Mid level chipper advice

[boatsholloway]

I have 40 acre's of woods, a mix of mostly pines and some hardwoods. I use wood as my heating source over the winter. On average I cut 8-10 cords of wood, for my friends and myself from misc. places. I do a lot of trail cutting in my woods (atv and skiing)and they are thick with young pines so its quite the endeavor.

Every year I have to burn piles and piles of brush. So I figure I should purchase a Chipper/shredder. I have spent the last couple of weeks looking around online searching reviews/forums any place I could find A post on chippers, most of them are people giving good reviews on all of brands and HP, Its hard to take insight from them, because its people that are shredding there leaves or small sticks on there 1 acre lot n the suburbs. So its hard to tell if the machine is gonna be able to take the abuse its gonna be going through over the years. I am looking to spend around $1000 give or take a few hundred.

I came up with as the one I am most intrested in and thats the DEK Commercial-Grade Chipper/Shredder — 14 HP, Model# CH1. I haven't ever dealt with any of there products before.

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_...ipperShredders&aff=Y&sid=I0084400010000100600

I would like to hear if you guys have any other suggestions, or feed back on the chipper I posted. Thanks in Advance

 

[bass_on_tap]

First off let me say that I'm no expert when it comes to chippers but I will give you my insight about your question on this chipper. I used a similar but bigger chipper made by Troybuilt and I was not impressed. These are what they call "gravity feed" chippers. The unit has a large flywheel to which are attached many "hammers", 3"x1"x1/4" pieces of metal that flail the branches to pieces while pulling them into the unit. In order to be effective, the flywheel must spin at a good speed. The "feed" is the flywheel and hammers chipping and pulling the branch into the unit at the same time. Once the hammers get hold of the branches you're trying to feed, they are sucked violently out of your hand into the hopper. Very dangerous as they whip and pull very fast. It is also tiring to lift bigger branches butt end first and place them into the hopper. If the limb has too many smaller branches low towards it butt, the limb will get stuck, up outside the flywheel forcing you to push on the branch to make contact and get it chipped.
This is the exact reason I sold my big PTO operated chipper with little use, NO SELF FEED!
Might I suggest you try to rent one similar to the one you're looking at and experience these short falls before buying. If you have ever used a real, commercial, self feed unit you will appreciate what I'm trying to communicate. I understand that you’re looking to spend about 1k but to me you would be throwing good money away.
In some places you can rent a self feed unit with no problem. I'm currently looking at used ones, auctions etc. Good luck with your search.

 

[derwoodii]

First off let me say that I'm no expert when it comes to chippers but I will give you my insight about your question on this chipper. I used a similar but bigger chipper made by Troybuilt and I was not impressed. These are what they call "gravity feed" chippers. The unit has a large flywheel to which are attached many "hammers", 3"x1"x1/4" pieces of metal that flail the branches to pieces while pulling them into the unit. In order to be effective, the flywheel must spin at a good speed. The "feed" is the flywheel and hammers chipping and pulling the branch into the unit at the same time. Once the hammers get hold of the branches you're trying to feed, they are sucked violently out of your hand into the hopper. Very dangerous as they whip and pull very fast. It is also tiring to lift bigger branches butt end first and place them into the hopper. If the limb has too many smaller branches low towards it butt, the limb will get stuck, up outside the flywheel forcing you to push on the branch to make contact and get it chipped.
This is the exact reason I sold my big PTO operated chipper with little use, NO SELF FEED!
Might I suggest you try to rent one similar to the one you're looking at and experience these short falls before buying. If you have ever used a real, commercial, self feed unit you will appreciate what I'm trying to communicate. I understand that you’re looking to spend about 1k but to me you would be throwing good money away.
In some places you can rent a self feed unit with no problem. I'm currently looking at used ones, auctions etc. Good luck with your search.

