This invention includes a stump crusher used as an attachment for an excavator or some other digging machine or a forest harvester to mill the stumps of felled trees level with the ground. The stump crusher comprises interconnected and interacting assemblies including a hydraulic motor assembly on the side of the machine implement comprising a hydraulic motor housing, a hydraulic system necessary for controlling the hydraulic motor arranged in the hydraulic motor housing, a gearbox connected to the hydraulic motor and attached to the gearbox housing, to the lower end of which is attached a flange, to which is attached a blade holder of the stump crusher together with the blades of the stump crusher.

A chip chute system structured and/or configured to capture chips cut from a stump by a stump grinding/cutting wheel, harness the energy in the cut chip imparted by the stump grinding wheel, and control/direct the cut chips to a desired chip collection location such as a bin or other collection receptacle.

A cutter wheel includes a drive plate having a first side and a second side opposite the first side. A wear plate is coupled to the first side of the drive plate for rotation with the drive plate. First and second cutters are coupled to the wear plate such that the wear plate is at least partially between the first side of the drive plate and the first and second cutters. Each cutter includes a cutter tip and a fastener-mounting aperture. A first fastener extends through the fastener-mounting aperture of the first cutter, through a first fastener-receiving aperture in the wear plate, and into a first aperture in the drive plate. A second fastener extends through the fastener-mounting aperture of the second cutter, through a respective fastener-receiving aperture in the wear plate, and into a respective aperture in the drive plate.

An apparatus for use with a vehicle to reduce plant material includes a frame having first and second mounting brackets, a boom coupled to the frame and having first and second mounting plates, a drive assembly having a drive shaft, a cutting device rotatable with the drive shaft, a reinforcing member to support the boom, a first bearing assembly sandwiched between the first mounting bracket and the first mounting plate, and a second bearing assembly sandwiched between the second mounting bracket and the second mounting plate. Each bearing assembly has an exterior annular member, an interior annular member, and a rolling element disposed between the interior and exterior members. The rolling element permits movement of the exterior and interior members relative to one another to facilitate rotation of the mounting plate relative the mounting bracket to permit pivotal movement of the boom relative to the frame.

A tractor attachment for stump grinding has an attachment body, which has at least a shield opening, a hydraulic motor opening, and a pulley opening that are disposed through the tractor attachment. An attachment arm is coupled to the tractor attachment. A shield is removably mounted over a portion of the shield opening. A grinder with a grinder blade and a grinder pulley are mounted on an underside of the attachment body. A hydraulic motor with a hydraulic motor pulley is mounted through the hydraulic motor opening. At least one belt is rotatably disposed between the hydraulic motor pulley and the grinder pulley. The attachment arm is configured to be attached to a boom attachment on a tractor boom.

A stump grinder has a grinding arm that durably mounts a rotatable grinding wheel by securing the drive shaft of a motor to the grinding wheel such that a pair of bearings within the motor support one side of the grinding wheel and by supporting the other side of the grinding wheel with a stub shaft received within a third bearing. The grinding arm is laterally offset on the frame of the stump grinder to have a swing angle that is not symmetrical relative to the width of the frame, but with the swing angle starting at one side of the frame and then traversing across substantially the entire width of the frame to improve the ability of the operator to see the grinding wheel. A single joystick is movable in orthogonal directions corresponding to desired up and down and side-to-side pivoting motions of the grinding arm. The joystick includes a depressible trigger for starting and stopping the operation of the grinding wheel.

A material reducing apparatus includes a reducing head that includes a rotary reducing component that carries a plurality of cutters. The reducing head includes a thrown object deflector positioned proximate the rotary reducing component. The thrown object deflector is configured to limit at least one of a distance and a direction that objects can be thrown by the rotary reducing component.

A cutter includes a first end configured to engage an object along a dominant force vector, a second end opposite the first end, a first side, and a second side opposite the first side. The cutter further includes an outer side, an inner side, and an aperture extending from the outer side to the inner side along a fastener axis that is substantially perpendicular to the dominant force vector. The cutter also includes a cutter tip on the first end and having a first cutting edge, a second cutting edge, and a third cutting edge, the cutting edges defining therebetween a cutting face. The cutting face defines a cutting swath having a width between the first cutting edge and the second cutting edge as the cutter rotates with the apparatus. No portion of the first side or the second side extends outside the width of the cutting swath.

A stump cutter tooth with an angled or tapered cutting face, the purpose of the angle or taper being to increase the efficiency of the cutting tooth and lower the forces thereof that get transferred back to a stump cutter machine, the tooth also tapering to a full width required to protect a pocket or a mount from contact with a stump.

A powered mulcher is configured for attachment to a vehicle. The mulcher includes a frame assembly and a drum assembly contained within the frame assembly. The drum assembly includes a substantially cylindrical drum and a cutting array mounted to the drum. The cutting array includes a plurality of flights connected to the drum and a plurality of cutters attached to each of the plurality of flights. The plurality of flights are configured to push processed plant debris away from the ends and middle of the drum.