will a 6' chipper work for starting up?

Still in the starting phase but getting in the bed of the dumptruck with a chainsaw to mat it down is getting old. Used all the my funds getting equipment and can't afford even A used one that will handle 12' can I get by with a 6 for a year or two until funds get better?

Thanks for the input

djb6582 said:

Still in the starting phase but getting in the bed of the dumptruck with a chainsaw to mat it down is getting old. Used all the my funds getting equipment and can't afford even A used one that will handle 12' can I get by with a 6 for a year or two until funds get better?

Thanks for the input

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Yes. You have to put side markers on it so you can see it when you're backing it in otherwise it'll be jacknifed back there and you won't even know.

any chipper is better then no chipper... may want to think about a bigger used chuck and duck for more production as long as you and others work safe around it. The good side of the 6" disc chipper with decent knives it will chip pretty fine and you get a crap load of chips in a dump. Bad side is it will only take small wood and even with small wood you have to cut most large crotches to get them through the chipper.

I'll have to agree with stihl-o-matic, we have a 6" Vermeer and the only time it goes out is on trim jobs or small clean-up jobs. Slows you down on the bigger jobs for sure. When I first started out I went and talked to a rental shop and ended up getting pretty good daily and weekly rates from them. I just bid accordingly when the chipper was needed, just an idea, worked for me gave me a whole season to save up but didn't break my back and legs doin it..

Ben
Bushwacker Tree Removal

I had a BC600XL for two years. Got tired of cutting every fork so I got rid of it and wouldn't go back with anything less than 12". Not to chip that size just to take the forks.

6" will do if you by the right one.

My opinion is by a chipper ASAP, don't get a chuck and duck if you like the skin on your knuckles. 1st year in it was 'Pack and stack', plus stomp and cut and then cut more and stomp. Then I bought a 4" Salsco and changed the game, same truck now holds at least double or possibly triple the material with ease. If you don't buy a vermeer you can get away with not cutting 'y's and just feed the machine, this is what I told a guy who was in the market for one.

"Just so know there is a lot of negatives about the bc 600 or 625, like, for example that the machine is over rated at 6". It is not truly a 6" chipper. It has a 6" tall feed roller and a 6" by 6" opening, meaning it can chip 4" or maybe a 5" branch at the most if you cut it right. It is also designed poorly with a square opening, doesn't take 'y' shaped brush well at all. The newer model the 600XL demoed the new 27 hp kohler which has carb problems for the first year or 2. Also has a really tall chute over 7ft. Makes it hard to chip into a pickup or store in a regular garage. Bandit gives you way more for your money. Is a real 6" machine with a 8" by 12" roller and a 6" by 12" opening with way better engine options. You can rip a 12" spruce log in half and feed the machine and watch the auto feed do it's thing.

Salsco makes a 4" machine with a 7" by 8" roller and a 4" opening that is 8" wide, it is, in my opinion better than the vermeer. Built stronger, designed better with a chute made to chip into a pick up and with a better feed system 2" wider than a vermeer. Takes 'y's better, and is a bigger machine where it counts. Balanced so well take 1 person can pick it up and walk it down the driveway on spin it 180 degrees. There is no way you can do that with the vemeer, Bandits chippers are similar.

Just some friendly advice."

Get some cash go online and find a bandit and go to town, it will make you that money back so fast you won't care about the money it cost you. Just be sure to keep the knives sharp and stay on top of the oil changes, if it has a used gas motor and it doesn't run well, 9 times out of ten it is a carb issue. Diesel's it is all about the way it was broken in and if it has a good cold start. PM me if you need any other advice on starting out.

AshTree

.02

make sure your anvil is not rounded off, bent, or out of adjustment. that size chipper is fine to start out ... its better then brush loading.....

I tried a bandit 65 before I went with the vermeer. It had nowhere near enough feed power. The angle of the springs and 2 springs vs the vermeer's 4 it would not feed. The drum just slipped. Their larger units are awesome though.

CNBTreeTrimming said:

I tried a bandit 65 before I went with the vermeer. It had nowhere near enough feed power. The angle of the springs and 2 springs vs the vermeer's 4 it would not feed. The drum just slipped. Their larger units are awesome though.

