Wood chipper advice

[KBFlyer]

I am looking into getting a portable wood chipper. I have pretty much settled on brand and size. Not knowing a whole lot about them what is the difference (pros & cons) between drum and or flywheel?

Wood Chippers - Range Road Enterprises Ltd. Canada

range-road.ca

 

[SmokinEdge]

I bet DougE knows a thing or two about chippers.

 

[Steve H]

I don't know much about chippers. But. I don't care for the engines they're using on the smaller ones.

 

[KBFlyer]

I don't know much about chippers. But. I don't care for the engines they're using on the smaller ones.

I tend to agree. This one uses the common briggs and stratton which has become a very cheap engine and breaks down a lot. I am very good at fixing them so that a good thing. I have repaired many for myself and friends and family. This chipper does use a larger motor then most small chippers. I have 300 feet of hedge I let grow to around 15-20 feet high but every 3-4 years I need to cut it down to at least waist level. So the chipper would not be used a heck of a lot and should last my life time.

 

[Winterrider]

This is the newer model of what I have. Have made my own mulch for about 20 yrs.

DR PRO 475 Wood Chipper | DR Power Equipment

A dedicated self-feeding chipper that will power through branches up to 4.75" in diameter.

www.drpower.com

 

[Winterrider]

You need more.of a chipper/ shredder for your purpose I think.

 

[KBFlyer]

You need more.of a chipper/ shredder for your purpose I think.

LOL then I need a go fund me post I think

 

[KBFlyer]

Did some googling and came up with this answer to my question.
Unlike drum chippers, disc chippers are energy efficient and fast working mechanisms at a time. However, it cannot handle fibrous logs and only trim small branches, shrubs, etc.

 

[Colin1230]

About ten years ago I bought a small Cub Cadet chipper shredder w/ Briggs and Stratton engine. It has the flywheel with chipper knives on one side and shredder flails on the other. It works really well but it is a bear to start! It is a pull start and getting that 70 lb. flywheel rotating is a killer for an old man like me. Electric start or a hand clutch would be a must if I had to do it again.

 

[DougE]

I bet DougE knows a thing or two about chippers.

Really no experience with these smaller units. Lots with the old Asplundh whisper chippers (The ones that suck the stuff in in seconds and you best get outta the way as soon as you feed a limb in) and I also have a ton of experience with 12 inch hydraulic feed disc chippers made by Vermeer and Brush Bandit (much more user friendly lol), but my experience is on the commercial end, having been an arborist most of my life.

 

[gmc2003]

Would renting one be a better option? Since your only going to use it once in a while.

Chris

 

[paulgeorge]

I tend to agree. This one uses the common briggs and stratton which has become a very cheap engine and breaks down a lot. I am very good at fixing them so that a good thing. I have repaired many for myself and friends and family. This chipper does use a larger motor then most small chippers. I have 300 feet of hedge I let grow to around 15-20 feet high but every 3-4 years I need to cut it down to at least waist level. So the chipper would not be used a heck of a lot and should last my life time.
Really no experience with these smaller units. Lots with the old Asplundh whisper chippers (The ones that suck the stuff in in seconds and you best get outta the way as soon as you feed a limb in) and I also have a ton of experience with 12 inch hydraulic feed disc chippers made by Vermeer and Brush Bandit (much more user friendly lol) best 6-inch wood chippers for large branches, but my experience is on the commercial end, having been an arborist most of my life.

A drum chipper uses a rotating drum with blades and is more aggressive at pulling in material, especially leafy or tangled branches. It offers higher throughput but can bog down if overloaded and may require more maintenance. A flywheel (disc) chipper uses a spinning disc with knives, producing more consistent chip sizes. It's generally simpler, lighter, and easier to maintain but feeds less aggressively and can struggle with bushy or green material. Go with a drum for faster processing of dense brush, or a flywheel for cleaner chips and easier upkeep.

 

[DougE]

Coming from the perspective of an arborist with over 20 years of experience running chippers ....

Back in the 1980s when I started, drum chippers were pretty much it. You'd better chuck a piece in and get out of the way,
or get flogged.

Later in my career, disc chippers became the norm. Hydraulic feed rollers grab and feed the brush at a slower, but steady rate, into the blades. Disc chippers also allow you to process bigger material into chips, which lessens the amount of firewood you have to manually load and haul off.

They also have the ability to back up when necessary. You can still get flogged with a disc chipper, but it's more unlikely.

 

[DougE]

Some of the disc chippers (Brush Bandit) have double edged blades that can be flipped to the new edge on the jobsite, if necessary. Drum chippers are a little more involved for blade changes.

 

[chopsaw]

A drum chipper uses a rotating drum with blades

Another blast from the past ,,,

 

[chef k-dude]

I made the mistake of buying one of the smaller DR chippers years ago. It was a piece of junk for what I wanted to do. My property is mostly forest and a wide variety of tree species. Everything from pine to hickory and locust. I gave the chipper away and burn brush and haul away large stuff not suitable for firewood and just pay the tipping fees. Beat myself silly with that stupid chipper.

My advice would be to buy more chipper than you think you need or look in to renting a beast periodically...if you cant burn where you live. My wife prefers bagged mulch (we buy it when its half price) and she does the mulching...I have bigger fish to fry than freaking landscaping and flower gardens!