Dump Trailer or Chipper?

[ChrHerrman]

Currently I have a 5' x 8' single axle dump trailer that is great for my small tree business and firewood sales, but I have been thinking about upgrading to either a 6 x 10 dump trailer OR an old chuck and duck chipper. I have 5' sides on my trailer, so I can fit a lot of brush, but I feel I could fit a heck of a lot more in either a 6 x 10 trailer or buying a chipper and chipping into the dump trailer I already have. My budget would be $4k or under.

So what is your opinion, larger dump trailer for brush or chipper? I am hauling with a new 1/2 ton chevy so I would not want to go any larger than 6 x 10 trailer and yes I know I would have to make 2 trips if I bought a chipper.

For those of you who are fans of chippers, what is the best 6" chipper that will work for the 15-20 tree jobs I get a year?

For those of you who are dump trailer fans, which is better, low profile for easier access or deckover for tighter piles?

 

[Blakesmaster]

Get a chipper. The few cubic feet you gain with a bigger trailer is nothing compared to how much smaller a brush pile gets when turned into chips. Even if you have to make an extra trip it's worth it, or just get one of your guys to haul it with his truck, easy enough to pull an old chuck n duck with a small toyota. You can find good, used chuck n duck's for 3-4 grand no problem.

 

[ATH]

I think the answer has to account for the typical size of jobs and how far you travel.

how do you get tighter piles in a deck over compared to a low profile/drop deck?

 

[sgreanbeans]

Get a chipper, wouldn't go with a 6", get as big as you can afford.
Ive seen 12" disc chippers go for 3-4gs, old, but still worked.

 

[ChrHerrman]

I think the answer has to account for the typical size of jobs and how far you travel.

how do you get tighter piles in a deck over compared to a low profile/drop deck?

I mean when you are dumping beacause the deckover is higher you get tighter piles when dumpimg firewood than a low profile. At least this is what I am told.

 

[ChrHerrman]

Get a chipper, wouldn't go with a 6", get as big as you can afford.
Ive seen 12" disc chippers go for 3-4gs, old, but still worked.

I wish they went for that around here. I have been watching for the last month and the cheapest chipper I can find is $2500 for a dinosaur 6" drum chipper. They look like they work really well, but man talk about putting the fear in you when you see one work up close and personal.

 

[Blakesmaster]

I wish they went for that around here. I have been watching for the last month and the cheapest chipper I can find is $2500 for a dinosaur 6" drum chipper. They look like they work really well, but man talk about putting the fear in you when you see one work up close and personal.

Those old drum units aren't fun to run but they work, and in your price range would be your best option, IMO. Any hydraulic, self feeding unit at that price is going to need a lot of work and wouldn't be worth the hassle, for me anyways. There is a lot less to go wrong with a C n D and, like I said, you can find a good running one in your price range.

 

[ChrHerrman]

Those old drum units aren't fun to run but they work, and in your price range would be your best option, IMO. Any hydraulic, self feeding unit at that price is going to need a lot of work and wouldn't be worth the hassle, for me anyways. There is a lot less to go wrong with a C n D and, like I said, you can find a good running one in your price range.

Thanks for your help. Do you have or have you had one of these older chippers? Any recommendations and brands, models, or years? Also any key things to look out for when purchasing an older chipper?

 

[Blakesmaster]

Thanks for your help. Do you have or have you had one of these older chippers? Any recommendations and brands, models, or years? Also any key things to look out for when purchasing an older chipper?

They're all pretty basic. I've owned one and worked with 1 other. I can't really help you with which manufacturer makes a better one but it's a very simple machine and therefore hard for a manufacturer to screw up, so you're pretty safe no matter which brand you buy.

Check the basics on it as if you were buying a car. Make sure the engine runs well, see if the knives are sharp, make sure the belts are in good shape, ask for some service records, etc. Pretty much everything on these units is easily serviceable by anyone with some mechanical aptitude and tools. Hell, I'm just a dumb tree guy but I was able to completely rewire mine, change the oil pan, bed knife and drum knives, belt, etc. They're very straight forward.

The best advice I can give you is don't buy the first one you look at. Check around, compare hours and overall condition. Impulse buys are never a good idea.

 

[BCbound]

If your really only doing 15-20 jobs a year, I would just stick with the 5x8 dump until your 4x busier.

Maintenance on the chipper vs dump for those 20 jobs might just eat up some profits. One breakdown is all it might take. The dump will probably never let you down.

If you get some big jobs you maybe able to rent a chipper for the day to blow into your trailer.

I 100% agree a chipper is better, but it's about $$$. Make as much as you can before you grow.

 

[conlan]

Do you have to pay a fee to dump a load of branches? I used to use a huge trailer to haul away all the branches and wood, and I would have to pay to dump it. I was paying anywhere from $800 -$1,400 per month in dump fees. It didn't take me long to figure out that I could by a 12 inch wood chipper for $35,000 and make monthly payments of $825/mo. and dump my wood chips for free!! No more dump fees if I had wood chips because they are a usefull procuct, unlike piles of branches, which are of no use and usually cost money to dump. Its also way faster using a chipper, rather than loading and unloading a trailer.

