Chipper Chipper - hydraulic feed or no?

[tuolumne]

I am clearing 2+ acres of hardwoods this spring, and am debating a chipper purchase. It will be used occasionally over the following years as firwood is harvested and additional property is cleared for pasture etc. Anything over 3" will be used for firewood, so I don't need anything too big. I was quoted for a Wallenstein BX42 pto chipper. I would certainly want something like this with a chute to eject chips. Has anyone worked this chipper enough to know how it performs long term? What is the hydraulic feed option worth to those who have used this. My only experiance with chippers is on huge stand alone rentals that can suck up 8" logs like nobodies business. If you don't let go fast enough you'll get a ride. How fast do you wear down when manual feeding? The last thing I want is to be sapped when picking up the chainsaw or operating this powered arm grabber. Do the blades tend to pull in the branches, or does one need to push the whole way.

 

[inveresk]

I don't know the Wallenstein but I have a Jinma 6" chipper with a mechanical feed. The feed roller does the work in pulling through anything under 3". Larger stuff I have to help sometimes but the worst offenders are trees or branches with stiff 4 - 5" side shoots 1" or larger in diameter which won't bend flat. These can hang up on the roller. I know now to make feeding easier to cut side branches right against the trunk when I limb.

Even with the mechanical feed, operating the chipper is still a workout because there's a lot of lifting and pulling, teasing out trees and branches from the piles, then getting them up and into the feed chute. When trees and branches are 12 - 15 feet long and 3" at the thick end, this takes some work. I find this is where the bulk of my energy is expended, not in teasing them through once they're in there.

I try to plan my day's tasks so I don't do any more than a couple hours of chipping at any one time. I find something lighter to do for a while then go back to it.

 

[Ben3130]

I, too, have been thinking about getting a PTO chipper/shredder for my L3130. My only fixed requirement is to have some sort of automatic feeding mechanism. I currently have a hand fed gas powered chipper, and man that thing beats the s**t out of me as much as the wood it's chipping! It's not so much the work of pushing the wood into the chipper as it is the vibration you feel through the wood as it's ground up. After a few hours of that ALL my joints ache like no one's business. Even on smaller stuff (I also keep most everything for firewood and only chip stuff an inch or less in diameter), it's real rough on me. So my only advice would be definitely buy something with automatic feeding, you won't regret it.

 

[Kendall69]

Remember safety first when using these things...

Last week I hired a crew, to do some chipping for me, price was 4 guys, and a chipper @ $100.00 per hour ( I'm is Southern Ca.), and one of the crew guys was ON the chipper kicking things in - then the next day I read this, an accident that happened somewhere else.

A 30-year-old man was killed when he was sucked into a wood chipper while trying to shake loose a piece of wood that had jammed it.The man owned a tree service company working in the 8900 block of 26th Ave. in Pleasant Prairie, according to a Pleasant Prairie Police Department press release.The man was using his foot to clear debris that had jammed the wood chipper around 5:20 p.m. when his foot became entangled in the machine, witnesses told police.His coworkers tried to rescue him from the intake, but he was pulled into and through the wood chipper, according to the release.The incident remains under investigation by Pleasant Prairie detectives, the Kenosha County Medical Examiner's office and officials from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.Police withheld the man's name while they attempted to notify his family.

He disconnected a the feed wheel control bar, because it was sticky/malfunctioning. This unconscionable act made it so that his crew could not help him and had to watch him go through, the customer live with the thought of what happened on his property, and municipal workers with examination and cleanup.

 

[Mike_VT]

Not sure the PTO hp you are running but for a 4" chipper you should have about 25 or PTO. I run a wallenstein 6" off a l4330 something like 38 PTO hp and the thing eats 6" sticks no problem.

I have the manual self feeding version bx60 it cost me around $2500 defenitely a workout and have thought about getting a hydro unit, but can't justify the approximate $6000 price tag. If you can swing the extra $3000 go for the hydro unit you will not be disappointed. I pwersonally would stay away from the belt driven units. If it is a once and a while thing get the manual feed and keep the knives sharp.
Mike

 

[JRobyn]

For me and all the many helpers that have used my old Morbark chipper, hydraulic feed is VERY worth the extra $.

 

[LarryD]

Get somthing that feeds automatically, it's going to be a real timesaver.

I used a Troybuilt chipper one summer and there is no comparison to the amount work you can get done with an auto-feed.

 

[Affordable]

I have sold hundreds of the Jinma woodchippers,the belt driven feed roller will pull in 1"-4" stuff with ease,they are a great value .No doubt a hydraulic feed unit is the cats meow but do you need it for what you are doing 2 acres?Is it worth $ 4,000. more than the Jinma ? There is alot of information on this board about woodchippers with customer comments,do a search on them.
If you did need a part for the Jinmas they are a phone call away.Two weak points are the knuckle on the feed driveshaft and the feed belt,both are less than $ 20.00 to replace

Tommy
Affordable Tractor Sales

 

[tuolumne]

Sounds like my best bet is to rent a pull behind chipper for the day and get some help. This would be by far the cheapest option and the easiest to do the work. However, I know I'll never again rent one over the years as needs arise for small amounts of work. If I owned one it would see frequent use like this. I'd rather be making mulch than smoke. What a dillema!

