Narrow Access Stump Grinder Hire and Sales

The FSI range, built for narrow access

FSI is a Danish manufacturer that builds stump grinders and nothing else, and has done so since 2002.

Most of the range is built to fit narrow access from the start.

The walk-behind machines are 680mm across, and the self-propelled and tracked grinders typically come in under 800mm or narrow to it with the wheels lifted off or the tracks pulled in.

The low profile lets the machines work under branches, and on the self-propelled grinders the operator panel swings out to the side.

The larger machines offer remote control, and a hill-hold brake locks the walk-behind grinders on a slope while you position the head.

We ran FSI grinders on our own jobs for more than ten years before becoming a dealer, giving us deep knowledge when recommending machines for the job at hand.

What makes a stump grinder narrow access

A narrow access stump grinder is one that passes through a standard residential garden gate, usually around 900mm, with room left to steer it.

In practice that means a machine body of 800mm or under.

Halfway along a side passage there’s often a downpipe or a meter box that leaves less room than the gate at either end, and that pinch point is the width the machine has to fit.

Length matters where the route turns a corner, because a long machine that fits the passage may not make the turn at the end of it.

Steps and lawns bring weight into the choice, because the grinder has to be carried up one and wheeled over the other without marking it.

Under arches, lean-tos and low branches, the limit is height.

The FSI design starts from those limits, with the smallest grinder at 680mm wide and around 130kg.

Where the access decides the machine

On any difficult access job we ask about the way in first.

A gate, a canopy, a doorway, and a slope each rule out different machines.

Garden gates, side passages and fence openings

A standard gate is around 900mm between the posts.

Older gates, and the gaps left in a fence where a gate has been taken off, can be narrower still.

We ask for the narrowest point on the route measured in millimetres, because the machine has to pass the gap between the posts, not the gate leaf.

The FSI B21 at 680mm, and the self-propelled B22 on the same frame, go through a standard gate with over 200mm to spare.

Where the opening is between 800mm and 900mm, the B28 and B38 can typically fit.

There is also the option to remove wheels for narrower access in the FSI range. Loosen the centre bolt, lift them off, and the machine narrows.

The wheels easily come off for the passage and go back on for the grinding, so the machine has its full footprint under it when the cutting wheel is in the stump.

Under low canopies and between close-planted trees

Stumps in orchards, shelter belts, shrub beds and along hedge lines sit under branches left standing. A bigger grinder can’t get under them, or often between the trunks.

A pedestrian grinder sits low enough to work under most canopies. Its short body turns within a gap between trunks that a longer machine would have to reverse out of.

On the B28 and B38 the operator panel swings out to the side, so you can stand where the branches allow and still see the cutting wheel.

The remote control models such as the B31, B38 and D30 Track let you stand clear of the canopy and the wheel while the machine grinds, the safer way to work under low branches with no room to step back.

Grinding close to retained trees means keeping the wheel off the roots of the surrounding trees. A smaller sweep on a narrower machine is easier to control in that position than a two-metre arc.

Through the house, up steps and across finished lawns

Where there’s no side access at all, the only route to a rear garden is through the building.

The grinder then has to be light enough to carry and narrow enough for an internal doorway.

The B21 is the small stump grinder for that route, because at around 130kg two people can lift it over a step or a threshold, and at 680mm it passes most internal doorways, with the door off its hinges if the frame is tight.

Tracked machines and the heavier self-propelled models don’t go through a house, so an internal route means a pedestrian machine and a slower job on anything large.

The pedestrian machines do less damage to a finished lawn than tracks do in the wet.

On soft ground after rain, we’d still advise putting boards down under any grinder, and a tracked model spreads its weight better on a slope than wheels can.

FSI machines for professional tight access stump grinding

A narrower body means a smaller engine, so each FSI machine is a trade between the width it fits and the speed it grinds.

The compact end is a 14hp pedestrian unit at 680mm, and the top end that narrows to 800mm is a 60hp diesel.

Pedestrian grinders at 680mm

At the narrow end, the B21 and B22 grind a 90cm to 106cm sweep and reach 25cm below ground with a 14hp petrol engine.

Sweep on the B21 is manual, so you’re moving the head side to side by hand.

The B21 and B22 are ideal for the stumps of ornamental trees, conifers and fruit trees in a domestic setting, and slower on a mature hardwood.

