Has anybody used one of these stump grinders?

[sardillim]

I was wondering if anybody has bought or used one of these budget friendly stump grinders? The way I'm looking at it is this my local Home Depot Is about $350.00 To rent a machine for the day. That is about 25% of the cost to buy one of these. To me it's worth spending the extra money to have the piece of equipment on hand anytime I needed it As long as it's not a total piece of junk. It wouldn't be used everyday Just here and there as needed any feedback would be greatly appreciated

thank you

3-Point PTO Stump Grinder with 34 Carbide Teeth (PTO Shaft Included with Slip Clutch), for 15-45HP Tractor, SG24

MechMaxx 3-Point PTO Stump Grinder Model SG24 is a great tool for landscaping, its suit for 15-45hp Tractor. This machine equipped with a slip-clutch PTO, ensuring you peace of mind as you tackle stump removal tasks with precision and safety. Included with the SG24 Stump Grinder is a slip clutch...

mechmaxx.com

 

[NorthwoodsLife]

Roll the dice. Some stuff from China is pretty good. Some other equipment is not.

I would see if and what the warranty is.

i have never heard of MechMaxx.

Search YT for videos.

Good luck.

 

[PaulL]

They're not a complex machine, the Chinese are pretty good at making machines. Main issue I can see is if the steel on the grinder isn't properly hardened, but doesn't sound like you're going to put a lot of hours on it.

 

[D2Cat]

I read a few pages of reviews and not any negative presentations. Said customer service was good, easy to assemble, satisfied with price and how it works. $800 dollars off sale. How can you go wrong? Buy a grinder with handle bars, small gas engine and vibrate your gizzard out while working! If I needed one I'd spend the money.

I've owned the gizzard shaking one, and never again. Last stump I needed ground I hired done!

 

[TheOldHokie]

I was wondering if anybody has bought or used one of these budget friendly stump grinders? The way I'm looking at it is this my local Home Depot Is about $350.00 To rent a machine for the day. That is about 25% of the cost to buy one of these. To me it's worth spending the extra money to have the piece of equipment on hand anytime I needed it As long as it's not a total piece of junk. It wouldn't be used everyday Just here and there as needed any feedback would be greatly appreciated

thank you

3-Point PTO Stump Grinder with 34 Carbide Teeth (PTO Shaft Included with Slip Clutch), for 15-45HP Tractor, SG24

MechMaxx 3-Point PTO Stump Grinder Model SG24 is a great tool for landscaping, its suit for 15-45hp Tractor. This machine equipped with a slip-clutch PTO, ensuring you peace of mind as you tackle stump removal tasks with precision and safety. Included with the SG24 Stump Grinder is a slip clutch...

mechmaxx.com

View attachment 154690

Its a knockoff of the Woodland Mills grinder. I have the Woodland Mills and it works great on my L3901. I dont think I would want one on a smaller tractor. On a good size stump it really bounces the L3901 around.

Dan

WG24 Stump Grinder

Woodland Mills supplies high-quality Bandsaw Mills, wood chippers, trailers, and accessories! Get the equipment to tackle big logs & long hours today!

woodlandmills.com

 

[mikester]

I picked up one of these Woodland Mills 28" units on sale recently directly from their warehouse

WG28 PRO Stump Grinder

Woodland Mills supplies high-quality Bandsaw Mills, wood chippers, trailers, and accessories! Get the equipment to tackle big logs & long hours today!

woodlandmills.com

I've used it on a dozen+ stumps so far and it's doing the job. I find it cleaner than taking out roots with a ripper. The people at WM are helpful and good to deal with. Lot's of inventory and spare parts are available. I'd buy from them again.

 

[rh74]

Compare the user manual from both companies and you will find the only difference is the name on it. These are both made at the same factory in China. The difference will be in the warranty and customer service. Woodland Mills has very good reviews for both. Mechmaxx not so much. If you're handy and can make repairs/fabrication or don't mind waiting for a response or parts the cost savings might be worth it.

FYI, if you look hard enough this exact stump grinder is sold under various different brands. This is also true for a lot of Woodland Mills products. By no means is this a shot at Woodland Mills, it's just the nature of doing business in China and the fact that most manufacturers who produce a product for someone else will include a clause that allows them to sell the product under a different brand name after a period of time. Doing this allows the original brand to receive a discount on the product.

