Choosing the right stump grinder tractor attachment

Your buyer's guide to finding the best PTO stump grinder for your tree stump removal needs

What is the right stump grinder to attach to your tractor to remove stumps on your property?

There are quite a few stump grinder types. While you could go with a manual, walk behind stump grinder, for tractor owners the most efficient grinding performance, and the easiest time on your body, is a machine with a heavy-duty flywheel and a PTO-driven cutting system.

Gabe, a proud owner of a Woodland Mills WG24 Stump Grinder and the owner of the lawn maintenance company Dad and Son, says he labored over a manual grinder before finally investing in a rugged, PTO-driven machine. He and other owners can attest that a PTO-powered, tractor attached stump grinder is much faster and easier.

So when looking at stump grinders on the market, here are some things to consider for picking a quality machine:

What is a stump grinder tractor attachment?

Most stump grinders, whether walk behind or track mounted stump grinders, work by spinning a flywheel which is then lowered onto the stump and roots to grind them into wood chips. These wheel stump grinders rapidly chip away small pieces from the stump, and the machine is drawn back and forth over the stump until its gone. It's a great tool for land clearing and can be used to shred just a few stumps or a whole field of them.

Woodland Mills stump grinders attach to tow behind the tractor, and use the tractor's PTO power to spin the grinding flywheel. This makes for the easiest form of stump removal, since all you have to do is drive your tractor back and forth several times, as opposed to manually pushing a device.

A larger tow behind stump grinder is more typically used in commercial forestry settings, and is much more expensive and heavy for the average property owner. There are also walk behind models with gas engines, but these require significant manual labor. With a tractor, a PTO stump grinder is the right tool for stump grinding.

And before you make your purchase, make sure pick the stump grinder that is best suited for the horsepower of your tractor. Whatever tractor you have, Woodland Mills is likely to have a machine that makes removing tree stumps a breeze.

How does a PTO stump grinder work?

Attaching the stump grinder via PTO shaft

The first step to attaching your PTO stump grinder to your tractor is trimming the PTO shaft so it attaches to your tractor's PTO. The exact details on how to do this step are outlined in the product manual.

Once that's done, attaching PTO stump grinder to your tractor using a three-point hitch is easy.

Turning on your PTO stump grinder

Turn on your tractor and engage your PTO. This will cause the stump grinder cutting wheel to start spinning. With the stump grinder lifted, position it over the stump to begin grinding.

Grinding away the stump

It's recommended you start by bringing the cutter wheel down on one side of the stump and grind it away from left to right, or vice-versa. Once you've ground away the top few inches, lower the stump grinder and redo the process again. Repeat this until you've reached the ideal cutting depth, that is, when the stump and the majority of roots are gone. Now you're ready to remove more stumps from your property.

Benefits of using a stump grinder attachment

With a PTO-powered grinder, your efficiency will be maximized, able to remove multiple stumps in the time it would take you to manually remove just one.

Cost-effectiveness: While there is an upfront cost to purchase equipment for a stump grinder, it will save you hours so you can maintain other parts of your property or tackle other jobs.

Versatility: Having a stump grinder on your side is a vital tool in your property maintenance arsenal. Now you can remove stumps whenever you want, wherever you can drive your tractor.

Ease of use: While walk behind stump grinders are an option to cut stumps, but as Gabe shared, they can be back breaking to operate. Removing stumps is much easier and faster when you have PTO power pushing carbide steel teeth to remove stumps quickly and easily.

What is the best stump grinder to grind away my stumps?

Finding the best tractor attachment to get the most efficient grinding performance is simple, and Woodland Mills has a few types of PTO stump grinders to help. Here are some factors to consider when choosing your stump grinder:

PTO Compatibility

Different models of stump grinder have different horsepower requirements. Check the PTO output and see what models are compatible.

