stump grinder vs brush chipper

[Great Feller]

My next big purchase for my small tree service company is going to be a small stump grinder(25hp) or a small brush chipper (6" dia capacity). I work at Vermeer so I'm thinking about taking advantage of my employee discount. Or should I try to find a different brand or possibly something used? Either way, which would you rather have if you had just enough money for one but not both? Eventually I plan to have both I just don't have the money now. Thank You

 

[Groundman One]

My next big purchase for my small tree service company is going to be a small stump grinder(25hp) or a small brush chipper (6" dia capacity). I work at Vermeer so I'm thinking about taking advantage of my employee discount. Or should I try to find a different brand or possibly something used? Either way, which would you rather have if you had just enough money for one but not both? Eventually I plan to have both I just don't have the money now. Thank You

Chipper! Without a moment's hesitation. You can have a tree service with no stump grinder, but you can't have a tree service without a chipper. No chipper destroys your clean-up capability and logistics for dumping.

Grinders are for when the tree is done and gone. If you don't have the chipper, how can you get rid of the tree in the first place?

Chipper, ma man.

 

[gr8scott72]

Chipper! Without a moment's hesitation. You can have a tree service with no stump grinder, but you can't have a tree service without a chipper. No chipper destroys your clean-up capability and logistics for dumping.

Grinders are for when the tree is done and gone. If you don't have the chipper, how can you get rid of the tree in the first place?

Chipper, ma man.

I only know of one tree company here that DOES have a chipper. All the others just use either a grapple truck or a bobcat to load a dump truck and load ALL the wood AND brush and take it to the dump.

It might have something to do with what you plan on doing with the wood. No one around here really uses it for firewood so it's easier to just load all of it and dump it.

 

[appalachianarbo]

If I were going to buy a chipper or grinder, I'd definitely buy a chipper.

Would I buy a 6" Vermeer chipper? No. I've used them several times, and the opening is just too small to fit anything. Even small crotches get stuck - the feed rollers just don't cut it. The chute also doesn't have a infinite angle swivel. It only has 3 options for discharge - what a pain.

I know you have a Vermeer discount, but I'd buy a Bandit 65XL. The opening is 6x12, not 6x6 like the Vermeer, and the chute can go in any direction. Much more user friendly.

 

[nametrux]

Location

Look at the locations of the replys.. One from where they will burn everything for heat. The other from where they dont need much heat. Something to consider.

 

[pdqdl]

Look at your OWN revenue stream. What kind of work do you do most ? How big is the brush that you dispose of, and what is your volume? How would disposal charges, loading time, and roadtime be affected by chipping rather than loading & hauling brush?

How many stump grinding sales are you currently missing ?

Myself, I'd get a chipper, then rent or sub the stump grinding work. The labor you save on trimming trees with a chipper really make a difference. Keep in mind that a chipper almost always means that you must change your truck too, and your whole approach to doing the tree work.

 

[Slvrmple72]

A chipper would be the first choice. With higher fuel prices you want to be able to get the greatest volume of wood debris that you can in each load. Stuffing, cutting and smashing down branches will not be as efficient as chipping them up. Look at the removals you do and what you intend to do with the wood, will it be firewood or hauled to the dump? I bought my chipper, a 8" capacity chuck and duck, with the intention of only feeding it brush under 4" diameter limbs, the rest is firewood. Take your time in purchasing and have some money left over for repairs and service. You can get by without a chipper for a while but it requires more effort.

 

[tree MDS]

I'd get the chipper before the stumper. Avoid Vermeer if you can.

+1. Vermeer sucks unless maybe for a stumper.

 

[Groundman One]

I only know of one tree company here that DOES have a chipper. All the others just use either a grapple truck or a bobcat to load a dump truck and load ALL the wood AND brush and take it to the dump.

But then you need a grapple truck and a dump truck to deal with branches, on top of the truck you're already using to get to the job. That's a lot of trucks and gas and manpower and wages and logistics.

We have an F350 with a covered dumper on the back pulling a 6" Vermeer. Two of us can A to Z a pretty respectable job in a day. It's the basic setup most companies have here. Inexpensive (so to speak) simple upkeep, easy parking, versatile enough to handle 90%+ of all jobs.

