear, then price the work in writing?

Use money left after crew time, fuel, teeth, hauling, and cleanup. If a $300 job leaves $150 after those costs and your monthly machine payment plus fixed costs is $750, five jobs cover that figure. Selling five more jobs means little if three of them were already part of a tree-removal contract at no extra charge. Count the amount you can actually collect for grinding.

Use the financing request with the listing link, seller type, state, expected price, and the cash you plan to put down. If the number is preliminary, mark it as an estimate. Tell us if a trailer is priced separately or the machine is coming from a private seller. The brokerage can review the purchase and available financing paths. A lender determines eligibility and terms.