# chipper basic question



## [email protected] (Dec 27, 2007)

I have a 5 acre commercial palm and bamboo nursery (plants are growing directly in the ground = solid coral rock) that generates about 1000 cubic yards of palm fronds twice yearly from about 7000 palms. Is there anyone on this forum who would have experience with medium sized chippers (not the cheap home styles like DR) to shred / chip this quantity of primarily slightly dried palm fronds? I've done some of the basic research (called local rental centers who say that palm fronds just clog up their machines and talked to manufacturers like Morbark who manufacture huge equipment for municipalities - their reply was to hire a company who would bring in a 1000 hp drum shredder = vast overkill). A neighbor says a friend of his manufacturers medium sized machines (maybe 25 hp?) for export to Central & South America where they are used in Africal oil palm plantations.
I'm just trying to get feedback from people who actually have experience and not just from manufacturers who want to sell rockets.
Thank You --- Terry - Pine Ridge Orchids Wholesale, Homestead, FL.


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## hornett22 (Dec 28, 2007)

*i have a vermeer 625 like the one for rent at HD.*

my next chipper will be the bandit 12" drum or disc.i really like the new 12" drum they have out.

i'll never buy another vermeer.


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## Canyonbc (Dec 28, 2007)

hornett22 said:


> my next chipper will be the bandit 12" drum or disc.i really like the new 12" drum they have out.
> 
> i'll never buy another vermeer.



My dream 12 inch chipper. 

Bandit 200xp 100 hp John Deere, w/ a winch. 

I really like the 150's too though...they are a lighter, slower feed rate, small chute, but still a boss chipper. 

Canyon


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## Canyonbc (Dec 28, 2007)

[email protected] said:


> I have a 5 acre commercial palm and bamboo nursery (plants are growing directly in the ground = solid coral rock) that generates about 1000 cubic yards of palm fronds twice yearly from about 7000 palms. Is there anyone on this forum who would have experience with medium sized chippers (not the cheap home styles like DR) to shred / chip this quantity of primarily slightly dried palm fronds? I've done some of the basic research (called local rental centers who say that palm fronds just clog up their machines and talked to manufacturers like Morbark who manufacture huge equipment for municipalities - their reply was to hire a company who would bring in a 1000 hp drum shredder = vast overkill). A neighbor says a friend of his manufacturers medium sized machines (maybe 25 hp?) for export to Central & South America where they are used in Africal oil palm plantations.
> I'm just trying to get feedback from people who actually have experience and not just from manufacturers who want to sell rockets.
> Thank You --- Terry - Pine Ridge Orchids Wholesale, Homestead, FL.



I read the first response first then this...but i think Bandit makes the chipper for you. 

The bandit 95xp..its a 9'' chipper...which is plenty for palm frowns. It has the same auto feed and chute as the 150xp. 

Bandit is a sponser of this sight...i would go there and check it out. 

Good Luck Canyon


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## ropensaddle (Dec 28, 2007)

Never chipped or even seen a palm tree,but I can tell you
bamboo sucks wear a respirator it is worse than sycamore.


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## Industry (Dec 29, 2007)

We use a Bandit 200 at work. I used it today as a matter of fact, and It will EAT some stuff. We fed it 2 8" maple trees at the same time and it just soldiered on, no bogging of the motor even. This thing rocks!


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## Canyonbc (Dec 29, 2007)

Industry said:


> We use a Bandit 200 at work. I used it today as a matter of fact, and It will EAT some stuff. We fed it 2 8" maple trees at the same time and it just soldiered on, no bogging of the motor even. This thing rocks!





Wow..nice..

What engine do you guys have on your 200 ???


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## Canyonbc (Dec 29, 2007)

I think for the question intitled the Bandit 95 is gonna be your best choice. i would find your local dealer and go down check them out look at them, talk with them...they know what they are talking about. 


Its the only chipper i know designed to take palm frowns and other stringy material. 

Best of Luck. 

Canyon


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## dontbasap (Dec 29, 2007)

*terry*

call Palm Beach Equipment rental. Cort has an almost new chipper he took in on a trade.A little horsepower goes a long way when it's a slow feed. I'm well versed in palms, 20 years worth or so.


