# Small Chipper in a Trailer. Am I Crazy?



## waross (Apr 20, 2015)

So I am new to the business side of tree service. And so far I have not gone into debt. I am basically a one man operation with a couple of part time employees to serve as ground crew.
I was given the chipper in question so don't go on about how it is a bad or low end piece of equipment. It was free. I was also given a 35 ton splitter. Never look a gift horse in the mouth.
I am doing mostly pruning jobs with occasional tree removal. I bought a trailer to haul away the cuttings and wood. I am considering mounting the chipper into the trailer towards the front and just have it shoot the chips into the bed of trailer. Still working on how I would mount it. This way my groundies or myself can chip up the limbs and such on sight taking up less room in the trailer, leaving room for any wood over 5" in diameter.
The other option was to bring all the clipping back home and chipping them all here in the back of the lot. But then I might be filling the whole trailer up pretty quick with clippings and such.
I included some pics.
I appreciate any positive advise your willing to provide, Just save the flaming of the piece of equipment. LOL


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## Philbert (Apr 20, 2015)

Not flaming, but try the chipper out to figure out it's true capacity. I doubt that it would chip up to 5" diameter logs. Personally, I burn stuff over 1.5" diameter, so it would not be a problem for me.

You will need some kind of shroud on your trailer to collect the blown chips, and to contain them during transport. Stack the other limbs on top.

Since the chipper is small, I would not mount it on the trailer, but use the ramp to just take it when needed. That gives you more versatility in using the trailer.

JMHO

Philbert


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## Pelorus (Apr 20, 2015)

I have incurred grevious debt whilst building my global arboricultural empire, so I want to commend you for your fiscal monetary policy.
Philbert's idea of NOT mounting the chipper in the trailer is entirely correct, imo.
Bandit used to make a chipper / dump trailer combo. Mebbe they still do. But.......
ask yourself how often do you ever see one of them? How come other chipper manufacturers don't offer similar units?
I used to chip into my dump trailer, but there is no way I'd mount the chipper to it so that I'd always be stuck having to haul both around to jobs that only required the one, or the other.


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## waross (Apr 20, 2015)

Philbert, I totally agree. Even though it says it can handle 5 1/2" stock I am in agreement that I can burn some of the smaller stuff and not overload this thing. But I wasn't going to tell my brother-in-law down when he offered to give it to me for free. LOL. Even though it is small, it still weighs in at around 500 lbs. So I really don't want to be wheeling it up and down that ramp everyday. 

And Pelorus, I was trying to come up with a not so permanent mount so I can do as you suggest. Take it out at home when not needed on a job or if I need the trailer for other things.
I was leaning towards some sort of bracket idea that could be bolted to the floor. If I could find some sort of huge blind nut or something as such so I don't have to climb under the trailer to attach it.


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## Philbert (Apr 20, 2015)

waross said:


> Even though it is small, it still weighs in at around 500 lbs. So I really don't want to be wheeling it up and down that ramp everyday.



Mount an electric ATV winch, or boat trailer hand crank winch, on the trailer. You can use it to pull the chipper up the ramp, as well as: larger logs, your log splitter, large lawn mowers, ATVs, etc., etc, etc.

If the chipper is mounted on the trailer, you will have to lift things up higher, and maybe reach farther, to reach the in-feed chutes, than if it is on the ground. Might make even more noise mounted on the trailer bed!

Whatever you decide, let us know and send photos!

Philbert


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## Pelorus (Apr 20, 2015)

I wonder if you bolted some steel angle iron vertically to the inside of the trailer, you could make some "C" channel dividers that you could slide a piece of 2X8 (2 X whatever) down to secure the chipper in place. (plus a tie down strap or two) The wood would slide up and out when you wanted to move the chipper.

That way you are not messing up the nice floor if the trailer, and the angle iron wouldn't affect the inside dimensions of the trailer very much at all


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## derwoodii (Apr 21, 2015)

the units look mostly unused get out work them use them see they they go before you consider mating them together, often clients wish to take mulch direct for garden and the wood can be left as fire wood,,,, so follow phlibert idea if still wondering the what and if's


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## waross (Apr 21, 2015)

I am thinking of using a in floor cleat as is pictured here. Strategically placing them as to hold the chipper in place in one corner of the trailer. Then could either use a tie down strap or turn buckle hardware to hold it in place. And when not needed, there will be nothing in the way for putting other stuff in the trailer.
And Philbert, I like the idea of the winch (one with a remote control would even be better), but would I power it off my truck or add a battery box and battery to the trailer for its use???


