Disc vs. Drum Chippers

[Canyonbc]

Been looking at the Bandit website. Well anyways what is the difference between disc and drum....goods and bads here

what do you guys like better, and why?

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

There is a lot in the archives if you search.

It boils down to the drums are less expensive and lighter to tow due to the weight and cost of that huge piece of milled steel which is the disk.

Ask any salesman the advantage of the disk and all you get is better chip consistency which makes them more marketable and might get more in the chip box when handling long stringy material.

Look at comparable engine setups with the bells and whistles you want i.e. auto feed, adjustable feed wheel speed etc ...

then compare those in drum and disk models and you will see a significant savings in the drum styles in cost and weight.

Oh, and some of the disk chippers are a wee bit more compact, front to back, due to the dimensions of the drum housings.

 

[Canyonbc]

Thank you JPS..

i am not looking at that big of chippers, but just reading around just wondering what is the goods and bads..

i will look in the archieves now though def. thanks again

 

[kennertree]

Check into the 1290H or the 1590. These are both hydraulic fed drums that are total beasts. A little on the heavy side, but they make up for it in what they will chip.

 

[Canyonbc]

Thanks you

Will put it in my notes...i am heading down to the bandit shop in the morning so lets see what happens

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

If you are looking for a medium sized chipper for mostly trim work, look at the Vermeer BC 1000. It's compact, easy to move with a 1ton. IMO the best in it's class.

 

[Canyonbc]

Ya it is a solid machine, i have used it alot in the past and this is through rental shops..

Just want to look at them all, and try and figure out what will be the best for me.

But ya the bc 1000...with a 350 diesel, tows like nothing

 

[Scars2prove-it]

I have a two year old Bandit 250. The radiator is in a bad position (right behind the truck) so it sucks up a lot of dust and clogs the radiator. Also, the auto feed is always breaking. The Caterpillar motor just developed an oil leak today. The blades and cutter bar are a bit of a chore to change. Otherwise it is a good chipper.

I had a Morbark Model 13 hydraulically fed drum chipper before this one. That was a solid machine that worked well. The blades were simple to change. The only drawback is that it would shoot chips back at the operator.

My next chipper will be a Morbark.

 

[ropensaddle]

A drum will last and last and that is why I have one
a disc is too many moving parts too costly and the
only one that I would be interested in is whole tree
type with grapple as the cost would at least be offset
by production.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

A drum will last and last and that is why I have one a disc is too many moving parts too costly and the only one that I would be interested in is whole tree type with grapple as the cost would at least be offset
by production.

That depends on whether it is a chuck&duck or a hydraulic feed drum shipper.

I would never have a C&D because the infeed is one speed. with a bigger hydraulic feed you have an option to have feedwheel speed valve. So if you go from silver maple dead elm you can slow the infeed so that you do not beat up and bog down the machine.

 

[ropensaddle]

That depends on whether it is a chuck&duck or a hydraulic feed drum shipper.

I would never have a C&D because the infeed is one speed. with a bigger hydraulic feed you have an option to have feedwheel speed valve. So if you go from silver maple dead elm you can slow the infeed so that you do not beat up and bog down the machine.

On the contrary I prefer the chuck and duck as you call it
to any chipper made they are the most durable and the one
speed you are referring to is fast just the way I like it.
Mine is a Asplundh with 300 six and does not bog, it eats
wood and all you can feed it, all day long does not shear keys,
does not leak hydraulic fluid, requires fuel and oil and every
great once in a while a belt change or clutch simple and
effective.

 

[treeman82]

These are my thoughts on disc vs. drum.

Discs as far as I can tell are lighter than drums, and have smaller engines. They also seem to be the most easily adapted to carrying different tools. For a disc I'd say Bandit hands down.

On the other hand, with the drums that I have seen... they are far heavier and bulkier than the discs. They come with a bigger engine, but are not as easily adapted to carry more tools. I'm a BIG Morbark fan when it comes to drums. These machines will take a beating and then some.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

Discs as far as I can tell are lighter than drums, and have smaller engines.

If all are equal on a disc vs drum, e.g. hp, infeed, bells and whistles...then the drum will be lighter because the disk is a big honkin piece of solid milled steel.

and the one
speed you are referring to is fast just the way I like it.

So you will beat the dog doodoo out of the machine with dead hardwood logs.

