Chipping up yard waste

[nnu2013]

Hello,

I am putting together a business plan for a university project and am looking for some information. Perhaps somebody on here might be able to help. My business plan involves collecting yard waste in Nampa, Idaho and then grinding/chipping it up to sell as landscaping and garden mulch. Customers would drop of the material at our location. I'm looking to collect branches, small trees, leaves, and perhaps some grass clippings. My question involves what kind of equipment is best to use to turn the yard waste into mulch. What size chipper should I look into for this job? I'm trying to keep things on a fairly small scale to start with (maximum of about $20,000-30,000 per machine). Planning on working my way up to making 30 cubic yards of mulch a day with 2-3 employees. Does this seem reasonable? I am not very familiar with chippers or other grinding equipment so whatever information I can get from here is helpful.

 

[droprite]

I would get a used tub or horizontal grinder. Trying to sell yard waste as mulch is tough unless you are going to pay a guy to stay at the drop off site and monitor what people are dropping off. We grind for municipalities and you find everything in those piles, chains rocks mud and a ton of paper and plastic. If you are just looking for 30 yards of mulch a day contact some tree services cause you dont get that much for the grinding and you need to spend a fortune on machines to be productive and competative.

 

[ConcordGarden]

Hello,

I am putting together a business plan for a university project and am looking for some information. Perhaps somebody on here might be able to help. My business plan involves collecting yard waste in Nampa, Idaho and then grinding/chipping it up to sell as landscaping and garden mulch. Customers would drop of the material at our location. I'm looking to collect branches, small trees, leaves, and perhaps some grass clippings. My question involves what kind of equipment is best to use to turn the yard waste into mulch. What size chipper should I look into for this job? I'm trying to keep things on a fairly small scale to start with (maximum of about $20,000-30,000 per machine). Planning on working my way up to making 30 cubic yards of mulch a day with 2-3 employees. Does this seem reasonable? I am not very familiar with chippers or other grinding equipment so whatever information I can get from here is helpful.

In CA tree companies in our area have to pay to get rid of Tree Mulch... We sell mulch from Earth Blend Mulch - Organic Colored Mulch at our store and they are owned by Waraner Tree Experts. They do an organic dye with only natural tree material. We sell Natural for $29/yard and Dyed for $50/yard. Often times if you trying to use other types of materials people aren't going to be interested in the mulch. It' a viable business depending on your location and if you ask a lot of the local tree companies would love to dump their mulch at your lot for free or half price of any where else.

 

[2treeornot2tree]

Get a tub grinder. Thats gonna cost you $35,000 for a well used one.


Dont take grass clippings. They dont make good mulch.

If you let tree services dump there chips at your yard for free, you already have chips to start with.

 

[imagineero]

Don't listen to these idiots, they don't know anything. Your plan is great! All you need is a small chipper - 4 or 6" should be plenty, or even one of those electric ones you can get at home depot. Save on fuel that way, and quieter too! With people bringing the trees and clippings to you, you're saving on time and fuel too! All you gotta do is sit back and let the chipper do the work, then collect the money. Might even be able to get some sort of government grant for being so environmentally friendly!

Shaun

 

[tomtrees58]

check with your town / city and state first you are trying to run is a transfer station you have to get permits from the dec to with out it big fines

 

[2treeornot2tree]

Don't listen to these idiots, they don't know anything. Your plan is great! All you need is a small chipper - 4 or 6" should be plenty, or even one of those electric ones you can get at home depot. Save on fuel that way, and quieter too! With people bringing the trees and clippings to you, you're saving on time and fuel too! All you gotta do is sit back and let the chipper do the work, then collect the money. Might even be able to get some sort of government grant for being so environmentally friendly!

Shaun

Its awful hard to grind the chips a second time through a regular chipper.

 

[garyischofield]

braindead

Don't listen to these idiots, they don't know anything. Your plan is great! All you need is a small chipper - 4 or 6" should be plenty, or even one of those electric ones you can get at home depot. Save on fuel that way, and quieter too! With people bringing the trees and clippings to you, you're saving on time and fuel too! All you gotta do is sit back and let the chipper do the work, then collect the money. Might even be able to get some sort of government grant for being so environmentally friendly!

Shaun

As a businessman who expanded into the landscape materials business for years as a spinoff from my whole tree chipping operation,I've got a lot of experience with this subject.My experiences with selling mulch resulted in knowing what customers were looking for as groundcover/mulch.We operated a wood waste recycling yard that took all manner of woodwaste from pallets to stumps.Overwhelmingly the public preferred a ground product that was put through a hammermill.We sold chips also but not in demand like ground materials.Trash,paper and plastic,mixed in create problems in selling the end product.As far as chipping brush,there are alot of variables.Dirt,length of material,orientation of brush are important variables in production.Just my $.02 ,from an idiot who's been there done that.

 

[garyischofield]

Don't listen to these idiots, they don't know anything. Your plan is great! All you need is a small chipper - 4 or 6" should be plenty, or even one of those electric ones you can get at home depot. Save on fuel that way, and quieter too! With people bringing the trees and clippings to you, you're saving on time and fuel too! All you gotta do is sit back and let the chipper do the work, then collect the money. Might even be able to get some sort of government grant for being so environmentally friendly!