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## juststumps (Dec 30, 2007)

[email protected] said:


> I have a 5 acre commercial palm and bamboo nursery (plants are growing directly in the ground = solid coral rock) that generates about 1000 cubic yards of palm fronds twice yearly from about 7000 palms. Is there anyone on this forum who would have experience with medium sized chippers (not the cheap home styles like DR) to shred / chip this quantity of primarily slightly dried palm fronds? I've done some of the basic research (called local rental centers who say that palm fronds just clog up their machines and talked to manufacturers like Morbark who manufacture huge equipment for municipalities - their reply was to hire a company who would bring in a 1000 hp drum shredder = vast overkill). A neighbor says a friend of his manufacturers medium sized machines (maybe 25 hp?) for export to Central & South America where they are used in Africal oil palm plantations.
> I'm just trying to get feedback from people who actually have experience and not just from manufacturers who want to sell rockets.
> Thank You --- Terry - Pine Ridge Orchids Wholesale, Homestead, FL.



Terry,, i think your rental guy was on the mark about clogging chutes....never did palm fronds,, but have done a lot of bamboo....

there really isn't any thing to chip,,,,nothing solid,,, chippers will just shred long strings,, not chips, then,, if there is any moisture in the material,, or they are wet from rain,,,,, say hello clogged chute !!!!

bamboo in a chipper acts like baseball card in a bike wheel.... ( palm is probably the same) 

if you did run a chipper and dealt with the occasional chute clog,,you probably wouldn't see much of a reduction in volume... as it would fluff up...

MORBARK guy might have had the right idea,, if its a twice a year thing... 1000 hp might be a little overkill....grinder will probably do 1000 yards a day easy...

the other thing to look at is the AG end of the biz... they make hay grinders and forage grinders,, that you can run of the PTO of a farm tractor....they grind corn stalks,and other things for feed,,,, which have almost the same texture or bamboo,, and palm fronds......


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## Canyonbc (Dec 30, 2007)

Contact your local Bandit dealer about the 95xp...i think that is gonna be your best move. 

A. Its the only chipper (that i know of) designed to take stringy like material and palm frawns. 

B. Your Bandit dealer (atleast what i have dealt with) will let you test the chipper for free...to see if its what you want. 

Canyon


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## juststumps (Dec 30, 2007)

Canyonbc said:


> Contact your local Bandit dealer about the 95xp...i think that is gonna be your best move.
> 
> A. Its the only chipper (that i know of) designed to take stringy like material and palm frawns.
> 
> ...



canyon,, is this from experience ??? have you used this bandit model on stringy stuff,, or are you just quoting the bandit web site ???

i know the 3 bandit XP 250's we own , do very poorly on that kind of stringy stuff....and i'll take one of them over a bandit 95 any day !!

terry, i think you would be better off,, either getting a tub grinder for hire in,, or buying a hay grinder or forage grinder....some thing made for that type of material....something that you can load from the top with a bucket into the top of a grinder....( hand feeding 1000 cubic yards of fronds might take a while into a small wood chipper ).....and not give you as much trouble...


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## Canyonbc (Dec 31, 2007)

juststumps said:


> canyon,, is this from experience ??? have you used this bandit model on stringy stuff,, or are you just quoting the bandit web site ???
> 
> i know the 3 bandit XP 250's we own , do very poorly on that kind of stringy stuff....and i'll take one of them over a bandit 95 any day !!
> 
> terry, i think you would be better off,, either getting a tub grinder for hire in,, or buying a hay grinder or forage grinder....some thing made for that type of material....something that you can load from the top with a bucket into the top of a grinder....( hand feeding 1000 cubic yards of fronds might take a while into a small wood chipper ).....and not give you as much trouble...



Experience...but not in the mass that you are talking about. J

I dont no why i, read it...but i didnt realize it was that much stuff. So, by being enlightened i will recall my previous post...and i fully agree with Juststumps 

I have no idea what a tub grinder will go for...but what about renting 40 yard dumpsters? just wondering how this would compare in relation to the rental of a tub grinder. 

Sorry about that...with that much a 9 inch chipper is just to slow for that mass. 

Canyon


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## BC WetCoast (Dec 31, 2007)

juststumps said:


> canyon,, is this from experience ??? have you used this bandit model on stringy stuff,, or are you just quoting the bandit web site ???
> 
> i know the 3 bandit XP 250's we own , do very poorly on that kind of stringy stuff....and i'll take one of them over a bandit 95 any day !!
> 
> terry, i think you would be better off,, either getting a tub grinder for hire in,, or buying a hay grinder or forage grinder....some thing made for that type of material....something that you can load from the top with a bucket into the top of a grinder....( hand feeding 1000 cubic yards of fronds might take a while into a small wood chipper ).....and not give you as much trouble...