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## Philbert (Apr 21, 2015)

waross said:


> I like the idea of the winch (one with a remote control would even be better), but would I power it off my truck or add a battery box and battery to the trailer for its use???


If you can power it off of your truck, that would be a lot simpler, and one less battery to maintain.

Ask where you buy the winch about your options.

Philbert


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## nk14zp (Apr 21, 2015)

How about a HF pickup bed crane to load chipper and other heavy stuff.


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## Marshy (Apr 21, 2015)

Why not weld a mount to the front of the trailer and make it so you can remove the chipper when not needed? I would also modify the chute so it can swivle and tilt. That way you direct the chips anywhere in the bed you want within reason. Otherwise someone will be required to get in and move chip if you have a lot of material.


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## waross (Apr 21, 2015)

They actually make a rotating longer chute for the chipper, but hoping not to put money into a chipper that won't be for long term.


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## cupar (Apr 21, 2015)

Asplundh here has a dump truck with a sidemount PTO chipper that blows into it's box. This is only because it tows a flat deck with a mini boom to access peoples yards and can't tow 2 trailers. I'd definitely do a temporary mount and see if it works for you before doing anything permanent.


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## Marshy (Apr 22, 2015)

waross said:


> They actually make a rotating longer chute for the chipper, but hoping not to put money into a chipper that won't be for long term.


A cheap welder = $250
Steel plate to fab an attachment = ~$50 or <
Miscleanious sheet metal = ~$20
An old snow blower chute = $10

Ask for opinions on how to mount it and make it functionable then rejecting opinions = Priceless. 

The only area I would consider mounting it is outside the bed close to where its sitting in the pictures. GL with your project.


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## old_soul (Apr 22, 2015)

waross said:


> So I am new to the business side of tree service. And so far I have not gone into debt. I am basically a one man operation with a couple of part time employees to serve as ground crew.
> I was given the chipper in question so don't go on about how it is a bad or low end piece of equipment. It was free. I was also given a 35 ton splitter. Never look a gift horse in the mouth.
> I am doing mostly pruning jobs with occasional tree removal. I bought a trailer to haul away the cuttings and wood. I am considering mounting the chipper into the trailer towards the front and just have it shoot the chips into the bed of trailer. Still working on how I would mount it. This way my groundies or myself can chip up the limbs and such on sight taking up less room in the trailer, leaving room for any wood over 5" in diameter.
> The other option was to bring all the clipping back home and chipping them all here in the back of the lot. But then I might be filling the whole trailer up pretty quick with clippings and such.
> ...


 

positive advise is that's a really nice trailer which can be used to haul limbs to the dump site. which will take a third of the time compared to trying to chip them.


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## BC WetCoast (Apr 23, 2015)

There was someone on this site a few years ago, lived in Northern Manitoba (La Pas I think), who mounted a side tipping 5 yard box on a trailer. He then mounted a 9" chipper on the trailer behind that, and had room next to the chipper for his mini loader or stumper. He was able to chip into the box and when he went to the dump, the box tipped sideways so he didn't have to move anything. I thought it was a slick unit for what he did. There was a pic on the site. I haven't seen it for a while, may have been lost when the site crashed.

I would put a plate on the tongue of the trailer and mount the chipper there. Then it doesn't get in way when you empty the trailer and you can use the trailer without having to move the chipper. You may have to extend the tongue


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## greengreer (Apr 24, 2015)

I think you are referring to Holmen tree. He's on the other sites. I like his setup but seems like towing empty would leave the tail wagging the dog. Imo the chipper needs to be up front with curbside feed. The bandit was up front and had a mount to allow the chipper to swivel. 
My issue is weight. The truck and chipper in my sig is far over the trucks gvwr. With 10-12cu/yd of chips I am looking at 15 or 16k lbs of truck, tools and chips. Now another 2t for the chipper and still having logs to deal with in a removal scenario and I avoid the dot like the plague. 
I sketched up transferring everything over to a 7ton equipment trailer, chip box, toolbox, and sideways mounted chipper. A flatbed on the f350 for logs,etc and I should be close to being legal (gcvwr) even with the full loads. 
Could turn into an expensive project quickly. Just my 2¢


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## Carburetorless (Apr 26, 2015)

I'm working on a leaf collector that's setup a lot like that chipper. I'm going to mount it to the tongue of the trailer with a detachable mount. That would be better than having to take it everywhere you take the trailer.

