Stump Grinder Basics: Safety 101

If you have unsightly stumps making your property difficult to navigate, a stump grinder can be a great solution to your problem. However, safety is paramount when you’re using a stump grinder, so our team wanted to share some essential safety tips to ensure your stump removal project goes smoothly.

In this article, we’ll go over some of the basic principles you need to abide by when you’re operating one of our stump grinder rentals.

1. Manual Mastery: If this is your first time renting a stump grinder, make sure you inquire about getting a copy of the user manual to review. Our team is also happy to go over the basics of using a stump grinder and offer you some tips for making sure your project is a safe success.
2. Great Gear: Wearing the proper safety gear is a must when you’re operating a stump grinder. We always recommend safety goggles, gloves, hearing protection, heavy-duty or steel-toed boots, and clothing that covers your arms and legs.
3. Proper Planning: Before starting, ensure you’ve cleared the area around the stump. Get rid of things like rocks, sticks, and other obstacles, and make sure that children and pets are safely secured away from the area where you’ll be operating the stump grinder.
4. Two-Handed Task: Most stump grinder models require that you use two hands to operate them, ensuring that you have good control over the grinder. You should also avoid overreaching and putting yourself off-balance while you’re operating the grinder.
5. Shut-Down Safety: When you’re ready to shut the grinder off, release the controls, turn off the engine, and wait for all the moving parts to stop before you dismount or move away from the grinder.

For a complete stump grinder safety run-down, contact our team. We’re always happy to go over how to use our equipment rentals, so feel free to ask questions or get an operation walk-through if you need help with how to use a piece of equipment properly.