That $300 stump grinder rental was a total scam

I rented a stump grinder from the big box store last Saturday for a 24 inch oak stump in someone's backyard. Paid $300 for the day and the thing kept bogging down every time I hit a root wider than my thumb. After 6 hours of fighting it, I only got it ground down maybe 4 inches below grade. Called a guy with a commercial machine and he finished it in 20 minutes for $150. Has anyone else had better luck with smaller rentals or am I just cursed with these things?

2 comments

2 Comments

lisa_wilson871mo ago

Took me a minute to figure out that "bogging down" is just the polite way of saying that machine was a total joke. Sounds like you paid $300 to learn what a dull butter knife feels like against a tree. Should've just handed the homeowner a shovel and called it a day. It's wild how those rental places will rent you something that barely works and act like it's your fault for not knowing how to use it.

jason_fisher41mo ago

Rental places know exactly how beat up those machines are before you leave the lot.