Chipper PTO CHIPPER Suggestions

HarleyBob · Nov 28, 2001

I am looking for a PTO Chipper for my Kubota L3010 (30hp).
What is out there. I will not be doing commercial chipping, just around the farm.
Should I get one for the PTO or one with its own motor and tow it around with the tractor?

Edited by HarleyBob on 11/28/01 05:48 PM (server time).

Anonymous Poster · Nov 28, 2001

Re: PTO CHIPPER Suggestions By Vermeer

I've seen a few, one @ $900. and the other about $1300., don't remember brand names, but wasn't impressed with the size of the stuff they claim to "chip/shred"... 1" and the build was just regular 16/14 gauge light sheet metal...

For some serious stuff ...4-6" stuff, will cost $3000. plus... or buy a Vermeer for the price of a used tractor.../w3tcompact/icons/blush.gif {quality stuff though!}

Vermeer PTO Driven Chippers

You may be able to find some closeouts on Troy-Bilt 12hp driven chippers for under $1000. I just gave one of my best friend's a like new one... and he loves it!

Good luck in your search...

Harv · Nov 28, 2001

Re: PTO CHIPPER Suggestions By Vermeer

I just gave one of my best friend's a like new one

What does it take to become one of your best friends, ol' pal, ol' buddy? /w3tcompact/icons/crazy.gif

GlennT · Nov 28, 2001

HarleyBob: I hope you don't mind a recycled posting. I entered this a few days ago in response to Duckhunter's query about PTO-driven chippers.

Duckhunter: I spent quite a bit of time researching PTO driven chippers a year or so ago and finally purchased a Valby Model 140 for use with my small tractor. It's a good unit and I'm satisfied with it. I wanted a rugged chipper (commercial quality) and my short list of possibilities included the following:
Bear Cat www.crary.com (not as rugged as the next three)
Danuser www.easternfarmmachinery.com
Patu www.brushchippers.com
Valby www.valbysales.com

These chippers are all capable of serious work and long service. The Chinese-built chipper sold by Bolton (www.boltonpowerequip.com) seemed like a lot of chipper for the money, but I guess I've been turned off by the poor quality of some of the Chinese-built tools and things I've seen. The Bush Hog (www.bushhog.com) chipper/shredder was impressive, but didn't have as large and heavy a disk as some of the others. I've heard good things about the Woods chipper as well (www.woodsonline.com); someone in one of the discussions voiced the opinion that Woods chippers are built by Bear Cat (Crary). There are many other chippers, including Chippit (www.entectradingltd.co.uk), Ram (www.rampower.com), Befco (www.sledmaine.com), Gravley (www.gravely.com), Vermeer (www.vermeer.com), Roberge (www.comsearch-can.com), KwikChip (www.fletcherstewart.co.uk), Dr. Chipper, Morbark, Goossen, Brush Bandit, Mighty Mac (made by Mackissic and sold by Northern Tool). Some of these are too big; some are too small. Trying to get information on these will make you dizzy after awhile. By the way, I haven't checked these sites in some time; undoubtedly some will be changed or nonexistent now. And, of course, you need to answer a basic question: Do you need just a chipper or do you need a chipper/shredder combination? Other considerations include: ability of your tractor to power a chipper, diameter/thickness/weight of chipper disk, number and size of blades, size of shaft, type and ruggedness of bearings, direct drive or belt-driven to increase speed, thickness of sheet metal in housing, location and size of feed chute, availability of fan to aid discharge, ruggedness of stand, availability of mechanical or hydraulic feed, ease of use, ease of maintenance, location of dealer, availability of parts. I've undoubtedly missed some key points here, but it gives you an idea of what to look for. Good chippers are expensive. If you are lucky enough to locate a used one in good repair, grab it! I've done quite a bit of work with my Valby and the only problem with it is that it plugs up easily when I run through leaves, grass and vines--especially if they're damp. My Valby is direct drive and its disk turning at 540 rpm doesn't throw the material with sufficient force to enable the machine to purge itself consistently. Also, I don't have a mechanical or hydraulic drive, so I spend alot of time pushing branches into the chute. Surprisingly, my 18.5 hp tractor handles the chipper just fine. Chipping brush takes time, patience and motivation. The mulch is worth it's weight in gold, but it's amazing how small a pile you wind up with after chipping a huge brush pile. Good luck on your search.

njrqs · Nov 28, 2001

Re: PTO CHIPPER Suggestions By Vermeer

I'm with Harv !!

Tis it the season to be jolly or are you always that nice??