 

[Blakesmaster]

Absolutely the chipper first. Couldn't tell you how many HO's I told to put a flower pot on the stump and it would look nice before I bought my stumper. If I was in your position I'd definitely shy away from that chipper and pick up an old whisper. With the money you saved you could probably buy an old stumper as well. New equipment is nice but ANY equipment is good.

 

[TreeGhost]

This is a debate I have been having for a long time now (with me, myself and I). I thought about buying a chipper, but I couldn't justify the cost / maintenance since I can bring the brush home and burn it. Most trees are within 30 miles of home so if I have to make 2-3 trips I don't mind. If I get a really big job I then rent a chipper for a half day. I figure I would rather have the stumper because it can make money for me. I pass on plenty of stump work to justify owning a small stumper. I think the big thing is what do you do with the chips / brush. Think about how much you are buying a chipper for vs how long it takes to haul your brush to the dump. How much does it cost to to operate / keep the equipment operating?

 

[Groundman One]

What do you guys charge for grinding stumps?

When our machine works, which it hasn't in two or three years, thank God, we charged $6 an inch, measuring across the stump at ground height, to take it down about 8" or so underground.

Our machine is an old Vermeer with no self-propulsion. That part never worked. We had to push that thing into place. On a hill... oy vey!

 

[pdqdl]

...I thought about buying a chipper, but I couldn't justify the cost / maintenance since I can bring the brush home and burn it. Most trees are within 30 miles of home so if I have to make 2-3 trips I don't mind. ... How much does it cost to to operate / keep the equipment operating?

If you are transporting 2 loads per day, 20 miles round trip, you are loosing money compared to the expense of a good chipper. That will convert brush into 1 trip per day, MUCH faster on & off every job (no time wasted stacking & packing brush), and you will be working profitably more hours per day because you are not driving around to dispose of a load of brush.

I started on an old drum chipper, and I finally got a good one. It has probably been my best equipment purchase since I started business 26 years ago.

 

[tree MDS]

Tree guy without chipper = joke. Or waiting to get thier hands on thier own somehow. I still dont have a grinder and this is year 12. Flower pots go so nicely on stumps, you just have to be sensitive to where its level when cutting.

 

[Groundman One]

Tree guy without chipper = joke.

The 11th Commandment.

 

[TreeGhost]

If you are transporting 2 loads per day, 20 miles round trip, you are loosing money compared to the expense of a good chipper. That will convert brush into 1 trip per day, MUCH faster on & off every job (no time wasted stacking & packing brush), and you will be working profitably more hours per day because you are not driving around to dispose of a load of brush.

I started on an old drum chipper, and I finally got a good one. It has probably been my best equipment purchase since I started business 26 years ago.

I would have to make multiple trips just to take the chipper to the job plus pick-up the wood. If my jobs were drop and go then I would want a chipper. As long as I am taking the wood home to burn in the stove I may as well just add a load of brush to the top. I never stack the brush. I cut it and load it. So far it has worked great for me.

 

[TreeGhost]

Tree guy without chipper = joke. Or waiting to get thier hands on thier own somehow. I still dont have a grinder and this is year 12. Flower pots go so nicely on stumps, you just have to be sensitive to where its level when cutting.

Brush Pile = bonfire = relaxing with a cold one! No joke about it unless you mean the ones we tell around the fire.

 

[highasatree]

I,m on my fourth Vermeer 6 inch chipper and I wouldn't(or couldn't) do without it. I sub out all my stumps to a local guy, and I make sure that I at least make something off of the stump. I would of at least made money on the removal.
The Vermeer 600XL works best for me because I can take it off the truck and push it into a driveway or backyard. Takes up less room in my driveway. The chips are small and uniform and easy to get rid of. ie land scrapers us them, cemeteries, golf courses, paint ball fields and home owners.
Buy the chipper.

 

[Nailsbeats]

Chipper, no question. They are sweet.

 

[tree MDS]

Brush Pile = bonfire = relaxing with a cold one! No joke about it unless you mean the ones we tell around the fire.

Beer and fire definately good, no doubt. As far as no chipper? maybe just different markets. Around here my ground guys couldnt keep up with my work with my old 200+ that I had (12",and still do), they would just keep pushing the feedrollers back and forth, back and forth. GRR... JUST CUT THE 'FN THING YOU MORON! No, I could not survive in a tree these days in CT with these workers and a 6" chipper- not doing my jobs. Not anymore, not sinse the 250, no way.