Chipper

[Scotty Dive]

I am looking for a PTO chipper - probably used. What brands would you folks recommend? Any gotcha's you have expereinced?

Plus - is this something you guys get a lot of use out of???

 

[Branchchipper]

I do a lot of chipping (thus the name). One thing that I was warned about decades ago has proven very true; a lower-to-the-ground (and lower-angle) feed chute is critically important. The more you have to lift and "angle up" branches, the less you'll be able to do in a day.

We chip a lot of fir branches, especially after storms- some are 15, even 20' long. With a low feed chute, I can get the butt end up and into the machine, then walk away as the branch is pulled through.

Our chipper is a Valby CH150; I bought it in the mid-1990's, and am completely happy with it.

Valbys are made in Finland; while not cheap, they are VERY heavy duty, with first-rate bearings, welds and etc. The cutter knives are extremely beefy hardened steel. When needed, the dealer sharpens the knives cheaply and quickly - we just mail them!The chute outer edge is roughly 1' off the ground. The discharge chute is steerable- you can make a pile anywhere, or just spread it into the woods. We use all of ours on trails.

I did not opt for the hydraulic feed roller; I could not afford one at the time of purchase, and my original tractor did not have remotes. While I would still like to have one, the machine works very well without it.

I now use a 50hp tractor to power mine, but a friend has the same chipper and powers it just fine with a 25hp tractor.

Used ones do come up for sale; our dealer, in southern Oregon, moves a lot of them, new and used.
(Envirochipper Industries, Gold Hill, OR)

 

[deepNdirt]

One driven from a the PTO of my tractor would sure be nice to have, although not certain I would be comfortable using one on my tractor, expensive things could be broken, Perhaps would be alright with a larger tractor,...:thumbsup:
I have a 10 Hp B&S chipper ,I have learn its limitations, the manufacture says 3-4" diameter limbs, in reality its more like 2"max,
I have had limbs to snatch from my hand and twist with the rotation of the chippers, and have to shut it down, the portable chipper I have has a weighted flywheel that takes a good minute for it to completely stop after shutting down the engine, By that time I'm sure the chipper could have done its damage in that short amount of time, at least with a PTO one could knock it out of gear, but still yet I'm not sure how a PTO driven chipper works if is 1 to 1 ratio or would have a weighted gear or flywheel to assist in keeping consistent chipper speed,

for my money and size tractor I simply use the portable chipper
on another note: I found out a chipper does much better when chipping fresh green limbs, don't try chipping dried hardened limbs

 

[clemsonfor]

Yep deep. Green is better and easier for a chain saw as well. The water serves as lubricant and a coolant for moving parts!

This is true in the logging biz too, at least this is how i really know most about this debate.

 

[California]

One thing that I was warned about decades ago has proven very true; a lower-to-the-ground (and lower-angle) feed chute is critically important. The more you have to lift and "angle up" branches, the less you'll be able to do in a day.

So true! I bought the HF $350, 5.5hp shredder to shred pruning debris. If you can cut your stuff with loppers, this will shred it. But as shown here, everything has to go in the top.

Also the discharge is straight down. I keep a wide grain shovel there to toss the material into my mulch bin.

This shredder starts easily and has plenty of power but the ergonomics, the user convenience, isn't as good as a more well-thought-out unit.

 

[Branchchipper]

Valby and many other PTO chippers are driven by a set of belts from the PTO shaft; the belts turn a massive flywheel on which the knives and blower vanes are mounted. (knives are bolted on, vanes are welded on)

There is built in shear/slip protection, but the hydraulic feed option adds another layer of safety. It also lets you chip tangled or viney stuff that you couldn't otherwise feed through.

In my non-hydraulic experience, though, the knives are not so aggressive that you can't simply pull back from the far end of a branch and disengage it, if it is bogging things down.

The CH150 is rated for up to 6" diameter material, but we save everything 4" or bigger for firewood.

Valby has been around for decades, and is often copied. There are a few direct-drive imitations out there (which I would stay away from), including a couple of Chinese clones that are even painted similarly. (We see them at Ag shows and in ads in the regional ag/forestry paper)
You get what you pay for!

(I have an older 8hp gas US-made machine that is similar in knife/flywheel/blower design, but obviously much smaller. It chips pretty well, but you must push and hold the branch as it is chipped- a few hours of that and your hands are completely numb from the vibration!)

 

[grsthegreat]

I have a Jinma 6" PTO powered chipper that i used for 3-4 seasons on my JD870 (25 HP pto) tractor without any issues. I hav now used it for 1 season with my 45HP Kioti.

I have never had an issue with this chipper. Its Chinese made, but very good qiuality 1/4" + steel everywheres.

Handles 6" fir/pine/aspen without a hitch

Though i generally keep anything over 4" for firewood. It doesnt have a hydraulic feed, but does have a belt driven feed and a chute to direct chips.

I believe i paid about $1,200 incl shipping. I use it alot, have 20 acres of trees to maintain. Since getting this i no longer have burn piles.

 

[RoyJackson]

I use my chipper/shredder 3-4 times a year to clean up yard debris, downed limbs, etc...typical rural residential use.
Since I do this at my leisure, I just stack the waste until I get enough (or enough time/energy) to run the chipper for a few hours.
BTW, I have a Woods 5000 I bought used off Craigslist.

If you plan to do a lot of chipping...get the Valby...superb piece of equipment.

 

[Scotty Dive]

The valby looks great but way too expensive for me even used. I see quite a few other brands in the $1500 - $2000 range. I can rent a vermeer for a day at $200. I think I might use a chipper once and maybe twice a year in normal conditions....we have had two major storms in as many months so I have quite a few piles of branches to go through. If I could get one for $1000 it might make sense to have it on hand and not have to worry about a rental etc.

 

[RoyJackson]

The valby looks great but way too expensive for me even used. I see quite a few other brands in the $1500 - $2000 range. I can rent a vermeer for a day at $200. I think I might use a chipper once and maybe twice a year in normal conditions....we have had two major storms in as many months so I have quite a few piles of branches to go through. If I could get one for $1000 it might make sense to have it on hand and not have to worry about a rental etc.

That's the way to do it...I paid a thousand for my Woods 5000 (pretty lightly used unit, actually).
One word of advice...watch Craigslist (and use search tempest to widen your search area) and be ready to move with cash in hand. They sell really fast!!
Frankly, $1000 is a low price for a chipper...I really lucked out as the seller was moving and had to sell quickly, so he lowballed his price.

BTW, there is a chipper (Goosen, I think) on TBN's Private Party ads...