Shaun

Posts like this are this sites biggest challenge...imho.Gary

 

[djones]

In my part of the country with a nearby racetrack, they add horse manure to the mix since it's so plentiful. The town operates this operation in connection with the city clean up crews. They seem to do pretty well, good luck.

 

[nnu2013]

As a businessman who expanded into the landscape materials business for years as a spinoff from my whole tree chipping operation,I've got a lot of experience with this subject.My experiences with selling mulch resulted in knowing what customers were looking for as groundcover/mulch.We operated a wood waste recycling yard that took all manner of woodwaste from pallets to stumps.Overwhelmingly the public preferred a ground product that was put through a hammermill.We sold chips also but not in demand like ground materials.Trash,paper and plastic,mixed in create problems in selling the end product.As far as chipping brush,there are alot of variables.Dirt,length of material,orientation of brush are important variables in production.Just my $.02 ,from an idiot who's been there done that.

How big of a hammermill did you operate? For the business plan I'm looking for something small to start with something (mabye around 100hp), but I am having trouble finding anything that small if it even exists. Did you have to screen the material after running it through the hammermill or was the mulch size fairly consistent? Did you dye the mulch or just sell it natural looking? Thanks for the information so far guys, every little bit helps as I don't have much experience with this stuff.

 

[droprite]

You usally just double grind the material first a 6 inch screen to get it to size and take the contaminants out the just regrind with a two or three inch screen depending on the final product u are looking for then no need to screen. A screen is nice to have down the road but not a must, it just cuts down on wear and tear on the grinder cause 70% of the material is to size int the first grind. if you plan to take grass and leaves look into composting at that site. Have to get a permit from the dnr tho. As far a dying material we sell just as much natural as we do dyed. You can put a coloring system on your grinder pretty cheap 8k. And if all you are doing is yard waste 3-400 horse will do fine 30k-180k used if you want to grind big wood better get nothing less than 800 horse hope this help.

 

[CalTreeEquip]

Shred-Vac

I reading some good stuff and some bad here.
Taking on green waste from the public creates lots of problems. Regrinding chips from tree services doesn't.
If you are lucky you can find a 8' (100 to 200hp) tube grinder in good shape for around $50,000 or more. Someone wrote you can find a well used one or $35,000, yes you can but then you'll be putting another $50k into it. Find something small with low hours.
I have this unit that will shred chips. Its unique, never seen one like this before and I haven't tested it out yet but it might work well for you.
Check it out:
Used Chippers in California: 2001 Shred-Vac Chip Shredder and Spreader in California $15,000

 

[garyischofield]

great info

Great information.I had several big tub(Morbark/WHO) grinders.I double ground everything.I never colored my products but it is standard procedure now.There are small tub grinders around.The mulch business has evolved from grinding predominantly bark from sawmills to where landscape material producers are buying formerly unmerchantable softwood logs and coloring the grindings.The grinding,screening,coloring options are numerous.I rented various disc/finger screens often especially for stump grindings because of the dirt/fines gave it a dull appearance when the product dried out.Have fun.

 

[2treeornot2tree]

I reading some good stuff and some bad here.
Taking on green waste from the public creates lots of problems. Regrinding chips from tree services doesn't.
If you are lucky you can find a 8' (100 to 200hp) tube grinder in good shape for around $50,000 or more. Someone wrote you can find a well used one or $35,000, yes you can but then you'll be putting another $50k into it. Find something small with low hours.
I have this unit that will shred chips. Its unique, never seen one like this before and I haven't tested it out yet but it might work well for you.
Check it out:
Used Chippers in California: 2001 Shred-Vac Chip Shredder and Spreader in California $15,000

I disagree that if you buy a $35,000 unit you will be putting $50k into it. If you buy a good unit, you shouldnt have to put much into it. I know of where one grinder sits right now for sale for $35,000 that dont need anything to run and make mulch. My friend makes mulch with a grinder that he spent $39,000 on, and hasnt had to replace anything major yet, and he has had it for 4 years now.

The main thing is knowing what you are buying.

 

[CalTreeEquip]

Not saying it can't be done, its just hard as hell. I know a guy who tore a car in half at 65 mph hitting a concrete bridge and walked away. It worked out for him I just wouldn't suggested it.
Remember I buy and sell equipment for a living. Every tubgrinder I have ever bid on under $60k (and didn't
get) ended up costing the buyer big to fix up. Some of those machines I even paid to have inspected and got a clean bill of health. So ya if you know what your doing and well experienced with such machines and have a year or two to go to auctions all over the country and get real lucky you might find something good in that price range. But even then it could cost you twice what you wanted to pay. That's been my experience.

 

[garyischofield]

agreed

I recently saw a "WHO" tubgrinder without a loader with low hours for around $30,000.It isn't the most productive grinder out there but has a solid reputation.3408 Cat engine. (500hp.)Point being,there are viable solutions out there without breaking the bank.