Chipper Vermeer 606

   / Vermeer 606 #1  

Murphys Law Farmer

New member
Joined
Oct 29, 2010
Messages
12
Tractor
JD4100, NHTN75
I'm going to an auction tomorrow that has a Vermeer 606 PTO chipper listed. Anyone familiar with this brand/model? Specifically, can I run it on either my JD4100 (20/16HP) or NHTN75 (75/62HP)? I gather that it is a 6", and old enough I can't find specs, whether it is hydraulic or self-feed, etc.
Anything I should know about it: problems with how well it works, things to check when I see it (not likely to be attached to anything to run it).
How much might it be worth?
I'm trying to clear long overgrown fence rows (to re-fence), neglected pastures/hay fields, some woods (lots of widow-makers) and previous owner's piles. Also some tall honeysuckle, apples, cherry, willow, walnut, multifloral rose, grape vines, wild raspberry, you name it. I don't have any wood-burning appliances, and much of it is too lousy to sell for firewood. The 2" MTD is soooo slooow. I'll never catch up.

I chose my user name based on all the used equipment I have chronically breaking down. Repairs aren't my strong suit, even if I had the time, which I don't. Am I better off buying new?
 
   / Vermeer 606 #2  
Vermeer equipment is usually well made. I am not familiar with this model. After chasing different chippers at auction for a year I,ve become a fan of burning. We are allowed to burn it on the farm if it grew on the farm. A Bobcat with a tooth bucket is excellent for digging a burn pit and clearing your fence rows. Multiflower rose chips poorly while it burns well. Auctions are always interesting, and a chipper is great to have if you can get one. Good luck.
 
   / Vermeer 606 #3  
I am a big fan of Vermeer myself. I have the Vermeer 625 towable chipper. It has only given me grief once when the magnets mounted inside the flywheel came off and chewed up the alternator windings. The main thing is keep the cutting knives sharp and the anvil edge clean as well as a good close gap. They are beast on wood.
 
   / Vermeer 606 #4  
I'd suggest renting a large chipper and see how you like it (or don't). The MTD mini-chipper is not a good comparison.

As you may have already discovered, chipping is labor-intensive, takes a looooong time, is dirty, dangerous, noisy, etc., etc.

You state that you are not good at repairs and don't have much time. This is not a good combination for using a chipper. The volume of what you want to chip will take months, if not years, to finish.

Burning is much more efficient. There is the labor of piling the fuel but that can mostly be done with the tractor. It doesn't take much effort to strike a match.

BTW, I do chip. The legal burn season here is in winter so something has to be done with the slash during the rest of the year.
 
   / Vermeer 606 #5  
Doubt it will work on the HP from the 4100. But you have backup if it doesn't. Try search on BC606. Looks like 3 ph and has a feed system.
 
   / Vermeer 606 #6  
I have had a 606 for several years. Very well built. Very heavy. No problems. Paid $10,000 new.

A 27PTO HP tractor will handle 6" pine at the slowest feed, but not hardwood of that size. The 40 PTO HP tractor handles 6" pine at fast feed, and 6" hardwood at medium feed. 6" hardwood at full feed would probably take 60 PTO HP. But medium feed is about as fast as I can work anyway.
 
   / Vermeer 606
  • Thread Starter
#7  
The manual for the Vermeer BC606 chipper was available. It requires 28 HP minimum on the drawbar. And says 45HP maximum on the PTO. Plus, there was going to be no help or equipment available to load the chipper onto my trailer. So, I let it go cheap to another bidder. I got the distinct impression that he had no intention of letting me get it cheap anyway.:(
I'll probably kick myself for awhile.

Anyway, about that maximum HP on the PTO listed. How important is that? Is there any flexibility? Would I be risking damage to the chipper to use it on the NH with a 62HP PTO? I seem to be running into the same problem with other brands too--that my JD4100 is too little and the NHTN75 is too big.

The NH also has the inconvenience of the shut-off/alarm in the seat that I guess I would have to disable in order to use the PTO without putting a substantial weight in the seat. It is also a fuel guzzler--4 gph using something like the baler.

So, I'm thinking of investigating the stand-alone units on trailers. Yeah, more expensive. But it wouldn't be limited by the tractors...just my wallet. How much fuel do 6 or 8" stand-alone models eat?

I'm just not set up for burning. My house, elderly mother, barns, livestock, and a concentration of close neighbors are all down wind of anywhere I could burn. There is just so much to get rid of. It's spread all over the farm. Seems easier to me to chip some at it's location whenever I have a couple hours. I'd prefer to blow into a trailer or the spreader for hauling a potentially usable product to the garden, or wherever. Seems easier to me than hauling it to one or multiple sites in the pastures, damaging the pastures, spending days burning it under constant supervision, dealing with my neighbors and the cops they like to call if I'm still working after dark, then cleaning up the remains for disposal, replanting the pasture, and doing it all over again with the next batch. I have 41 acres with only about 17 that are brush hog-able, except for the strips along the fences, laneways and ditches where the trees have grown up or fallen down.
Renting becomes multiple large projects when it's $100/day and an hour's drive each way...for, according to all the complaints I've seen on here, a poorly maintained machine.
 
   / Vermeer 606 #8  
Friend of mine has a DR chipper and is quite pleased with it. Check out thier warranty and free trial period.

The one he has is a 30.00 and it is on sale now.

DR Power Equipment - Self Feeding Wood Chipper Models & pricing - manual and elec start chippers

The advantage of a stand-alone is that you don't have to tie up a tractor, not to mention the mounting and dismounting of a 3 PH model. It is particularly useful for an hour or two of chipping when time is available. Just crank it up and immediately get to chipping.

Within reason, the upper and lower limits of the 3 PH model is a CYA effort by the manufacturer.
 
   / Vermeer 606 #9  
Murphys Law. My chipper with the 25 Hp Kohler gas engine will burn I believe about a gallon an hour at full speed. I am really pleased with it. They do have them in diesel but are harder to find. Keep an eye on Ebay and the Vermeer dealers for used ones for around $4K. That depends on hours on the unit though. You could rent one several times for that amount of money. Just have your piles ready to go if you do rent. I can shove a lot of branches through in an hour. There is a learning curve on feeding them if they have lots of knots in them. You do have to be aware when feeding them that branches can swing around once the feed roller grabs them. If I have anyone helping me feed I give them the Safety talk on how to stop the feed roller. No arms reaching in the chute. They love to snag cellphones off of belt clips and eat them.
 
   / Vermeer 606 #10  
The manual for the Vermeer BC606 chipper was available. It requires 28 HP minimum on the drawbar. And says 45HP maximum on the PTO. Plus, there was going to be no help or equipment available to load the chipper onto my trailer. So, I let it go cheap to another bidder. I got the distinct impression that he had no intention of letting me get it cheap anyway.:(
I'll probably kick myself for awhile.



So.... What was the winning bid ? You left out the most important information. You could not have been very serious about buying if loading was the only stumbling block. Twenty five bucks to someone with a loader tractor would get it done.
I never have that experience at an auction.... things go cheap. The last raised hand is usually well above retail value plus the commission / tax. This is why I don't waste my time there standing in line to compete with several other buyers.

According to the computer they were $10,000. new when they were available, what years I am not sure of.
 
 
 
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