Guys, I have a large amount of tree limbs that I want to grind up into wood chips that I will use as a natural weed control. I am looking at renting a wood chipper. The 2 realistic choices at Sunbelt are a 6" and a 12" chipper. Generally I am a "bigger is better" guy and would get the 12". That being said, realistically without a grapple to feed the wood in I'm pretty sure I can't even lift a 6" limb of any real size....would getting the 12 just be a waste of money?
Renting a Wood Chipper
- Thread starter jhendric
- Start date
Do you have 12" logs? If not, then yes its a waste. That being said it depends on the 6" chipper, if its a flywheel design they have a hard time with short pieces, feed the thick end first helps but sometimes they still jam. Every 12" chipper I've seen is a drum and I haven't seen one of those jam. Also do not sweep or rake up all the little pieces and chuck them in unless you want to buy the rental place new blades.
slowtwitch73
Well-known member
Depends on the size of the limbs. Personally I would go big. Makes a quicker job of it, and you won't be stuck with limbs that won't go through. Working at the top end of a machines rating can be the pits. Wish they rented bigger than 6" around here.
drivesitfar
Well-known member
The DR chipper is one of buy if I had annual chipping needs. You can occasionally find like new ones for a discount on Craigslist if your quick.
I agree renting a 12 inch when you don’t have or can’t lift anything close to that size is probably wasting your money.
What size branches do you have to chip cause DR can chip up to about 3 inch which is pretty good size for limbs?
I agree renting a 12 inch when you don’t have or can’t lift anything close to that size is probably wasting your money.
What size branches do you have to chip cause DR can chip up to about 3 inch which is pretty good size for limbs?
cvairwerks
Well-known member
Might be faster and less of a hassle to get someone to come out and do it instead. The last time I rented a chipper, it was so dull that it took me all of 3 hours to do two pickup beds full of 3" and smaller stuff. My buddy that has tree service would have had it done in less than 15 minutes, as he keeps his equipment in top condition. He said he would have come by and done it for $50 bucks, since he didn't have to deal with disposing the chips. Renting the chipper was $265 for half a day...
RTM
Well-known member
Unless the 12” is stupid expensive over the 6”, go big. My arborist upgraded his a few years back, and says it is so much faster, in the feed rate/minute category, which is what saves him the time. And if you can still tow the 12”, of course.
Just make sure you have a wide area to blow it into, or have a screen to stop the travel, else you maY blow away other existing landscaping.
cV has a good point too. My guy will come by and chip mine cheap,when he has time, but the past 2 years he has been so busy, it’s not an option.
Just make sure you have a wide area to blow it into, or have a screen to stop the travel, else you maY blow away other existing landscaping.
cV has a good point too. My guy will come by and chip mine cheap,when he has time, but the past 2 years he has been so busy, it’s not an option.
Captain Spaulding
Well-known member
ericm
Well-known member
The point of the larger chipper throat size is not to take a log of X diameter, it's to take branches/trees with less trimming. A lot depends on what you're chipping. Species like coast live oak with stiff branches that stick out at funny angles can be a bear to get into the chipper. Pines/firs are a lot easier, so you don't need as large a chipper.
And yea the chipper knives should be sharp.
And yea the chipper knives should be sharp.
bcschief
Well-known member
For that price you might consider buying one and then reselling it later Hell that's more expensive than renting a truck.
A wood chipper uses knives and anvils, no hammers.
LeeG
Well-known member
Bigger is better. The bigger units will pull larger limbs in without having to do as much trimming. I used to be one of the volunteers that helped maintain a 1000 tree olive grove, and there was a world of difference between a Vemeer 900 and a 1000 (9x14@35hp vs 12x17@74hp). It wasn't even close. I'd hate to try and do much with a smaller unit. These rent for about $500/day around here.
alcorelli
Well-known member
65ranchero
Well-known member
Try HD ?
says a 6" $209 - 12" $342
https://www.compactpowerrents.com/rental-equipment/chipper-and-stump-grinder/
I found the 6" to be perfect
Sometimes chippers are for sale but they probably on the last of the legs
says a 6" $209 - 12" $342
https://www.compactpowerrents.com/rental-equipment/chipper-and-stump-grinder/
I found the 6" to be perfect
Sometimes chippers are for sale but they probably on the last of the legs
redmondjp
Well-known member
Step 1 (assuming your local regulations allow it): Burn pile for all of the branches.
