Wood Chippers ?

georgel

georgel

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Well, we had a discussion on log splitters. Any recommendations on wood chippers? Are they adjustable for how fine they chip or do you just run through again? I saw the multi-purpose one in BST, but thought I might need more capacity.
 
Tagged for interest. I'll be in the market for one myself soon to mulch down some accumulated brush piles here.
 
LeeMajors said:
Not adjustable. FYI they suck for dry, dead wood. Like really suck
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what he said! I got one and find myself spending more time un jamming and tinkering with it more than I do actually grinding stuff
 
I had one of the 5hp craftsman chipper shredders, it was all but usless on anything other than leaves and even then the hopper would get clogged and you would have to stuff the leaves down with a stick.

The capacity said it would do branches up to 2 inches thick, that was very optimistic. Anything other than green 3/4 inch and it would beat you to death and jump around.

I will not own another small unit like that.
 
I have a harbor freight chipper. If I remember right it has a preadtor engine. I have had for about 5 years. No trouble at all on cranking on second pull. Chips good. I use non ethanol gas in it.
 
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I've heard the three-point hitch PTO driven chippers work well. I've heard nothing but bad things about the five horsepower DR mower northern tool type chippers.
 
We bought one of the little electric wood chippers for around $90 specifically to crack shelled corn.

It works perfect that. I seriously doubt it would chip a limb as thick as my pinky.

That is my only experience with a chipper.

We just burn everything.

Everything
 
I bought a DR 3 point chipper that I ran behind my Ferguson 35. That thing would really eat stuff up. I used it to clean the brush and stuff back from the drive once and had enough mulch to cover more than I wanted to spread. I'd just pull my little 4X6 trailer beside the chipper, aim the discharge chute at the trailer and let her rip. That chipper is still sitting under the shelter and hasn't been run in over 10 years, I"m sure. Just because my shoulders won't handle all that brush any more. I also had a small engine chipper that wouldn't handle broom straw.
 
thrillhill said:
That is my only experience with a chipper.

We just burn everything.

Everything
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That’s what I did recently. Had considered borrowing or renting a chipper...ended up with a fire bowl instead. Two full days of burning later and it was all gone, and I’m left with a fire bowl to use. 😎
 
Another vote for investing in a firebowl. Much less work and much more enjoyable in the long run.
 
The fire bowl idea is great. Ive actually got a sup'ed up burn can. Might be looking for one soon. But, I also want to make mulch and bedding. Great info so far, basically saying that the stand alones tend to be weak. I'll have to look at 3 pt. units and their cost.
 
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You would be better off renting a chipper. Less head aches, less money. Hiring a landscape or tree company is even easier. If you go with a tree company get a quote before you cut anything down.
My crew can get more done in an hour cutting and chipping if we cut. There is a method to the madness. Home owners almost always pile debris in a manner that makes it a fight with the debris to get the job done.
 
The stand alone units can be ok, but they have to be pretty healthy sized ones. You need to keep the knives sharp.

My dad has a MTD unit that will take green sticks up to about 2 inches in diameter. He bought a bigger unit with 6" knives but it's too difficult to use because of the angle of the feed chute. In order to keep fingers out it's arranged so that you have to lift the material way up in the air and it's too difficult to be practical.

To really make stuff disappear you need a serious chipper with a hydraulic feed and minimum 6" knives.
 
We have a good bit of pine chunks left over from logging a year ago. Is a PTO powered chipper like the one in the AR15 link going to choke up on it? Limbs and tops would be what it’d be fed.

CHRIS
 
They really do work best on fresh cut materials. Once it's too dry, they crumble under the wheel and can get bound up in the blade wheel housing.
 
Ive spent most of my adult like in the outdoor power equipment industry. Most people have unrealistic expectations for a chipper they buy on sale at Home Depot- all those are good for is up to 1” of hardwood and 2” soft wood. Wood should be green for chippers or chainsaws - it is hard to sever & cut the fibers of dry wood vs green wood. Good option is to have a chipper with a belt in between the chipper and the engine or power source. This does 2 things - gives you a chance to introduce pulleys that will help give you a mechanical advantage-second it isolates the engine from shocks of encountering something un-chippable. If you really want a small decent chipper capable of some work find one the chipper knives are mounted on a drum instead of a disc. Drum style chippers tend to pull the material in better.
One of the most important aspects is to keep the chipper knives sharp, most people buy a chipper and it works well when its new , then as it gets some time on it - it suddenly becomes “junk” remove the knives and sharpen them to 30 degrees with a file or die grinder
 
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