Yup agree with above you should rent a chipper for when n what you need. 6 inch bandit, vermer or similar. Anything under this size is no good for limbs n brush. The smaller hand drop units only good for debris and litter. Easyer on 40 acres to just burn than spend hours pushing it all down a small hole.

 

[Streblerm]

I have an 8hp troybuilt, one of the older made in USA models. It is a fine machine for what it is. I use it fairly regularly. I can tell you that burning is always faster and easier. I can't see where the 14hp model you are looking at would be too much different

As others have mentioned, rent a small commercial chipper with hydraulic feed and you will be set. If I am just doing a little trimming in the yard, and I need some mulch-that is when the chipper comes out. If there is any significant brush-off to the burn pile.

The problem with these type of machines, for bigger brush, is the lack of a hydraulic feed. These chippers will pull brush into the hammer-mill faster than they can chip it. This results in stalling and a real mess to deal with. You learn to deal with this by holding on to the brush and feeding it by hand. This works great until you get hold of some stringy hardwood like pin oak. Then it rips the brush out of your hands, cuts you, shreds gloves, whacks you in the eye, etc. I have had first hand experience with all of these situations.

 

[masterarbor]

You might want to consider an old whisper chipper. They go for around 3-5K. That might be too pricey, but a chipper rental is not too cheap either.

 

[boatsholloway]

Thanks for the quick responses guys.
After reading your post it seems everyone is against the chipper/shredder that I linked. I talked to my local rental and they offer a 6" chipper, but the price is a bit on the steep side, basically 4-5 rentals of it and I could buy the chipper that i posted, I also would have to have big piles of brush about place until I rented it. Which is do-able but not what i really had in mind. I was looking at the small scale ones, first off cause that all i can afford, and I was thinking on using it to move down my trails and chip the branches and brush that have overtaken the trails and benefit from the wood chips on the trails. Most of the wood I plan to chip is gonna be young pines or scrub brush. I was not aware of the gravity feed problem, which is causing a little concern, but I'm very able bodied and not a small guy so manhandling branches and stuff that I load is ok with me. My biggest concern is the machine holding up after a little use, I have the time so that is not a concern in my book.

Streblerm commented on the the type of machine that I posted, he was saying "The problem with these type of machines, for bigger brush, is the lack of a hydraulic feed. These chippers will pull brush into the hammer-mill faster than they can chip it. This results in stalling and a real mess to deal with" He wrote you can deal with it just not ez. My question, Is that enough of a problem that i should be turned off or Is it something with enough use I should be able to over come by the rate at which I load it?

I Cant buy the big chippers and Don't really like the idea of having to rent and lug the machines around to and from my house ect. And after looking at the rental chippers, my trails arn't nearly big enough to move it anywhere down my trails.

 

[Streblerm]

I don't have any first hand experience with the chipper in your link, but it looks much like my old troybuilt, Price wise, it is about what my dad paid new for it some 15 odd years ago. I can only imagine that it would have similar limitations to my unit.

I do like it very much. It is very useful around the house. It works great for softer woods up to about thumb size, oak more like pinky sized. Any significant piles get burned though. The time and effort it takes to chip any significant piles is about 4 times what it takes to burn them. If I have a lot of brush to deal with I'll chip the green leafy and small stuff and then burn the bigger stuff. If I can't cut it with a good pair of bypass loppers, it doesn't go in to the chipper.

Too bad you can't try before you buy. It may very well be a good machine. It is more hp than mine by a good margin. I see one of the reviewers at Sears commented that it chewed up 2X4's with no problem. Mine struggles with that task.

In the end, I suspect that it won't do everything you want it to do. I think mine is rated for 3" diameter branches. Really anything much bigger than one inch is pushing it.

 

[shortlid]

Used small pro chipper is a much better option (Vermeer, etc) then these gravity feed units. I find them useless for anything other than twigs. My father in law bought a brand new 10 hp he used it twice five years ago and I used it once been siting in the barn ever since it, is USELESS!