If you do a lot of production pruning a large dia hydraulic machine will save you a lot of time in chipping.
Less work time = less engine hours = less maintenance

 

[daveyclimber]

I don't think anyone can say a disk is heavier than a drum. They are machined out of solid steel. I would imagine a drum to be heavier due to the smaller diameter of the piece, it needs more weight fo mass. A disk is larger in diameter but much thinner and essentially provides leverage due to its diameter. Thats my way of thinking. I don't know too awful many people who would not jump at the chance to buy a hydraulic fed chipper if they could afford it. Chuck and ducks do the job but are not very efficient or productive. They are however cheap and easy to maintain though at a cost of production. Why haul the wood away when you can drag it to the chipper with the winch and dispose of logs only that a C&D can dream of in a matter of seconds? Technology is our friend. I own a Bandit 254 and I love the machine dearly. I do wish however I purchased a 1590 hydraulic drum instead. To each their own.

 

[ropensaddle]

If all are equal on a disc vs drum, e.g. hp, infeed, bells and whistles...then the drum will be lighter because the disk is a big honkin piece of solid milled steel.



So you will beat the dog doodoo out of the machine with dead hardwood logs.

If you do a lot of production pruning a large dia hydraulic machine will save you a lot of time in chipping.
Less work time = less engine hours = less maintenance

Just the opposite is how I see it more moving parts to go bad.
Slow feed is just that makes people stand in line cutting production
the only good thing about hydraulic is if you are chipping blackjack
but my blades eat it too just stings the hands.
Like I said earlier if I was to get a hydraulic feed it would be one
with a grapple as that would be a plus anything else wasted $

 

[kennertree]

Reading this thread I get the idea that some people don't realize that there are a lot of large 'drum' chippers with hydraulic feed systems that chip up to 20 inch diameter wood.

.....and also that the old 'chuck and duck' chipper are also drum chippers.

For instance this Bandit Model 1990XP is a drum chipper.

and this Bandit 1290 is a drum chipper.

I have the 1290H, its a drum but it is a hydraulic fed drum. The 1290 is just a drum. That 1990xp is awesome.

 

[neighborstree]

drums are way more effective then disc. disc are good for small limbs and frons off palms., drums are universial. the 1590 bandit is rated at 15inch max wood but will eat a 20 inch log with no problem. try that with a disc and your shoot will be cloged

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

drums are way more effective then disc. disc are good for small limbs and frons off palms., drums are universial. the 1590 bandit is rated at 15inch max wood but will eat a 20 inch log with no problem. try that with a disc and your shoot will be cloged

drums are way more effective then disc. disc are good for small limbs and frons off palms., drums are universial. the 1590 bandit is rated at 15inch max wood but will eat a 20 inch log with no problem. try that with a disc and your shoot will be cloged

It is more a product of the hp behind the cutting system then the system it'self. I've used large capacity disks without a problem. Drums will give you more of the more irregular chips then a disk. with sharp knives and proper anvil tolerance equil machines will operate in a similar fashion.

I don't think anyone can say a disk is heavier than a drum.

Talk to the factory reps, it is heavier, needs to be built heavier and costs more to produce. The drum just needs a bigger volume for housing.

It is a Chevy:Ford thing, like a Chevy a drum is cheaper to build up and operate on an hp/size comparison. That was a tough lesson to learn for a young motor head with a 302 way back in '87.

 

[Thor's Hammer]

Drums are way heavier than disk chippers. Look at the mfg's specs on equivalent machines. a 45 degree angled disc will use less power than a drum to chip, but you will get a much bigger wider opening on a drum. A disc chipper has a much more compact housing than a drum, meaning less steel - less weight.
A disc is only 1 - 1 1/4 inch thick. a drums endplates will weigh more than the disk, plus the skin of the drum, plus the knife pockets.

The drum on a jenz561 weighs about 6000#....

 

[ropensaddle]

I will put my purchased new 116hp 1996 Bandit 250xp up against any chuck and duck on any wood or brush any time!

Nice machine when running talk to me when it is thirty years old
like mine and chips all day long hardly ever needing attention
and can keep ten men busy no waiting in line.
I have just about quit chipping now just load with grapple
let see if you can beat that with your chipper lol I have
come to hate chippers over the years and the only one
I would consider $ well spent is a whole tree with grapple
as I want the machine to work not me!