Wood chipper- is it best to rent, or buy?

[plowhog]

I'm having a hard time sorting out what wood chipper to buy, and whether to just rent one instead. Home Depot and other companies rent them, usually 6" chippers.

With rental, I dislike needing to prepare a huge pile of stuff in advance, just so I can play "beat the clock" and keep the expensive rented chipper busy. I'd much prefer owning a chipper, so I could clear slash for a while, then chip for a while, then do something else or maybe repeat. Without worrying about the clock. But they are quite expensive to buy. Upper end chippers in the 6" range with hydraulic feed can run $8,000 or even much more. There are lesser priced units, but none that I am considering.

For those who have used rental chippers, how did your experience turn out?

 

[stuckmotor]

Now you've got me thinking of the guy who rented a chipper to dispose of his wife's body. It didn't work out for him. He got caught.

I hope you get some good helpful advice.

 

[crazyal]

I would think investing in something that expensive would only make sense if you had lots of work or if you don't mind tying up money with the idea of selling it afterwards. I did rent one once, they almost didn't let me because they didn't like it being towed with a 1/2 ton truck. The local dump takes brush for free and then a local power company chips it up but one guy told me they only take 3 yards while another said they would take as much as I wanted to drop off. Not knowing which guy would be there and not wanting to deal with it I rented the chipper. It worked fine and I got a lot of brush chipped up in a day but it was a workout. But between the time going to get it and drop it off and having about 5 acres of cleared forest worth of brush it was easier to just burn it. Now I just drag it into the woods where it naturally decomposes and provides habitat for small animals.

 

[CADplans]

I would rent,,, then you would learn they are not all they are cracked up to be,,,

I hear about more guys wanting to sell than be completely satisfied.
The ones you can afford do not feed well,, LOTS of effort, little results,,,

 

[dragoneggs]

Now you've got me thinking of the guy who rented a chipper to dispose of his wife's body. It didn't work out for him. He got caught.

I hope you get some good helpful advice.

Maybe if he bought the chipper he wouldn't have returned the evidence?

I used to own a 8hp gas chipper for about 10 years. Handled up to 4in but comfortably 2in. I burned anything larger anyways inside or around a 'campfire' in the backyard. I have to say I didn't use it as much as I could have/should have. Honestly it was so **** loud I didn't enjoy the work and I didn't make good use of the chips.

Don't know about your situation regarding burning, composting, land size, amount of debris to dispose but those are the variables. When I moved, I sold the chipper, bought more land that needed more 'chipping' and did just fine without one. I cut firewood, burned the smaller branches, and composted the fine stuff. I had a lot of clearing to deal with... more than a half acre of small to large trees, mature bushes, vine maple, etc. I guess what I am saying if you have other means to recycle it, I would opt for that. Have you used a chipper?

 

[RoyJackson]

Chippers are handy...I use mine for that occasional (two or three times a year) property clean up. This is normally only a couple to four hours work since I do pile the downed limbs and such. I'll use the chips to mulch around trees sometimes...just let it decompose where it lies most the time.
That said, unless you get a super deal on a used chipper (I paid $1000 for a low hour Woods 5000 chipper/shredder), it's probably cheaper to rent. However, since plowhog doesn't want to pile the debris in advance, he's not going to get the most use out of a rental chipper.

 

[groundcover]

Like a lot of things, " if you're gonna have one have a big one "
Had an interest in a 3 pt 6" POS, spent more time fixing it than chipping with it. Sold it at a loss , bought a 140hp 12" Brush Bandit and couldn't be happier. Friend of mine used to say , doesn't cost anymore to go first class, just can't stay as long !

 

[SJay]

I have 30 acres and it is mostly woods. I have rented the Home Depot style and it worked OK, don't think you're going to put 6" limbs in it, you will get very frustrated. I also rented a 100hp unit - now that was a chipper. Now I own a Woods 5000 chipper - it works well for my needs. Wouldn't mind one with blower but the price was right so I can't complain.

 

[TemporaryKubotaOwnerMark]

Depends on your needs. Is it an ongoing need? How big is the need? How much brush? How often? If it's something you are going to do once, rent the biggest one you can find. As mentioned, if it's rated to 6", it's not going to make you happy chipping 6" branches.

I rented a supposed 6" two years ago when I had to drop a dozen big trees. I was planning to chip anything under 4", the rest would go in the firewood pile. But I had volunteer help, so a few bigger ones got fed in. It was very slow going on the 5" stuff. It did manage it, but it was slow. This was a self-feed unit.

If it's an ongoing need, do the math. What does it cost to rent a big enough chipper, and how often will you need it? At 8 grand, I'm guessing you are better off renting it for a week once a year to give yourself a comfortable amount of time for the job.

I just checked SunBelt Rental's site for the Sacramento area, and they want $520 per week for a 6" self-feed. That $8,000 will get you almost 16 years of chipping with no ownership headaches (maintenance, repairs).

