# Need a new chipper. Disc or drum?



## moose (Aug 7, 2003)

My first post so I don't know if this is in the right forum. I was going to put it in "large equipment forum" but it looks like nobody ever goes there. I'm going to buy a new chipper in a week or two and I was wondering what advantages or disadvantages there were between disc chippers and drum chippers? All I ever used were disc chippers. I have a woodchuck W/C 11 now and would like to get a 12 to 18 inch chipper. I was looking at the Vermeer BC1230 and theBC1800 because they have the auto feed system but they are both drum chippers and I dont really know anything about the drum chipper . I was also wondering how hard the blades are to change. Any info on the differences between the disk and drum chippers would be much appreciated . Thanks


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## moose (Aug 7, 2003)

Sorry, I Thought the 1230 was a drum. My mistake. I am waiting for vermeer to call me back tomorrow with prices and for GM dealer to give me a price on a new truck. Then I can decide what I can afford. I would like to get the 18 inch, but i'll see when the prices come in.


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## treeman82 (Aug 7, 2003)

Do you have a Morbark or Brush Bandit dealer nearby? Those two companies may be worth checking out. Also, demo before you buy to see which is better for you.


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## NeTree (Aug 8, 2003)

Call me crazy, but I still prefer the drum. Anthing bigger than I can chip with that is firewood anyways. Thy're cheaper to own and operate, and simpler to maintain.

But that's just my opinion.


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## NeTree (Aug 8, 2003)

Has anybody owned or chipped with a Conehead?


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## John Paul Sanborn (Aug 8, 2003)

All things equal a drum chipper is cheaper becqause thay have to mill that big disk in a solid peice.

A drum chipper is lighter for the same reason, that disk is a big peice of solid metal. 

I'm told that drums knives wear more evenly too

The first 2 points are what make me a drum fan, IMO being anal about maintaining proper bedknife tolerance will keep chip size down. 

As for size, it all depends on what your main buisness is and what size truck you have. If you do mainly removals then the bigger chipper is better, especially if you have a loader to feed with.

If you do mostly trim work then anything over 12-13 inches is waisted capitol. 12 inch 85 hp (Diesel) drum is probably the best range for this type of work.

Miantaining steady RPM is the key (and knife maint.) to keeping the machine in good condition, and getting the brush reduced.


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## MasterBlaster (Aug 8, 2003)

Hey Moose I wouldn't get a chipper over 12" Unless for dump reasons you need to turn all the wood into chips.

A 12" chipper is plenty, especially if you opt for the biggest motor you can get. I prefer diesel over gas-burners.

Drum chippers are cheaper, lighter, and the knives wear more evenly.

Opt for the winch option if you can get it - you'll be glad you did!


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## John Paul Sanborn (Aug 8, 2003)

Those of you with winch chippers, do you use rope chockers to move bursh, or just the winch cable?


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## Sep (Aug 8, 2003)

We own a brush bandit 254xp, and its been a great machine for us. Its 14inch chipping capacity is great because it allows us, to chip lots of larger softwood that we would have to pay to get rid of otherwise. The one downfall to this machine is that its weight starts to become a major issue when towing with a one ton truck.


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## NeTree (Aug 8, 2003)

My latest addition to the fleet is an Altec Whisper Chipper. 12" drum, 6 cyl Ford (gas... cuz diesel isn't carried much around here).

I don't find the chip quality to be worse than a disc, rather markedly better than any of the disc's I own/have owned.

For the majority of the stuff I chip, the drum is WAYYY faster. As fast as you can chuck it in, it's in the dump body in nice little pieces.

And the Altec is 3,000 pounds lighter than the Vermeer 1250's. That equates to alot less fuel burned just towing the chipper, and in the end, that's green in my pocket. It also saves on some wear and tear on the towing vehicle.

I do about 80 percent removals, and I still find the 6" capacity of the Altec to be plenty. As I said, anything bigger is firewood to sell anyways.


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## TheTreeSpyder (Aug 10, 2003)

Ummmmm Brian prolly just doesn't see quite as much u$e for firewood as Canadians and close too......


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## mrtree (Aug 10, 2003)

I think you are crazy to be considering a Vermeer 1800 unless you are doing land clearing. You will need a large truck to tow with and thus the size will make access very difficult. Further most single removals can be handled by a Vermeer 1000, 1400, 935 or 1230. I am not very farmiliar with Brush Bandit but contact Clark Kavanaugh in Bancroft or call Safety Landry in Montreal (8004656005) and they can tell you who sells in Montreal.

Michael


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## moose (Aug 12, 2003)

Thanks for the info guys. What I am doing is starting a second crew. So I'm keeping my 9 inch chipper for the smaller jobs and I want a bigger chipper for one crew to do the big trees and lot clearing. I don't have much use for the firewood because I have about 200 face cords of hardwood in my yard that I have no time to split. I'll have 2 trucks that will have no problem towing a big chipper. The vermeer guy is bringing up a BC1400 14 inch drum chipper up on thursday for me to try. Does anyone have one of these or used one before?


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## treeman82 (Aug 12, 2003)

If you are looking to do removals and land clearing... check out the 2400 Hurricane. They are close to impossible to kill. http://www.morbark.com/equipment_specs/2400xl.htm


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## Grizzly (May 8, 2006)

treeman82 said:


> Do you have a Morbark or Brush Bandit dealer nearby? Those two companies may be worth checking out. Also, demo before you buy to see which is better for you.



Are demos still avalible?
i found a chipper for $6,000 and was offered a demo.
When i was ready:deadhorse: on every call.


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