As for the size of the chipper, it's nice to be able to chip everything, but if you've got a small chipper 3" then what matters is that it'll chip fast, other than that the type of wood you're cutting. If it's good for fire wood you can sell it, if it's pine it's harder to get rid of. So you're better off with a chipper that will make salad of whatever you put through it.


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## TheJollyLogger (Apr 27, 2015)

We're walking past the elephant in the room at this point. This whole setup is stopgap at best. It is not going to move your business forward.


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## waross (Apr 27, 2015)

Jollylogger, explain great carnak.


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## TheJollyLogger (Apr 27, 2015)

Ok. Your feed hopper is going to be 6' off the ground, making it a pain to feed. That chipper doesn't really throw chips, just kind of dumps them out, so every ten minutes you're going to have to stop and shovel chips to the side. Plus, you'll spend a lot of time cussing that chipper. Then, you've got a trailer full of chips that has to be shoveled out.

You're way better off throwing 4'sides on that trailer, putting a couple large flat branches on the bottom, and then filling it, cutting it down with a chainsaw as you go. Then, when you get to the dump, once it's half empty you can grab the branches at the bottom and drag the whole load out. Done in 5 minutes.


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## waross (Apr 27, 2015)

Now that is logic I can understand and appreciate. And Jollylogger, that is what I have been leaning towards after putting it up in teh trailer and playing around with it. I figure just bring the clippings back to the yard nd chip them all up there. Wasn't planning on taking them to the dump anyway. I use the mulch or give it to others. Probably will eventually work on selling it as well.


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## TheJollyLogger (Apr 27, 2015)

You get 168 hours a week. Use them wisely. Assuming you're climbing skills and gear are competent, from here on out almost every dime you spend on growing your business will be devoted to improving how efficiently you can process the wood. All that time spent running that little chipper is time you could be in another tree or knocking on doors.


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## Philbert (Apr 27, 2015)

Lots of ways to do things. If that chipper really weighs 500 pounds, that could be a lot of weight to put on the tongue and hitch as well.

On a _slightly_ related topic, I happened to see this trailer parked in front of my house today. City truck pulling some type of concrete cutting device. Ready made JLG trailer has 4 hydraulic cylinders that lower the bed to the street level for loading and unloading. Uses 'Z' axles instead of standard, full width axle.

Philbert


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## TheJollyLogger (Apr 27, 2015)

Those are nice, Phil, but very heavy and expensive.


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## Philbert (Apr 27, 2015)

Not implying that they are practical for the OP's application, but could solve some other equipment moving problems. Nice to keep in the back of your mind, and, as mentioned, he happened to park in front of my house . . . 

Philbert


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## Carburetorless (Apr 27, 2015)

Elephant in the room? StopGap?

What????


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## Carburetorless (Apr 27, 2015)

TheJollyLogger said:


> Ok. Your feed hopper is going to be 6' off the ground, making it a pain to feed. That chipper doesn't really throw chips, just kind of dumps them out, so every ten minutes you're going to have to stop and shovel chips to the side. Plus, you'll spend a lot of time cussing that chipper. Then, you've got a trailer full of chips that has to be shoveled out.
> 
> You're way better off throwing 4'sides on that trailer, putting a couple large flat branches on the bottom, and then filling it, cutting it down with a chainsaw as you go. Then, when you get to the dump, once it's half empty you can grab the branches at the bottom and drag the whole load out. Done in 5 minutes.



Yep, I've done that. 

I want a chipper that will throw chips 20 ft, and a chip box with a super reinforced front end and a piston that I can load black powder into, that way I can just blast the chips out.

Fire In The Hole!!! KAAAABOOOOOOM!!!


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## Pelorus (Apr 27, 2015)

Intrigued by that JLG trailer per Philbert's post & photo.
Looked on their website, and saw this tandem axle model which appears very nice indeed.


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## TheJollyLogger (Apr 27, 2015)

I've used them, and they are nice not having to mess with ramps. For a guy stump grinding or something where you're loading and unloading all day long it's great. Only downside is price and weight, but hey, everything's a trade off in this business.


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## Philbert (May 9, 2015)

After posting the photo above I found out my neighbor has something similar that he uses for his real estate management work!

Philbert


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## TheJollyLogger (May 9, 2015)

A good neighbor to get to know better!


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## capetrees (May 16, 2015)

http://boston.craigslist.org/nwb/hvo/4984493414.html

Something related for ideas.


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