Note that the horsepower of your tractor's engine may differ from the output at the PTO, which is what is used to gauge compatibility

PTO output between 15-45 HP: the WG24 and WG24 PRO models are compatible

PTO output between 35-80 HP: the WG28 and WG28 PRO models are compatible

Grinding Depth

Grinding depth is a key feature to look out for, as the larger the cutting wheel on the machine, the deeper you can get underground to remove pesky roots.

The WG24 models have a cutting depth of 6" (15 cm) for removing pesky underground roots.

The WG28 models have a cutting depth of 8.5" (22 cm), letting you go even deeper to eliminate deeply-embedded root systems.

Additional features

While all Woodland Mills stump grinders are engineered to be easy-to-use and maintain, PRO models contain extra features to enhance the stump grinding experience.

Shock Absorption: This patent-pending Woodland Mills exclusive feature is designed to help apply even and consistent pressure while grinding, while easing kickback when working through stumps

Chip Deflectors: PRO models come equipped with a chain chip deflector designed to keep chips close to the work area for easier clean up

Go-No Go Visual Indicator: This feature lets the operator see the angle of the stump grinder from the seat of the tractor. This way, they can maintain the best working range for the tractor speed

Woodland Mills offerings

The WG24 Stump Grinder is ideal for subcompact and compact tractors. It has a large 24″ (61cm) diameter solid steel grinding flywheel, and 34 tungsten carbide cutting teeth to make the removal of tree stumps a breeze, and requires a PTO output of 15-45 HP. It will easily remove stumps from your property, grinding up to 6″ (15 cm) below the ground. Woodland Mills also offers a PRO version. featuring a patent-pending shock absorption and dampening system applies even pressure during operation.

For larger tractor owners, the WG28 Stump Grinder is a professional-grade tool capable of grinding up to 8.5” (22 cm) below ground level, requiring a HP of 35-80 at the PTO. The WG28 also features a large 28″ (71 cm) diameter solid-steel grinding flywheel and 44 tungsten carbide cutting teeth laid out in a sequential pattern for smooth cuts. 

Both the WG24 and WG28 come in a PRO model which features a patent-pending shock absorption and dampening system applies even pressure during operation. Both PRO models are also equipped with a chip deflector designed to keep chips close to the work area for easier clean up. 

Top features to look for in a stump grinder tractor attachment

While other common stump grinder types will get the job done, PTO stump grinders are useful tools in a land owner's arsenal, and they'll get the job done quickly, efficiently and repeatedly. Knowing the benefits of a stump grinder that attaches to your tractor's PTO shaft, over a walk behind grinder, is a critical first step.

Look at the maximum cutting speed, depth and vertical positioning of the attachment, and make sure it meets your needs.

Woodland Mills’ stump grinders feature a heavy-duty base and a patent-pending shock absorption and dampening system that is designed to apply even pressure when working your way through stumps. That means a smooth, easy grind so you can move on and focus on other parts of your property more quickly.

These PTO-driven tractor attachments have all the safety features you’ll need to quickly and easily grind your stumps to nothing.

Frequently asked questions

How quickly can a stump grinder remove stumps?

That’s a tricky one, because it really depends on the stump. But generally speaking, you’re looking at minutes, not hours.

Things like stump size, height, and how dry or seasoned the wood is all play a role. That said, our stump grinders are built to work fast, and in most cases, you can expect to finish a stump in around 15 minutes or less.

What is the best PTO stump grinder for me?

We usually recommend going with the biggest stump grinder your tractor can handle. Start by checking the horsepower at your tractor’s PTO and the lift capacity, then match it up with the compatible stump grinder models.

How do I maintain my stump grinder?

When we’re engineering our stump grinders, it's one of our goals to make them easy to maintain. There are bearings which will need routine greasing, as detailed in the step-by-step maintenance guide in the manual. The carbide teeth are designed so that they can be resharpened, and replacement teeth are available if needed. Many customers find comfort in purchasing spare teeth with their stump grinder so they always have spares on hand.