I got a new Vermeer BC 625a 6-8 inch diameter feed, for a little over 10 grand. That sucker does some damage. I've got a couple hundred hours on it, always maintained it obsessively, and never have had any real problems. It paid for itself in a few months.
It's the old feed bar style, vermeer changed everything after that terrible accident here in Colorado. In my opinion, chuck and ducks should be thrown away.
I'm still looking for the refrence, but the average is 15ish folks die by disc chippers in the us, verses almost zero by drum chippers each year.
imo, chuck n ducks foster a greater respect for the machine than do slower feeding disc chippers.
no, I dont own a c-n-d chipper. only disc.
-Ralph