Shopping for a chipper. What manufacturers should I be looking at?

[Mowingman]

I am shopping for a tow-behind chipper. Who are the big names in this line of equipment that I should be looking at?
Thanks,
Jeff

 

[arbor pro]

This is a Ford, Chevy, Dodge Question...

Mowingman,

You're going to get replies that are as diverse as individual preferences for trucks or cars. Vermeer, Bandit and Morbark are going to be your 'Fords, Chevys and Dodges' (in no particular reference order) while there are a number of smaller yet popular brands available - gravely, asphlund, mitts & merrill, etc.

I've tried all different sizes of all different brands and I keep coming back to the vermeer simply because I like the feed wheel setup. To me, the vermeer models (1250, 1230A, 1800) are very easy to feed. You just give it a start and walk away. The 'Autofeed' feature monitors rps and will slow the infeed rate to allow the engine rpms to rebuild. The bandits and morbarks seem to take more operator effort - but just my opinion.

Part of the reason I'm a vermeer guy is because I'm a chevy guy. Out here in South Dakota it's chevy and vermeer. Elsewhere, it's probably Ford and Morbark or Dodge and Bandit. Point is - everyone's got there one personal preference but you need to see for yourself. Call your local dealers and arrange for on-site trials of each machine. You'll find one that 'fits' right.

 

[begleytree]

imo, stay away from the auto feed. it's only an excuse for [vermeer] to underpower their machines and try to pass that off as fuel and initial cost savings. imo, get a machine with enough power to take what you feed it without stopping every 2 feet. autofeed really slows down the operation.
for disc, I recommend bandit or morbark. for drums woodchuck. but like arbor pro said, its a taste thing. I never liked vermeer. too fussy. always in the shop for something. asplundh/altec chippers do a good a job as woodchucks in the drum dept, but changing the blades and worse, adjusting the blades in an asplundh chipper is a nightmare.
I'm fairly positive others will jump in to contradict me on nearly every point and thats fine. all I know is what I've experienced. same as them.

-Ralph

 

[jazak]

Morbark is personaly my top chipper then Brush Bandit then Discone....

I WOULD NEVER TOUCH A VERMEER...EVEN IF IT WAS FOR FREE

 

[911crash]

if you could demo the chippers your interested in you wont second guess yourself after purchase. nothing worse than buying X when you should've bought Y. good luck.

 

[Mowingman]

Ok, I am getting a good list here. Does any manufacturer make a tow-behind chipper that would also be able to chip up old pallets? Seems like I saw one once when surfing the net, but can not find it now. Pallet chipping could be a good source of additional income for me, if I can find a chipper that will do that also.
Jeff

 

[arbor pro]

vermeer makes a horizontal grinder

mowingman,

I just read an advertisement from Vermeer about a new horizontal feed grinder for grinding pallets, etc. Supposed to be able to handle nails, small bolts and the like. If I recall right, it looks like the new vermeer 1000 or 1400 chippers but is set up to do the job of a tub grinder.

As I predicted, there are lots of diversified opinions about which manufacturer makes the best machine. While others hate vermeer, I have had very good luck with them. And, while others praise Bandit and Morbark, I have had issues with them. As I said previously, it's a 'Ford, Chevy, Dodge' preference thing that you're just going to have to figure out for yourself by conducting some on-site demos.

Good luck.

 

[ASD]

go with bandit

the Vermeer BC1000 grinder is a joke it has a hard time with a 4x4

Vermeer's service is horrible at best and their sales staff changes about every 6 months or so around here (ca.) so that should let u now how they treat their own people y should u think they will take care of u

 

[neighborstree]

are you in the market for used or new. whats your budget ? . tipically i would say a bandit 250 for anyone just starting out. its a simple fairly light weight machine , you an tow with a 1 ton pickup or dump. morbark 290. woodchuck wc17. there all nice 12 inch machines.

 

[JohnH]

Go with a Bandit. or morbark. I wouldn't take a Vermeer if it free.

 

[John464]

Go with a Bandit. or morbark. I wouldn't take a Vermeer if it free.

I would take a Vermeer to use as a trade in for a new Bandit.

 

[Timberhauler]

I've owned all three...Currently I have two Bandit's...I have had good luck out of all three machines.It all comes down to the operator and being sure the machine is properly maintained...I would not have anything other than a deisel engine,and would only a Cat or Deere...One of my machines has a Cat,the other has a Deere.I'm partial to the Deere.

 

[rahtreelimbs]

I don't have quite the hands on that the other members do. I been doin' treework about 12 years now and have seen my share of chippers operate.

I have used a Vermeer 935 with the Perkins Diesel and thought it was a decent unit. I might add that this chipper was very well maintained!

If I were buying a new chipper it would be Bandit all the way. I have never heard a bad word about their chippers............on the web or in the field!

 

[lawson's tree s]

i got a morbark model 200 34 years old is a good reliable back up unit been using it for 7 years. only paid 4,500 now i got a morbark model 13 with the 125 hp john deere it really impressed me . i would have to say morbark or bandit either a good chippers just have to pick the right size one for your needs.

 

[Timberhauler]

My next purchase will either be a Bandit 280 or a Morbark Hurricane....I like the feed a little better on the Morbark,so that's probably gonna be my pick.

 

[lawson's tree s]

the hurricane is a bad machine i would like to own one i used to like the morbark 17 seems like morbark uses heavier gauge metal in their chippers.

 

[A100HVA]

atv chipper

here is a pic of the woodchipper i use in my hobby operation:

its a good one it takes up to 1+1/2" diameter limbs anything bigger and she gags:deadhorse:

 

[DFD34]

Chipper

I have posted a bunch of times on this subject and I am to lazy to type a long winded response tonight. Bandit, Morbark, and Woodsman are the best in my opinion. I have used just about every chipper out there and in my opinion the Woodsman chipper is the best. Look up some of my past posts on this subject and you can see what I have written. They are very well built, extremely simple, and extremely powerful chippers. www.woodsmanchippers.com I own the Woodsman 15x and it amazes me every time I use it. I love it. Give me a shout if you have any questions. DFD34