Types of Stump Grinder Teeth
There are several types of stump grinder teeth that have evolved over time.
Fingerstyle – One of the original style teeth, offered in a counterbore and threaded pocket with left, right, and straight teeth. This style of teeth must be gauged, requiring loosening pocket bolts to remove and replace teeth. Less costly than other versions, these teeth tend to have higher maintenance requirements and shorter lifespans and are not easy to change in the field due to the requirement of gauging.
Finger pin style. This design improvement eliminated the timely gauging procedure but did not improve any of the other limitations of the original design.
One piece. An improvement over the fingerstyle offering greater durability due to their solid construction also eliminating the need for gauging. These teeth use a one-piece pocket and tooth making them costly to replace. This system will still use a threaded pocket and a counterbore pocket for each style of tooth – angle, straight, and reverse.
Square and rectangle teeth. Another early design that offered increased production, durability, and fewer parts than the original fingerstyle. These often utilized a nonstandard style wheel specific to the brand leaving the customer to replace the wheel if they want to try other systems. One major downside of this design is the close proximity to the wheel also increases wheel wear forcing manufacturers to hard-face the wheel or weld wear pads in an attempt to slow the wear. These systems tend to have multiple types of teeth. Even some of the most recent versions have gone to the length of hard facing the pockets and wheel in an attempt to increase their lifespan but unfortunately, this also increases drag and replacement costs. Some pockets on these systems are also welded to the wheel further increasing replacement cost and maintenance.
Greenteeth®– Known for their quick-change design and superior performance, Greenteeth® style teeth provide optimal cutting performance, making them an industry favorite. The reversable pockets reduced the different number of parts in the system. Multiple cutting edges per tooth not only aid in the reduction of maintenance but also result in lowering the cost per cutting surface.