Which chipper????

[boynature]

Can someone please give me some good advice on what chipper I should buy..I'm pretty new to the field and have never owned a chipper. I'm thinking a drum powered buy a diesel with an 8-10 inch capacity I like the morbark 2070XL. I have also looked a woodsman 12 and a Vermeer 1230A. Will a disc work just as well? Or is It just personal preference. Is there some models that I should stay away from.

thanks

 

[Newfie]

The biggest one that you can afford and definitely diesel. I currently have a 2070xl and it is a great chipper for what it is but I am hoping to upgrade to a 15" machine very soon.

 

[TimberMcPherson]

The only person that knows what the best chipper is you. Your choice of chipper should be based on your budget, towing vehicle, local access issues, your main type of work and availability. Look at what you competition is using, that should give you a good idea.
I have a 6 inch Gravely (once again thanks Marky) and in all honesty anything bigger would be a nightmare with the tight and steep access of the majority of jobs I do, yet to someone else is would be a bottleneck for their business.

 

[Mike Barcaskey]

I've got a Vermeer 625 and love it (I would like a 1250 to!)
Like Timber I've got a lot of hills and backyards also. I have gotten jobs because I can drive into the backyard and not have to drag all the brush to the road (lower bid)
it is also small enough that I can move it on pavement myself and three guys can move it across a yard.
anything above 4 or 5 inches is firewood anyway

 

[KentuckySawyer]

I've got an older 1230. It does alright. It has a non turbo Perkins diesel (80ish hp). If I were to consider getting another chipper long enough, I probably wouldn't get another disc chipper. Also... think long and hard before buying an ex-rental machine. The drum types seem to work better, but the ones I'm remembering probably had more horsepower anyways. Most big chippers employ a drum rather than a disc. Them engineers ain't stoopid.