Getting a Stump Grinder Into a Fenced Backyard

Most stumps aren't sitting in an open field. They're in a back corner behind a gate, along a fence line, or right beside a deck, and the person who owns the yard has been looking at the stump for years while wondering how anyone would get a machine in there. It's a fair question. Access is the part of stump work homeowners think about least and the part that matters most.

Why access is the real problem

A stump grinder is a heavy machine with a big cutter wheel on the front. Wheeled units can rut a wet lawn, and big ones simply won't fit through the average side gate. Older methods sometimes meant pulling down a section of fence, laying plywood across the grass, or skipping the stump altogether because nobody could reach it.

For a yard in the Atlanta area, where plenty of lots have mature trees close to the house, narrow side access and sloping ground, that's a regular problem and not a rare one.

Slope and soil matter too. Wet ground, a grade down to the back fence and a wheeled machine is a recipe for ruts and slides. A tracked machine spreads its weight over a long footprint, which is why it can cross a lawn that a wheeled one would tear up.

The machine Tree Stump Masters runs

According to the company's equipment page, Tree Stump Masters uses an SP7015 TRX, a 60-horsepower track machine with a wireless remote control, a 4-speed ground drive system, traction control and telescoping tracks. The details that matter to a homeowner:

• Telescoping tracks: the tracks retract and extend hydraulically, and they can contract from 48 to 35 inches for tight working conditions.
• Low ground pressure: the compact unit puts down only 3.2 psi of ground pressure, which means less rutting and less lawn disruption.
• Wireless remote: the operator walks beside the machine and drives it from a distance instead of sitting on it, so there's no need to leave room for a rider.
• 70-inch swing: a patented turntable design keeps the engine low and level, and gives the cutter a giant, 70-inch swing travel.

Put plainly, it's a small, low, tracked machine that crawls into spots where a wheeled grinder can't go and then reaches a wide arc of the stump from one parked position. A wide swing also means fewer times the machine has to be repositioned on the lawn.

Set against a typical yard, those numbers describe a machine that can enter a narrower opening than a wheeled grinder, then use its tracks for climbing power once it's inside.

What customers say about tight spots

You don't have to take the spec sheet's word for it. Chris S, on the company's own review page, described a massive oak stump in a hard-to-reach spot right next to a deck and wrote: “He was able to operate the machine around the deck and remove the stump for us.” Troy D wrote that the crew “easily handled the two that were in tricky spots near the house.”

Another reviewer, Tim Johnson, a self-described tax accountant who's fairly particular about things, noted the equipment in particular: “His machine is on rubber tracks and remote controlled.” Rubber tracks are kinder to turf than steel, and a remote means the operator can stand where he can see the cutter, the stump and the fence line at the same time.

How to prep a fenced yard

• Make sure the route from the street to the stump is clear: no hoses, toys, planters or loose lawn furniture.
• Have the gate ready to open, and tell the crew about any latch that sticks or any section of fence that's fragile.
• Point out the stump, the property line, and anything delicate nearby, such as a new bed, a septic line, or a spot where the neighbors' roots reach in.
• Move vehicles out of the driveway so the crew can park close to the gate.
• Mention dogs. Keep them inside until the work is done and the gate is shut again.

If you're worried about the neighbors' side of the fence, say so up front. One Google reviewer, Brandon Chong, asked the operator to keep the machine toward one side of his yard so it wouldn't stray onto the neighbor's, and wrote that “he made it work.”

Ask about access before you book

Before you commit to any stump company, ask how they'd reach your stump and what their machine looks like. A confident answer, with specifics about tracks and width, is a good sign. A vague one is not. Tree Stump Masters would rather hear about a tricky gate, a slope or a deck at the start of a conversation than discover it on the day.

Describe your yard and send a photo of the gate and the stump if you can. The estimate is free. Call or text 770-378-4701 and describe where the stump is hiding.