Renting a wood chipper?

[zuren]

The acreage that I bought in 2014 is overrun with European Buckthorn and I have already started eradicating it (cut stump method). There is too much of it to only do brush piles so I'm looking to rent a 6" commercial style chipper to reduce it to nothing.

I'm running into a problem with the recommended use/approach. I was cutting the buckthorn and staging it in piles, mostly to help me be efficient with my time once I get the machine onsite. The shops that rent the machines said to make sure the branches were dry so I was prepared to do a lot more cutting and staging. Then I read elsewhere that recently cut/green branches were better to chip. If this is true, I already have enough to chip now and if we run out of trees/branches I have already cut, I could just pull out the chainsaws and cut trees as I go to get the fullest use of my rental time.

So do the guys renting the gear know what they are talking about or do the pro services willing to come to your house know best? The recommendations between the 2 are contradictory and my process will differ greatly between the 2.

Does anyone have experience running chippers and can recommend an approach that works best? Thanks!

 

[Ferguson system]

It's usually better to chip fresh green wood. It feeds better and chips easier.

 

[Oldmaple]

Yes to the above. After drying it gets hard and would require more horsepower or slower chipping.

 

[capetrees]

To answer one of your questions, NO, the rental agency personel DO NOT know what they are talking about. That's why they work at the rental agency.

Before you rent a machine, regardless of size, have them open the compartment and look at the blades insuring that they are sharp and in good shape before it leaves their yard. I rented a chipper years ago and the blade bolts broke, sending he blades through the machine, basically destroying the unit. I was chipping 6" green oak at the time and it was a 12" capacity chipper!
I returned the machine and the guy went nuts on me, accusing me of putting things in there that I shouldn't have. Told me I was responsible for the repairs. What he didn't know was I retrieved a blade and looked it over prior to getting back to the agency. The blades were as sharp as your thumb! Once I showed him that, his tune changed. Turns out, nobody in the shop had ever changed or sharpened the blades in over a year of renting!! After that, he changed his tune and apologized for the breakdown of the machine and wanted to know if everyone was ok blah blah blah. $6K later, it was running again.

Green is always better and easier to chip, especially on a smaller unit. When you cut the brush, leave them strewn loosely near each other, not piled up. It's easier to send them through the chipper when they are loose and free from entanglement.

 

[BC WetCoast]

I concur with all the above, especially ensuring you have sharp blades and the anvil is set properly. I'm surprised the rental guys suggested letting the material dry, as it is harder on their blades than green material.

Don't make too big a pile, it becomes a pain to break it down again to get it in the chipper. What works for me if I have to pile, is put down an armload, the second armload is laid about 4' infront of the first to the tips sit on the first load. Progress this way. When it comes time to chip, you can just grab the armload and put it through the chipper, no need to break down a pile.

 

[TheJollyLogger]

Also, if they have a bigger chipper, get it. Feeding brush into a 6" chopper makes for a long day. You'll cut your time in half with a larger machine. With a 6", youll carry an armload over and spend 5 minutes cramming it down its throat. With a 10-12" chipper, you cant keep up.

 

[Shagbark]

I had a tractor mount chipper 4" capacity. Bought it very lightly used. Sold it very lightly used. It was a very good day when it sold! A LOT OF WORK! Easier to haul everything to community compost station or burn it.