Protect Your Ankles And Shins With These When Grinding A Stump

Renting a stump grinder from a tree service, like Tree Landers, and grinding down the stumps in your yard is a project that you can successfully manage on your own, but you'll want to take steps to protect your lower body. If you don't, you'll almost certainly end up with nicks and bruises around your ankles and shins from flying wood pieces, and there's also a risk that you'll sustain a serious injury such as a broken ankle. These risks drop dramatically, however, if you take care to protect these body parts with a variety of steps. Here's what you'll need for protection.

Heavy Boots

Ideally, you should choose to wear steel-toed boots or shoes when you grind a stump. The sturdy nature of this type of footwear will greatly protect your feet from injuries. While steel-toed footwear is recommended, the reality is that not everyone will own this apparel — nor go to the expense of buying a pair just for this project. If you fall into this category, it's advantageous to wear the heaviest boots that you own. Thick rubber boots, for example, can be effective at offering protection from flying pieces of wood. Similarly, heavy winter boots can be useful.

Heavy Socks And Long Pants

Regardless of what type of footwear you choose for completing this project, you should always pair your boots or shoes with heavy socks and long pants. Heavy socks beneath your boots or shoes provide an extra layer of padding that can deaden the impact of a piece of wood hitting your ankles or shins at a high rate of speed. Wearing heavy, long pants is also a good idea. While you might be tempted to wear shorts if you're working in the heat, the extra layer of protection from a pair of jeans or work pants will further reduce the risk of cuts and bruises.

Extra Protection

If you're particularly squeamish about injuries or simply want to do all that you can to protect yourself, there's nothing wrong with a little extra protection. One way to further reduce your risk of injury is to wear a pair of soccer shin pads beneath your pants — doing so might seem a little silly, but the reality is that their cushioned layer and hard plastic shell will play a pivotal role in deadening the impact of any pieces of wood that make contact with your shins and might otherwise lead to an injury.

Share