Feeding Chippers

[Tim Gardner]

I have used drum and disc chippers and it seems that it is more efficient with only one person feeding the chipper as well as a lot safer. What are every one’s thoughts on this?

 

[treeclimber165]

In my experience, I've found that two people can chip a lot more efficiently than one person. I'm not real keen on having the chipper running full blast for hours on end in order to chip two or three limbs per minute. Everywhere I've worked we usually stack/stage the brush untill we have enough to chip. Then we fire up the chipper and two people feed it, one standing on each side. Disc or drum, it seems the most efficient way to maximize production while minimizing running time on the chipper.*

*This is assuming both operators know how to chip without getting smacked by limbs or smacking the other operator with limbs. Real rocket science.

 

[Tim Gardner]

A good climber and rope man can have a yard/street over flowing in minutes. I like to have the chipper just outside of the DZ and feed it as the brush comes down. Stacking brush will result in large piles or long distances form the chipper that you will have to drag a second time or back up to. If groundies don’t know how to stack brush you wind up with big slow downs while chipping. I say handle the brush one time as opposed to two or three times. I would rather start up the next tree than have to help chip brush so that there is room for the next top.

 

[treeclimber165]

When doing removals and the tree is accessable with the chipper, you are absolutely right. A large percentage of my work is trimming, and half of that is backyards.

I did say that we stack "until we have enough to chip". On a streetside removal, that can be as early as my first cut.

 

[Tim Gardner]

Actually Brian, I think we are both right. I find each job is different and you have to handle them differently. Each crew is different also. What ever works for a crew is the right way.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

My preferance is one guy chipping and the draggers help when needed.

But then I'm rarely on crews where there are 3 guys on the ground.

When i come down from a tree, i usualy grab a rake.

 

[Stumper]

I've had 3 people feeding a big Wayne "Chuck & Duck" when doing right of way clearing. My current small disc (Wood Pro) chipper works best with one feeder -which is how I usually work anyway.

 

[Menchhofer]

I believe it depends on the work at hand and the particular situation as to how many men (or women) feed the chipper.

On long hauls dragging brush, one person feeding would be appropriate, if he can keep up with the draggers.

Other times, I have had 5-6 people feeding the chipper at almost the same time. This works out well when chipping brush previously stacked by Mr. Homeowner when most of your time is spent pulling and twisting the limbs out of an improperly stacked , total mess. Or chipping small or partial dead and punky wood when the largest amount one can pull out of the pile is nothing larger than a few handfuls.

Most of the time, I have the limbs being chipped as they drop. Seems to be the most efficient combination. Only handle them once.

 

[TREETX]

I don't care, just be safe and efficient. No more than 4.

I just hate it when it is a long drag and one guy stands next to the chipper waiting for brush to be drug to him.

I like it when every one chips what the drag but get steamed when one man is fighting an odd limb into the chipper and the others just form a line holding their limbs - DROP them there and go get more!!!!!!

I don't work with many dead heads so this doesn't happen often

 

[Tree Machine]

chipper feeding

I find the feeding of the chipper goes fastest when I feed it.... but then again, I'm the only employee in a one-man tree empire.

In general, I like to stack my brush, having chosen the very first lowest limb well, but only if the mess is 10 paces or more from the chipper (any closer, no sense stacking it). More than 10 paces, I make a number of piles. Once the piles are made, I fire the chipper up. With hands-a-blur, I move brush in just about as fast as the chipper can eat it. The last limb, being the biggest, will take the chipper a few seconds and by the time its chomped, I'm there with the next pile firing it through, and so it goes.

Sometimes I use the winch on my chipper to tow a tarpload of brush right up to the chipper. Used to tear tarps up like that because I controlled the winch from the infeed pan. Now my winch is remote controlled, so I can be with the slowly moving tarp and tend to it until it's where I want it to be. Saves a LOT of dragging. I use a landslide for moving entire brushpiles under a thousand pounds from distances remote from the chipper. Landslide + winch for really big piles way out

I don't like my chipper running unless something's running through it. If I have a guy watches the last of the branch go through, walks to get another pile and drag it back, chipper screaming in between.... just don't like it.

 

[treeman82]

The way that I was taught was that the climber sends stuff down to the ground crew, ground crew moves it to the chipper and makes a pile. Once the pile is big enough, fire up the chipper and run that stuff through with 2 people. On my jobs I usually do that, unless my job up in the tree is that of a slashing nature, or if simply felling a tree whole. Keep the machine running and let the draggers (2) feed it as they go.

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

A rule of thumb I heard a long time ago was if the chipper was running more than 20 seconds between branches going through, then shut it down(or slow the engine speed) until you build up a pile, then fire it up again.

 

[Acer]

There's nothing worse than trying to communicate with ground staff over the noise of a chipper, especially when there's nothing going through it. I used to work for one firm where the ground staff were complete nuggets. We had a tractor with a pto driven chipper. As soon as the first branch hit the floor, they'd back the tractor right up to the tree and whack on the chipper. Then they couldn't here you screaming at them to turn it off so you could tell them what to do next. At another place, one old boy was obsessed with warming everything up. As soon as we got to the job, he'd get out the truck and start the chipper. Then he'd line the saws up and start them, too! He was pretty old though. What brain cells the alcohol hadn't destroyed were probably affected by dementia...

 

[Dan Flinn]

I like the 1 person feed, others drag method, but with a twist: I like to rotate the person at the chipper. The man that just made the long drag gets help from the provious dragger to feed the pile and catches his breath while feeding his pile. Then he helps the next guy start his and then goes for more brush.

This way, one guy is controlling the feeders and can stop and start as he sees fit.

Dan Flinn
Pinnacle Tree Service

 

[Irradicable]

If you want to see a hard workin' groundie, get the homeowner out there trying to save a buck after you tell him you are working by the hour and watch him drag stuff to the chipper!

This is assuming both operators know how to chip without getting smacked by limbs... Brian

Man! Those drum chippers slap you good with the little stuff and chunk the ends of the big stuff back at you!

When i come down from a tree, i usualy grab a rake. John Paul

Man I wish it was time to rake when I come down!

I find the feeding of the chipper goes fastest when I feed it....

Oh, for the day when they learn to feed themselves! :blob1: :blob4:

 

[TheMDTreeman]

I have to agree with TreeTX, if you do get the stubborn limb and there are two or more, the one guy should drop it and go get more, let the limb fighter chip it too, it isn't going to kill him, but teamwork is the way to go, and when you get a big pile, drag it together.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Interesting thread.

 

[alanarbor]

I like one man stuffing it in the chipper with the other dragging, if there's a lull, the operator goes for a load, too. I find on a removal that works out about the best. On pruning, build a pile and arun it through when appropriate.

 

[Nickrosis]

I like one man stuffing it in the chipper with the other dragging, if there's a lull, the operator goes for a load, too. I find on a removal that works out about the best. On pruning, build a pile and arun it through when appropriate.

Works well for me, too.

 

[ROLLACOSTA]

I believe it depends on the work at hand and the particular situation

i agree entirely with the above quoted by mench ,it all depends on size of job ,length of drag ,size of work area [no point all feeding if you don't have room to swing a cat could also be dangerous] etc and again like mench said it also depends on how many people there are to help drag,imo no jobs the same,what method suits one job may not suit another