Jim,
It depends on what implements you have and what you are trying to accomplish. If you would fill in your profile we could tell more about your situation, what attachments you have, what kind of land etc.
I tow the chipper into the woods, disconnect it and then chip into the bucket of my FEL. When I have a full bucket (9 cu ft) I take the chips to a convenient location for storage or distribute them where the wife wants mulch. I then go back to the woods for another load. It is also nice to be able to use the tractor to bring loads of limbs to the chipper, move the firewood that is larger than what I want to chip, etc., etc. The advantages of a stand alone chipper are that you can get it into places you could not get a 3PH chipper and can use the tractor for other tasks as required or desired. The primary disadvantage is that it gives you another engine to maintain.
Bill
Jim,
The Bearcat 70554 is probably between $2200-$2500. I have really enjoyed mine. I think they are very well engineered and match up well with my B7500. One reason I wanted it was to be able to compost the chips and use them for mulch and landscaping. In a little over a year I have chipped about 4 piles like the one in the picture. The chips are very small and compost quickly. I like that.
It is rated at 5 inches and will handle it (barely). The B7500 has 16pto HP, so it sometimes runs out of ooomph a little before the chipper does. There are 4 chipper blades that are mounted on a 125lb. flywheel. The blades are reversible and easily accessible. I just recently sharpened them for the first time. They are incredibly tough and stay sharp for a long time. There has been a lot of talk about hydraulic feed vs. manual. When the blades are sharp, it self feeds very easily. The shredder literally rips stuff out of your hands, so you have to be careful with that. All top fed shredders are a safety issue. Overall, I've been pleased.
busted up New Holland TC 24D hydro :(, Replacment NH TC 24D!
Bill, I am having a hard time believing that a tow behind unit is more maneuverable that a three point mounted version. Would that say that a tow behind box blade is more maneuverable than one that is mounted to the tractor? My box blade extends out about the same as my chipper. I do not see how one can backup and turn around on narrow or steep trails with a chipper in tow. One area that I agree with you is that it is nice to be able to drop the chipper and continue to work the tractor and FEL but in my case the best maneuverability comes from a tractor mounted chipper.
Talked with one of my fellow master gardeners on Monday. She mentioned that they'd bought a smaller chipper to tow it to where they needed shredding done.
During our tour at her house last year, I noted that they have a monstrous 3 pt chipper of some sort. Guess it's too big for her to consider it easy to transport about the lawn and garden area.
They have 60 acres.
Consider the weight/capability choices. If it's too heavy, I'd be leary of taking it out into the woods. I'd be very careful even towing my 8 hp Troy Bilt into the woods. Fortunately, its towing bars would probably bend before it would take the tractor along with it if it toppled.
George,
Not to start a war, but in my woods of maple and hickory, I have found that I can thread the narrow tow behind version through woods that I couldn't get through with a larger unit that was fixed. I feel that it is similar to the issue with a belly mounted mower or a RMM in an area with a lot of trees. Perhaps your chipper is a lot smaller than the Valby I was considering, but that's what makes horse races, politics, and TBN interesting. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
Bill
