# decent non-tow chipper?



## dbotos (Apr 27, 2009)

Can anyone recommend a decent chipper that falls somewhere in between an underpowered homeowner-style unit and a professional tow-behind? I'd like something I could sit on a utility trailer and have it discharge into a chip box that would also be sitting on the trailer. 3" limbs are probably the max I would do with it - anything bigger would be firewood.

I currently have a somewhat laughable MTD homeowner model powered by a 6.5 hp Briggs that I bought used off a coworker before I got into tree work. Looks kind of like this, but green:







The knives are made of the world's worst steel and instantly dull if you look at them wrong. I ended up taking off the "shredder" side funnel, shredder blade, and flails and just blocked that side off with a plate. On the chipper side, I welded an additional lip onto the feed chute in order to decrease the clearance between the chute and the knives (from about 1/4" to maybe 1/16"). It chips somewhat better now and tends not to drag material down in between the chute and knives, but you still have to manually shove material down in there and the chipper chute is somewhat narrow so anything you feed it with side branches has to be flexible or hacked down first. I'd love to make a homebrew one like this guy did, and while I have the tools and skills at my disposal, I just don't have the time:

http://bedair.org/Projects/chipper1.html

I got the DR brochure and DVD and those look like they are a decent design and well-made:

http://www.drpower.com/wood-chippers_engined_features.aspx

I like the fact that they have Briggs and Stratton engines too. Any input on the DRs or other "semi-professional" chippers would be appreciated.

Thanks,
David


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## tomtrees58 (Apr 27, 2009)

for your house?? are you trying to cut trees tom trees


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## Tree Pig (Apr 27, 2009)

there is a reason there are a billion of them little chippers on ebay and craigs list.

THEY ARE JUNK

DR chipper maybe but you could prolly by an old used real chipper


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## windthrown (Apr 27, 2009)

Yes, nothing less than a towable self-feeding roller type chipper will do a reasonable job on anything over an inch in diameter. Even then, the knock-off Chinese ones are junk. I have bought several Bandits and rebuilt them. They work well, even with smaller gas engines. Not cheap though. Not cheap to keep up either, and the the knives are really expensive. Best alternative is to rent a good one at a rental yard. Here they rent smaller Bandit and Vermeer chippers. You can chip a good size pile (say, 10' x 20' by 6') of large (2 to 6 inch) limbs in about 2 hours with one.

Of the smaller ones out there, the Bearcats seem to be better, but they are not cheap. My neighbor has one, and it takes him two hours to chip what I could in my Bandit 95 in about 5 minutes. I had a Sears 8 HP chipper once, and I used to chip limbs and leaves in my yard with it. It took hours and a lot of work pressing the limbs to chip up maybe 20 skinny limbs. Now I could do that in 3 minutes, and no work other than feeding the limbs into the rollers, and POOF! Chips fly. I have heard really bad things about the DR chippers. They come up on CL here and the owners are usually peeved about them being so useless.


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## Tree Pig (Apr 27, 2009)

windthrown said:


> . I have heard really bad things about the DR chippers. They come up on CL here and the owners are usually peeved about them being so useless.



yeah I wasnt sure on the DR I know they are over priced and that they are on CL here also. Guess that says it all. Home Depot rent 6" Vermeer for like $150 well worth the time and effort saving.


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## dbotos (Apr 27, 2009)

tomtrees58 said:


> for your house?? are you trying to cut trees tom trees



It all started as a way to get free firewood, but I also enjoy running the saw, climbing, learning about tree biology, etc. Free mulch has also been a perk, but that has been more of pain due to my wimpy chipper. I'd like to keep my setup lean and mean for now - stick gear in the back of the truck, put a chipper and a chip box on part of the trailer and leave the rest of the trailer for wood. If it turns into something bigger, I might then go the tow-behind route and have a second vehicle tow a trailer for wood.


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## Swamp Yankee (Apr 27, 2009)

Look at Bearcat chippers.

They make several that target the application you describe. Definitely better construction than the DR products. I have a 4.5 inch PTO model I drive off my Kubota. It's self feed but works very well if you keep the anvil distance correctly spaced and the blades sharp. It's not a pro machine but not a homeowner either. Place where I bought it sells a bunch to landscapers.

Take Care


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## tomtrees58 (Apr 27, 2009)

bandit has a nice one 6" on a trailer take a look at that it runs $24000.00 i think you will like it tom trees


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## dbotos (Apr 28, 2009)

tomtrees58 said:


> bandit has a nice one 6" on a trailer take a look at that it runs $24000.00 i think you will like it tom trees



I'm sure I'd love it. $24k is a little out of my price range, though.


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## talloak (Apr 29, 2009)

Try an old whisper chipper when i started my bussines i got an old wood chuck for 2k made me alot of money but becarful with them there not a self feeder .


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## windthrown (Apr 29, 2009)

tomtrees58 said:


> bandit has a nice one 6" on a trailer take a look at that it runs $24000.00 i think you will like it tom trees



Yah, that's the model 60 and 65. Step up from those are the 90/95, which I have (Bandit 95). Not cheap... nosireebob. But they sure do work. I chipped up about 5 yards of chips yesterday for a fellow that cleared his yard of wild cherry and hawthornes. Thing is bullet proof. You can get a good used one for about $6k or so.


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## mnsnow (May 13, 2009)

I don't think there is a decent non-towable chipper.

The smaller units take time to feed and are limited in the capacity (MTD/Craftsman 3").


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