Vermeer · Stump grinder

Vermeer SC1052

Name: Vermeer SC1052
Brand: Vermeer

115 hp stump cutter positioned for contractors regularly handling larger or multiple stumps.

6 published specificationsAustralian representation: Vermeer Australia, part of RDO Equipment

Positioning

Where this machine sits

The SC1052 steps up to 115 horsepower, a 660 mm cutter wheel and 33 teeth at roughly 2,023 kg, with published above- and below-ground cutting figures of about 787 mm and 635 mm. It is positioned for contractors regularly handling larger or multiple stumps rather than occasional removals.

The published below-ground figure is the specification worth attending to. What a client actually wants is the stump gone to a depth that allows whatever comes next — turf, paving, planting — and below-ground cut is what determines whether the machine can deliver that in one pass.

Published figures

Specifications

Indicative published manufacturer and distributor information. Confirm every figure, lift chart and hydraulic requirement with the manufacturer or authorised dealer before purchase.

Machine weight	~2,023 kg
Engine	115 hp / 85.8 kW
Cutter wheel	660 mm
Teeth	33
Above-ground cut	~787 mm
Below-ground cut	~635 mm

Interpretation

What the published figures actually constrain

A specification table tells you what the machine is. This is what each of those numbers means for the work you would put it to.

Published figure	What it means commercially
115 hp / 85.8 kW, 660 mm cutter wheel	Materially more capacity than the smaller class, which shows up as minutes per stump on larger material rather than as a different kind of capability.
~787 mm above-ground, ~635 mm below-ground cut	The above-ground figure governs stump size; the below-ground figure governs finish depth. The second is what the client experiences and what determines whether one pass is enough.
33 teeth	More teeth in contact, which supports the higher cutting rate. Tooth cost per stump remains the variable worth tracking, and it rises with grit and buried material.
~2,023 kg	Heavier than the smaller class, which narrows the range of sites it can reach and the surfaces it can cross. Access remains the binding constraint in urban work.

Design intent

Built for larger or repeated stumps

115 hp, a 660 mm wheel and 33 teeth, with ~787 mm above-ground and ~635 mm below-ground cut, is specified for contractors regularly handling larger or multiple stumps rather than occasional removals.

Sustained duty it is built around

Regularly large or numerous stumps
Sites with adequate access for ~2,023 kg
Work requiring depth in a single pass
Contractors for whom minutes per stump limits the day

Commercial fit

Where this machine earns its cost

Right machine when

Regular work on larger stumps, or multiple stumps per site
Commercial development and civil sites where depth specification matters
Contractors with enough stump volume to justify the step up from a 67 hp machine

Wrong machine when

Occasional single stumps on tight residential access
Plantation-scale conversion where root mass must be removed rather than ground

Before you sign

Verify these for this specific model

Beyond the standard buying criteria for the class, these are the questions this machine in particular raises.

Required depth in the specification you are quoting against the 635 mm below-ground figure
Teeth and pocket cost, and stumps per set
Access dimensions on your typical sites

Running cost

What drives the cost of owning this machine

The step up in capacity earns where stumps are regularly large or numerous — minutes per stump falls, and jobs that required a return visit or a subcontractor become viable. Where stumps are occasional and small, the additional capital and reduced access are a poor trade.

Tooth consumption remains the dominant variable cost, and it scales with both throughput and grit. Tracking cost per stump rather than per hour makes the effect of conditions and technique visible.

Access still governs. A heavier machine excluded from restricted sites loses the work entirely, which outweighs any per-stump advantage on the jobs it can reach.

In practice

Ownership considerations in Australian conditions

Check the below-ground figure against the client's requirement

What follows the stump — turf, paving, planting — determines the depth needed. A machine that cannot reach it in one pass turns a single job into two.

Weigh capacity against access

At roughly 2,023 kg the machine reaches fewer sites than a lighter cutter. Establish what proportion of your client base it can actually access before sizing up.

Plan for grit

Urban and semi-rural stumps carry buried rubble and grit that consume teeth quickly. Budget consumables from your own conditions rather than from a general figure.

Questions

Common questions about this machine

When is stepping up from a smaller stump cutter worth it?

When stumps are regularly large or numerous enough that minutes per stump is limiting your day, or when you are declining or subcontracting work the smaller machine cannot complete. If your stumps are mostly modest and access is tight, the extra capacity buys a heavier machine that reaches fewer sites — which costs more work than it gains.

Why does below-ground cutting depth matter more than above-ground?

Because the client is buying what happens next. Turf, paving or replanting each need the stump removed to a depth, and a machine that cannot reach it in one pass turns one job into two visits or leaves a finish the client will query. The above-ground figure tells you what size stump the machine engages; the below-ground figure tells you whether the job is finished.

How much does grit affect running cost?

Substantially, and it is the variable most likely to differ from a supplier's figure. Buried rubble, gravel and soil around urban and semi-rural stumps consume teeth far faster than clean wood, so tooth cost per stump varies more with the site than with the machine. Track it from your own jobs rather than relying on a general allowance.

Same class

Alternatives to compare against

Other stump grinders covered in this guide.

Vermeer

SC70TX

Upper-commercial arboriculture stump cutter — not an industrial plantation stump-removal system.

In service

Fleet packages that use this class

Package G

Plantation re-establishment

A sequence rather than a machine: stump treatment, then slash treatment, then tillage, scarification or mounding, then planting. Measured in hectares and planting spots, not cubic metres.