Self-propelled and tracked grinders under 800mm

The B28 and B38 bring 26.5hp and 38hp, a 150cm or 217cm sweep and 35cm to 47cm of depth. A mature beech or sycamore stump comes out far quicker than it would on a 14hp machine.

Where the ground climbs, the tracked B31 gives up some sweep, at 120cm, in exchange for a 740mm body, and for diesel there’s the D30 Track and D60, both of which still narrow to 800mm.

The D74 sits outside that group, since at 890mm at its narrowest it needs a full metre of opening to be practical, and it’s not a machine we’d put forward for tight access work.

Full specifications for each model are on our pedestrian stump grinder and tracked stump grinder pages.

How ILH matches you to the model

Matching an operator to a grinder is part of our role.

The questions are the same whether you’re hiring for one awkward domestic job or buying for commercial work.

The narrowest point on the route in, measured, comes first, followed by whatever sits in the way of that route, whether steps, a slope, a lawn, a low arch or a doorway, and the location of the stump relative to walls, patios and other trees.

After that come the stumps themselves, since their diameter and species, how far below ground they need to go, and how many you expect to grind in a typical week all change the answer.

If you aren’t sure which stump grinder is right for your task, give our team a call today.

Hire or buy from our Cumbernauld workshop

Hiring for the jobs your own machine can’t reach

Hiring a narrow access grinder makes sense for a one-off job behind a house when your own machine won’t fit.

For a hire company, tree surgery firm or landscaping business testing whether there’s enough tight access work to justify buying.

Every hire machine goes out serviced and checked with sharp teeth. A grinder with worn teeth on a small engine is slow and hard on the operator.

We deliver across Scotland, or you collect from Cumbernauld.

A tracked wood chipper can go out on the same delivery where the job is a felling and stump removal in one.

Buying, with the workshop behind it

Buying suits trade operators who meet tight gates regularly.

We supply new FSI grinders and, when we have them, used machines, with the condition of each one described honestly.

After the sale the same workshop handles servicing, routine maintenance, carbide teeth, belts and hydraulic repairs, and we keep genuine FSI parts in stock so worn teeth mid-season don’t leave the machine standing.

If you already run a narrow access machine from another maker and want it looked at before the season, the workshop takes those too.

How it works with ILH

1. Measure the route and tell us about the stumps – Call 0141 775 9288 or use the contact form with the narrowest point on the way in, anything in the way (steps, slope, arch, doorway), and the size and number of stumps.
2. We recommend a model – One machine, or two if the work splits between open sites and tight ones, priced to hire or to buy. If a chainsaw would do the job, we’ll tell you.
3. Try it if you want to – Book a demo at Cumbernauld and see the grinder run before you commit.
4. Checked and delivered – Teeth, belts and hydraulics are checked in the workshop, the twin wheels or tracks set for your access, and the grinder delivered across Scotland or collected.
5. Backed while you work – Phone advice on setup, genuine FSI parts from stock, and workshop servicing for the life of the machine.

Narrow access stump grinder questions

What is the smallest stump grinder available?

The smallest machine we supply is the FSI B21 at 680mm wide and around 130kg, with a 14hp engine and a 90cm sweep, enough to remove tree stumps from most gardens. Smaller mini grinders are on the market for DIY use, though they’re slow on anything above a shrub stump.

Can you get a stump grinder through a house?

Yes, with the B21 or B22, which are both 680mm wide. Protect the flooring with boards, take the internal door off its hinges if the frame is tight, and allow time for carrying the machine back out again once the stump is down. The heavier self-propelled and tracked models stay outside.

How deep can a narrow access stump grinder go?

The B21 and B22 grind 25cm below ground, the B28 reaches 35cm and the B38 47cm, with the tracked B31 at 40cm. Where the ground is being turfed or replanted, 15cm to 20cm is usually plenty. Footings and utility runs may need the full depth, and the machine choice follows.

Measure the gap, then ask us for a quote

Give us the narrowest point on the route and a rough idea of the stumps, and we’ll tell you which FSI grinder fits, whether to hire or buy it, and what it will and won’t do once it’s through.

We’ve been family-run since 2007, with more than 20 years in the industry as arb machinery specialists, and an official FSI dealer with the workshop behind every machine we send out.

Call 0141 775 9288, email contact@ilhgroundcare.com or send the measurement through the contact form, and we’ll come back with a model and a quote.