Tracked Stump Grinders
Tracked stump grinders drive themselves to the stump on rubber tracks, carry more weight behind the cutting head, and grind faster and deeper than pedestrian machines.
If stump removal is a regular part of your workload or you’re running it as a standalone service, a tracked grinder does the job in half the time and with less effort from the operator. The tracks also handle slopes, soft ground, and rough terrain that would be difficult or impossible with a walk-behind machine.
Why Our Customers Love Us
Who Buys Tracked Grinders?
Dedicated stump removal contractors who grind stumps as their primary service. Tree surgery companies with a busy enough diary that stump grinding is a daily or near-daily task. Council tree departments and grounds teams managing parks, cemeteries, and public land where stumps need removing cleanly and quickly. Hire companies adding a grinder to their fleet for customers who need serious stump removal capacity rather than a lightweight pedestrian machine.
If you’re not sure whether your workload justifies a tracked machine or whether a pedestrian grinder would do the job, call us and we’ll talk it through. We’ve sold both to enough operators to know where the crossover point sits. We also carry used grinders when stock is available, so if you want tracked capability without the full new price, ask us what’s in.
Call 0141 775 9288 or fill in the form above.
We sell and hire FSI tracked stump grinders across a range that covers busy tree surgery operations, dedicated stump removal contractors, and grounds maintenance teams. We used FSI grinders ourselves for over a decade before becoming a dealer, so the advice you get comes from years of running these machines on actual jobs.
Why Tracked Over Pedestrian?
The cutting head on a tracked grinder has more mass and more engine power behind it, which means it removes material faster on each pass. A hardwood stump that might take 45 minutes with a pedestrian machine could be done in 15 to 20 minutes with a tracked grinder, and that time difference adds up across a full day’s work. If you’re quoting stump removal jobs and charging per stump, faster grinding means more stumps per day and better margins.
Tracked grinders also cut deeper below ground level, which matters when the site is being prepared for construction, paving, or replanting. Some models grind 300mm or more below the surface in a single pass, so you’re not coming back to take off another layer. The self-propelled tracks mean you position the machine with a joystick rather than wrestling it into place by hand, which makes a real difference by the end of a long day.
There’s a durability advantage too. Tracked grinders are built heavier because they need to be, and that weight means the frame, bearings, and drive components are all specced for sustained daily use. A pedestrian grinder running at its limits all day will wear faster than a tracked machine handling the same workload comfortably within its capacity.
Remote Control Models
Several FSI tracked grinders come with radio remote control, which lets the operator stand back from the cutting head while the machine works. This is a safety advantage on large stumps where the cutting wheel can throw debris, and it’s also useful when grinding on slopes or in awkward positions where standing directly behind the machine isn’t practical. You control the tracks, the cutting head position, and the grinding speed from a handheld unit, so you’ve got full control without being in the firing line.
Remote control also opens up work that would be difficult or dangerous to do from behind the machine. Stumps on steep embankments, stumps close to walls or boundaries where there’s no room to stand safely, and stumps in areas where the ground is too soft or uneven for the operator to stand comfortably while guiding the machine. The remote lets you work from stable ground while the grinder does the hard part.
The FSI Tracked Range
FSI builds several tracked and self-propelled configurations, from mid-range models suited to tree surgery companies that grind stumps as part of their regular work, through to larger diesel-powered machines for contractors running the grinder daily across longer clearing contracts. The bigger models offer wider cutting arcs, deeper grinding, and the fuel economy to run all day without the running costs becoming a problem over a full season.
The mid-range tracked models are the workhorses for most operators. They balance grinding speed and depth against transport weight, so you’re not over-speccing on a machine that’s heavier or more expensive than your workload needs. The larger diesel models justify their cost when you’re grinding full-time or running contracts where speed and depth are worth paying for.
All FSI tracked grinders use the same carbide tooth system as the pedestrian range, so if you’re running both types you only need one set of replacement teeth in stock. We carry cutting teeth and genuine FSI parts and our workshop handles servicing and repairs across the full range.
Transport and Site Access
Tracked grinders are heavier than pedestrian machines, so you’ll need a plant trailer rated for the weight. Most mid-range FSI tracked models fit on a standard single-axle plant trailer, and loading is straightforward because the machine drives itself on and off under its own power. For the larger models, a twin-axle trailer or a dedicated transport setup is more practical.
On site, the rubber tracks spread the machine’s weight and give you traction on grass, mud, gravel, and slopes that would be difficult with wheels. They do leave more of a mark on soft lawns than a pedestrian machine, so on residential jobs where the customer cares about the lawn, it’s worth having a conversation about access routes before you start. On commercial sites, parks, and open land, this isn’t usually a concern.