Chipper pto driven wood chippers

[dickfoster]

Probably more on fuel than rounds. It certainly don't strain the tractor, I'm running a 100 pto tractor on the chipper, or about 3 times rated input ponies. Never even spools the turbo up. I have a wife to contend with and she don't like the piles of brush (my main impetus for getting a chipper in the first place). A happy wife is a happy life.

You garden is maybe 1/4 the size of mine. Mine 'grows' every year or so it seems. We give a lot away and I have a good friend who has a vegie stand in the city. I grow zuchini (wife beaters) and sweet corn for him all the time. This year he's put in for Brussels Sprouts. I make a little on the produce, about enough to cover my sweat equity. I happen to like winter stored carrots, potatoes and onions, frozen stuffed peppers and frozen shelled corn, cauliflower and sprouts to go with my elk, duck and deer meat.

The wife's draft horses make plenty of poop and she beds on straw I bale and hay I bale so feed is of no consequence and the bedding goes in the garden too. This is excellent potato and carrot ground. Last year I dug at least a ton of spuds and we had 5 bushel baskets of layered carrots in the root cellar. I gave away at least 2/3rd of the potatoes to the family, they all like the 'home grown' versus store bought vegies. I just need to figure out a way for them to come help....

So you're the one growing all that zucchini!

 

[Sawyer Rob]

I use to grow two acre gardens, did that for many years but NO MORE! I got sick of everyone showing up for FREE veggies, but NEVER showing up to help out! lol

These days I'm down to three spots, and that's just about right, as we can/freeze ect. much of the food that we eat, including making our own butter too.....

My gardens are ALL compost, (I'm growing right in compost) I don't buy any fertilizer at all and I'm all organic, no bug sprays...

Along with the CP (cow poop) I add,

I also can get all the TP (turkey poop) I want too, as a buddy of mine has 30,000 of these around,

I put it in the gardens as needed,

And then mulch EVERYTHING in HEAVY, so I have NO WEEDS to pull...

Water is no problem either, as I have spring fed ponds,

Anyway, sorry to the OP for the hi jack!

SR

 

[TerryR]

I have a Bear Cat manual feed, with a blower, which works very well for my purposes. I use it for clearing trimmings and wind-downed limbs too small for firewood on my 12-acre mostly wooded place. To me power feed is for professionals using a chipper every day. For occasional use by a homeowner with a few acres it's a waste of money and more mechanicals to maintain. Manual feed works well as long as you keep the blades sharp.

A blower, on the other hand, is essential. Even for occasional use clearing chips from under the unit every few minutes is a pain. It's great for stacking the chips so they can age for garden use, or to blow them into a pickup or trailer to haul them where you want them. Also works well for the spring cleanup of downed limbs along the driveway - just drive along stopping where there are down limbs. Blow the chips into the woods, and you are done with them.

 

[TSO]

I use to grow two acre gardens, did that for many years but NO MORE! I got sick of everyone showing up for FREE veggies, but NEVER showing up to help out! lol

These days I'm down to three spots, and that's just about right, as we can/freeze ect. much of the food that we eat, including making our own butter too.....

My gardens are ALL compost, (I'm growing right in compost) I don't buy any fertilizer at all and I'm all organic, no bug sprays...

Along with the CP (cow poop) I add,

I also can get all the TP (turkey poop) I want too, as a buddy of mine has 30,000 of these around,

I put it in the gardens as needed,

And then mulch EVERYTHING in HEAVY, so I have NO WEEDS to pull...

Water is no problem either, as I have spring fed ponds,

Anyway, sorry to the OP for the hi jack!

SR

I like your farm operation, but just as an aside... From what I understand, you should be composting poultry poop before using it directly on edible crops. We compost our CP (chicken poop) before applying.

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To the OP, I have a Wallenstein BX42 ... It takes 4" material and does a great job.

BUT it's underlrsized for my tractor, and should've gone 6". ALSO, I should've gone with the hydraulic feed model. More money, but definitely would make chipping much easier.

 

[5030]

I use to grow two acre gardens, did that for many years but NO MORE! I got sick of everyone showing up for FREE veggies, but NEVER showing up to help out! lol

SR

Not a hijack, nice pictures. I see you too have a Clearspan. So do I. A big one. I keep all my rounds in it plus all the equipment. Mine is enclosed on both ends with a roll up 14 foot high door at one end so I can get a semi in. Good buildings and inexpensive too. Mine has been up (my wife and I and 2 tractors with loaders did it over 15 years ago and it's as good as new. I still remember putting on the cover. That was a job that took 8 guys and a couple cases of beer.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

I like your farm operation, but just as an aside... From what I understand, you should be composting poultry poop before using it directly on edible crops. We compost our CP (chicken poop) before applying.

Well, it is composted out a bit by the time I use it, but I wouldn't be afraid to use it right out of my friends rotation, IF that's what I had. Same as we did with chicken/duck/goose poop ever since I was a kid...and that was a looooong time ago! lol

SR

 

[Sawyer Rob]

Not a hijack, nice pictures. I see you too have a Clearspan.

That bld belongs to the next farm up the road, he has two of them. All my buildings are wood... We got rid of all our animals long ago, as I don't want to take care of them, and I want to be able to come and go as I please...

SR

 

[s219]

When I was shopping a few years back, Wallenstein emerged as the "Cadillac" of chippers, and I have been real happy with mine. Bought it, put into service immediately, and 4 years later I have not done a thing to it other than greasing the bearings. I have never had an issue with the self-feed chute. Due to the way they angle the chute and the size of the throat (rectangular) it sucks in wood like an Italian sucking in spaghetti. The Wallenstein was slightly more expensive than the other brands, but it had the most/best features and I do think you get what you pay for.

I briefly looked at Jinma units (guy in my area imported them) but they looked like a total POS. The seller took the time to go over the units to correct manufacturing issues, and rebuild a couple parts that they knew were weak, but I was not comfortable with the situation despite the big cost savings. Again, you get what you pay for.

 

[Weedy Fields]

I've got about a 3 acre feild that was over grown with small trees that we are going to plant a house in this summer. I cut down all the small trees and stacked them last fall. Was going to burn them but they are still too wet and we need to start digging for the house so I decided to chip them all.
I don't have a chipper so I'm going to rent one for a day. Hopefully a day is enough time for me and Wifey to chip about 2 dozen brush piles.
Costing me $135 plus gas to rent a chipper for a day. 4" dia sticks max.

If not for the need to clean up the feild I have always piled up brush on the edge of the woods and left it to rot. It goes down quickly. I don't see any more critters around because of it. Beside the critters that are a pain don't use the brush piles (deer).

 

[LouieJunior]

It's great for stacking the chips so they can age for garden use...

I have tons of chips and don' t have a use for them. Do they become nutrient rich at some point -- or just as a weed barrier?