Stump Grinding in McKinney, TX

Stump grinding in McKinney is one of the most common requests we get, partly because so many lots here were built on in the last 25 years. Builders cleared trees, homeowners later removed the ones planted too close to the house, and storms took out others. The stumps left behind trip mowers, sprout suckers, attract wood-decay fungi and insects, and take up the spot where a new tree or a patio should go.

How grinding works

A stump grinder uses a spinning wheel with carbide teeth to chip the stump away a little at a time. For lawn areas, the usual depth is several inches below grade, enough to lay sod or seed. For a new tree in the same spot, or a patio or flower bed, we grind deeper and wider. Grinding leaves a mix of wood chips and soil; it can be raked back into the hole to settle or hauled off and replaced with topsoil.

Things that change the job

• Size: price is usually figured by the stump's diameter at ground level.
• Surface roots: many trees in Blackland clay root wide and shallow; chasing roots across a lawn adds time.
• Access: compact grinders fit through most 36-inch gates; a full-size machine does not.
• What's nearby: fences, sprinkler heads, irrigation lines, and gas or cable lines all need to be marked. Calling 811 to have buried lines marked before deep grinding is the safe step, and we ask for it.
• Species: ash stumps from emerald ash borer removals are ground on site, so no infested wood leaves the property.