Author Topic: Chipping trees? (Read 995 times)

NorthCaroliney · « **on:** July 06, 2019, 03:21:00 PM »

Any recommendations for how to go about whole tree chipping / equipment to use (rental options needed) and/or what services to look for when hiring? My understanding had been that I could chip/shred downed trees, but now that I have downed trees, I am having a hard time finding actual options for rental equipment or for-hire work.

btulloh · « **Reply #1 on:** July 06, 2019, 03:32:36 PM »

Trees. How big?

Usually takes a tub grinder fed by an excavator. No such thing as a rental. Land clearing contractor can provide this service.

NorthCaroliney · « **Reply #2 on:** July 06, 2019, 03:53:17 PM »

Mostly < 10-12/14" -- only stuff we were comfortable taking out ourselves with a 7500# mini-ex.

btulloh · « **Reply #3 on:** July 06, 2019, 04:02:02 PM »

A tub grinder will eat those, stumps and all. Last time I had it done it was 400 an hour 16 hour minimum. Varies from contractor to contractor. Just get some quotes. The rig that was here could produce 800-1000 yds of chips per hour. (That sounds high. Could be a memory issue. It was ten years ago. It did a lot of work in a short time. )

btulloh · « **Reply #4 on:** July 06, 2019, 04:20:15 PM »

Thinking back, it was an amazing thing. They ground up 20 acres of too-big nursery stock including a big area of 30ft arbor vitae. It took 12 hours and then they did 6 hours grinding of blow down I had left from a hurricane. One operator, 45 ton ex, tub grinder run by remote by the excavator op. Kind of amazing really.

Maine logger88 · « **Reply #5 on:** July 06, 2019, 05:25:59 PM »

Not sure if many loggers in your area chip or not but if the wood isn’t to dirty a 20in disk or drum chipper would do the trick you might be able to hire them to come chip it up for you. I doubt if you could rent a chipper big enough to do the job most rental companies only rent small hand feed chippers.

Riwaka · « **Reply #6 on:** July 06, 2019, 11:10:57 PM »

Probably be an appropriate rental machine somewhere. Cost likely to be high in diesel etc.
e.g https://www.vermeermidatlantic.com/rental-equipment

treemuncher · « **Reply #7 on:** August 13, 2019, 07:54:50 PM »

Find a local contractor that runs 300Hp class or larger mulchers. The terrain will dictate tracks or tires and carrier or excavator based. I don't care if it's laying or standing, if I can reach it with a cutter head, I can grind it up. The only drawback is that I don't put chips in uniform sizes and neat piles. I can usually spread the chips about a bit and make it look pretty.

I grind stump balls, stems, tops, bits and pieces. It just takes a lot of power to muscle through trees bigger than 4" diameter. Speed is also relative to available power. If the tub grinders get $400/hr with a 16 hr min, my rates would be competitive and half the minimum.

Pictures from a job where I had to completely clear whatever the loggers left behind. Many of those stumps exceeded 30" at the cut.

I was running my Barko 937 on this part of the job. This is after I first started cleaning up the mess.

Finished product after I processed everything. Ready to throw down grass seed and be maintained with a bush hog.

thecfarm · « **Reply #8 on:** August 13, 2019, 09:07:25 PM »

That looks good. Do that on my land and there would be rocks sticking up all over the place.

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