 

[pbtree]

I vote chipper.

 

[beastmaster]

I use to run a buisness and had three trailers, 12, 14,16 feet. Trailers are good so long as you can just throw the stuff in and go. If you have to keep cutting the load down to stuff more brush in now its costing you time and money.
Many times I spent hours loading a job that I could of did with a chipper in 20 min. A trailer full of brush is only a small pile of chips, that means less trips to the dump, not a lot of time wasted dumping loads.
I am thinking of buying a 16 ft dump trailer my self. For doing small to medium jobs part time their are some advantages. The main one is no maintenance and storage problems, simplicity.
But if your trying to run a real tree service, you have to have a chipper. Even a small one will(I use to rent those little 6in vermeer) save you time and sweat.

 

[lxt]

For 20 jobs a year..................Id rent before buying untill you see where things are going, now if those 20 jobs are spread out over the year then it makes it tough to make profit while renting.....

honestly if thats all you are doing? maybe have a local guy swing by & chip it up for ya, that might create a little bitterness though, until you are doing 1-2 jobs a week.........id stay with the trailer.

a chuck n duck will have you wishing you were loading a trailer & the resale for when & if you do grow will be terrible!!! drum chippers to me show that you`re a newbe & young in biz...........along with making me laugh knowing the pin oak your gonna chip will beat the hell outta ya!




LXT....................

 

[fishercat]

without a doubt....

get the chipper!

 

[davistree]

Dump Trailer vs. Chipper

Go with the chipper. I started my tree removal business (like many) with a truck and a trailer. I "upgraded" to a chuck n duck woodchuck brand chipper with 12" drum. I bought it at a machinery auction for $1900. I have used it for two seasons and it paid for itself in a few months. At one time, I rented chippers for $125 a day for large jobs that were not feasible to haul. The best set up for a smaller budget that I ve found is building a chip box on the back of a one ton dump, with the chipper. You will be amazed with how much a chipper will increase your production and reduce the man hours spent hauling brush = greater profit. Check around with other local tree companies, many may have a back-up hanging around that they would be willing to part with. 3-4 grand is reasonable for a c n d that needs little to no work. Once you start chipping, you ll never go back.

 

[ChrHerrman]

Bought a Chipper

Thanks for all the good input. I found a chipper on CL that I bought last night. It is an older Promark 310 hydraulic feed. It needs a little TLC and a tune-up but I definatley think it will be better than hauling brush.

Does anybody have one of these chippers or used one before? I am thinking about mounting some springs on it to put more tension on the feed roller to really have more grab on the branches.

The next step is to put a piece of plywood on top of my dump trailer to make a chip box. Ill try to post some pics in the next couple of days.

Also, I now it would look goofy and unprofessional as h*ll but is it legal to tow the chipper behind the dump trailer?

 

[jefflovstrom]

Thanks for all the good input. I found a chipper on CL that I bought last night. It is an older Promark 310 hydraulic feed. It needs a little TLC and a tune-up but I definatley think it will be better than hauling brush.

Does anybody have one of these chippers or used one before? I am thinking about mounting some springs on it to put more tension on the feed roller to really have more grab on the branches.

The next step is to put a piece of plywood on top of my dump trailer to make a chip box. Ill try to post some pics in the next couple of days.

Also, I now it would look goofy and unprofessional as h*ll but is it legal to tow the chipper behind the dump trailer?

You should not try to convert your chipper. You should make sure the roller's are in place. ProMark is not bad. I remember back around 1987 or 88 on a job I was on, they had a ProMark C-10 chipper. The guy towed it behind a Ford F-350 and it was a 10 yard chipper, side to side feed, hydraulic dump body and the motor was in front of the box. He ran it for year's. If you need a manual on you chipper, I could probably hook you up.
Jeff

 

[CNBTreeTrimming]

The next step is to put a piece of plywood on top of my dump trailer to make a chip box. Ill try to post some pics in the next couple of days.

Also, I now it would look goofy and unprofessional as h*ll but is it legal to tow the chipper behind the dump trailer?

Depending on state laws maybe. Some require doubles and triples cdl to pull more than one trailer others have a total length limit, but the first trailer has to have a weight distribution hitch, or be gooseneck.

 

[deevo]

Thanks for all the good input. I found a chipper on CL that I bought last night. It is an older Promark 310 hydraulic feed. It needs a little TLC and a tune-up but I definatley think it will be better than hauling brush.

Does anybody have one of these chippers or used one before? I am thinking about mounting some springs on it to put more tension on the feed roller to really have more grab on the branches.

The next step is to put a piece of plywood on top of my dump trailer to make a chip box. Ill try to post some pics in the next couple of days.

Also, I now it would look goofy and unprofessional as h*ll but is it legal to tow the chipper behind the dump trailer?

It is if you have everything set up right. Check out squad 143's posts. He has a set up like that.