Realistic capabilities of Bandit 200xp

[kcurbanloggers]

Hey all,
I'm in the market for my first chipper. I've been in business for the last 4 years as an arborist while in college. I'm planning on aggressively expanding the business after graduation next spring. Toward that end, it's time to buy a chipper for the bucket truck. I really am not looking to spend more that 30,000. There are a lot of what appear to be new and well cared for 200xp chippers on the market. I know the bandit lines are well regarded, but I'm slightly concerned that these chippers, particularly with 89hp gassers in them, are going to be anemic and slow. I have a dump trailer and skid loader and it's usually free or very inexpensive to dump, so this chipper would not need to be anything close to a whole tree chipper. That said, I don't want to be constantly trimming branches to get them to feed. What have your experiences with the 200xp been? Is it worth buying a newer but smaller one I can comfortably afford now and upgrading in a few years? Or would you recommend a 250xp that's older and with higher hours but is likely more productive.

Essentially, what can I reasonably expect a 200xp to chip? Occasional forked material and small logs? Any and all input is welcomed

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[Jed1124]

If your budget is 30k get an almost new 250 bandit.

 

[kcurbanloggers]

If your budget is 30k get an almost new 250 bandit.

Almost new 250s are running between 40 and 60k right now...
All the ones that are in the 30k range are 06 or 07 units with around 2k hours on the clock.

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[Jed1124]

Almost new 250s are running between 40 and 60k right now...
All the ones that are in the 30k range are 06 or 07 units with around 2k hours on the clock.

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No ****. Things have changed I suppose.
The 200xp is a great machine, and I would not worry about the gas engines at all. They are a bit thirsty, but run well.

 

[Luztree]

You can chip silver maple and Bradford pears. Anything straight

 

[gorman]

I ran one for almost ten years. Worked great. A 12” chipper will chip up to 10” stuff realistically since the feed is slanted to the side. Easy to maintain and service. I still have my 12” in the garage just in case I need a backup.

 

[lone wolf]

Almost new 250s are running between 40 and 60k right now...
All the ones that are in the 30k range are 06 or 07 units with around 2k hours on the clock.

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So bite the bullet and go big it is better in the long run which would you rater have in the end? The bigger the Chipper the better I have no doubt. Not to mention prices will be going higher soon.

 

[MariHer75]

You can get a 2012 UD 2300 chip truck

 

[kcurbanloggers]

Ended up with a 2007 250xp with a winch. Was well maintained and had relatively low hours. Picking it up next week.

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[Dave1960_Gorge]

So bite the bullet and go big it is better in the long run which would you rater have in the end? The bigger the Chipper the better I have no doubt. Not to mention prices will be going higher soon.

That's what I did. Bought a new Bandit 1390 XP 15 in. as my first chipper (cost $58,710 in 2016, plus financing), after renting small chippers that truely sucked (however, the rental company was badly managed at the time, and routinely sent out dull chippers which didn't help -- I was gonna let one burn one time but took pity on the machine!). Never looked back -- you can stuff the chute with large limbs, start it up, and walk away knowing it will be all gone. Total time: under 10 min. Then turn it off until you fill the chute again and have a few piles nearby. Might even use less gas per yard of chips compared to a chipper for which you have to feed it one straight branch at a time; plus you save on labor hrs. I have chipped an entire 80 ft., 15 in. elm by using the winch to get it started; once half the tree was chipped (by disconnecting and reconnecting the winch line farther out a few times to help it feed) the rest chipped by itself. I think it is designed to be used this way, but, um, don't chip your steel 'biner and winch rope!

Oh, and don't get a chipper with the safety "stop" bar on the lower lip of the feed table (some Vermeers); you will constantly be stopping the feed by touching it with your thigh or a branch. The Bandit has a feed wheel reversal bar on the top; if a branch hits it, you just jerk it out again and don't have to find a restart button. Hit the feed table all you want. You also can use the reversal bar it to move material in and out, if the feed wheels are having trouble grabbing it. The Bandit I have is also relatively easy to clean out if the chute clogs with twiggy stuff or gets a chunk of wood wedged into the feed wheel area (I understand some others are more difficult); of course, you shut it down and disconnect the power first before you "go in there". You take the drum out of gear, fire it up to full power, raise the feed wheel with the manual control lever, and lock it open by putting a bar in the hole for that before shutting it down and disconnecting the power (by decoupling the safety lock out connection). There is also a door on the bottom to access the space behind the feed wheels, and one on the bottom of the chute mid way out. Then go in there.

Then again, just had two new tires put on for around $900; maintenance is spendy. I'm downsizing and selling it (only 511 hrs.). See the other thread.