Vermeer chipper

[Can-Do-It]

I just located a 1999 Vermeer 12" chipper for about 12,500. Not a bad price but it has 1750 hours on it.

Is that a lot of hours for a 5-year old chipper? I'm going over to see it earlt next week and wanted to get some feed back.


Jim

 

[Stumper]

General rule for comparison purposes is 1 hour is like 30 miles on an odometer. Doesn't sound like it has been used too hard.

 

[trzz]

Vermeer

one hour = 30 miles? How do ya figure? My opinion is rpm (wide open throtle) diesel? 2600 rpm at this speed you would be going 64 miles per hour on a F350 diesel (automatic) overdrive lockout. So no its not like 30 mph its like 60ish. More importantly check blowby (tube from valve cover to approximatly oil panish. If its blowing out oil or excessive(give vermeer mechanic money for info or take him along $120.00 cash will do the trick) and you will have an experts opinion. If possible compression check and change fluids at vermeer before you purchase. Then you will know if its worth $12,500.00 or $6,000. I bought one and had to rebuild the 84hp perkins diesel @ $5,500-lost time 3wks. I forgot if you have to remove engine rebuild clutch,pressure plate, throw out bering, pilot bering, rear main seal, trans berings, and drive belt. REBUILD CLUTCH VERMEER WANTS A BUNDLE YOULL SAVE ABOUT $400.00 rebuilding at a truck clutch repair shop. I know I been there done that & own a BC 1250A to prove it - $6,400. + $11,500. cost of chipper.

 

[Stumper]

30 miles =1 hour because milage is not all run at x rpm in 5th gear. Time is spent idling, running the gears, going 25mph down resdential streets, etc. It is true that chipper operation entails less idling time and half throttle operation but the steady governed speeds are actually easier on the engine and clutch. It is just a rule of thumb.

 

[xander9727]

I would try and find out who traded the machine in and talk to them if possible. When my chipper has 2000 hours on it, 1950 will be actual chip time. A friend of mine starts his chipper as soon as the first branch hits the ground and runs it till they are done with clean up. I've seen it run for 5 hours on a job . I stage my brush, run the chipper. If there is still a lot of dragging to do and I can't use the winch I'll shut if off and restage the brush. The only time it runs a lot is when I'm using a crane. Even then I do a lot of chipping, if it's 15" or smaller it goes from the crane straight to the chipper. The work history and maintenance history is the best indicator of a machines condition. Hours only lets us guess. I've seen chippers with 1500 hours on them that were junk and one friends 1986 morbark that has 6200 hours on it and runs great, doesn't leak, etc. I usually change the oil in my chipper every 3 months or 100 hours. Usually I hit 3 months first. I do the same with the rest of my equipment. Oil and filters are cheap compared to engines. I change the hydraulic oil once a year.

 

[Nickrosis]

Justin, are you getting that number from the latest issue of Rules of Thumb Weekly? I remember it being about 30.231 miles to the hour a couple of months ago - has it dropped to 30.000? I haven't been keeping up with it like I should be, but most of my time reading it has been in the Don Blair's rules of thumb column.

 

[Stumper]

Nick, No, No. Forbes bianual publication "Rules of Thumb for Management in Industry" is far superior to Rules of Thumb Weekly-The weekly is just an advertising rag in poor disguise.

 

[Nickrosis]

I was wondering if there was a better publication.

 

[trzz]

?

Got a ? for youall (yall). Why do so many of youse chip over 9" ?
I don't on account of chipper blades go dull faster and the potential for large nails and concrete. Can't get more compact than a log just chip on topovem. ?

 

[Treeman14]

Simple. I can sell chips. I have to pay to dump logs.

 

[John Stewart]

The 1230 and 1250 are both in my opinion the worst chippers Vermeer ever made!
There are better 12" chippers out there and I don't care what the price is!
Later
John

 

[Koa Man]

Originally posted by Treeman14
Simple. I can sell chips. I have to pay to dump logs.

Ditto for me also, except I can give away chips free or pay $10/ton at the green waste facility. Logs and other green waste is $40/ton. As you might imagine, we don't have much of a firewood business here in Hawaii. That is probably why a lot of the tree companies here are moving up to the 18 inch machines.

 

[xander9727]

I'm not a big fan of vermeer chippers. I feel that for the money better chippers can be had.

Koa,
Saw the 20X in Detroit.........That is an awsome looking machine.

 

[Koa Man]

I think the 20X is a little too big for residential tree work. Even the 18X is a bear to pull around. I didn't realize how small the exterior size of the 15X was till I picked it up this past Friday. Very compact chipper considering the capacity. That is what I liked about my Gravely 395. Small in size but chips up to its capacity very well.

Xander,
Are you thinking of moving up in size already?

 

[Nickrosis]

Originally posted by Koa Man
I think the 20X is a little too big for residential tree work. Even the 18X is a bear to pull around. I didn't realize how small the exterior size of the 15X was till I picked it up this past Friday. Very compact chipper considering the capacity. That is what I liked about my Gravely 395. Small in size but chips up to its capacity very well.

Keep us posted, please.

And Xander is always looking for more.

 

[Tom Dunlap]

My 1230 has worked well for me all of the time that I've used it. Besides tiny repairs, it has functioned well.

It's for sale at a reasonable price if anyone's interested.

tom

 

[xander9727]

Wesley,
I'm not thinking of moving up but I can't imagine moving back down. The 20X is just awe inspiring in the capacity that it has. I only do 2 or 3 jobs a month that would really max that machine out. I've been doing less land clearing and more tree care this past year. If I was heading in the other direction I would consider this machine. It has a huge capacity and is a lot less money than a whole tree processor. It is the only chipper on the market that I know of that has a 36" wide capacity. I'd love to demo one......

 

[trzz]

re:netree

Bc1250a It is a diesel and has curbside rotater to keep crew out of street. Rebuilding them is not too bad. Must haves are a good torque wrench, cherry picker, tools(air if possible). My chipper is only 84hp. The 106hp turbo version might be better. I think its a good chipper but it always could be more powerful. I feel 125hp should be norm for 12". As I have stated before I don't make a practice of chipping logs over say 4" because chipping this will not compact it more. I throw in logs and chip ontop. Longer times between blade sharpening. To own equipment good advise is to own tools to do your own mechanic work. Weilding/cutting equip. good idea.

 

[trzz]

chips

I have been taking chips, logs (not so much oak) to the recycle yard. The people who own playgrounds accept the chips? ofcourse the chips are twigs and leaf debris. They still take it?

 

[xander9727]

I have a different approach to chipping. I do not mess with firewood. From my perspective it is a huge potential liability with a slim profit margin. I purchased a 15" machine to improve productivity and reduce liability. With a 15" machine I do very little chainsawing. I hook the winch to limbs 14" and smaller and pull them through whole w/o limbing them. This takes less time, is easier on the groundies, and reduces the chances that a someone will get cut with a saw or put a saw in the dirt. This approach has cut my cleanup time in half and allowed us to do two larger jobs in a day because the guys aren't beat after the first one. I'm sure the demand for firewood is much greater in MA than it is in the southern tip of Ohio. The larger wood I either give to a saw miller (he picks it up) or I load and dump with the chips. I can dump unlimited chips and logs for $500 per year. On the other side of town I dump for $5 per load, one load can be 3 trucks as long as we pull up at the same time.