 

[caver]

Not tractor powered chippers but,,,,,I've owned two different gas powered homeowner type chippers. One was an MTD 5HP and would eat up to 2" and a Troy Bilt 8HP for 3" limbs. The MTD had two cutting blades on the flywheel. The TB had one. I learned with the first one (MTD) that if you keep the blades razor sharp it would pull the stuff in on its own. The TB was always difficult and had more vibration due to one blade.
Both were a bit of a pain to remove the blades to sharpen.

 

[amigauser]

If you are planning on spending $6-7,000 for an automatic feed chipper you may want to look at some used commercial units.

I have been looking at used Vermeer BC625a machines which can be had for $6000 or less used and will handle 6" logs along with auto feed. There are also other "commercial" type machines in the same price range with similar capabilities.

Just my 2 cents worth.

Norm

 

[tuolumne]

If you are planning on spending $6-7,000 for an automatic feed chipper...

I'm not going into the timber clearing business! Yes, a rental seems to be the right answer.

 

[amigauser]

I'm not going into the timber clearing business! Yes, a rental seems to be the right answer.

Depending on your usage, purchasing a used commercial grade unit for $6000 - $7000 and then using it for your purpose and then reselling might be a better deal then renting. I think chipper rentals are around $200 - $300 a day (at least here in CT). It would not take long to run up a large bill.

I considered a tractor PTO driven unit to, but when you figure in the automatic feed etc. it makes more sense to either rent a unit (as you said) or just purchase a lightly used (low hour) commercial unit if you are going to need it for a large number of hours.

A lot depends on the time you will need it (number of hours) and convenience.


FYI,
Norm

 

[kossetx]

OK, Here is my take.

For limited use, the auto, but not hydro feed, jimna is nice to own. I have been building MOUNDS of someday to be compost and lots of cedar mulch for the beds around the house and friends houses although it is strange none of them seem to want to come help make it. I do have a hard time finding enough greens to mix in with the wood to make the compost, but the woods is in decomposition after a month or 2 for the cedar. All this has pretty much been done on my own, so it is a one person machine.

I always had problems burning knowing the energy that was being wasted. After owning one for 3 months, I wish I would have owned the chipper sooner. I much prefer it to burning. for the 15-2k price the jimna is a deal. I do have an almost unlimited supply of feed for it, so that may not be your case. It depends on how much you have to do and what you want to do with the chips. I bought mine to stop burning and to try to make compost to put in my yard.

 

[JRobyn]

I'm not going into the timber clearing business! Yes, a rental seems to be the right answer.

Here's one consideration regarding both rentals and used BC625's... Since my chipper and tractor are in TN, and I had to chip the remnants of some trees in GA, I rented a BC625 last weekend ($115/day but got to keep it all day Sat and Sun). The unit they actually had was a BC620 with a bit less power. That wasn't a problem, but all of the electronic auto-feed-control stuff was!! There is a BUNCH of complicated linkages/valves involved, and as is commonly the case on rental equipment, it was NOT adjusted and operating flawlessly! A few bungee cords on the feed control lever made it usable, but at some (slight?) cost to the safety features. Many used units I saw when I was shopping were ex-rentals.

That said, I bought my Morbark used and have been extremely pleased with it. Even if you get a used/ex-rental unit with a few problems, the basic machines are relatively simple and easy to repair and keep in good operating condition. Just be aware and carefull with either renting or buying a used unit!

 

[kwahl]

I Have the Wallenstein BX 62 without the hydraulic feed and have nothing but praise for it. I too went through the process of attempting to figure out if I needed the hydraulic feed. I would have spent an excessive amount of money when I didn't need to. I have been thoroughly impressed that it eats up, all on it's own, anything I start in it. I have 75 acres and have had it for one season and worked it hard.

I believe that considering all the options stated it was by far the best option for me.

 

[b33b]

'How fast do you wear down when manual feeding? The last thing I want is to be sapped when picking up the chainsaw'

Probably the most physically demanding work you will do with a tractor, especially if you let your feed stock get all tangled up or spread out, but not a bad way to get back in shape. Probably should have everything trimmed and stacked ready for feeding before starting the chipper

The hydraulic feed is nice if working by yourself but it costs a lot if you don't find a used chipper. Most of us probably rather spend an extra day chipping than pay $3,000 more for self feed. Plus you have a chance to lean against the end of branch and catch your breath while pretending you are helping the feed.

I also have rented self powered chippers and find my biggest problem is going for more brush to feed the chipper - slower and more tiring. Limited truck access to the woods is my excuse for a new tractor this summer.

Cal