Which woodchipper for strictly evergreen diet?

[hddnis]

Some time back when I needed a chipper I was looking at PTO chippers and decided against them because they plug up too often with evergreens. I'd run big chippers in the past when I did high climbing and really wanted that capability, but it comes at a price.

After a bit of shopping I picked up a used Bandit disc chipper with 125hp and 14" capacity with 18" infeed opening. It is a small chipper compared to what I used to run, but big enough that I wouldn't be fighting to feed stuff through it. It cost me less than what a PTO chipper with half the capacity costs. The main advantage has been that the chipper hooked to the truck leaves the tractor free to move material.

A note on safety, we never run the big chippers alone, ever. Rule is if someone is feeding someone else is standing by just watching. When you have a chipper that can devour a whole tree in thirty seconds you only have two or three seconds to react if some gets caught in brush that is being pulled in.

 

[Industrial Toys]

If anyone is feeding my Brush Bandit, I make sure I am there with my hands on the infeed control. Not very efficient for manpower, but either is having your help suddenly disappear!

 

[sixdogs]

Wasn't it last fall where a commercial contractor was doing a commercial job and the owner went through the chipper?

 

[ericm979]

If I could buy a running 14" Bandit for only twice what I paid for the Woodmaxx 8H I'd get one! Around here a chipper that size that's well used but still runs starts at about five to seven times what the 8H cost.

 

[Industrial Toys]

The used commercial chipper market is more dangerous than the chippers themselves. Normally I endorse used commercial equipment saying it really costs you nothing in the end, but chippers are just too difficult to figure out.

I got a PTO model just to take the engine out of the used equasion and then drove to MN from Ontario Canada to buy the 12" hardly used Brush Bandit, simply because there are virtually no larger commercial PTO chippers out there.

 

[sixdogs]

I'm the OP on this and here's what I found that has worked chipping a steady diet of evergreen branches. I found a used Wallenstein chipper and sorry I don't know the size but it will chip 6". I run it around 540 RPM's behind 70 HP and can chip Norway Spruce evergreen branches all day long and no plugging. I have yet to plug it and worked six hours yesterday with no issues.

I'ver used a number of chippers and for a PTO powered chipper, this is the best. It chips hardwood branches like they were toothpicks and takes 12' long spruce branches one after another after another, etc.

 

[RalphVa]

I've never plugged the chipper area of the MacKissic TPH-122 I've had for 15 years. Have gummed up the hammer area with greenery and have had to put some dry limbs in there to ungum it. Of course, the chipper on the Mac feeds into the hammer area.

Shredding/chipping just drops onto the ground. So, there's no chute to clog.

Those limbs you want to chip would easily feed into the Mac's chipper chute, too. Where it gives trouble is something like autumn olives that have little branches every which way.

Ralph

 

[oosik]

sixdogs - glad you found something that works for you. It's not a lot of fun having to unplug a chipper. Usually, by the time it's all plugged up - it's the chute and chipping chamber also. You keep feeding - all of a sudden you notice - no discharge.

There is no doubt - the BX62S on my M6040 throws the chips & pine needles twice as far as the BX42S on the Ford 1700. More power, larger chips, bigger chute, more air flow.

The dog & I went out and surveilled the property the other day. I've got only about eight stands that need to be thinned. Kind of in keeping with my energy level this spring.

 

[sixdogs]

sixdogs - glad you found something that works for you. It's not a lot of fun having to unplug a chipper. Usually, by the time it's all plugged up - it's the chute and chipping chamber also. You keep feeding - all of a sudden you notice - no discharge.

There is no doubt - the BX62S on my M6040 throws the chips & pine needles twice as far as the BX42S on the Ford 1700. More power, larger chips, bigger chute, more air flow.

The dog & I went out and surveilled the property the other day. I've got only about eight stands that need to be thinned. Kind of in keeping with my energy level this spring.

I used to have a beautiful auto feed smaller chipper for 3"--forgot the brand name--but it plugged all the time on greenery. Must have been meant for fruit groves somewhere. Anyway, it took me an hour to unplug it and it was a happy day when I sold it. The Wallenstein, mine is a BX52 I think--will blow stuff 20 feet away if I want.

I currently chip into a pile and then when it's dry pick up with a loader to burn. That's a pain so I've decided to get a a wagon I can pull alongside the chipper like a grain cart and not have to pick up afterwards. Can just take to burn pile and let it sit there to dry a little. I've got lower branches on maybe 300 spruce left to do so have the next few years booked
.

 

[oosik]

A wagon with a big deflector board - chunk of 4x8 plywood. I'm fortunate - I just let it fly and it slowly molders down.

The BX52S is a newer model. Looks like the BX42 & BX62 have been replaced with the BX52 & BX72 models.

I thought my BX62 was expensive. Just looked at the 52 & 72 .......WoW!!!