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View Full Version : Chipper Shredder decision



Bill Leonard
04-04-2011, 7:52 AM
I need to purchase a chipper shredder to maintain 5 acres. I have narrowed my search down to the following:

Patriot accepts up to 3 inch branch
Merry Mac towable accepts up to 3 1/2 inch
DR accepts up to 3 inch

I want/ need the ability to both chip as well as shred, otherwise I'd just buy a larger chipper. Alas, I have not found a 4 or 5 inch chipper with a shredder. I'd like to keep the price under 2 grand.
Honest assessments and advice appreciated.
Thanks

Matt Meiser
04-04-2011, 8:03 AM
Look at the used market on CL. I got a Craftsman for $280 that looked nearly new and if that one didn't work out I knew of about 3 more. I can buy almost 7 at that price and stay in your budget. It does a 3" branch but that's slightly misleading since our branches don't grow perfectly straight around here. I got mine from a guy who had a tiny subdivision lot.

Joe Pelonio
04-04-2011, 8:09 AM
I have the 3" Troy Bilt, and it's been fine for my needs at just under $1,000. I would suggest looking at the price of replacement chipper
blades, before you choose, That they do need replacement every year or two depending on how much you use it, especially if you run dry wood through it. Mine uses two and they run $79 most places for the pair, though I have found them for $49.

Chris Damm
04-04-2011, 8:54 AM
Get the biggest one you can afford! I have an 8 HP and it will chip 3" limbs if you have the time to waste doing it. I would look for a used commercial with a automotive engine. When I had my farm I picked up a power company chipper for less than $500 (about 20 years ago) and it would chip up to 6" almost as fast as you could load it.

Jim Becker
04-04-2011, 10:35 AM
We started with one of the small units like you list (although not one of those brands) and it was great for shredding and small sticks. But it really didn't have the ability to do what we needed for maintaining our 4 acre property. So we bought a PTO driven Woods chipper/shredder for our tractor. The shredding function isn't as good as the smaller self-contained machine was, but the chipping function is much, much better. I will say that for larger branches (5-6" max), one has to be careful with length as it takes a ton of power to chew that stuff up. I've stalled our 23hp Kubota when I inadvertently forgot that fact...

JohnT Fitzgerald
04-04-2011, 11:10 AM
I have a 'BrushMaster' from HD that my wife bought me for my Bday. It's a 15HP, rated for 4". I have run some 4" limbs through it no problem. I think it goes for less than half your 'budget'.

Greg R Bradley
04-04-2011, 12:38 PM
I bought a 10HP unit from HD or Lowes for around $800. I have seen the exact same one as a Craftsman unit also. My neighbor bought a Troy Bilt for about the same. The Troy Bilt is somewhat preferable since the input is more vertical. Each unit weighs around 150 pounds.

Both are a joke in terms of capacity. I'm thinking it takes at least twice that much power and alot better design to be worthwhile. They say they will take 3" branches but that is down the small chute that has a cutter wheel and requires a straight branch and a slow feed rate. The big chute won't take anything large. With them sitting there and already paid for we still don't use them.

We end up renting a real one each year when we need one.

When we tried to sell them at yard sales, we heard numerous comments from others who bought similar units and wanted to sell their chippers since they were useless.

I'm wondering if $2000 is enough to get one that will actually be useful.

Bear in mind that these are HALF acre lots although each of us has around 10 citrus or avocado trees

Rick Thom
04-04-2011, 1:19 PM
Maybe a good idea to see what the local yard maintenance folks are using. My observation is that they have to buy good equipment and that it can be serviced locally to avoid costly down-time.

Jim Koepke
04-04-2011, 1:36 PM
Why not a chain saw and a wood stove?

Or sell firewood.

jtk

Matt Meiser
04-04-2011, 1:54 PM
I'll answer that one with my expereince. No wood stove here. The stuff we chip/shred is stuff we used to pile at the back corner of our property--a pile that is now 6' tall after 7 years of doing so because normal maintenance and storm damage generates it faster than it breaks down. That stuff is really to small to bother burning. Plus some is pine, some cotton wood, some with lots of leaves, etc. The firewood-sized stuff I put by our fire pit and burn if we want to have a bonfire or burn if I'm burning my scrap lumber. Or in the case where we lost a whole tree, I put an ad on CL first come, first served and it was gone in an hour.

Ed Hazel
04-04-2011, 2:17 PM
I usually just rent a six-inch chipper, usually my neighbor or somebody else needs chipping done also so we just go in together and rent one for a few hours. I don't have to store it or maintain it that way. I do not believe they did the shredding though. You might want to check with your local tool rental place I think it's cheaper in the long run for me anyways.

Matt Meiser
04-04-2011, 2:58 PM
When I looked into renting around here, I found I might as well pay a few bucks extra and just pay someone to come in and do it.

Lee Schierer
04-04-2011, 4:05 PM
My father purchased a Merry Mac Tow-Behind Chipper/Shredder and it chipped and shredded exceptionally well. The shredder flails were reversable so they could be used for a longer period of time before replacement. It has lasted over 20 years with only blade sharpening and flail replacements.

Before you buy compare the price of replacement cutters (flails) and the ease of replacement. You may be surprised that some models don't offer replacement cutters for a reasonable price and/or they are very hard to get to.

Joe Pelonio
05-20-2011, 7:53 PM
I finally had a dry day to replace my blades. Not a bad job, but one tip is to clean out the hex screws with a jeweler's screwdriver, they were full of caked on dust and the first one started to strip until I noticed the reason the wrench wouldn't go in enough.

Chipping away like new again. I'm sorry for my neighbors tomorrow! I have to take out a 6' x 20' area of mountain laurel 5' high and intend to shred as I go.