Tiny chipper

[ATH]

For small trimming jobs, I often just bring a dump trailer to behind the F-250 to throw the brush in. It is nice to have less equipment to pull around sometimes!

I have often wished that I had a small chipper that could be a part of this set-up -- ideally mounted on the tongue of the trailer. Problem is, even small chippers are well over 1000 (often pushing 2000) pounds, so mounting on the tongue is out of the question.

I saw an ad for a DR chippers (advertised for homeowners). Their largest (18HP) chips up to 5.5" material and weighs less than 500 lbs. Price is $3200

Obviously, this is not going to keep up with anything we are used to... Just curious on thoughts from other small operaters. Would this be a waste of $$$ and a useless joke on the job site?

Any experience with these? (or other ideas welcomed)

link to website

Thanks

 

[BC WetCoast]

I get the impression it doesn't self feed or self feed well. That would be a giant pita in my opinion.

Also with that small throat, you are going to forever be fighting gnarly branches into it.

Can you put a small dump box onto your pickup? Then chip into your pickup.

 

[undercut]

chipper dump

I just jump in the dump trailer and settle everything with the 395 with a 36 inch bar. throw more brush in and cut it up until i feel it is pretty well packed or it gets pointless( too time consuming) to consolidate anymore. I am not sure on the exact calculation but i think i get like at least half a load if i had to guess. I fit a lot in that way. The guys at the land fill like chips more but ohh well lol On small jobs you can't beat it. It would be cool if you could get a high flow pump to run off your truck engine and run the lines back to a hydraulic motor to power a little chipper like the little vermeer 625a? or the morbark with the little wisconsin. they actually made the little morebark with an electric motor. no matter how you do it seems tricky to save weight.

 

[Slvrmple72]

This is a similar project I have been working on. My needs are for a chipper for anything under 3" (over that it is firewood ) but at the same time I do get the occasional pine tree and then rent a larger chipper to get rid of the whole thing. I would look seriously at the Salsco line of chippers. They have some smaller units that might work on a trailer setup for what you are considering. I have also looked at the chipper/chip box combo that is made by Bandit Industries but finding a used one is hard to do so far. You get tired of lugging all that brush around

 

[ATH]

I just jump in the dump trailer and settle everything with the 395 with a 36 inch bar. throw more brush in and cut it up until i feel it is pretty well packed or it gets pointless( too time consuming) to consolidate anymore. I am not sure on the exact calculation but i think i get like at least half a load if i had to guess. I fit a lot in that way. The guys at the land fill like chips more but ohh well lol On small jobs you can't beat it.

That is what I do now. It always seems at 4:10pm I am thinking..."Dang, I think we am going to be a little more full than I want to be today! I eithter need a chipper or an extra trip through the buffet line" --the latter option does interfere with climbing though.

 

[Mikecutstrees]

dr/bc600 etc

I had the smallest model Dr chipper and it was a pain in the.... and I was often renting a bc 600xl, so I put my rental fees towards buying one. The BC 600xl has some of the same problems as other smaller chippers. Which are small capacity and you have to side trim branches alot. But you can pick up used 6" chippers at low prices. The vermeer is self feeding which is a huge advantage. and vermeers have much more power (25-27hp) versus 9-18 for the DR. Just be careful towing a bc600 because they are very top heavy so go slow on corners on the road and be very careful of stumps etc in the woods. I now have a BC 1000 and couldn't be happier. but thats a 5000 lb machine and you need a big truck to pull it. My advise would be a 6" chipper build a nice looking box for your truck and maybe get one of those mats that you can crank off the chips from your truck. I raked mine out which sucked. A dump truck is best but expensive, and rough driving for groceries etc. hope that helps....

 

[Canyonbc]

Have you seen Loadhandler.... www.loadhandler.com

My ultimate set up for your situation.

F 250
Wood box, or temp sides.
Loadhandler...to empty chips.

Bandit 6 inch with the 37hp Wisconsin...auto feed, awesome little chipper.

Best of luck Canyon.

Do you guys put ropes under your brush when using a trailer????

Canyon

 

[ATH]

Have you seen Loadhandler.... www.loadhandler.com

My ultimate set up for your situation.

F 250
Wood box, or temp sides.
Loadhandler...to empty chips.

Bandit 6 inch with the 37hp Wisconsin...auto feed, awesome little chipper.

Best of luck Canyon.

Do you guys put ropes under your brush when using a trailer????

Canyon

I have seen the loadhandler. Guess I never put 2and2 together...not a bad idea. I like that better than a dump bed in the truck because I have all of my saws in the tool box in the bed of my truck.

ropes under brush? No why? I have a dump trailer...

 

[Canyonbc]

I have seen the loadhandler. Guess I never put 2and2 together...not a bad idea. I like that better than a dump bed in the truck because I have all of my saws in the tool box in the bed of my truck.

ropes under brush? No why? I have a dump trailer...

Well a dump trailer would eliminate that problem.

My trailer is just a flatbed....so i have a special 1/2 inch rope....to pull the brush out.

