Need help deciding. Chipper vs Skid Steer

[Florida23]

So I did a bit of searching and didn't really come up with the info that I'm looking for.

I currently own a F-350 1 Ton flatbed, a 12 x 6 dump trailer, and a Bobcat MT52.

We're not able to keep up with the amount of work coming in with just this setup, and are looking to expand a bit.

My question is this ; Would you opt for another truck and dump trailer, and continue loading the 2 dump trailers, or get a chipper truck and a 12" chipper?
If we bought another dump trailer, it would probably be a 16 x 7 low profile dump trailer.
It seems to me that we are able to haul the debris from the site to the truck very efficiently and easily with the mt52. But where we run into a choke is in the amount of times we have to dump per day. Some days we will run to the landfill 3-4 times at about 45 minutes to an hour per run. That can be half the day of just run time to the land fill.
Would the added cost of the chipper be made up for by less trips to the land fill? Or would another bigger dump trailer be the better route to go?

 

[tidy]

you definately need a chipper mate

 

[windthrown]

Most of what you are hauling to the dump is likely air. Chipping limbs and brush shrinks them tremendously. Not sure of the time to chip stuff will offset the time for trips to the dump or not, but the number of trips to the dump and fees (if you pay them like we do here) are greatly reduced with a chipper. You can also use something like chipdrop.in to drop loads of chips closer than a dump w/o fees. Add time to maintain the chipper (knife sharpening) and gas to run it.

 

[Florida23]

See that's where I'm on the fence with it. Alot of the really brushy loads we cut in, in the trailer with a MS290 usually. This takes time and is exhausting, and really ineffective for palm fronds.
I've used a chipper numerous times in the past with other tree services, but never owned one for myself.
A few of the guys I've talked to swear against a chipper. One gentleman I can recall had a very nice chipper, I can't remember the make or model of it, but once he bought his bobcat, he kept the chipper 2 more years before he sold it. I asked why he sold it and he said it was because he only used it one or twice in the time he had it after he got his loader. He sold it and has never gone back to a chipper.
I just don't know if the additional cost/maintenance will off set the balance towards just running 2 dump trailers. I'll still have the one dump trailer for logs and such.

 

[tidy]

Depends on how much work you can get, I'm in the same situation as yourself- I want a chipper but I don't want the associated costs...

 

[gorman]

You for real? A chipper guy. Unless you have a huge grapple truck you're not telling us about.

 

[RDAA]

I run both set ups. I only have a 6'' chipper and I am going to be getting a 12" sometime this winter. I also have a 16x7 lo pro dump and an 18x8 tandem dually. I own an S-185 with a grapple. I also run a mini skid. I was stuffing brush until about two years ago when I really saw the need for a chipper. The other day I used the chipper with my dump truck to do a half day small job of removing two 22" walnut trees. We chipped all of the brush and put all of the rakings in the truck, logs went the trailer behind the bucket truck and drove home. I would have had two trips to the dump at least running dump trailers. Now I do run dump trailers when the dump is around a mile or two away. It is way faster and way easier to stuff and haul everything in this situation. I also notice when running the dump trailers my groundie is not on the work site as much and isn't there to do the final clean up. My chipper has sold me jobs such as being in a rural farmplace and the owners don't want a brush pile and the dump is way too far away to haul brush. My competitor around here doesn't run a chipper and I know that my chipper helped sell that job. When purchasing my chipper I didn't think I would use it as much as I do right now. Now my chipper is too small and its time to upgrade. You will love a chipper.

 

[RDAA]

I just realized I spelled chipper a million times sorry!

 

[Toddppm]

Fla. seems like a different animal especially if youre doing a lot of palms? Have heard on here over the years palms don't chip well at all and most do what youre already doing or use a grapple truck?
Some that do normal trees like most of us also swear by grapple trucks so ????

 

[Florida23]

we do a great deal of palm trimming. I hate palm fronds lol they are a pain.

 

[William Maxwell]

I'll still have the one dump trailer for logs and such.

 

[defensiblespace]

I was in your same situation for years. I finally decided to pony up and buy a chipper this year. I bought a 2010 bc1000 with the 49 horse engine for $18000. I wish I had bought it years ago. I can get twice as many limbs and small trees processed in half the time with a chipper. That thing has payed for itself in its first season.

 

[tidy]

^ That's pretty cool. Does that machine do everything you need it to do or did you compromise somewhat by getting something smallish as your first chipper-playing it safe if you like?

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

Why not get a dump truck. I could have easily bought 3 or 4 dump trucks for what a dump trailer costs that can actually haul a bit of weight.

 

[defensiblespace]

^ That's pretty cool. Does that machine do everything you need it to do or did you compromise somewhat by getting something smallish as your first chipper-playing it safe if you like?

I bought the 49 horse machine because of the Air Resource Board laws here in CA, but have been very pleasantly surprised by its capabilities. We cut all softwoods in our location and its eats pretty good sized branches without hesitation. Its still a 12" chipper and we'll feed logs up to 12" into it. It doesn't eat them as fast as a high powered chipper, but its still faster than cutting the logs into firewood. It also sips diesel, which is a nice added bonus and its light enough that we can move it around with our mini if need be.

 

[tidy]

^ Cool, Ive been hiring a bc1000 this past year and hopefully this time next year I will own something similar.

 

[mattfr12]

I guess it really depends on what you are cutting. We couldn't live without a chipper sometimes fill 3 trucks up a day then go dump. That would be alot of dumping if just reduced it with saws.

 

[tidy]

^totally, i'm guessing those that reduce bulk loads by saw don't reduce it as far down as possible but its still alot of wasted effort and time imo

 

[eloxithack]

This takes time and is exhausting, and really ineffective for palm fronds.

 

[Aldegar]

Truck and chipper for sure! Congratulations on having to expand your business, you must be doing something right