A mini skid steer stump grinder is two hires on one ticket: the compact tool carrier at roughly $200 to $300 a day, and the grinder attachment at another $150 to $250. Together they cost more than a dedicated walk behind grinder and reach places a self propelled machine cannot, which is the whole reason to take one.
Hydraulic flow is the first question
The head is a hydraulic motor with teeth, and it wants all the oil the carrier can send. Standard flow machines turn a small wheel slowly; high flow machines drive the larger heads at a useful speed. Ask the counter to pair the head with a carrier it knows runs it, and put both on one contract.
Where the compact carrier earns the extra rate
A stand on mini carrier is about three feet wide, tracks across turf without cutting it up and reverses down a side passage that a ride on grinder cannot enter. If the stump sits in a back yard behind a gate, that access is what the second line on the ticket is buying.
How the teeth are billed back to you
Carbide teeth are consumables and yards treat them as such. Some include normal wear in the rate, some charge per tooth replaced, and every one of them charges for a set wrecked on hidden concrete or buried wire. Ask which policy applies and have it written on the ticket before you load.
What the machine leaves behind
Grinding turns a stump into a heap of chips mixed with soil, and the volume is larger than the stump looked. The attachment will not lift out the root plate beyond the cut, so budget shovel time or a bucket on the same carrier, and expect the hole to want filling once the chips settle.
Questions people ask about mini skid steer stump grinder
Is this faster than a walk behind grinder?
On an open stump, not necessarily. The gain is control and reach: you cut standing on the machine, swing the head across the face under hydraulic power, and chase roots outward without dragging a heavy wheel around by hand.
Can I hire the grinder head on its own?
Only if you are bringing a carrier the yard accepts, and it will check flow rating and coupler type first. Attachments hired against your own machine are quoted that way, and a mismatch damages the head, so most counters would rather send the pair.
What size stump is too big for one?
Diameter matters less than what surrounds it. A wide stump simply takes longer. A stump within a foot of a wall, a fence post or a buried service is the one to reconsider, because the head has to swing past it. Measure the clearance, not just the trunk.