 

[Tractor Gal]

Here's a new one: a friend of mine had several stumps that were in the way. So, a company was hired to do it. The person who did the grinding used one that was controlled with a remote! Now THAT would be the kind to have. I don't know the name of the equipment manufacturer.

Tractor Gal

Decided to check a bit on this. Youtube is 48 seconds:

 

[Sidekick]

I recently bought one and it seems to do the job. After that I bought an offset flail mower from MechMaxx and it had damage to a cylinder, hose, paint, and pto shaft from poor packaging 250 pounds of arms just wired in place flopping around. Well they have basically no customer support or replacement parts. They are just a drop shipper that doesn't care about you after they have your money. They promised replacement parts almost a month ago but nothing yet and their support no longer responds. I just filed for a PayPal refund after they didn't respond to the first PayPal dispute paperwork. I would never spend another penny with them. The first Chinese company I have ever dealt with that has terrible support and poorly packaged products. Look at a company like Woodland Mills that has proven support and is in it for the long term.

 

[mikester]

The first Chinese company I have ever dealt with that has terrible support and poorly packaged products. Look at a company like Woodland Mills that has proven support and is in it for the long term.

+1

I have a cheap chinesium 8" chipper. Wish me luck finding spare parts that fit from mystery vendors...

I discovered my new WM unit was missing the special wrench for torquing the teeth. I called WM up, they said sorry, no problem and mailed me a new wrench the same day. Had it in my hands within a week of my call. That's why I'd buy from them again. Got a live person on the phone right away, no BS, no phone system hell, got courteous and prompt service. Thanks WM!

 

[Sidekick]

+1

I have a cheap chinesium 8" chipper. Wish me luck finding spare parts that fit from mystery vendors...

I discovered my new WM unit was missing the special wrench for torquing the teeth. I called WM up, they said sorry, no problem and mailed me a new wrench the same day. Had it in my hands within a week of my call. That's why I'd buy from them again. Got a live person on the phone right away, no BS, no phone system hell, got courteous and prompt service. Thanks WM!

MechMaxx has fake phone numbers that put you on hold for hours with no way to reach anyone. They have a web chat and the minute you mention a problem with an order they never answer. The only way is email and they take several days to answer, then after initial contact they do not answer. They seem to just have warehouses with no parts everything gets drop shipped from.

I'm finding these stump grinders are destroying pto clutches now because there's no overruning clutch for the 200 pound flywheel. Only a crude slip clutch that is hard to adjust properly. I'm looking for an overrun clutch for mine now but don't know how it will work with the wobbly pto shaft.

 

[Gene721]

I once bought a new Chinese stump grinder w Kohler engine from Home Depot, like a Toro SG13hp. The engine blew up in the first hour of operation and the teeth of the cutting wheel flew in different directions .I don't buy Chinese goods anymore, this was my only purchase of Chinese crap. After that I bought a used Toro STX26 and a used Blue Bird SG13. Both worked flawlessly. In the end I sold both and bought a brand new Blue Bird SG13. I did not want to mess with the hydraulics of the Toro STX26, because I can not repair it, and the service at the dealer costs crazy money. I am very happy with the Blue Bird and have ground many huge oak stumps on my property with it. I am a former mover and hard work is usual for me and my son. But if you don't like dancing lambada, buy a stx26 or similar Barreto.They are expensive but it is worth it. They pass through any narrow places where no tractor can go.

 

[Mikeymotorbikey]

I purchased a MechMaxx grinder a couple months ago. It looked to me to come out of the same production facility as the WM grinder. Different paint and as many have stated WM probably has better support.
There isn't much to these things that would require much precision, just a 24" wheel between 2 bearings. If I remember correctly the PTO shaft looked like it came from Italy. That's the part that I was worried about the most. I adjusted the slip clutch per the instructions and marked it with a paint pen, it's moved some so I think it's doing it's job.
I've ground approximately 60 stumps so far with it behind the B2601. Stumps ranging in size from 2" to 36", pine, to maple, to oak.
It works as advertised, no issues yet. My soil is just sand, no rocks, I've moved the teeth around to help maintain performance, probably need to move them again.
My only complaint is the hinge pin holes are way over sized, lots of slop there. This results in the hold down screws coming loose occasionally. I just keep an eye on them and tighten with the included wrench when need be.

 

[sardillim]

I appreciate everyone's input! I just noticed they dropped the price by $100, and I just can't resist—I'm going for it! I'll share an update after I've had the chance to use it a few times.


Thanks again, everyone!