Step 2: call tree service, have them dump chips/bark on your property - some tree services will even do this for free as they have an excess of chips.
Step 2: call tree service, have them dump chips/bark on your property - some tree services will even do this for free as they have an excess of chips.
Step 3: call exterminator to deal with termite/ant infestation
mcj115
Well-known member
One think to check is to make sure both machines have a hydraulic feed. If the 6 did not have a feed them I would go with the 12.
Sportsman762
Well-known member
It depends on what your chipping. Even if there are no logs 6" in diameter there are advantages to a 12" chipper. With a 12" chipper you might not have to delimb the trees and branches as much if at all. You can get the infeed on a 6" hydraulic feed chipper to bend the branches some, however if the branches do not bend enough you will have to reverse the feed and then limb them. It ***** pulling branches out of a chipper. However The cost difference might make a 6" chipper make sense along with the potential additional delimbing requirements. Some rental companies will not let you tow the 12" chipper with a truck less than 3/4 ton. Saying that not getting a 12" due to not having 12" logs is poor advise, branches are more of a determining factor, assuming you don't have anything over 6" in diameter.
I typically rent a 6" chipper due to cost and delimb everything prior to getting the chipper. If I rent a chipper we will generally run it 6+ hours with three guys feeding it and make 8+ yards of chips when done. Anything less and I will just burn it.
I typically rent a 6" chipper due to cost and delimb everything prior to getting the chipper. If I rent a chipper we will generally run it 6+ hours with three guys feeding it and make 8+ yards of chips when done. Anything less and I will just burn it.
Jagmandave
Well-known member
I've rented both in the past, and the big one is amazing! Drag the tree to the chipper with the tractor, lift the end into the hydraulic wheels and in 30 seconds a 30 ft tree is gone, branches an all. Of course, I was chipping freshly felled stuff, so it was still plenty green and soft. I rented the Vermeer from a reputable place (Hertz equipment rental with the Vermeer dealer next door) and everything worked well - had a Perkins diesel engine on it. Picket it up on a Friday afternoon, used it all weekend and brought it back Monday AM, got charged for one day.
The 6" was fine for just doing limbs or saplings, even pretty big limbs. But, it took a bit for the engine to get the flywheel up to speed on startup. Once there it did fine.....
I did manage to clog the chute on the big one once, I think I did a bunch of cedar or osage orange. Just tipped the chute over (with it shut down of course) and shoved it out with a branch, then back to work. 2 guys cleared a LOT of trees off my property in one day.....used the tractor bucket to deposit the chips around the bases of the remaining trees as mulch.
The 6" was fine for just doing limbs or saplings, even pretty big limbs. But, it took a bit for the engine to get the flywheel up to speed on startup. Once there it did fine.....
I did manage to clog the chute on the big one once, I think I did a bunch of cedar or osage orange. Just tipped the chute over (with it shut down of course) and shoved it out with a branch, then back to work. 2 guys cleared a LOT of trees off my property in one day.....used the tractor bucket to deposit the chips around the bases of the remaining trees as mulch.
Gummi Bear
Well-known member
Maybe call your local trash company.
Here, I can call, and they charge by the hour. Last time it cost me something like $100 for them to do a pile the size of a small bus. They just add it to my water / trash bill.
I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately...
Henry David Thoreau
Here, I can call, and they charge by the hour. Last time it cost me something like $100 for them to do a pile the size of a small bus. They just add it to my water / trash bill.
I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately...
Henry David Thoreau
Captain Spaulding
Well-known member
You are mistaken. A simple google search for wood chipper hammer will show you many examples.
