Chipper/shredder advice

[jshwhite]

I've got a question for all you chipper shredder owners out there. I'm looking to buy a used pto driven chipper to run off my L3710. I don't have any experience with pto driven chippers, so I'm just looking for any advice. I don't have the $$ to get new, so it's just whatever I can find used, but are there particular brands that are good, or others to stay away from? Features/type of construction to look for/stay away from?

Any advice welcome!

Thanks

[bellweather]

It appears that your tractor has about 35 HP, not sure what the HP rating is at the PTO. I Have a BX22 and bought a Salsco Model 600 chipper (3 1/2") which I am pretty happy with, but your tractor could handle a bigger chipper. From my research, you probably want a chipper well matched to your tractor that will handle the largest diameter material comfortably possible. As you can imagine, the larger the chipper the more the $$$$.

I tried to buy a used one, but at the time none were available that were worth buying or that were nearby, so I bought a new one.

Another thing to consider is whether you want /need a wood chipper or a combination chipper / shredder. Lots of folks here seem to think the shredder is very worthwhile. My Salsco only chips. There are a number of threads on this subject with lots of useful information, plus many here who can offer you good advice.

[jshwhite]

bellweather, thanks for the info. The tractor is 37hp with 32 pto hp. I agree that I want as big as possible, but the bigger ones get really expensive I would like a shredding option since we do a lot of gardening and we want to be able to make grass/leaf mulch.

I found a Woods W5000 used for a good price, but it's only rated for a 15-30hp tractor and will only do 5 inch. I'd like something bigger - I think I could probably run a 6 or 7 inch capacity.

Thanks again, and any more help is appreciated!

[farmeratheart]

I bought the Wallenstein BXM32 chipper/shredder a few months back. It is really nice to have the shredder option for the little stuff. I run off a much smaller tractor than you (18 pto HP) so I'm probably about as big as I can get. Right now though, anything the BXM won't handle I've probably already set aside for firewood.

[cmhyland]

bellweather, thanks for the info. The tractor is 37hp with 32 pto hp. I agree that I want as big as possible, but the bigger ones get really expensive I would like a shredding option since we do a lot of gardening and we want to be able to make grass/leaf mulch.

I found a Woods W5000 used for a good price, but it's only rated for a 15-30hp tractor and will only do 5 inch. I'd like something bigger - I think I could probably run a 6 or 7 inch capacity.

Thanks again, and any more help is appreciated!

I suspect you will not find a chipper/shredder with a larger capacity than 5 or 6 in for anything reasonable price wise... Chipper hardware in a 8in chipper starts to get pretty big and heavy duty.... 5in wood is firewood... on our property 3in wood is firewood.

I also own the Salsco 600. it works very well but has no shredder... I think a shredder world great to have, they really handle brambles and twiggy brush far better than the chipper....

[jshwhite]

I suspect you will not find a chipper/shredder with a larger capacity than 5 or 6 in for anything reasonable price wise... Chipper hardware in a 8in chipper starts to get pretty big and heavy duty...

Yep, I'm finding that out I think I'll settle for 5 inch.

I found a Bear Cat 5 inch for $1600. He says it's been used maybe 10-15 hours. Seems like a decent deal to me. Any thoughts? Good price? Are the Bear Cats good chippers?

[cmhyland]

Yep, I'm finding that out I think I'll settle for 5 inch.

I found a Bear Cat 5 inch for $1600. He says it's been used maybe 10-15 hours. Seems like a decent deal to me. Any thoughts? Good price? Are the Bear Cats good chippers?

First and foremost, the Bearcat machine is very good... I'd say 1600 was a very good price as that unit was most likely 1K or more over that new. Does it have a blower unit on it?
I know some of the units just blow the chips out the bottom and you'll get tired of that quickly... you'll be shoveling chips or moving the machine often.

can the seller provide a few pics?

Regards,
Chris

[tractchores]

I run a wallenstein bx42 and like it a lot. They make a 6" one that would probably fit your tractor well. They last a long time and there are dedinitely some used ones out there. One of the really nice features is they seem to self feed very well without the hydro feed and have a discharge shoot standard.

[Not Retired Yet]

I too have the wally bx42. Works great and simple, low maintenance design.

[rtd]

I also have a BearCat with blower unit. It's one of the older models, weighing in at about 600#. The current version has better setup for the vertical discharge chute, but this unit works very well, the shredder for twigs and smaller (up to about 1") branches, and the chipper has a 5" capacity.

One thing to be aware of - the chipper is not self-feeding, it's gravity only and be slow, requiring a lot of physical force for feeding. The latest units have an option for a hydraulic feed but that's an expensive add-on to an already fairly expensive machine.

I've used mine with a 20 hp tractor and a 50 hp tractor and have had no problems. If you're planning 'serious' work, 20 hp may be a little light as it is possible to stall the tractor.