Always, do the math, do the math.

 

[ericm979]

Running a chipper is is one of the primary uses of of my tractor. I have 20 acres of prolific trees and brush and it's impossible to get a burn permit. I had a 10hp standalone chipper/shredder. It was totally useless. The 4.5" MerryMac pto chipper stretches the limit of my tractor, and I'm stretching the limits of the chipper. I'd really like a larger chipper to handle brush and tree parts without so much prep work and careful feeding.

The stuff I'm chipping is in different places on my property. Some trees I cut down here, brush there. Owning a chipper I can cut trees or brush, make a number of small piles, then come back with the tractor and chipper and chip them. If I had to rent a chipper I'd want to spend a whole day chipping, which means I'd be leaving the piles around for a while until the next chipping day.

Then there's the hassle of renting the chipper. Going into town, renting something and hauling it back takes a minimum of 1.5 hours. That's three hours out of a day. It takes 10 minutes to walk to the barn fire up the tractor and put the chipper on it.

I want/need a larger chipper so much that it's a major motivation to getting a larger tractor. Woodmaxx and Woodland Mills make 8" power feed chippers that are reasonably priced. While they are made in China they're designed and supported in North America. I've used a lot of made in China non-tractor stuff, and having North American support is key.

 

[plowhog]

The immediate need is that I have eight acres of slash to deal with after a logging project. LOTS of downed material. Unfortunately most is pine, which is not very desirable firewood. I estimate it will take me two years to get through it, considering other things I have to do. I'll be using a 50hp tractor with grapple and landscape rake on most of it. And a skidding winch.

I plan to keep most 4" and larger stuff as firewood, and a small quantity of 3" stuff for outdoor campfire. Everything under 3" I either need to burn or chip. I have many areas on the property that would benefit from chips-- hiking trails, dirt roads, around the pond, etc. I can burn except in summer. Some days burning is allowed, some not.

I want a pure chipper, so it can blow chips into my dump trailer for transport and use elsewhere. I'm told the chipper/shredders don't blow chips but instead dump them on the ground. If I buy, or rent, I'm figuring a 6" capacity chipper should be a good match and hopefully overkill as I intend to only chip stuff smaller than 4".

 

[NC419N]

Like a lot of things, " if you're gonna have one have a big one "
Had an interest in a 3 pt 6" POS, spent more time fixing it than chipping with it. Sold it at a loss , bought a 140hp 12" Brush Bandit and couldn't be happier. Friend of mine used to say , doesn't cost anymore to go first class, just can't stay as long !

This is my experience as well BC1000 Vermeer it will work you to death.
Otherwise I would rent

 

[ericm979]

When you are chipping material that's close to the chippers maxium capacity, it has to be fairly straight and have the branches trimmed off. That's more work for you. (note that some chippers list the smaller dimension as their capacity and may say they're 4" chippers when they have a 4"x10" opening. That'll handle more side branches and bends than a 4"x4" opening)

I've looked for used commercial -style standalone chippers. Where I am near the coast they're either nearly the cost of a new one, or totally beat up. The smaller commercial style chippers have less capacity than a Woodmaxx 8h, and only a 16hp gas engine turning them. Also there's the hassle of moving a trailer to where the stuff to chip is.

For 8 acres of logging slash I'd want to own a chipper so I could go work on it when I want. With that much chipping it might be worth getting a Wallenstein power feed chipper with the intellifeed. Depends on how much you value your time vs money. If you have not bought your tractor yet you could get a slightly cheaper tractor and use that money for a chipper. You could also try renting a chipper first, to see how that goes, before buying one.

 

[roadhunter]

The immediate need is that I have eight acres of slash to deal with after a logging project. LOTS of downed material. Unfortunately most is pine, which is not very desirable firewood. I estimate it will take me two years to get through it, considering other things I have to do. I'll be using a 50hp tractor with grapple and landscape rake on most of it. And a skidding winch.

I plan to keep most 4" and larger stuff as firewood, and a small quantity of 3" stuff for outdoor campfire. Everything under 3" I either need to burn or chip. I have many areas on the property that would benefit from chips-- hiking trails, dirt roads, around the pond, etc. I can burn except in summer. Some days burning is allowed, some not.

I want a pure chipper, so it can blow chips into my dump trailer for transport and use elsewhere. I'm told the chipper/shredders don't blow chips but instead dump them on the ground. If I buy, or rent, I'm figuring a 6" capacity chipper should be a good match and hopefully overkill as I intend to only chip stuff smaller than 4".

I have a PTO chipper shredder that blows chips. I have about 50 ft of PVC pipe installed to blow the material into a bin.


I use it to to resize wood chips but it also works well if you have a lot of smaller material to process. Sometimes smaller material does not feed that well in the bigger chippers and this one will rip the little stuff out of your hand as you drop it in the top. But it does not work that well for larger material in the 4" range compared to the 8" PTO models with hydraulic feed.