BTW 0 Did you get that toplink I chased a price for you?

I bought a BareCo ROPS after visiting their site for you and it is crap. Doesn't fit properly, bolts don't line up etc.

Taking it back soon.

Neil from OZ. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

hayden · Nov 28, 2001

GlennT's summary is real good. I ended up with a Patu 4" and have been very happy with it. It too is direct drive but I've never had it plug up. My only complaint is that after about 4 years of use I'm getting tired of manually feeding branches. I get tired well before the machine does.

I'm personally very skeptical of the 8hp stand alone chippers. The number of them for sale in the papers after being used "only twice" is a red flag to me. I've seen people struggle with 5hp machines, and inch along with 8hp. Being able to run a 4" x 30' maple sapling through in one gulp is real nice, and I can assure you 8HP, or even 11HP isn't enough. Big stuff gives the tractor a work out. I've even stalled mine once or twice (B2910). But, you pay for it. A good 4" chipper will run $2500 and up

ejb · Nov 28, 2001

Woods http://www.woodsonline.com also makes a line of chippers.

I have a 8100 with hydraulic drive; it takes an 8" log (theoretically), and spits out out no problem. I don't often chip 8" material, but with the large opening and the hydraulic feed you can feed in pretty good size trees (bigger than I can lift or manuever) and it chips them up without a problem.

Hydraulic feed is a nice option if its in the budget. When working alone, it is a great time saver...feed them in, and by the time you go and get the next piece and then come back the first piece is gone. Went out the other day by myself and cleaned up a several enourmous pile of maple branches in about 45 minutes.

This is one of my favorite implements, and so far anyway, the most expensive. In hindsight, I am glad I bought it because that $8K would have been about $3K if I had left the money in the stockmarket..../w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

HarleyBob · Nov 29, 2001

Wow, Glenn that is some bit of research you have done. Thanks for passing it on.
I will plow through some of the websites. I have seen nothing used after some searching.
I have a feeling the machines get pretty beat up and it would be best to start new.
Thanks for the help.

hayden · Nov 29, 2001

I bought mine used and it's no worse for wear now after 4 more years. Aside from cutter knife condition, there really isn't much to them, and consequently not much to go wrong. Bearings should be checked etc. but I don't think they are subject to the same abuse and trauma that something like a brush hog or tiller would be.

Anonymous Poster · Nov 29, 2001

Re: PTO CHIPPER Suggestions By Vermeer

...What does it take...

Lots and lots of years... of putting up with me... /w3tcompact/icons/blush.gif

Actually only a couple basic qualities... honest, loyal, consistent, reliable, personal integrity and high morals.../w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Harv · Nov 29, 2001

Re: PTO CHIPPER Suggestions By Vermeer

honest, loyal, consistent, reliable, personal integrity and high morals

oh, well... /w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif

GlennT · Nov 30, 2001

HarleyBob: hayden mentioned knife condition and this is something to consider. One of the reasons I purchased the smallest Valby is because the knives (2) were relatively large--about 4 x 8 inches. When you look at the specs for the smaller PTO-driven chippers, you'll see that the knives on some of them are quite small--2 x 4 inches or such. Knives need to be sharpened so ease of removal and replacement is another criterion. The dealer I worked with indicated that I would probably have to sharpen the knives each day and I had resigned myself to this but have found that I rarely have to do this. So far, I have removed the knives a couple of times and touched up the edges lightly and that's been enough. Although I sharpen lawn mower blades regularly and have no trouble doing so, I don't have the equipment to do a good job of sharpening chipper knives. Fortunately, there is a local person who does custom sharpening. By the way, I purchased two extra sets of knives so that I can change around and keep working if necessary and also to have sets on reserve in case I can't purchase any in the future (in case we declare war on Finland and stop importing stuff from them). Bearings are another consideration hayden brought up. The ball bearings on some chippers appear to be rather small. My Valby has massive roller bearings which probably never will have to be replaced. However, when it is time to clean them and apply new grease (every 200 hours), it's going to be a pain. You actually have to unbolt the top half of a cast iron bearing housing and remove it to get at the bearing. No zerks here! Another thing comes to mind--belts. Some belts look pretty flimsy. It would be nice to have standard V belts which could be acquired locally instead of having to special order unique and expensive ones. Before I purchased my chipper, I wondered if a direct-drive chipper would create greater stress on the tractor than a belt-driven one and I talked to the dealer about this. He pointed out that a shredder (Bush Hog) is direct driven, so there shouldn't be a problem. I have found that the momentum of a heavy chipper disk absorbs shock nicely. When my 220 pound disk is revolving at 540 rpm, it takes alot to slow it down; you can imagine what the same disk would do when belt drive and revolving at about 1,500 rpm (more or less; I don't remember the exact speed). One last item; some of the belt driven chippers have heavy, cast-iron pulleys that contribute to the momentum of the disk. When considering the weight of the chipper disk, you also need to add in the weight of the pulley.