All I see is small cheap chippers using hammers. Do you have an example of a big chipper using hammers, excluding mulchers? Not calling you out, genuinely curious as it could be a nice alternative for a rental machine so customers stop destroying knives.
Last edited:
greg13
Well-known member
Chippers use blades/knifes, Shredders, tub grinders use hammers.
I would call a tree service and see if they'll do it during a low time. One of the reasons is because they'll aim the chipper's output into one of there dump bed trucks and dump them where ever you want.
If you rent just the chipper you'll either have to move the tree piles to the chipper or the mountains of chips to where you want to stockpile them.
Tree crews can process debris very efficiently. I just went thru this with storm cleanup. Those big Vermeer chippers are very impressive machines.
If you rent just the chipper you'll either have to move the tree piles to the chipper or the mountains of chips to where you want to stockpile them.
Tree crews can process debris very efficiently. I just went thru this with storm cleanup. Those big Vermeer chippers are very impressive machines.
M-technik-3
Well-known member
My local tru-value has rentals, they had a 6" one that was perfect use for me, had big kolher command 30 hp motor and chipped every bit of brush and branches I put through it. Unfortunately they have now folded due to covid.
redmondjp
Well-known member
???
I know lots of people who use wood chips for landscaping and have never heard of any issues with either ants or termites.
Well I’ve had the opposite experience from most of the other comments. I’ve rented a 7 and a 9 last year with a few neighbors splitting the cost for the day. The 9 was much more powerful and ate up branches with very little work. The 7 inch need to be a perfectly round 6 inch or less branch to get chipped. Even that fed very slowly. The 9 on the other hand didn’t care what was thrown in it, it just chipped it and threw it out the top.
Sunbelt is expensive and usually geared toward contractors. We rented the chippers from smaller local rental places and it was about $200 for the day for each one. By the time we split it with 4 guys who used it in a day, it was only $60, after tax and gas. I had originally planned to have my pile chipped by a tree service but they wanted $400 for what would have amounted to 15 minutes of their time with their chipper. I was able to chip my pile, by myself in under an hour. I ended up trimming more trees just to keep chipping.
My suggestion would be to look elsewhere to rent and get the 12 inch if you’re planning to chip anything bigger than 5 inches.
Sent from my iPhone using The Garage Journal mobile app
Sunbelt is expensive and usually geared toward contractors. We rented the chippers from smaller local rental places and it was about $200 for the day for each one. By the time we split it with 4 guys who used it in a day, it was only $60, after tax and gas. I had originally planned to have my pile chipped by a tree service but they wanted $400 for what would have amounted to 15 minutes of their time with their chipper. I was able to chip my pile, by myself in under an hour. I ended up trimming more trees just to keep chipping.
My suggestion would be to look elsewhere to rent and get the 12 inch if you’re planning to chip anything bigger than 5 inches.
Sent from my iPhone using The Garage Journal mobile app
ZRX61
Well-known member
Before I opened the thread I thought it might have been about marital issues...
I know nothing about wood chippers, but every time this thing is mentioned... it remind me of Fargo...
Depends, who’s insurance would pay if you get hurt using it, yours or theirs?
jives
Well-known member
We rented a 6" Bandit from Taylor Rental for a day for $175. Cannot imagine the price you were quoted. Ack! Anyway, we had hundreds and hundreds of buckthorn trees to chip, most 2-6 inches, but multi-stemmed, multi-branched. The chipper got jammed often.
With three people feeding the machine it still took the entire day. And still had massive burn piles when done.
Advice. . .assuming the vehicle used to tow the chipper is attached to the chipper as you pull it around the yard. . .roll up the windows. . . .
With three people feeding the machine it still took the entire day. And still had massive burn piles when done.
Advice. . .assuming the vehicle used to tow the chipper is attached to the chipper as you pull it around the yard. . .roll up the windows. . . .
LGR
Last edited:
RTM
Well-known member
Hmm, must be the locale. I've been spreading a layer of ground up branches and other detritus under my trees (cannibalism for them?), and never had a bug problem. I've brought in a truckloads of wood chips in the past for the more show areas of the yard, and no problems there either.