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Im suprised, the vermeer is one of the most anorexic of the pro chippers. being only a 6 by 6 inch is substandard when compared to the Salsco, bandit, morbark, greenmech, carlton or hansa which have twice the capacity.

i sold a BRAND SPANKING new vermeer 6inch to buy a second hand bandit 65, the lil bandit has done me so well for more then just and year, its even handled being fed with my small digger check out Trees, Landscaping, Bobcat and Digger Hire, Tree Pruning, Tree Removal | Tree Operations and Earthscapes.

a bandt 65 is a awesome little machine, the only reason im looking to a 12 inch is it scare's me feeding my mates 18inch bandit whole tree, my grapple could dissapear in that big damn hole haha.


avoid vermeers in the 6 inch and if you get a 12 inch vermeer expect to need to buy a welder.

Little chipper < no chipper

TimberMcPherson said:

Im suprised, the vermeer is one of the most anorexic of the pro chippers. being only a 6 by 6 inch is substandard when compared to the Salsco, bandit, morbark, greenmech, carlton or hansa which have twice the capacity.

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I agree. That's why I decided it was gone. The only dealers I have near me are vermeer or bandit so that's what I had to compare. I did like the larger opening on the bandit, but it didn't like cedar it just slipped. I do quite a bit of cedar so I couldn't have that. May have been the one they demoed was not setup right I don't know, but the feed was weak.

djb6582 said:

Still in the starting phase but getting in the bed of the dumptruck with a chainsaw to mat it down is getting old. Used all the my funds getting equipment and can't afford even A used one that will handle 12' can I get by with a 6 for a year or two until funds get better?

Thanks for the input

Click to expand...

Barely and your helpers will hate it!Seriously I would not bother.Wait till you can get a bigger one.

lone wolf said:

Barely and your helpers will hate it!Seriously I would not bother.Wait till you can get a bigger one.

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Have managed to get by just fine for years with a 6" Bandit 65XL. Tows like a dream behind a small pickup, and gets into spots where you couldn't bring a larger unit. Some side trimming of limbs required, but keep a saw right at the chipper & it's no biggie.

AshTree[/QUOTE]


Thanks Ash im surfing the web trying to find a good deal some what close by seems most are on the west coast or deep south....

had the same question-bought a 6" chipper

I am pretty new to the business and recently bought a used 6" vermeer chipper. It's already paying off compared to hauling brush from the job. My thought was that with a 6" chipper I could operate fine because I sell firewood. Anything bigger than that can be put aside for firewood later. The problem I run into is that depending on the job it can get complicated loading big peices for firewood and a pile of chips in the same truck and dropping them off at different places. Sometimes its just easier to make a seperate trip with a flatbed trailer for the bigger stuff. Other than that, I'm glad I bought it. Overall still a big time and effort saver even at a 6" machine (its all I could afford anyway).

lone wolf said:

Barely and your helpers will hate it!Seriously I would not bother.Wait till you can get a bigger one.

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Depends on your work and environment you work in. Equipment is contextual. Something thats gold for one person is a lead weight for others. If I owned an 18inch chipper and a bucket truck, I could count on one hand the number to times I would be able to suitably use them in a year, but I get great use out of my 3120xp and GRCS.

We adapt to our own unique work conditions, and our gear has to match.

Surely,

I worked 4 1/2 years (managed 3) doing fine pruning to very large removals, on a five to six man crew, with a very reliable Vermeer BC625 and a mostly reliable BC935 as backup. If I had the opportunity to buy a 9" I would, but I'm in the same position you are and don't have the extra 3,000-5,000. With a little work and the willingness to get creative about wood, a 6" will keep you going for 12 years, my old boss will attest to that, and 13 if this year is kind on the old thing.

when i started doing more tree work, i opted for a smaller chipper so i didnt have a large sum of mula stitting around in the form of a bigger chipper, as i was still doing alot of landscaping and excavation work.

as i started picking up more and bigger tree jobs i found a small grapple for my bobcat 323, ive been able to complete big jobs with ease having this grapple. its uses dont just end when it comes time to load out the wood, i drag piles of brush out of jobs, i grab standing trees and pull them out roots and all and drag them up to the chipper or i use it to pull trees over as you would with bigger machine except i can squeeze through a gap 1m wide, so a 6inch machine will do very well for you but you may just have to think of other ways to load out bigger wood if you dont wana make cubes out of the bigger wood.

Currntly we have a 18'' mobark. 14'' woodchuck and a 9'' vermeer, as far as smaller chippers go the 9'' is the smallest ive used and for its size its a damn good chipper, annoying at times since any Y crotches that are of fair size wont go thru but weve chipped 9'' sugar thru it, she didnt like it too much but it still did the job, So IMO i would try and go bigger than 6'' since i could imagine it would be a bit of a pain, but if you dont have the money id stick with the 6'' make you your jobs go faster and youll have to dump 1/3 of the time.