We're in Tampa, Florida, with Merl Yutzy,
co-owner of Stumps and Roots.
I've been in the tree care business since 1973,
just stumps alone for about the last 20 years.
Merl is getting a sneak peek at what's
new for Vermeer stump cutters.
I'm thinking that chips are gonna stay much better contained than they do
with the other one.
Kind of the combination of having the individual teeth but you don't have as many
teeth to work with.
It'll be easy to switch out.
I think it'll be more aggressive, faster, size of chips, we'll wait and see.
Don't know yet. I just can't wait to get
it into some wood.
I think it's gonna be great. I'm convinced that it's gonna make a nicer chip.
All right, let's go grind some wood.
Over the next two days,
Merl will be testing the new wheel on
five different sites with a variety of
stumps to cut.
Today on the first job we were grinding stumps for a contractor.
He's a landscaper and a tree man.
The cutting wheel, the new wheel that we've got on it, the big concern I had was
whether the size of the chips were gonna be too large
and also the spray pattern when
you're grinding, how much was going to be
spraying, so I was pleasantly surprised
at how well it did and how it didn't
spray, and it made nice sized
chip.
Two of my concerns have been alleviated as far as I can tell
Been grinding stumps for 45 years, so I've used all sorts of teeth and the design
just struck me as being a practical and efficient design.
I do think that this
one they've given a lot of thought, they
know what we tree guys want. It's not a guy, an engineer sitting, in an office somewhere.
People who know what the
business is and know what is needed, and
I'm very impressed with what they put
out here.
So after five different sites, how did the Vermeer cutting system perform?
Around a variety of stumps had palms that were growing on the ground.
It functioned well and everything.
Our employee already is wanting to replace the cutter wheel on our other machine, so
he'll probably be fighting us to be able
to use the machine.
With this new cutter wheel, probably as soon as it is ready to order,
we'll order it. It's absolutely a winner.
