Woodchipper and chip piles

   / Woodchipper and chip piles #1  

number9L

Gold Member
Joined
May 13, 2013
Messages
260
Location
Georgetown, KY
Tractor
Kubota L3800
So, I've got 82ac that is 90% wooded. I've cleared trees in several areas for different things (shooting range, go kart track, etc). I have an old LinkBelt excavator my FIL loaned me a year or so ago that I use to just push the trees over and drag them to a pile. So now I've got a few big brush / tree piles that look like crap and will turn into snake hotels.

I ain't taking a chance on burning them and risking burning my property down - I looked TOO long to find wooded land like this.

I've been thinking about getting a wood chipper - Wallenstein BX42 - but then I ask myself........what the heck am I going to do with big piles of wood chips??

I don't have any use for them that I can think of - no animal bedding, don't want them for mulch, don't want to use them on my trails through the property because I drive jeep/tractor/dirtbikes on them and want them to dry out as fast as possible after a rain.

I guess at least a big pile of wood chips will be smaller and nicer to look at than a BIG tree/brush pile, but I'd still rather not have piles of chips if I can figure out something to do with them. Also, would piles of wood chips be a combustable fire risk?

...
 
   / Woodchipper and chip piles #2  
You can heat with wood chips. LEI Products - Product Page

I think you will find chipping with a little PTO model is time consuming and labor intensive for jobs this large.

But if getting rid of the wood is the goal you might consider digging a burn pit on the property and using an air curtain burner to get rid of the waste. Much faster and safer than open burning and does not require chipping.
 
   / Woodchipper and chip piles #3  
Always people looking for woodchips, sell or give it away. You could also just spread them throughout the property, takes a lot of brush to make a big pile of chips.
 
   / Woodchipper and chip piles #4  
So, I've got 82ac that is 90% wooded. I've cleared trees in several areas for different things (shooting range, go kart track, etc). I have an old LinkBelt excavator my FIL loaned me a year or so ago that I use to just push the trees over and drag them to a pile. So now I've got a few big brush / tree piles that look like crap and will turn into snake hotels.

I ain't taking a chance on burning them and risking burning my property down - I looked TOO long to find wooded land like this.

I've been thinking about getting a wood chipper - Wallenstein BX42 - but then I ask myself........what the heck am I going to do with big piles of wood chips??

I don't have any use for them that I can think of - no animal bedding, don't want them for mulch, don't want to use them on my trails through the property because I drive jeep/tractor/dirtbikes on them and want them to dry out as fast as possible after a rain.

I guess at least a big pile of wood chips will be smaller and nicer to look at than a BIG tree/brush pile, but I'd still rather not have piles of chips if I can figure out something to do with them. Also, would piles of wood chips be a combustable fire risk?

...

Spread the chips as mulch though the rest of your trees. The trees will appreciate it and they will disappear in no time.
 
   / Woodchipper and chip piles #5  
Pulling brush out of an excavator built pile of brush to chip is work. Why not dig a hole with the excavator and burry the mess? All you will see then is a pile of dirt, which will probably reseed itself next summer.

It could be a backstop for a shooting range until it all decomposed.
 
   / Woodchipper and chip piles #6  
You can sell wood chips around here and it's not difficult. Short of that, make a long row with them and when there is snow on the ground, light the end opposite the wind to keep in check. No problem.
 
   / Woodchipper and chip piles #7  
You didn't say what kind of wood it is (oak, maple, walnut, cedar). If the wood is any good, find someone to mill it for you. Then you can use the wood to build storage or what not around your property or furniture, etc.

If you don't what to mill it, talk to the saw mill in Bagdad, KY or I think there is one over toward Morehead. They might take the logs off your hands. Might pay you for it. You might even find a woodworker that might take some of it.

Something else to think about is if you have any low spots that hold water. You could work the wood chips into the soil to help with drainage.

Ghost
(not far from you)
 
   / Woodchipper and chip piles #8  
I'll fill a trailer load (just aim the chute into a trailer and reposition every now and then to make a nice pile) and leave the trailer parked until I need the chips, then roll them to the desired location for spreading. Otherwise, it's not real convenient since you'll be chipping in all different places around your property and it may not be near where you need the chips.

If I know I won't use them or I'm in a location where getting the chips out isn't feasible, then I aim the chute high and just blow them into the woods. Rotate the chute or move tractor periodically so I don't get too big of a pile anywhere.

Generally, I need more chips than I make in a given year, so I tend to use up whatever I make, every time. They are handy for covering muddy areas or high traffic areas. I sure could use a couple trailer loads to spread around my barn, but don't envision doing chipping any time soon.
 
   / Woodchipper and chip piles #9  
If you used the excavator to create the piles, then you'll never separate them into breaches which can be fed into a chipper. You'd need a tub grinder. At that point you'll be looking at having to let the piles rot or burn them. If you did a controlled burn and fed small amounts into the fire so it remained under control it's doable.
 
   / Woodchipper and chip piles #10  
Put a add on craigs list for free firewood. That should get rid of most of any firewood size trees, especially this time of year and everyone looking for cheap firewood. What brush is left you can chip and blow into the woods.
 
 
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