Chipper/Shredder or Burn?

[To20Chris]

I have a lot of clearing to do to reclaim the edges of my fields, and other areas around my house. I'm not clearing out too many big trees, just a lot of crap stuff. Also, my woods were logged about 6 years ago (before I moved here), and they did some real sloppy work. So now I have a lot of large branches etc to clean up. If it is big enough (and not rotten) I'll cut it for firewood, but the rest of it I have to get rid of. So I'm considering a Jinma JN6 chipper/shredder. My questions are:

1. How fast are these things? I'll probably not put too much 6" stuff in, unless it's no good for firewood, but if you're feeding in a 4", 10' branch, how long does it take? Do you have to stand there and feed it, or can you just get it started and let it pull it in?

2. What do you do with briars and brush? Can you push it into the hopper with a branch?

3. Would it be faster to just push it into piles and burn it? Obviously it would be cheaper - I have not yet talked to any dealers yet, but it looks like it'll be pushing $2k to get one to PA.

If anyone has any experience using one, I'd surely appreciate some feedback.

Thanks!

 

[Paddy]

Unless it's so dry where you are, I would burn. Fast and cheep. I'd clear the big stuff then bush hog over the briers and scrub.

The part I can't stand about chippers, they are the noisest machines! I find it peacefull to burn.

Save your $$

Patrick

 

[To20Chris]

Paddy, I agree entirely about fires being more peaceful - I've done (and will always do) a lot of burning. But I've got a lot to clear, and fires need tending. I'm truly not sure which way to go, but then I've no experience with a more powerful chipper/shredder. My Dad has a toy with about 8hp, I'll be darned if I'll stand around and feed that dumb thing! The field edges are not too big a deal to drag the stuff out, but some of the areas I'll be working on don't have great access, kind of one path in an out. Burning will be tough there, as it won't be easy to make a good pile, whereas I could get in with a 3ph mounted C/S.

 

[markie61]

Brambles and tangles are going to be the big problem. They catch on the edges of the hopper and keep stuff from going in at times - slows you up and is frustrating. I don't have any choice - have to chip. But if I was in your situation, I would burn and bushhog as the law allows.

That said, I LOVE my chipper. Other than the mower and loader, it is most used implement. If you haven't already, do search for CHINESE CHIPPER REVIEW to learn all about this great, but quirky, chipper.

Mark

 

[markie61]

Oh, I think throughput is almost as fast as some of the industrial chippers I have rented - maybe a foot a second. 6" oak WILL slow it down, however. But that is firewood!

Mark

 

[To20Chris]

Thanks, I'll look it up as soon as I get a chance. I wondered about jamming the brush in. Sounds like I might have to burn that anyway. 6" oak would NOT be going through it - too nice to waste!

Sigh - I look at the areas I want to clean up, and I know it only takes a couple of minutes to cut the stuff down, but that's when the real work starts! If it were just the fields, I wouldn't think much more about it, I'd burn it. But the more I think about it, there are areas that are not well suited for making (or burning) a pile, and moving it all will be difficult at best. Gonna have to ponder this some more!

Perhaps I'm just imagining going in with the FEL, a chaisaw, and that chipper/shredder on the back - just think what damage I could do! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif I'm thinking I could clean things up fairly quickly.

 

[CTyler]

You should not have to pay much more than $1600 for a Jinma 6 shipped if you shop around. Whatever you get make sure it has a feed roller or you'll be working your tail off!

I've stuffed some 6" hardwood branches in mine just to see. Chewed it up! Most anything bigger than 4" gets used for firewood though.

I don't think it takes 60 seconds to chew up a 20' 3-4" branch.
I went with the chipper to use the chips for walking trails, mulch and adding to the compost piles. The chips get put down as a base then topped with cypress mulch.

 

[John_Mc]

From a wildlife habitat standpoint, the pristine clean woods that looks like a park stinks. If you can, leave a few brush piles here and there. They provide needed cover for many woodland creatures. If you can't stand the look of the piles, you can put them in out of the way places (which might be better from a wildlife perspective anyway. Also, the occasional large log lying around is a vital part of ruffed grouse habitat (makes a good place to sit and enjoy the woods as well).

For what it's worth, chipping is better than burning for the environment, and better for the long-term health of your woods (returns more nutrients to the soil).

John Mc

 

[boomer4snow]

Have you considered renting a chipper? I have almost the same situation as you do except I have 5 acres of homesite/lawn to build, and a good chunk of it is on a hill. I plan on building a grapple in the spring. I cleared out almost 1/4 mile of fencerow 30' wide for my driveway and at first I hauled it off to a burn pile. Two years later I finally got the last of it burned. The last 1/8 mile or so I was running out of time (fall) so I simply made one huge pile with the FEL and drug off the big stuff with the ol AC WD45 to my firewood fabrication area. I rented a Enormous chipper Vermeer I think it was, cost $200 for the weekend and I had the 1/8 mile worth of tree parts shredded and in a nice pile in about 6 hours, in fact I was frantically trying to cut down anything I could find in order to get the most for my $$. I would never have gotten half of it with a smaller chipper, and a really big one costs 6-7 grand plus maintaining it. I think if you simply made several very large piles that you could tow the chipper to, you will make super short work of em and have a lot less $$$ tied up in it. Or, at least you can get the work done that you need to do right now size wise, and invest in a smaller chipper for the maintaining.

 

[kayssupply]

I just dusted off my Jinma today. I am looking forward to getting it out. I only had it for a few days before I was weathered out. I have a similar situation as you, I didn't want to stand around for hours watching a fire. I had to take several hours and go completly through the chipper tightening and adjusting pretty much every nut and bolt. It has paid off. It will chip just about anything I can push at it. It doesn't have a very fancy feed system. It will slip before it will do any damage to it's self , so you have to twist and wallow the wide branches. I plan to put some rounded metal edges on the chute to help stop the limbs from hanging on the strait metal edges. I would say it is the best deal out there. It would take 3 times the money to get anything even close. I tried renting. After the second or third piece of junk, I gave up. Be prepared to tinker. It isn't a Mercedes closer to a Yugo.