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That stump near the fence took me 14 hours to grind out
I figured it would be a quick afternoon job when I took it on last spring. An old oak stump maybe 3 feet across, but it was wedged right against a chain link fence and I couldn't get the grinder in at the right angle. Ended up digging around it by hand for 6 hours just to expose the roots, then had to chop through them with an axe because the grinder kept hitting the fence. The customer came out with sweet tea around hour 9 and asked if I was still at it lol. By the time I finally got the last chunk out, my hands were cramped and I had dirt in places I didn't know existed. Anyone else ever take way longer on a stump than you quoted?
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shanegibson13d agoTop Commenter
Man that's the worst. Those fence-adjacent stumps are a whole different beast. You basically gotta become a mole and a lumberjack at the same time. I did one by a concrete driveway once and spent an extra 5 hours just trying not to chip the slab with the axe. At least that sweet tea was a good sign the customer wasn't mad, just entertained by your suffering. Bet you double-check every job site now for fences before you even give a quote.
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terrywilson13d ago
That 5 hour driveway job sounds brutal. I had one with a stump right up against a chainlink fence once, bent the fence post trying to lever it out and had to spend two more hours fixing that mess. Learned my lesson quick, now I walk every job with a tape measure before I even start.
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