We use Bandit 250 and 200's. The closest we get to this type of material is from cedar hedge clippings, which is all green material with very little woody material. Even when they are wet (it has been known to rain here), the bandit will send them through, but they will plug up if the blades are dull or the cutter bar improperly set.

My suggestion would be to beg/borrow/rent or hire a few different brands and try them. They may or may not work (I've never worked on a palm so what do I know), but you will find out for sure. Also get the biggest you can find, because you can feed in armfuls at a time rather than individually. You also may want to consider chipping into bins, then you don't have to waste time driving a truck to the dump.


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## Canyonbc (Dec 31, 2007)

I am amazed EKKA, has chimed in here...as he seems to be the Palm Slayer. 

I have seen videos of him stuff the Vermeer 1800 full of palm frawns. 

I would p.m. him.

JMO

Canyon


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## dontbasap (Dec 31, 2007)

*palms*

Sure, ask EKKA. He'll tell you it's a proven fact that chipped or stacked, palms take up the same space. However, chipped and grappled, (compressed) will get you more material into the grapple truck or dumpster. We trimmed the Miami International airports' 3300 palms this year and we chipped, stockpiled and grappled into 30 and 40 yard containers.
We've trimmed several 2000 palm golf courses the same way.
I have repeatedly put 90 yards of chipped palms into a 30 yard dumpster, go figure.
The old whisper chippers are ideal. 8, 12 or 16 inch. We also use Woodsman(overkill), Morbark and Vermeer disc. The stringy stuff will collect on the operator side wheel bearing on the 1230's which makes less than ideal. Best of luck but do call Cort and inquire 561 347 1530


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## JS Landscaping (Jan 3, 2008)

At work we have a bandit 250, which i absolutly hate. one of the most violent chippers when you are feeding. I dont know if its just this machine or what. I was caught by an 8" log that was being fed in my knee and cracked my knee cap in half, as well as destroying some ligaments and tendons. The feed is extremly fast and whips logs and branches around taking anyone out who may be standing anywhere behind it unless you are along side of the chipper back twards the tires. Althought it is violent, it is much better then our Bandit model 254's that we have on smaller viney type material. It seems that the feed wheels being closer to the disk, chip smaller material much better. Our 254's have a much larger space between the 4 feed rollers and the disk, especially the newer one. The larger chippers seem to do much more poorly on vine like materal, but feed them a 14" log and it will eat it alive. More of a mulching type machine might be a better choice, possibly something that has the same principles of a corn harvester, or silage chopper, if such a machine is made..


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## juststumps (Jan 3, 2008)

JS Landscaping said:


> At work we have a bandit 250, which i absolutly hate. one of the most violent chippers when you are feeding. I dont know if its just this machine or what. I was caught by an 8" log that was being fed in my knee and cracked my knee cap in half, as well as destroying some ligaments and tendons. The feed is extremly fast and whips logs and branches around taking anyone out who may be standing anywhere behind it unless you are along side of the chipper back twards the tires. Althought it is violent, it is much better then our Bandit model 254's that we have on smaller viney type material. It seems that the feed wheels being closer to the disk, chip smaller material much better. Our 254's have a much larger space between the 4 feed rollers and the disk, especially the newer one. The larger chippers seem to do much more poorly on vine like materal, but feed them a 14" log and it will eat it alive. More of a mulching type machine might be a better choice, possibly something that has the same principles of a corn harvester, or silage chopper, if such a machine is made..



sorry about your injury...

but, your supposed to stand of to the side , toward the tires after feeding the beast..... so this doesn't happen...

sounds like an older 250,,( 1 of or three we have is like this ) (the newer ones the rollers are bigger and turn slower )...with the wide infeed ? ,, feeding something long..bent..they do whip stuff around...

never used a 254,, but the 4 feed roller and the slower speed of the feed wheel,, probably eliminate a lot of the whipping on long stuff....

your right tho,, there is something out there,, better adapted for the material...right tool for the right job... after all they are wood chippers !!!!!!


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## JS Landscaping (Jan 5, 2008)

Yea, its an older 250, with the two smaller feed rollers that spin rediculously fast. and it has a very short feed shoot. One of those in the process of getting outa the way but couldnt move quick enough kinda deals when i was feeding the log in. The 254's are a dream to run, very very nice chipper if you are in the market to buy one. Then again my times for running the chippers are limited becuase of spending most of my day in the trees.:greenchainsaw:


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