Back in 2009 I bought a new DR gasoline powered
chipper, their four inch top chute version and I am very very satisfied with it. We have three and a half acres, half of it wooded with sweet gum, tulip poplars, oak, ash, maple and southern white pine. I have used the
chipper extensively when clearing out the smaller trees. We use the chips as landscaping mulch, garden mulch and compost mulch. The mulch has gone a long way towards restoring those areas that were pure red clay four years ago... now have worms aplenty and the soil is much happier.
The
chipper has done all I've asked of it; I have replaced the chip blade once in that time (I had the original blade sharpened by a machinist and it is now in reserve); like all equipment, as long as it is not abused or asked to do more than it was designed to do, it serves perfectly. I've had excellent service from DR; they respond very quickly to any queries and they stand behind their equipment. I've loaned the
chipper out to my two brothers-in-law... had to do some maintenance on it after one BIL tried to do more with it than it was designed to do (he was throwing large roots with dirt and gravel still attached into it... that ate up the blade quite quickly).
The DR
chipper, whether pto-driven or gasoline powered, seems to be one of those items that sell very fast on Craigslist or on the classifieds, when you can find one, that is. When I first bought mine, I figured I wouldn't need it after a year or two; however, I've continued to use it throughout each year I've owned it, initially it was used just to chip up some extensive clearing. When I realized how beneficial the wood chips are for mulch, I've used it for that purpose only... creating valuable mulch for my property.
