Wood Chippers Renting vs Buying

[Haoleguy]

Yesterday my spouse and I struggled with a 6" Salsco chipper rented from a local rental company. Eventhough it was rated for 6" we had to really work hard to get 2-3" branches to just make it through the feed mechanism. I did notice periodic wood burn smell as well. This rental company is somewhat known for not keeping their equipment in tiptop shape. I did try to reserve a chipper from a better national chain rental company but they were completed booked for this weekend. So this experience brings up many questions that relate to renting and then possible owning. Was the feed mechanism adjusted to restrict size? Are the onboard hydraulics for the feed motor lacking torque to pull material in? I also suspect the bite rollers were dulled from previous users...does this make a difference? I suspect the cutting knives were not sharp and hence the burn smell....is this likely to be the case? I have a lot of clearing to do in my 42 acres should I be looking to buy and if so what differences should I be looking at besides size for a PTO version? Thanks and have a safe Memorial Day.

 

[Scozz]

Jinma make a 6" self feed pto unit that can be purchased for >$1500.00. The unit seems to get very good reviews from its owners. You might look purchasing one of these. ....Scozz

 

[bczoom]

Haoleguy,

I meant to reply to this but somehow got sidetracked.

I can't speak for what's wrong with the existing chipper but I'll throw in my 2 cents.

My family has a stand-alone chipper. Obviously, probably not as big as what you're looking at but I would say it would take 2". Everyone has tried it for a season or so but pretty much gave up on it and passed on to the next person. It now sits idle waiting for someone (anyone) to take it next.

What we found is that it's too small to get any real progress done. A large one would probably work better but honestly, burning everything was the fastest, cheapest alternative.

Brian

 

[ejb]

I like owning my hydraulic feed/PTO chipper (8 inch)...I don't use it much, but when I do its a pleasure to have. Burning season is short, and doesn't always coincide with when I need to clear brush...and like you, I have a lot of property and lots of rock walls and pasture fringes to constantly clear out.

I keep it stored inside, so it will last a few decades I bet, and when you spread the cost over that many years, it made sense for me.

Renting is always a pain-in-the-butt as far as I am concerned...never available when you need it, may or may not be working right, and for me, 1.5 hour min roundtrip.

 

[jeffinsgf]

I am in pretty much the same boat, but I've been there a bit longer. /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

I am sitting in the office waiting for my partner (wife) to get back from town so I can go out and fire up my rental chipper and tackle a mountain of brush that I have accumulated over the last several weeks. I hope my rental unit is in better shape than Haoleguy's. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

I really want to buy a chipper, but here is the dilemma that I face. To get what you need (hydraulic feed and 6 inch plus or minus capacity) you have to spend several thousand dollars -- even if the unit is designed to use the tractor PTO and hydraulics. On the units that are affordable, the gravity feed makes the job unmanageable and the small capacity makes the chore more work than it is worth.

Several folks have been satisfied with the Chinese mechanical feed chipper. Personally, I would not put down my $1,500 without seeing one work, and there's no place that I can do that. I like the look of the Woods unit, but the price is stratospheric -- same with Wallenstein and Crary. I have been watching eBay religiously, but the units that sell for a reasonable price are either beat to death or a discontinued model from a company that has ceased operation. The clean, late model machines sell for nearly new price.

Sorry to create some controversy, but burning is not the answer, at least for me. I cannot burn brush and then go buy mulch. /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif Not only that, on my ten acres, there's no place to create a brush pile that isn't in sight from the house, and I don't want to look at it long enough for it to get dry enough to burn.

 

[Wesdor]

We rented a Vermier wood chipper last February and were very happy with it. Good feed mechanism and it did a great job. When we took it back, I asked how often they rotated their equipment. They indicated that after a full season they would usually sell it and buy new.

They rent it for $100 / day and plan to sell it in the $2,000 - $3,000 ball park. I'm in the same dilema of wanting to own a good chipper but not having the $$. So far I've put up with the invonvenience of renting, but it would be great to have one you could use when you needed it.

I suggest you check out the rental places and see if they have something worth buying.

 

[Deerlope]

I own a PTO Bearcat 5" hyd feed and I would not trade it for the world. 5400.00 bucks new. It has 4 knives and the pieces come out 1". Doing a 5" piece of hardwood you have to stop the feed rolls a little but it will do it. Those 3 cyl engines get pulled down pretty fast. A 3" pine branch no problem it pulls it right thru and gives you the most wonderful smell. Owning your own, you will always know how well its been maintained. If you want to use it for a couple of hours, well its there. Just hitch on and go.

 

[Haoleguy]

Scozz - Thanks for the tip on the Jinma. At this point any PTO driven >5" capacity chipper with a feed mechanism is in play. Thank you.

 

[Haoleguy]

Bczoom & all - When I took the chipper back to the rental company we opened up the cutter region and the blades were sharp which explains the consistency of the chip size. I did notice sap buildup on the blades which probably explains the burn smell after considerable contiguous time use, ~2hr. The culprit was in the feed mechanism. The rental agent told me that they recently adjusted it, I believe he said through changing the hydraulic pressure. They made this adjustment because a previous renter complained that the feed was too fast. I still have more work to do and thus will rent another chipper either this coming or the following weekend. Cost for a 6"chipper rental is $185-235/day. Ouch! In years past I had tried a small manual feed chipper and had the same experience you mentioned. It now collects dust at a friend's house. Periodic burn permits are in play when conditions allow. Thanks.

 

[Haoleguy]

Ejb - You sound like a twin separated at birth and raised in different families. Yes the pasture is where the action is as the invasive plants have taken over prior to our purchasing the land. Renting is a pain and the preferred rental company I tried last weekend but was completely booked is already booked for this weekend. They have a Vermeer 6" that I can get in a fortnight which means that this weekend I can generate more chipping fodder. Renting is giving me some good expereince so that I can make a good choice when I purchase. My local tractor dealers offer Bobcat and Salsco what did you get in the 8" size and what is your PTO hp? Cheers.