Small Portable Tree Chipper?

[jander3]

Anyone use one of the small (i.e. 15 HP) tree chippers (3")?   I've been burning brush at the Stump Ranch which is a pain in the tail.  I am thinking that small tree chipper might be worthwhile.

Any experience? 

How do they hold up? 

Is it faster than burning (have to keep the fire small, so it don't get out of hand)?

[beenthere]

I've looked at some chippers this size, but the 3" is a tricky thing to accomplish. That is the opening size and not really the size it will handle very well.
By the time you buck up the tops to the size you can chip, you are well on the way to just leaving it lay and rot in a couple years.

That's my conclusion, and I'd like a chipper to get rid of tops.  Just not interested in doing all that much cutting in the tops.

[Ron Scott]

Ditto! to what Beenthere said. I see a number of the small chippers for sale used. They don't handle much other than small yard twigs so landowners seem to get rid of them soon.

The larger commercial size chippers are needed for any ongoing productive work on  larger slash over 3 inches.   

[jdonovan]

Anyone use one of the small (i.e. 15 HP) tree chippers (3")? 
Any experience? 

Its a small limb chipper at best... You need to cut off most, if not all side branches or they won't feed. If you have highly forked brush 1" or greater... burn it. If you have nice straight limbs with minimal branching, then chip.

I've got a 10HP Troy-bilt.  cs-499

Works great, but doesn't self feed that great. If the blades are super sharp it will, but as they dull down its a bit less self-feeding.

How do they hold up? 

Mine is also a shredder, and I've made a few mods to the shredding screen, but the chipping side I've used as-is.

On the shredder I've welded 3/4" x 1/4" bars to the back of the shred screen. The first stone, that goes into the machine seems to bend the factory screen out far enough that the shred flails, don't pass between the bars of the screen and then it clogs up very quickly. With my additional bar the screen doesn't bend

Seems to be fine, I've had mine quite a few years, and I feed it gas/oil and pull the blades to sharpen, and replace the shredding flails.

Come fall, the parts are long wait times due to everyone running/breaking the machines. I keep 2 sets of consumables on the shelf so I'm not without parts during my peak use time.

Is it faster than burning (have to keep the fire small, so it don't get out of hand)?

Depends on who is burning. If you can only have a 2'x2' burn pile, then yes chipper beats it hands down. I've got a converted 55' gallon drum, fed with a leaf blower. It eats brush faster than you can pile it in.  :D

[zopi]

Lawn and garden chippers are pretty much useless, unless you have time to sit and feed them toothpicks....
If you are messing about with trees go check out a pto powered six inch chipper, or watch craigslist for a used six inch vermeer or somesuch...brush bandit makes a good product....I have a nine inch vermeer and even that is a bit underpowered....

[jdonovan]

Lawn and garden chippers are pretty much useless, unless you have time to sit and feed them toothpicks....

If you are messing about with trees go check out a pto powered six inch chipper

agree fully!

However if the OP was looking for something to deal with suburban yard debris from the normal yearly branches out of a few yard trees.... a $799 lowes special might just do everything he needs. If he is pruning a 5-acre orchard, or aking down 2-3 trees a weekend on a 50 acre woodlot... well that $799 lows special will not do the job.

[beenthere]

jdonavan
You might get an idea what Jon (the OP) is faced with, by reading up on his Stump Ranch thread (near the end about the blowdown last month) and looking at the pics. I suspect he is trying to plan how he will be able to go in over the blocked trails and do some serious clean-up. ;)

https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php/topic,33283.msg752021.html#msg752021

A lot of heavy work to do, for sure.

[jdonovan]

You might get an idea what Jon (the OP) is faced with, by reading up on his Stump Ranch thread (near the end about the blowdown last month) and looking at the pics. I suspect he is trying to plan how he will be able to go in over the blocked trails and do some serious clean-up. ;)
https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php/topic,33283.msg752021.html#msg752021

Oh heck, that is WAY beyond the small chipper job... unless this is a project he wants to spend years doing.....

Based on that, you need something that is hydraulic feed, and at least 25HP, the more the better.

[jander3]

Beenthere is right on the money.   Gotta figure out how to clean up some on my 40 acres.  Winds were just plain ugly.    Generally, I've cleaned up around the cabin, anything of size will get cut up, hauled with the ATV and arch, and then run through the TimberKing 1220 (probably take me the rest of the year, just to get the blow down cleared from 10 acres around the cabin).    No problem leaving the tree tops out away from the cabin, but it is time to clean up closer in.

You guys pretty much confirmed what I thought, rent something way big.  A small chipper probably won't cut it.  However, I had not thought about a couple of 55 gallon burn drums.   In the short term, till I can light up a large bonfire this winter, I think this would be adequate to keep my wife happy.   

So, I am on mission to find a couple of drums and design a burn barrel.  Haven't used one these since the 70s.

[zopi]

Agreed...yard chipper will die and ugly death the first morning...at least a six inch hydraulic feed unit...
A chucknduck would do...but they are bloody dangerous...