<snip> Personally if I spend a bunch of money on something I do expect it to work correctly and without issue. I know my employer does not expect me to make mistakes and leave people with a product that needs repaired. To me if the fixes are simple, why not spend the extra $5 and use locking nuts and such. <snip>
However if you are comparing "Chinese" chippers to Wallensteins etc. it is often the difference between spending 1 bunch of money or up to 3 bunches of money. For example today
Circle-G lists the Jinma 8" for $1500,
Chippers Direct lists the 6" Wallenstein for $4,500. And as far as "simple fixes" often the Chinese mfg. produces a reliable product with some cheap consumable parts, like belts and oil that need replacing over time anyways. Some vendors replace them before selling, others don't. But for example any tool I buy from Harbor Freight that contains oil I automatically replace the oil.
Buying a
chipper really depends upon one's needs, frequency of use and, of course, budget.
In a lot of cases, renting makes a lot more sense if you have a large amount chipping to do once or twice a year. As some wrote, 3PH chippers aren't commercial units and you won't get the productivity out of them. Renting requires some planning...you'll want to chip the days you rent...minimal trimming or other work.<snip>
And renting usually means maintenance and long term storage is not your problem.
However renting also requires hauling it back and forth and using it regardless of weather. In my case my chipping site is now at least an hours drive one way from any rental place. If I had rented a 6"
chipper for just 3 weekends it was going to cost me half the price of my Jinma.
Frequency can also also be critical - we used my Jinma for maybe 50 or 60 hours over the course of several months before I moved it to Mississippi, since then I've only used it maybe 10 hours but I calculate it's already paid for itself.
We'll have to disagree on that one. After using my manual feed
chipper for over 10 years I can't see the point in power feed for homeowner use. For professionals with heavy usage, sure. But not for occasional use. It's not needed in my view, costs more, and provides more moving parts to fail.
With the occasional help of a "pusher pole" I've rarely seen the need for hydraulic assist.
I have to agree with Terry on this. I also have a Bear Cat with a blower. It is manual feed but it actually feeds itself. Put in the branches, logs, or whatever and they get pulled right in as long as it will fit in the shute. Sure, something like a whole Christmas tree needs a little help because you have to force it into the shute if you don't just go down the truck with a chain saw.
gg
The very nature of the chipping process is pretty much self-feeding, my only hold ups were extremely twisted weed trees.
Does anyone know someone who has bought the Nortrac unit from Northern Tools? $1900 and looks pretty lightweight.
I have been studying the Wallenstein and
Woodmaxx units too. Have fourteen acres of woods ,and need to clear a road back to a pond in the middle of the woods.
Drew - don't get something where you have to lift up and feed down limbs. That will be a real pain.
<snip>
manual or hydraulic; have gone back and forth a lot. My woods are mostly pine; does that make a difference in which feature to prioritize? I try to avoid cutting down hardwoods; plenty of falldowns for firewood as it is. New place to me, really haven't got started cleaning up the areas I want to. I have some physical restrictions with severe arthritis and a weak right arm, so I'm thinking that hydraulic feed might be just what I need. I maintain my equipment well, and have sharpened my lawn mower blades all my life; so sharpening
chipper blades isn't a big issue though I would always have spares to swap out, then sharpen when convenient. 20 hours until sharpening. Hmmmm. Just like in a kitchen, you really need a sharp knife both for performance and also for safety.
You would probably want hydraulic, just to assist your arm. But watch the difference between the videos on the
Woodmaxx site of the WM-8M (manual) and WM-8H (hydraulic) running. It seems the only difference in getting chips made is that the hydraulic one is yellow.
I could only include 1 video;
I can't justify more than three grand for a pto
chipper; I have 50hp. Not sure that gets me into a Wallenstein, probably only a Woodmax.
The other financial issue has already been covered. If these things hold their value so well, why not spend a little more because when time goes to sell, if that is your reality, you will get a substantial percentage of your original investment back. A good ROI.
The financial part I couldn't justify was when time comes to sell I'll probably be buried, so it's only my heirs getting the $$. I had to try and keep the price down so I could buy my PHD, my tiller, my Stihl 088, etc.
<snip>
This is a very expensive implement compared to others we collect in the barn. Possibility of being pennywise and pound foolish might apply here. I see models in the two to four thousand price range that all seem to offer decent value,
for their price. Now I find changing belts a PITA, but I also like the shock absorbing features of belts, and this thing sure can get shocked with big logs. Except I would be making firewood out of any big hardwood; the only larger stuff going into a new
chipper would be pine.
The prime reason I see for a
chipper with a bigger throat is if you've got trees with branches that twist and turn.
Watch all the videos on the Woodmax site and Youtube that may help you decide. It's too bad Ranch Hand Supply stopped selling because his warehouse was about 50 miles or less north of you.