 

[bowtechmadman]

I did a small clearing, clean up job for a local bed and breakfast. Took down 13 good sized pines and took care of all the wood and brush.
I had planned on renting a commercial chipper and decided to give the DR 12hp chipper of theirs a try since they offered to let me use it.
I was actually pretty impressed with it. I was feeding up to 2" brush into it and it handled everything pretty well. Granted it's not fast but for homeowner seemed to work pretty well if your not in a hurry. Size wasn't an issue since anything bigger i fed to my wood boiler. The DR seemed pretty similiar to what your looking at...I think it may do what your looking for depending on how big you want to chip, 2" and under you would probably be pretty satisfied. I found that anything that would fit in the throat it chipped pretty well.
Good luck...I'd like to find one to attach to my 3pt hitch on tractor that would run off the PTO.

 

[boatsholloway]

So after reading your guys post and doing even more research I'm kinda leaning away from my original post model, I looked up the DR and I found what I was thinking of when I first started this search of Chipper. I agree with what bowtechmadman wrote "Size wasn't an issue since anything bigger i fed to my wood boiler." I burn every thing basically 1 1/2 " or bigger in either camp fire wood pile or wood burner pile. Either way this is the link to my new found interest, now its at the very top of my spending cap, well actually past it by a little.

http://www.drpower.com/TwoStepModel...pidFeed&p1Name=CPR-SP-Category&Page=cprmodels


I watched there video on there website and was very impressed. It seems to not have the problems of the other manual feeders, the feed chute is nice and big. It also uses disc style vs the hammers. I went to youtube and watched a bunch of videos on the type of chipper I posted the first time and wasnt impressed much.

Anyone have any input on this type or DR products in general

 

[bass_on_tap]

Boatshalloway, I will only focus on the positives here:

From DR's website.

Now Save up to $530 ($240 on the model you're looking at)
Get Pre-Season Savings

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Worth up to $69.95

Easy Financing
Make easy monthly payments

Try it on us
Take our 6-Month Hands-On Trial

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You may return any product you purchase from us, for any reason, within 6-months of your original ship date (30 days for commercial use). We'll take it back and issue a complete refund, less the standard shipping charges to and from your delivery address. Find out more about returning or exchanging a product.

Note: the 6-Month Hands-On Trial is non-transferable, and is valid for the original purchaser only.


Return Shipping Charge:
For return shipping, customer will be offered our standard shipping services and price options. (Find out more about services and rates.) The cost of return shipping shall be deducted from customer's refund.


2-Year Warranty
Warranty for all DR-brand power equipment and DR-brand attachments protects against defects in materials and workmanship, under ordinary and normal use, for a period of two years (90 days for commercial use) from the product's shipping date.

Note: the Warranty is non-transferable, and is valid for the original purchaser only.




So if you're determined to go this way and are willing to pay the shipping charges both ways if you don't like it, what have you got to loose, I say knock yourself out!

 

[rarefish383]

I was thinking about telling you to check out the DR line. Of the little machines I think they make a good stout one. But, as I recall they are not cheap. Do you have a tractor so you could get the PTO model? If I had 40 acres I would continue to burn, or rent a 6 or 10 inch hydraulic feed machine, as I looked for a small Pro machine used.

If you look around, especially in the winter, you may find unbeivable deals. I passed on a Morbark 12 inch feed machine, with a 4 cylinder Cummings deisel, for $3500. I'm retired and have no use for it, but I almost got it just because it was such a nice machine. Way, way bigger than you need, but if you ran across something like that it would last forever. Granted you need a truck or tractor to move it around.

The little 10 inch feed machines you can move with a car or small truck are great. I used to rent one, I think it was Morbark also, with a 25 or so horse power air cooled diesel. We could pick it up with a knuckle boom and set it over fences.