I also do quite a bit of chipping with a 12" vermeer. I often feed 10" logs through it and it takes a while but it gets the job done. It's certainly not ideal for lots for really small bushy stuff.


My suggestion is to rent if you are going to dispose of a large amount of branches. That way you can use your tractor to load the chipper. It is very difficult with a tractor compared to a skid steer but it can be done. If you are planning to hand load then you might as well just buy a PTO model and go that route as since you are using the bigger stuff for firewood you will mainly be processing small material.

Might not be what you are looking for but I noticed that woodmaxx has a new gas powered model that might work for some situations.
Wood Chipper shredder | portable | gas engine powered | WoodMaxx

 

[4570Man]

Depends on your needs. Is it an ongoing need? How big is the need? How much brush? How often? If it's something you are going to do once, rent the biggest one you can find. As mentioned, if it's rated to 6", it's not going to make you happy chipping 6" branches.

I rented a supposed 6" two years ago when I had to drop a dozen big trees. I was planning to chip anything under 4", the rest would go in the firewood pile. But I had volunteer help, so a few bigger ones got fed in. It was very slow going on the 5" stuff. It did manage it, but it was slow. This was a self-feed unit.

If it's an ongoing need, do the math. What does it cost to rent a big enough chipper, and how often will you need it? At 8 grand, I'm guessing you are better off renting it for a week once a year to give yourself a comfortable amount of time for the job.

I just checked SunBelt Rental's site for the Sacramento area, and they want $520 per week for a 6" self-feed. That $8,000 will get you almost 16 years of chipping with no ownership headaches (maintenance, repairs).

Always, do the math, do the math.

Not hardly. More like 16 weeks of continuous use. And they probably charge sales tax on top of the $520.

 

[oosik]

I've had two Wallenstein chippers. I currently have the BX62s. Every spring I thin my pine stands and chip 750-900 small(6" or less) pines. Both chippers have worked flawlessly. The BX62s cost $4500 when purchased new in 2013. I have never found the need for a hydraulic feed unit... I feed the pines whole into the chipper without problems.

 

[Shaneard]

Not hardly. More like 16 weeks of continuous use. And they probably charge sales tax on top of the $520.

You missed his point, he said "At 8 grand, I'm guessing you are better off renting it for a week once a year to give yourself a comfortable amount of time for the job.". Once week a year =16 years.

 

[747driver]

I just bought the Woodmaxx 8H. Yes it is built in China but American supported in Akron,NY. Very well built and fit and finish are very good. Bought the USA made pto shaft. Total cost was $2900...free shipping. To much hassle to rent as we live a hour away from the nearest rental place.

Have put 6 hrs on it the past few days. No problems !! We have 24 acres in Tenn. so this is a welcome machine to keep things cleaned up. Instead of having to make big piles...just drive the tractor and chipper to where you need . The hyd feed is very nice...as once in awhile you need that reverse action to get a branch out that is stuck. Anything over 5 inches is firewood so don't need any bigger machine.

 

[JRobyn]

I own a PTO chipper (ancient Morbark Busy Beaver 125) that's probably rated for about 6". Bought used about 10 years ago and can't even remember for how much ($2500?). Bought mostly because we had 200 acres almost all wooded, needed to clear for house/powerlines/etc. and were fearful of burning because of poor water availability and sketchy fire dept. It seems there are ALWAYS slash piles of some sort, somewhere. I thought I would use it a LOT.

For a year or so, we did. Recently, only occasionally. For the same reasons that make you hesitate to rent. It doesn't make sense to connect the chipper until there's a significant need (pile). As soon as the saved up piles are done, the chipper needs to come off so the tractor can be used for other purposes. OTOH, dried, hardened slash is more difficult to chip, so you really don't want to "save up" for more than a month or two.

I also once rented a decent 6" capacity Vermeer tow-behind at another property. It was OK, but the self-feed/reverser was touchy (out of adjustment) and the blades were dull. With a rental, you can expect less than as-designed performance. It did the job, but just ok.

All things considered, if I had it all to do over again, I would probably NOT buy, but rent. At least when larger capacity was needed. Maybe buy a smaller self-contained 10HP or so unit for lawn and garden debris (1"-2" stuff). The trick would be to find a rental source that maintained their equipment well.

 

[ultrarunner]

Hard to rent a commercial chipper here unless you hold a contractor license...

The Bandit Dealer worked up some numbers for me to buy their demo unit... said I should rent it for a day to see how I like it and the rent would be credited to the purchase.

Went to pick it up and it was already hitched to the truck and my credit card processed... as I was leaving the guy runs after me saying he needed to copy my contractor license... I told him I am not a contractor... I only work on my own holdings...

Lost story short I was not allowed to rent since I was not a licensed contractor... no where did it say this but all their business is contractors or government for rentals.