Tried stump grinding with an older machine last week and got a weird result

The grinding wheel kicked up a bunch of wet clay instead of wood chips, and it jammed the belt twice before I figured out the stump was rotten inside. Has anyone else run into hidden rot that throws the grind off like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

kellyg1414d ago

That sounds more like you hit a wet rotted stump rather than actual clay. Old stumps that are rotten inside often turn into this dark, wet, almost muddy mess when you start grinding them. The belt jamming makes sense because that wet pulp is way heavier than dry wood and it clogs up the works fast. I've seen guys blame the machine when really the stump was just too far gone to grind cleanly. Next time poke a screwdriver or a long piece of rebar into the stump first if you're not sure - if it sinks in easy and comes out covered in that dark wet crud, you've got a rotten one on your hands.

the_jason14d ago

Whoa, wait, you actually had it jam twice before you realized? Kellyg14, that screwdriver trick is genius honestly, never would have thought to check for that before firing up the grinder.