I know I'm spending a lot of your money, but it would be a shame to spend $1500 to $2000 on a machine you stuck in the barn, and continued to burn any way.

As some one else mentioned, a whisper chipper(Made by Asplundh), or any of the old drum chippers. They are the ones that had a drum with 4 blades, instead of the Disc, and you had to throught the brush in. The drum chippers snatch the brush fast. I've seen some that were cosmetically beat, but very functional sell at auction in the $1000 range.

I just found this web site, auctionzip.com. You enter your zip code and a mileage you are willing to travel, and it will list all of the advertised auctions in that range. With 40 acres I think bigger is better, Joe.

 

[boatsholloway]

I did some looking around for the bigger types (bandit ect) but my biggest worry is, that they are going to cost a fortune if you ever have to replace a part because the machines cost so much new.The parts in them are not gonna be cheap just because I bought the chipper used. I could be wrong on this, Just assuming, and of course we all know what assuming make you look like. Anyone have any kind of input on repair cost on the bigger models Bandit, vermeer, whisper ect. Bigger models as in 6"-8" range. Including Blades for the types of chippers.

 

[rarefish383]

The old drum chippers are pretty low tech. An engine with a clutch, and belts going back to the drum. If a drum goes bad they are expensive, but I've never seen one go, even though I know they can. If you have to replace the belts it should only be one time for the rest of your life.

Disc chippers with hydraulic drive, feed rollers are more expensive to fix, pumps, lines, drive motors. I would look for municipal sales where the equipment got less use and scheduled maintneance. Another place to look is big schools, golf courses and such. If the owner can start it up and chip brush
and there is no fluids squirting or leaking, no weird noises, moving parts are tight, no wobble, I'd consider it. I grew up around machinery so I'm pretty good at spotting junk, but you are right to be leary of junk.

The little tow behind machines like the 6" Vermeer are not as expensive to fix and are pretty durable. They are probably just the ticket for you. If you are chipping 6" wood you have to trim the side limbs pretty close because they won't fold up the limbs. But, if you're just chipping 2" or 3" wood they will fold up the side limbs OK. I just don't think you will be real happy with the small gravity feed machines with as big of a piece of property as you have.

If it were me I'd probably invest in a compact tractor with a front end loader so I could push up piles of brush and have the Boy Scouts over a couple times a year for a big bon fire. Good luck, Joe.

 

[rarefish383]

Blades, or knives, are not too expensive and can be sharpened many times. If you keep rocks and gravel out a set will last years. We were fanatic about not putting rakings in our machines, and getting a year of service out of a set of blades was expected, Joe.

 

[Fechmup]

I rented a 6" Vermeer last summer for $195 bucks for 24 hours. I love toys, but...

1. If it's any good, it's expensive.

2. They break.

3. If it's any good, it takes up a lot of room.

I'm not an arborist, but I like toys; a chipper is one of the few things I have no desire to EVER own. Give some thought toward renting one.

Just my .02

Kevin

 

[flushcut]

It's out of your price range but the 6" vermeer chipper is the one to buy for your needs they can be had for around 3-4k used from a rental house. I have used one on my friends 50 acers doing the same thing trail work and can be towed by a atv. I don't own one but I own a BC1400 which is a much larger machine and it eats trees to 15". You are just going to have to shop around for the best price but are worth it if you intend on being the land steward for now.

 

[Den69RS96]

i have a Mackissic 12PT10 chipper/shredder. The chipper handles 3.5 inch branches and the shredder with the hammers takes anything up to 1 inch. The hammers are reversible so they last 4 times as long. The chipper struggles a bit with the 3.5 branches especially if they are dry, but everything else goes through fine. I burn anything over 3.5 in our firepit. I've chipped quite a bit of mulch with my chipper. I actually spend more time gathering the sticks and branches vs chipping them. I paid around 1500 for it about 2-3 years ago and I find it better than renting because I can use it when I need too. Its well built and I've had zero problems with it.