To preface this entire post, Jason’s family owns a hardware store that has a rental division and he has worked with stump grinders previously and is probably more familiar with how to use a stump grinder than your average homeowner, but do not fear! Renting a stump grinder is not scary, you can do this!

We had this large ivy-covered tree in our front yard that we had taken out a few weeks ago, and we didn’t ask the tree company to remove the stump (but we also didn’t ask for them to take away the tree since we are going to cut it for wood for the wood boiler) so we decided to rent a stump grinder and take out this large one so we can get a smooth front yard!

Stump grinders are a walk-behind machine that has a front wheel with teeth that spin rapidly and as you slowly move the wheel back and forth, it cuts against the stump and turns it into mulch.

The one thing you want to make sure of is that you grind the stump below the grass level so that way you can backfill and seed.

This stump took Jason roughly a little over an hour from start to finish! Honestly, the longest part of the job was going to the rental store, picking up the stump grinder, and returning it!

Grinding a stump on your property is a great weekend project that you can complete as a homeowner! Have you used a stump grinder before? Let us know how it went in the comments!