STUMPEX 2-Speed Stump Grinder Attachment

Instead of a high speed carbide wheel, the STUMPEX uses a high torque, low RPM auger style bit. For a carbide wheel design across a wider carrier range, see the Stumper by Fecon. If you would rather have a carbide wheel, see the Stump Hog carbide wheel stump grinders. It turns at only 7 to 16 RPM and produces 33,600 ft per lb of torque, which lets it draw itself down into the stump. Staggered AR500 cutting blades and a threaded cone grind stump and root material out with minimal discharge.

It draws into stumps 8 to 28 inches in diameter and up to 20 inches deep in a single pass. Larger diameter stumps are processed by making additional passes, so diameter is not really a hard limit. It works on any species of stump.

The SHX33SX mounts to skid steers, compact track loaders and backhoes with 20 to 42 GPM and up to 4,250 PSI, and it also fits 8 to 12 ton excavators. The SHX34EXC is the excavator model, rated 40 to 65 GPM and up to 5,800 PSI for 12 to 20 ton machines.

No, and that is a big part of the appeal. There are no carbide tools to replace. Maintenance comes down to greasing and sharpening, and the cone is threaded and replaceable. For stump grinding contractors that usually means a noticeably lower running cost per stump than a conventional carbide wheel.

The low RPM bit does not throw high speed debris the way a fast spinning carbide wheel does, so the work zone around the machine is safer and cleanup afterwards is much lighter. Material is ground out and stays close to the hole rather than being scattered across the site.

Both models use a 32 inch bit diameter. The SHX33SX weighs 1,368 lbs and has a universal skid steer and CTL quick attach built into the body. The SHX34EXC weighs around 2,000 lbs plus the mount and is built for excavator carriers.

The STUMPEX comes with the Fecon standard warranty of 12 months or 1,000 hours. Wear items including the cone, the cutting bit and the two speed hydraulic motor can be ordered directly through the Fecon parts store.

It is both, and the distinction is worth understanding before you buy. A conventional stump grinder uses a fast spinning wheel of carbide teeth that you swing sideways across the stump. The STUMPEX uses a stump auger bit: a threaded cone at the tip bites in and pulls the tool straight down into the stump, while staggered AR500 blades shave the wood away as it descends. It is the same category of machine as the small auger stump planer bits that bolt onto an auger drive, but on a completely different scale. Those planers are typically 10 to 16 inches across, depend on whatever torque your auger drive happens to produce, and several manufacturers state they are not suited to hardwood or green stumps. The STUMPEX is a 32 inch complete attachment with its own two speed hydraulic motor producing 33,600 ft-lbs of torque, and Fecon rates it for any species of stump.

The difference is the direction of the cut and the speed it happens at. A carbide wheel grinder chips the stump away sideways at high RPM. The STUMPEX drives down into the stump at 7 to 16 RPM under very high torque. That changes the running cost, because there are no carbide teeth to replace, only blades to sharpen and a threaded cone to swap when it eventually wears. It changes the safety picture, because a low RPM tool produces no high speed flying debris and therefore needs a much smaller exclusion zone. And it changes the cleanup, because the material comes out downwards near the hole instead of being thrown across the property. What it gives up is speed on wide, shallow surface grinding, where a carbide wheel machine is still the quicker tool.

Match the model to your carrier’s auxiliary hydraulic flow, not to its horsepower. The SHX33SX needs 20 to 42 GPM at up to 4,250 PSI and mounts to skid steers and compact track loaders through the universal quick attach built into its body, as well as to backhoes and excavators in the 8 to 12 ton class. The SHX34EXC is the excavator model, needing 40 to 65 GPM at up to 5,800 PSI, for machines in the 12 to 20 ton class. If your machine is a mini skid steer or a compact utility loader running 10 to 20 GPM, the Compact STUMPEX is the right model instead. Send your machine’s make, model and rated flow to a Fecon dealer and they will confirm the fit.