Tractors, Mowers, Chippers, Trailers, Chainsaws, Generators, Driveway Erosion Control, ETC.

Anyone here have any suggestions on a good wood chipper.
Budget is $3,000 and want 4" minimum, but ideally 5"+ chipping capacity.

I'm looking at DK2, Dr. Power, BigBear and MechMaxx.
Any other brands you'd recommend?

I have Dr. Power Brush mower. It's been great so far.
Kind of like the idea of having the option to take it back and say, "It's broke, fix it" - Warranty.
But I'm not too sure I like the small feed shoot on the Dr units.

I'll be clearing about 2/10 of an acre of trees. Anything big enough to burn in a woodstove will not be chipped.
I have plenty of people willing to take/buy the wood. But NO ONE will take the branches. I've been there, done that.
Give away free firewood that I cut. On the conditions they help take the brush off. They take the firewood, and make excuses to never come back and hale the small limbs off.

Just going to deal with it myself. Once I'm done clearing the spot, I'll sell the chipper. (maybe)

 

Sounds like renting one would be a better option than buying.

 

I was/have been looking at woodmax
https://woodmaxx.com/product/woodmaxx-dc-1260/
I get it like you been there done that.

 

It's just me doing all the work.
And I don't have any days to do it except the weekend.
A chipper is about $325 a day. I'm thinking I need it for at least 3 week ends.
If I own the chipper, I can do on "my time".

 

I have looked at that one.
I like the BBC52 from BigBear.
The reviews I've seen seem to be good.

https://factorypure.com/products/bi...ed-commercial-self-feeding-electric-start-new

BUT.......They use a Chinese knock off of the Honda engine.
And their "warranty" only covers parts if it's diagnosed and installed by a "certified" small engine mechanic at a retail shop. And Labor is NOT included.


Which to me means, I'm on my own if it breaks. Because I'm not paying a shop to tell me (them) it's broke, and then paying them labor.
That type of stuff kills me. I'd rather them just say, "There is no warranty".

 

I'd check around, I've got a local company Farrer Bros in Murfreesboro. They are closed on Sunday; I can rent equipment on Friday afternoon, and return on Monday morning. It cost me one day rental for the weekend. If I were in your shoes, I'd do all the cutting and pile up the all the branches until I were finished cutting. Then if I wanted the wood chips for something I'd rent a chipper and convince a couple friends to help out for pizza and beer. But if I didn't have a use for the wood chips I'd have a bonfire and burn them off, that's how most professional logging operations get rid of the limbs after a job. It might take more than one bonfire but it's an effective way to clear land.

 

I've been very happy with my Power King chipper I got from Home Depot last year. It was on sale, and I had some gift cards...why I went that over another brand, or store.

Has a Kohler 14hp, no elect start(not a big deal for me) will take up to 5" as well. It came with an extra set of blades, and they can be turned over to use the other edge too. I have about 10 hours on mine, and it's chewed up everything we have put through it. I did pick up a spare set of belts to have on hand as well.
I'm considering a PTO mount chipper now that I have a tractor, but I'm not sold on that idea yet.

 

Only used one once on a farm helping my uncle clear fence lines.
It was on a 55 PTO H.P. tractor. Did quite well. But we burned some fuel and put hours on the tractor for sure.

If you're wonder why I don't just have him come over let ne use his tractor and chipper, It's because he live about 250 miles away from me.
I spent 3 weeks one summer at his place repairing and cleaning fence rows. Not exactly exciting or fun. But when you're done with the job, you can look back and see how much better it looks.

 

New forks from Redline Systems showed up on Friday. These are going to be very handy!

 

It that BX23 or 25?

 

I've had the McKissick PTO driven chipper shredder for over ten years now. I bought it second hand. A useful tool if you garden and want to add organic material or make mulch.
Shredded hardwood leaves are a big favorite for my wife's flower beds. Wood chips go for garden walk ways.

The shedder part get's used a lot when cleaning up tree tops. I heat with wood, so even 2"+ branches go for winters heat. Chippers don't like twigs, tops needles or leaves. The hammer style shredder takes all of those plus refines dry compost.

I've read only good about the WoodMax outfit, I would look there if I needed a chipper. They run neck and neck with Woodland mills units over on the tractor forums.

If you have a small tractor, even 20HP is enough for 4 inch and under. Lot's of upper body workout, but 2/10ths of an acre can't be that many trees (Unless it's all grown up shrub and sumac ;-)

I've got both 18HP and 35 HP. Only hitch to the 35HP pto when cleaning up after felling a good sized hemlock.

 

it's a 23

 

Yeah...the Power King drum chipper doesn't shred...still need to find an option for all the leaves we get every year.

I've been eying up the woodland mills WC46 ever since I got the tractor...

 

Mostly Oak, hickory, Maple, a few poplar and beech. First 20' or so into it is over grown.
This was an old home place that was torn down in the 70's. And bush hogged maybe every other year.
When I got it, It hadn't been touched in 3 years. It's about 1 acre total. half is wooded, the other half isn't. I finally got the home site / yard cleared.
Just need to make some more room in the wooded area so it's not so close to where I plan to build.

Don't want the house on the woods line. And want the "yard" available for the septic system.
As the old system was hand built. I have 1,000 tank in now. But haven't gotten to the drain filed yet.
In short, this was inherited property. There was plans to build on it years ago by my father. But those plan were abounded.
I'm the only one who showed any interest in the land, so I was given the land.

 

Nice. My place, is old New England forest. A sugar bush really with old trees. Lots of the hemlock are going hollow at the bases as they age out. Maples are all 100 feet tall and around 2ft at breast height. The house lives in the shade of these giants all summer. Things brighten up in winter.
I've got just a tank and dry well for a system. There are a couple of those maples near the dry well. I read that a tree like that will pull well over 100 gallons of water out of the ground per day. Seems like a balance... But at times I would like more sun.

 

I was told that most trees here would pull 50 gallon a day. And that was by an arborist we had to have come out after a tree fell on my mothers house. Most were 75' tall oaks.
Let me tell you, that is something you never what to experience. And NEVER go with the cheapest home owners insurance you can find. She is still fighting them.
After see what water damage does to a house. And what is involved with getting 2 oak tress off and out of a house, I NEVER want to experience that again. That's why I'm wanting to clear the land I'm clearing. No better time to cut trees than now.

 

BTW, I looked up how much water a tree will take per year.
According to the U.S. Forestry Service, a 100' tall tree will take up to 11,000 gallons of water per growing season.
With is about 50-65 gallons per day. But that seems like a broad statement. No all trees are the same....

Yeah, I must have ADHD or something.
Because here I am looking up how much water they use, when I getting ready to cut them down

Ok, Back to research. Need to call my co-op tomorrow. They sell DR. equipment.
Maybe they will give me a "deal" since I bought my brush mower there. And they are a Stihl dealer too.

 

i bought a dr chipper. quite a good unit for the money.

 

….and I thought I was thirsty

 

Progress report, Cole and I have adjusted the big rocks in the ditch several times depending on where it needed it with a lot of rain.

Happy to report while we were gone last week we got 2 3/4" of rain (thank God for that) and the driveway did not wash at all near the ditch