I go the dump and back up...they come up in there D9 dozer...and yank it all out for me. I dont own a chipper but when i rent one and cant chip on site...loadhandler does the rest.

I got the idea from another AS memeber...so the Thank you goes to Austin.

Canyon

 

[hornett22]

i think the DRs are high maintenece and over priced.

$3200 is a lot of rentals on the 6" vermeer.you could always buy a used vermeer for a couple grand more and you will be much happier,trust me.if the need for a chipper isn't often but you have a big project one time,buy the vermeer used and sell it when you're done.you may make money.they are always on ebay.that is where i bought mine and i use it commercially.

 

[OLD CHIPMONK]

We miss our little Gravely Pro-Mark fast feed gravity chipper. This little lady with it's 18 Hp. Kohler twin would always get us out of a jam. One man could easily move it & for 4-6 inch limbs it was fast. She made small chips & would throw them 100 ft. with ease. I truly miss her.

 

[LNG24]

I have been meaning to look into this. As I have a Commercial Class A CDL. I also have a Double and Triple endorsement. I read not too long ago that there was confusion about anyone Under CDL towing doubles and triples. This seems to be an issue with RV Motor homes where they would like to pull a boat and other type of trailer.

I do believe it is state specific, but you might want to look into it seriously. I nice set up for you would be to hitch a chipper to the back of the dump trailer which would be hitched to your truck. That is an example of a Double (two trailer towed by one pull vehicle)

Now backing up one of these rigs, well is simply impossible. You just disconnect one rig and do it that way.

I also though about pulling a Semi Trailer with my Dump Truck once by using a dolly (used on pulling doubles and triples). I was going to use it for an On Site Office. Never got to try it, but worked in theory and principal.

 

[appalachianarbo]

hitch a chipper to the back of the dump trailer which would be hitched to your truck

We had that same idea about a month ago. You'd need a pretty good hitch on your trailer, though. We also wondered about the state regs.

 

[clearance]

I just jump in the dump trailer and settle everything with the 395 with a 36 inch bar. throw more brush in and cut it up until i feel it is pretty well packed or it gets pointless( too time consuming) to consolidate anymore. I am not sure on the exact calculation but i think i get like at least half a load if i had to guess. I fit a lot in that way. The guys at the land fill like chips more but ohh well lol On small jobs you can't beat it. It would be cool if you could get a high flow pump to run off your truck engine and run the lines back to a hydraulic motor to power a little chipper like the little vermeer 625a? or the morbark with the little wisconsin. they actually made the little morebark with an electric motor. no matter how you do it seems tricky to save weight.

Thats what I do, but with a pickup, I lay down a chain or choker in the box first, then I start loading branches, butts out. Its surprising how much you can stuff in by cutting and jumping on it. Just don't cut your spare tire! Then when I get where I am going I choke the chain or choker, hook the other end to some thing solid and drive ahead, then I get the chain and leave. Works great.

But if you are doing it a lot, business kind of thing, I would recomend an old Whisper chipper and at least a one ton dump. The chuck and ducks have gone out of favor, but they work great and are very simple and dependable.

 

[OLD CHIPMONK]

Gravely no longer produces the little, 6 in. fast feed chipper ( Pro-mark ). Maybe one of the guys has one laying around that could be refurbished. The bearings ( drum shaft ) Northern Tool $ 14.95 ea. , knives are still available, 6 in. x 3/8 in.. The rest is common parts. Hope this helps.

 

[(WLL)]

:jawdrop: and i was thinkin 12in was small

 

[corndogg]

I used to load brush and cut the trailer last summer. It's a lot of work and seems like only a matter of time till you cut yourself. I got a cheaper diesel chipper, Olathe 986 I think (works quite well) then put it behind an old '84 Ford diesel dump ($1200) and now I can concentrate on the trees and less on the cleanup. Life is way easier now!

 

[ATH]

and i was thinkin 12in was small

I choose "tiny" instead of "small" on purpose

 

[LNG24]

We had that same idea about a month ago. You'd need a pretty good hitch on your trailer, though. We also wondered about the state regs.

Any Class III hitch will handle this. I talked to a guy on another forum that did this with a splitter though. He hooked the log splitter to the truck and a trailer to the log splitter. This way he could cut split and stack in the trailer.

Only went on the road a few times like that and never got pulled over. I would still look into it with your DMV

 

[Slvrmple72]

ATH what part of Ohio are you in? I live in lovely tree-infested Akron. I am requesting quotes from Salsco on some of their smaller chippers, do you want me to PM them to you when I get them? I am looking at the 4" and 6" capacity chippers with the 25hp Kohler on the first and the 35hp Kubota Diesel on the 6" I have also considered used but I keep thinking how much that word rhymes with abused! I dont think I will be saving money as much as buying a headache. On that tandem trailer setup idea: I got a ticket from the Ohio State Highway Patrol just for thinking about it The Load Handler works great, get the commercial one for your truck bed, I am considering a Dump-Pro (see Salsco thread) that I can put a plywood box on for chips. What type of dump trailer do you have? DR makes one heck of a brush hog but dont waste your time with their chippers, this type of work will destroy it and you will be out a few thousand dollars