Excavator Stump Removal
The stump, root ball, and major roots dug out with an excavator, for when grinding isn't enough.
Stump Grinding · Maryville, Tennessee
Stump Grinding in Maryville, Tennessee
That stump isn't going anywhere on its own. We'll grind it below the grass line so you can mow, plant, or lay sod over the spot. One stump or a yard full.
- Free estimates
- Send photos for a quote
- Price in writing before work starts
Get a free estimate
The basics and a few photos are plenty. We'll get back to you with a price.
About stump grinding
A stump left in the yard is something you mow around for years. It sends up sprouts, collects weeds, draws insects, and catches mower blades and ankles. Grinding it out is a fraction of the work the removal was, and the spot is usable again.
Stump grinding uses a machine with a heavy spinning cutter wheel to chew the stump and the top of the root flare into chips. It doesn't pull the roots out of the ground. For that, there's excavator stump removal, a bigger job with more disturbance. For most yards, grinding is what you want.
Stumps from last month, stumps from a storm five years ago, stumps a builder left behind: they all grind the same way.
When to call
Why people have stumps ground
- Get the lawn back
- Mow straight lines again. No more trimming around a stump or catching a blade on a root.
- Make room for something new
- Sod, a garden bed, pavers, a fence, a patio, or a new tree in the same spot all start with the stump gone.
- Get rid of trip hazards
- Low stumps and surface roots are easy to miss in tall grass, especially for kids and grandparents.
- Stop the sprouts
- Some stumps keep pushing up shoots every spring. Grinding removes the part that sprouts most.
- Clean up old stumps
- Stumps from old removals or storms that are rotting, drawing insects, or just in the way.
- A whole yard full
- Grinding every stump on the property in one visit usually costs less per stump than doing them one at a time.
Grinding or excavation?
It depends on what the spot is for next.
Not every stump should be handled the same way. Neither method is simply better; they solve different problems.
| What the spot is for next | Usually | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Lawn, a garden bed, or mulch | Grinding | Least disturbance. What's left of the roots breaks down in place. |
| A new tree nearby | Grinding | Plant a few feet off the old spot so the new tree isn't growing into old roots and grindings. |
| Behind a narrow gate or fence | Grinding | A compact grinder fits where an excavator can't. |
| Close to the house, a wall, or buried lines | Grinding | Digging a root ball out there can do more harm than good. |
| A patio, walkway, slab, or driveway | Often excavation | Less buried wood left to rot and settle. Ask your builder or installer what they want underneath. |
| Regrading or building on the spot | Excavation | The ground is being disturbed anyway, so the stump and root ball can come out with it. |
| Several stumps on land being cleared | Often excavation | It can be done as part of the same machine work as the clearing. |
Tell us what you plan to do with the area afterward, and we'll recommend the right method.
The process
How stump grinding works
Step 1: Send photos or have us look
A photo of each stump with something for scale, like a tape measure or a shoe, plus a shot of the way in from the street.
Step 2: Mark buried lines
Grinding goes below ground, so public utility lines should be marked through Tennessee 811 first. Private lines like irrigation, invisible dog fences, and landscape lighting need to be pointed out.
Step 3: Grind below grade
The grinder works across the stump and the main surface roots until it's below the surface, deeper where you're planting or building.
Step 4: Deal with the grindings
Raked back into the hole and mounded, spread as mulch, or hauled off. Your choice, spelled out in the estimate.
Pricing
What affects the cost of stump grinding
Stump grinding is usually priced per stump, based on things you can check yourself:
- Stump diameter
- Measured across the widest part at ground level. The biggest factor in the price.
- How many stumps
- Several in one visit usually cost less per stump than one at a time.
- Surface roots
- Big roots running across the lawn may need grinding too.
- Height
- A stump cut close to the ground goes faster than a tall one left from a storm.
- Access
- Gate width, slopes, retaining walls, and how far the machine has to travel.
- Wood and condition
- Dense hardwoods like oak grind slower than pine or rotted wood.
- Cleanup
- Leaving the grindings costs less than hauling them off or backfilling with topsoil.
What to photograph
Send a photo of each stump and its width across the top at ground level. That's usually all it takes to price it.
- Each stump from above, with a shoe or tape measure for scale
- The width across the top at ground level, if you can measure it
- Anything close by: fences, walks, sprinkler heads, or beds
- The narrowest gate or gap a machine would have to fit through
The work
The right grinder for the yard
Stump grinders come in different sizes. A compact grinder fits through backyard gates and is easier on lawns. A larger one gets through big stumps faster. Access and stump size decide which makes sense.
If the stump is behind a fence, measure the narrowest gate or opening the machine would have to fit through. That one number decides a lot.
Grinders throw chips hard, so people, pets, and cars need to be kept clear, and nearby windows or siding may need protecting.
After the work
What the spot looks like after
Right after grinding, there's a pile of wood chips and dirt where the stump was. Depending on what you want, the grindings can be:
- Raked back into the hole and mounded, to settle over a few months
- Spread as mulch in nearby beds
- Hauled off so the hole can be filled with topsoil
- Blown off driveways, walks, and patios either way
Where we work
Stump grinding around Maryville and East Tennessee
Home base is Maryville. We also work in Alcoa, Knoxville, Farragut, Louisville, Friendsville, Seymour, Lenoir City, Townsend, and Walland, plus the areas in between.
Questions
Questions about stump grinding
How deep do you grind?
Deep enough for what's going there next. There isn't one right depth: a lawn, a garden bed, fence posts, and a new tree nearby all call for something different, and some plans are better served by digging the stump out instead. Tell us what the spot is for and we'll recommend the approach.
Do you get the roots out?
Grinding takes out the stump and the tops of the main roots near the surface. The rest stays in the ground and breaks down over time. If you need the stump and root ball out of the ground, before building or regrading for example, that's excavator stump removal.
The stump is behind my fence. Can you still get to it?
Usually. Measure the narrowest gate the machine would have to pass through and send it with your photos. If access is really tight, we'll talk through the options.
Can you grind several stumps at once?
Yes, and it usually saves you money. Send a photo of each one with a rough diameter.
Will grass grow where the stump was?
Not well in straight wood chips. For lawn, get most of the grindings out, fill the hole with topsoil, let it settle, then seed or sod.
Will the stump grow back?
Most won't once they're ground below grade. A few species, like tree-of-heaven, black locust, and sweetgum, can send up shoots from roots left in the ground. Mowing or clipping them usually takes care of it.
Related work
Often part of the same job
Tree Removal
Dead, leaning, and hazardous trees taken down and cleaned up after, with the wood handled the way you want.
Land Clearing & Grading
Trees, brush, and stumps cleared for new homes, driveways, pastures, and overgrown acreage.
Ready to get rid of that stump?
Call, or send a few photos. Estimates are free.