Chipper size

[MJ Services]

Hey all,

I have a small tree job to do this weekend. I'm going to rent a chipper to make my life easier. I have two 20ish foot pine trees to take down. about 6-8" diameter. not too big but lots of branches. will be a PITA to haul away so I figured I'd chip them onsite into my pickup. She also wants her butterfly bushes cut down and three other small shrubs cut. so a total of 2 pine trees and about 7 bushes need chipped. the bushes aren't an issue, they're only about 1" sticks max. the pines are what have me wondering. I certainly don't need to rent a 12" chipper. I don't have to chip the trunks of the trees, just the branches. But my options are a 3" for $55/day from one place, and from another place they have a 4" for $115. I'm thinking the 4" will be a mini sized tow behind chipper and the 3" will be a "pick it up and put it in the truck" type of thing.

Right now I'm leaning toward the 4" but I just want to make sure it'll be large enough. Everything being chipped will be less than 2" but every pine branch will be a Y shape. I'd just hate to waste $ by renting something that isn't gonna do me any good. If these small chippers are a waste, I can just load the trailer and pickup and make two or three trips but I'd rather not have to. I can also use the chips for mulch around my barn at home and I have some junk at home that needs chipped while I have the machine. What do you guys think? Will a 4" work for me?

[metro36]

It depends on what your disposal cost are and how far your dump site is. A chipper makes life a lot easier but for small loads I dont bother. I only rent a chipper when I have 20+ yards of brush. Otherwise it is cheaper to just load it and haul it. If you only have a few pickup loads I cant see a chipper being worth it.

That being said, if you are set on renting a chipper, I would rent a 6" hydraulic feed unit. All of the small units are just a pain because the branches have to be chopped up small and must be straight to get them to feed. I did use a bearcat 5" chipper once which had a large infeed so I didnt mind it. If your rental place has a 4-5" with a large infeed you might be ok but I would still get a 6". I usually do all the cutting first and line the brush up to be chipped. Then I go get the chipper, chip, and return. This way I only need it for less than 4 hours which is the minimum rental.

[TriCountyLawn]

My go to chipper size is usually 6", that said based on the rental places here the 4 different units I have to choose from all say 6" but performance greatly varies. Doesn't sound like that will be a problem for you on this project.

I can always go to the 12" chipper if needed but when your playing with project like that Its usually cheaper to do some sub contracting. good luck and be safe

[JNyz]

Just hire someone with a chipper, help him chip and give him a hundred bucks cash. You will be done in 15 min.

[RSK Property Maintenance]

i don't know how you priced the job, but i would cut the two pines at the base, and rent a 12" chipper and chip them whole, same with the bushes and be done very fast. I would try to line some other chipping jobs before i do this one that way you can get a whole day of work and maximize your money. save yourself a lot of time by not having to cut the branches off at all!

[SDLandscapes VT]

sub it to the tree guy with a 12"+ chipper and make money while they do the work--chippers aren't for everyone and certainly are not for chipping into the back of a pickup

[MJ Services]

well, i skipped the chipper all together. turns out the son had already taken care of all the shrubs, which was great. so i just cut and hauled the pines away. was able to get both in one load.....so it was all profit this time. I'd still like to have a small chipper for those little odd jobs here and there just to make transporting debris easier. something like a 3" chipper than can ride on the trailer. But i've used a 4 or 5 inch job before and it was worthless so im guessing a smaller one would be even worse.

[jrs.landscaping]

Originally Posted by RSK Property Maintenance

i don't know how you priced the job, but i would cut the two pines at the base, and rent a 12" chipper and chip them whole, same with the bushes and be done very fast. I would try to line some other chipping jobs before i do this one that way you can get a whole day of work and maximize your money. save yourself a lot of time by not having to cut the branches off at all!

I'd do the same thing. No limbing, so no real mess to clean up.

[RSK Property Maintenance]

Originally Posted by jrs.landscaping

I'd do the same thing. No limbing, so no real mess to clean up.

yep, except i don't usually rent a chipper anymore since i bought one from my profits i made from the storm we got last october, I used it a lot from november until probably march with zero issues, and this summer it has had a bunch of little gremlins that keep haunting me. but still a good investment, because it has given a huge return like 1000% maybe more. in under 12 months.