jinman · Nov 30, 2001

Glenn, I just got a reply from Bushhog about their Chipper Shredders...they no longer manufacture/sell them, but they still support them for spare parts and accessories. If anyone is interested in buying a used Bushhog brand (CS100), then they need to be aware that it is technically "discontinued" and use that as a bargaining tool. Otherwise, I've been really happy with mine. It would be nice to have a feed system for the chipper, but the shredder self-feeds. Whatever you drop into it is sucked-in and shredded instantly. Don't get caught holding on to something too tightly or you might get a surprise./w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif Seriously, if you use your head it is very safe.

JimI

Anonymous Poster · Nov 30, 2001

OK... Given the price of new chippers... I had a crazy idea the other day... I would think that you could pick up an old PTO-driven silage chopper for next to nothing (it seems that all the farms around here are either selling out to housing developments, or just getting out of livestock). You would probably need to slow the feeder system down, and perhaps fabricate a chute for wood and brush, but I would think that the size and strength of the core chopper system might work well for "chipping".

Any thoughts?

Anonymous Poster · Dec 1, 2001

Have used an old PTO driven chopper for about 6 years. Be sure to get a "flywheel" type machine and not one that has knives mounted like a reel lawn mower. There should be gearing or chain sprockets to adjust the length of cut. Paid $75 at public sale. Had talked to equipment dealers about the idea and was laughted at, said the brush would be to heavy. Friends and neighbors have borrowed the machine and run it with tractors in the 25HP range.

AndyMA · Dec 1, 2001

I have a Valby 150 and a Valby 160, The 160 has hydralic feed. They are both excellent chippers. The 150 is basically the same as the 140- It uses the same blades (as does the 160). BTW- Valby will "jig" sharpen the blades for $7.00 each if you UPS to them in New York- this is much cheaper than getting it done local where I am in Mass (about $18/ blade). I only sharpen blades about 2 -3 times per season, clearly not once a day (just keep the dirt and rocks out of it and you'll rarely have to sharpen it. My 150 (and 160) has the optional belt driven (3 belts in parallel) 1.7 speed stepup and this is quite an improvement both in terms of shock resistance and chipping performance. My 150 is for sale if anybody is interested. It has probably chipped about 100 hours and is in need of paint- Otherwise it is perfect. I am located in Central Mass and the unit could be shipped. The 150 has not been used in 2 years since I bought the 160 with the feed rollers. Granted the feed rollers are nice, but they both can chip the same amount- 6" round and 9" slab hardwood. Either will take a 30 foot tree with out delimbing it and chip it branches, leaves, trunk and all. Once you get the trunk into the 150, it self feeds, all you need to do is guide it. I bought Valvy because of the quality, and the fact that they are very easy to get parts for. In addition to being able to get parts from your dealer, you can buy parts direct from them in New York.

If any one is interested in the 150, drop me an email at andy@splusnet.com

Also if you have any other questions about my experience with the chippers, just ask.

AndyMA · Dec 1, 2001

Valby 150 for Sale

For info on Valby chippers, see
http://www.valbysales.com/newpage7.htm

The 150 is basically the same as the 140- maybe slightly heavier. It uses the same blades. Mine has the tall discharge shoot (throws chipsa about 20 feet to a pile or into the back of a truck or wagon).

This chipper also has a speed up option that uses 3 belts in parallel to speed up the 220lb rotor to 1.7 times PTO speed. This helps chipping a lot and also reduces "shock load" on your PTO.

Some of what I've said here is a repeat of my last post, but I wanted to post a picture of what a 150 looks like and give the Valby URL.

jhburke · Dec 2, 2001

My brother brought a used chipper from a tree trimming co. With it all you need is a power unit big enough to pull it to where you are going to work.

JATO_RaT · Dec 3, 2001

Re: PTO CHIPPER Suggestions By Vermeer

I'm with you John, the Vermeers are tops. Get a hydraulic feeder and you'll be a chipping fool. Vermeer makes some huge chippers, over 20" logs can be fed into the larger models. I regularly use a 9" model that I have yet to see a match for. Rat...