Whipper-chipper?

[topnotchtree]

Just curious to see how many of you still use the drum style chippers? I have a very old asplundh 9 inch drum chipper.

 

[rborist1]

:Eye:

 

[Robh]

I own a 62 chuck and duck, Ie: Mitts and merrel drum chipper. Ive owned it for a short time and so far I like useing it better then a disc chipper. Its a whole lot faster to chip materal. Ya it beats me up at times. Plus its really easy to service, its a good thing for my bigest worry it throwing a belt...Rob

 

[rahtreelimbs]

The guy that does our chippingfor us has an Mitts & Merrill chipper. He paid $2800 for it and it just runs and runs and runs. He works the balls off of it and it keeps coming back for more.

 

[UNBforester]

At my last company we either used the "baby" which was a Morbark Model 16 or the old Asplundh chipper named the "self-beater". One of the last tree jobs I got to use it on before taking taking my new job was a couple large Locust removals.

I've lost more than a couple pairs of gloves and pints of blood to those stupid things. IMO those things should be banned for shear torture reasons! I DESPISE WHISPER CHIPPERS
Every time I hear that high pitched whine of a "self-beater" my blood pressure rises and visions of locust run through my head.

Whisper chippers are a great way to start off new guys on because it puts the fear of death and amputation into them. I'm obviously not a fan of them but compared to loading brush into a truck or trailer its a definite improvement.

But hey, that's just me rambling
Dave

 

[NeTree]

I have one here, and for most things, I very much prefer it over the disc.

Cheaper to run/maintain, and easier of fuel to tow it.

They don't feed that bad and whips stuff as much when they're set up right, but alas, nobody seems to know how to do that.

 

[ORclimber]

I run a '75 16" whisper chipper @ $3500 it keeps paying for itself over and over. Super reliable and easy to maintain.

There is definately a knack to feeding limbs, finding the best spot to hang on to/push from and knowing when to let go. Having the knack, a square cutter bar, and sharp properly adjusted blades makes for a fairly pain free operation.

 

[Toddppm]

I have a 70's era aspludh, I like it but I'm thinking of stepping up to a new drum for reliability and safety, although I think the amount of respect you need to run one of these makes it very safe IMO.
The only thing I don't like chipping with it is dead Pin Oak branches, nothing worse than getting whipped by them and scarred up.

 

[NeTree]

As far as discs's go, I think the Bandits are crap, and I'm not sorry to have gotten rid of mine. I'm much happier with the Vermeer 1250.

 

[rbtree]

That's interesting, Eric. No one I know agrees with that assessment. I rented a 1250 when my 250 clutch went out. The Vermeer had sharp knives, made a great chip, and ate whatever we fed it. But it won't blow the chips at all like the 250, and lacks a feed wheel lift for feeding big wood. I noticed that it would grab big wood more easily than the Bandit, but it tends to force material to the side. As well, the vertical feed rollers, while massive and effective, are a pain to use.

 

[NeTree]

Some things are just a matter of preferance.

I've fed 12" material with no trouble. Not sure what you meant about blowing chips, tho....

I also prefer the higher feed table height; I find it more comfortable for *me*, anyways. And of course, no picking up a pile of crap off the ground after I chip is nice, too. (Cuz we all know you can't LEAVE that stupid trap door shut for long!)

My next chipper might be a cone-head; got to use one awhile back, and they're pretty sweet.

 

[rbtree]

That "stupid" trap door serves a very good purpose, by providing a path for rocks to hopefully drop out rather than being chipped.

A friend has a 1250, and an eighteen foot deep chip box...and the 1250 requires lots of pitchforking to fill the box. He now prefers his old Morbark disk that he bought cheap.

My 250 has the new adjustable chute that is a dream to use.

 

[rbtree]

Calling a Mitts chipper a chuck and duck or whipper is a misnomer. By design, it cuts the wood rather than forcefully pulling it through like ALL other old style chippers. The chip rate is much slower...and they produce a better chip than my 250, especially if both are dull. By far the best old style ever made..and still in production. It now can be had with feed rollers, but still has a 9 inch capacity.

I loved mine but don't miss it one bit, as the self feeders will handle a huge amount of brush at a time, and are very easy to feed huge piles of small stuff.

I've also heard that the ConeHead is the hot ticket.

 

[NeTree]

Rocks should only be a problem if you're throwing in rakings.

Now, what's the worst thing you've ever changed knives on?

 

[ORclimber]

Originally posted by rbtree


A friend has a 1250, and an eighteen foot deep chip box...and the 1250 requires lots of pitchforking to fill the box.

One of my friends has a Morbark 2070 that wouldn't blow chips far. He had a welder mount a backpack blower that blows into the chute. It looks cheesy, but blows the chips.

 

[treeman82]

I'm noticing that some of the larger utility companies are switching over to slow feeds. Been seeing a lot of orange and red wood chucks around lately.

 

[topnotchtree]

At work we have a few of the new Woodchuck self feeders but we have had lots of problems with them. Mostly electrical. They have electronic throttle controls now that are problematic. I have an asplundh chipper with 9 inch blades. It is from the early 50's as far as we can tell! But runs and runs strong!