vermeer 1400 new/worth 28,000?

[treesurgeon]

new here. im looking for my first chipper and would this be a good buy or wasteing 28,000 for a vermeer 1400. if you have one already let me know all. thanks.:

 

[treesurgeon]

bed time

after reading for about three hours i am even more undecided than before. i know i want a drum chipper around a 12 inch. so far it looks like a vermeer 1000xl or a vermeer 1400. i think i need to demo more chippers out. i dont have time to waste, i need a lodown on the morbarks and bandits

 

[Cicero]

Hey, I sell Morbark so keep that in mind. I would buy a 13 hands down. I know a couple guys with 1400's who have nothing but problems. 'Vermeer is a marketing company. Bandit or Morbark is much heavier built. The 13 weighs approx. 7800 lbs. What does the 1400 weight. I know it doesnt weight that. The Morbark does not weigh more because it has more plastic. Ask your Vermeer sales guy how much the fiberglass cover costs. I have been told about 1800 dollars. I might be wrong though. If I am I would like to know.

The problem is that Bandit does not make a drum chipper that I know anything about. I heard they just developed one, but have never seen it work.

 

[crosscut tree]

may be a good idea to see what the dealer has used there. i bought my 1250 vermeer slightly used 10 years ago and has been an absolutely tremendous machine for me. most parts are very reasonable but some like the hydraulic tank on mine seem to be made out of gold 1,200 bucks for a simple tank i dont think so lol. overall i have been well pleased with my vermeer but from my experiance. determine what the largest material you run on average is. and get a chipper that will take 4 or 6 inches larger stuff. mine handles all my needs but is sure heavy witch is a concern on tender lawns and sure pulls the trucks down they do require a lot of maintanance. such as constant eye on fluid levels, knife sharpening, and lubrication. lots of vibration also wears out parts out. but taking a 60 dollar at the dump load of brush and making chips out of it. you can usually can sell it for a few bucks and get gas money anyway . whatever you get good luck with it

 

[Cicero]

1250 was a possibly the best chipper Vermeer made. It had many shaft and bearing problems that I think they eventually ironed out. Other than that had overall good performance and durabaility. I dont know a customer who has had more than 600 hours out of a shaft and bearing.

 

[BanditChippers]

Bandit has a M-1590 drum that is head and shoulders above the Vermeer BC1000XL and the BC1400. Our M-1590 is a 15" capacity chipper (Morbark's M-13 is smaller), that is built very solid. When shopping for a drum chipper you need to consider the diameter of the drum in it. Our drum is 37" which is larger and heavier than both other models. A big drum like this eliminates the vibration you get from small drums trying to do big work. The larger the drum, the smoother the cutting action.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

I have not used that Bandit model, but can say that the BC1000 lives up to Vermeers marketing.

Light weight and designed for the residential trimming market.

I want a large infeed for large bundles of limbs, not to take in 12 inch logs.

That product is a ton lighter then the model you mention, what does Bandit offer that is comparable in weigh:hp?

 

[BanditChippers]

If our Model 1590 is too heavy, we have a Model 1290. It is a 12" capacity chipper with the same 37" drum we use in the Model 1590. This machine weighs about 5700lbs. It is quite compact. We need to show you this machine.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

BC1000 still beats you there with a 4210 lbs weight with the 85 hp diesel.

with a 12x17 inch infeed it is perfect for the practitioner who does mostly light thinning in small residential settings.

 

[treeman82]

I honestly would have to say that I am going to side with Morbark on this one. I mean I like Vermeer's products, but the 1400 is only out for just over a year. What kind of bugs is it going to have still? The 1290 and 1590 haven't even been out for a full year right? All stuff that is going to have bugs. I know that the 13 is very heavy, but it's also been around for quite some time.

 

[Cicero]

Tell me about that 1290 chipper. I was told that it is an old style chuck and duck and does not have any hydraulices. Am I correct. I did not see it profiled on your website.

 

[BanditChippers]

Our Model 1290 does have a hydraulic feed system. Also, if we put the small Cummins 85-HP engine on it, the weight will drop around 350 lbs.

 

[BanditChippers]

Guys.......By finding a happy medium with the weight and other dimensions you can be assured of the finest product for the money. With our superior quality design and features, you can rest easy knowing it is covered by a "3" year warranty. If it wasn't built like it should be why in the world would we back it with the best standard warranty in the business??

These aren't prototype machines. They are built solid in the tradition that all Bandit Chippers have followed.

 

[Cicero]

Sorry if they sound prototype but I have not ever seen one and you guys dont even have that 1290 on your site. However, you make a good chipper. I would have a bandit before a Vermeer for sure! However, speaking of the ones Ive seen I still believe that Morbarks 13 is tough to beat.

 

[Jumper]

My boss just ordered a new Bandit 12 " chipper, not sure what model, to replace his Bandit 65. The 65, given it was a small machine, was a pleasure to work with. He seems sold on them, so at least give them a look see. My one experience with a Vermeer 12" chipper fresh from a Vermeer dealer was not a good one; it repeatedly clogged on a 95F Friday afternoon; after the fifth or sixth time I finally got fed up and quit for the weekend. Perhaps unfair assessment, I have worked a lot with a Vermeer 935 and it was reliable.