Large PTO chipper

[bigsnowdog]

a 10 inch PTO chipper is going to be one big heavy unit.

Can you tow a trailer in to the trees? If so you might try looking for a used commercial trailer chipper like a vermeer, morbark or bandit. They make diesel models that will pull in and chip a 10 inch tree. Just tow the chipper to the site, no 3 point set up, and with 2 vehicles your tractor can be used to move wood to the chipper.

I would also look for a used PTO unit. The engine driven one is going to be a lot more money, meaning a lot less affordable.

I have looked at the weight of the 10 inch units and the lift capacity of the 5500 and it would handle it fine.

 

[Greenpole bandit]

I have an 8" woodmax with hydraulic feed and I have been using it for about 40 hours . I have it attached to my Mahindra 5035 with 47 pot HP and have chipped very similar materials to what you are talking about. I cut the trunk down so the are about 6" and it pulls the rest in with no problem. I am very satisfied with this chipper and it sounds like this would be a good tool for what your are trying to do. You can then just burn the logs or have someone pick them up for free firewood.

 

[bigsnowdog]

I have an 8" woodmax with hydraulic feed and I have been using it for about 40 hours . I have it attached to my Mahindra 5035 with 47 pot HP and have chipped very similar materials to what you are talking about. I cut the trunk down so the are about 6" and it pulls the rest in with no problem. I am very satisfied with this chipper and it sounds like this would be a good tool for what your are trying to do. You can then just burn the logs or have someone pick them up for free firewood.

These are conifers? You mean you are cutting it so the thickest end of your piece is 6 inches and it still has all of its branches? The chipper pulls that through?

 

[LarryD]

Why coudn't you just drop the trees and limb them on the ground, haul the logs to a place a self loader can get to, and sell them? I would think if you started at the back of the lot and worked your way out all you would have left is piles of slash. Then get a smaller (6") chipper and go to work.

Find a local guy with a self loader and have him come take a look. All you need at any time is one load for the truck. Do it in stages. Could be some cash to offset the cost of the chipper.

 

[bigsnowdog]

Why coudn't you just drop the trees and limb them on the ground, haul the logs to a place a self loader can get to, and sell them? I would think if you started at the back of the lot and worked your way out all you would have left is piles of slash. Then get a smaller (6") chipper and go to work.

Find a local guy with a self loader and have him come take a look. All you need at any time is one load for the truck. Do it in stages. Could be some cash to offset the cost of the chipper.

Nobody around here would buy white pine this small, you could not saw anything out of it. Timber buyers here only want hardwood saw logs or big white pines. Not little stuff like this.

I can't leave the limbs/slash on the ground due to the beetle habitat. It all has to be destroyed, meaning burned or chipped.

 

[LarryD]

Pulp buyers won't take logs? I can see a lumber mill not really wanting small logs like that.
I figured if you could cut and limb a load per week as well as chip then nothing would be on the ground long enough to help the beetle population.

 

[bigsnowdog]

Pulp buyers won't take logs? I can see a lumber mill not really wanting small logs like that.
I figured if you could cut and limb a load per week as well as chip then nothing would be on the ground long enough to help the beetle population.

I will certainly inquire, and would love to sell them, but I am not aware of any pulp log buyers in Iowa. And, given the time required for me to make up a semi load of those stems they would be on the ground too long for the beetle aspect of this.

 

[Treemonkey1000]

The cheapest way is to cut and push into a pile. Put some dry stuff in the middle. Add some diesel and torch with road flares. Have a big fan or leaf blower to get them good and hot. Once they get burning you can get very green stuff to burn as well. Chipping them doesn't kill the pine beetle eggs. A good hot fire will.
Try to stage the wood so you can push or throw more wood on as the fire burns.

 

[bigsnowdog]

The cheapest way is to cut and push into a pile. Put some dry stuff in the middle. Add some diesel and torch with road flares. Have a big fan or leaf blower to get them good and hot. Once they get burning you can get very green stuff to burn as well. Chipping them doesn't kill the pine beetle eggs. A good hot fire will.
Try to stage the wood so you can push or throw more wood on as the fire burns.

Oooooohhhhh. I like the leaf blower idea. I would never have thought of that.

I was told by my state's district forester that they could not live in chips. I have no prideful investment in that answer, but can you direct me to a source for that you are saying? It is a highly critical aspect of this.

The one method I have been pondering in parallel top the chipper question is the fire method you describe.

 

[Treemonkey1000]

Okay I would have thought that chipping would still let them eggs live. Still just burning sounds like the least labor intensive over cutting hauling and chipping. I do a lot chipping and it takes a lot of effort to feed the chipper. Especially if limbs and fluff get caught up in the feed chute. Even with hydraulic feed the stuff can clog up.
Pushing the stuff into piles grabbing some favorite beverage and let them burn. With the leaf blower if you can get some metal pipe to put closer into the core of the fire will help it burn. If you get the leaf blower too close it can get hot and melt down.