Wood Chippers?

VortecJeep

VortecJeep

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Aug 24, 2005
Location
Concord, NC
My dad, brother, and I are looking at getting a wood chipper. 5”-6”, 14-15hp.
We’ve looked online at Mechmaxx and Big Bear Power.
Anybody have experience with these or others in this size?
Some have Engines I havent heard of like Ducar and Rato. While others have Kohler. Any thoughts there?
Renting would be a more expensive option because of how much we need to do.
 
How much you need to do or the timeframe? I promise any rented chipper will consume and go through piles and piles at a much more efficient rate.

Having said that I love my PTO chipper. We used it just this past Sunday to get cleaned up a pile a ton dump could not hold in a matter of an hour or so. The biggest hang up was how we choose to catch and move the chips.

Mine is six inch rated. Cannot remember the hp range but I'm using a 40 HP tractor. The size you listed I cannot see the 14 to 15 HP gas engine being able to keep up at a constant duty cycle.

Owning one is handy for not having to plan and I've become more hesitant to open burning....sorry @jeepinmatt , 😂
 
I’m on chipper number 6 I think. I’ve had most sizes and have a lot of experience with a lot of different sizes and types of machines. What you need depends on:
1. How big is the largest trunk you want to mulch?
2. What type of wood? (10” poplar chips as easy as 6” oak)
3. How much do you need/want to do? (A few trees in the backyard vs clearing an acre)
4. Will it all be ready at once, or is this spread out over months?
5. What’s your target budget?

A 15hp off brand engine maybe can do 1.5-2” at a reasonable speed, but 5-6” is absolutely laughable. My current chipper is a 17” Rayco with a John Deere 140hp turbo diesel and a 6” log will stall it out if you aren’t controlling the feed and letting it catch back up every few feet.

Give me some answers on the questions above and I’ll be happy to share some wisdom and experience.
 
I would guess 3” oak and pine is the largest it will see.
It’s quite a bit as we are cleaning up from Helene damage at my parents’ and I have some cleanup at my house. We already have a few piles, but it doesn’t all have to be done at once. Really, it doesn’t have to be done at all, but it would look better if we did.
Budget-wise, I’d say under $3k. If I have to pay more than that, I’ll just learn to live with looking at the piles.
 
VortecJeep said:
I would guess 3” oak and pine is the largest it will see.
It’s quite a bit as we are cleaning up from Helene damage at my parents’ and I have some cleanup at my house. We already have a few piles, but it doesn’t all have to be done at once. Really, it doesn’t have to be done at all, but it would look better if we did.
Budget-wise, I’d say under $3k. If I have to pay more than that, I’ll just learn to live with looking at the piles.
Click to expand...
Dry oak in a wood chipper can get rather interesting.
 
If 3" is all you're needing, a Vermeer/Morbark/Bandit/etc 6-8" chipper would be ideal. You can get by with probably 20hp at that size, but 40-60hp would make it a lot more tolerable. Those are light enough to tow behind just about anything. Problem is its hard to find em for under $5k in any kind of decent condition. My old Morbark 290 was awesome for stuff like that (and would do much bigger), but it was still a $6-7k chipper when I sold it to Braxton a few years ago, and things don't seem to be any cheaper. Honestly for what you're wanted, an old chuck-and-duck chipper might would work well too. Most of them had a Ford 300 inline 6 or a Cummins 4B, and a 12" capacity (realistically more like 6" logs, but the opening is 12"). They are dead simple and reliable, just not as controlled as a "modern" chipper with hydraulic feed wheels.

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Honestly if you or your parents have a tractor, your best bet is a PTO chipper so that you already have a power source and way to move it.
 
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