Recommendations for wood chipper for small material

[2manyrocks]

WC68 looks like a nice chipper that should be able to chip so much faster than one of the small gas machines. Brush clearing is enough work as it is.

Looking forward to your opinion after you get a chance to use it.

 

[beowulf]

2manyrocks,

I finished preparing the chipper - Woodland Mills WC68 - arrived a few days ago - trimmed the PTO shaft, filled with hydraulic oil, checked and rechecked everything, took it to the first of many, many brush piles, and started it up. It worked well.

I cannot compare or provide the ultimate advice on chippers as this is the only one I have ever used, but my assessment: very well made - quality is evident; manual very thorough; love the safety bar (pull out to activate roller, in for neutral, and farther in to reverse it - and you can use your upper legs to bump-shut it down quickly); very happy that I got one with a self feeder; it takes in the material faster than one person can drag stuff over and feed it so having a couple of helpers would really speed things up - there were two of us (the roller speed is adjustable and I ran it at half speed which was plenty)' it seems to work best on drier stuff; I learned that there are ways to insert the branches to make it easier, e.g., what kind of branch configurations may need to be trimmed, etc. Anyway, in about an hour and a half we chipped up a whole lot of branches.

We don't plan on chipping anything much over 2-3 inches as we like to keep that for firewood, but I did try one at about 4 inches and the roller did not seem to want to pull it in - a very short trial - likely a technique issue - I will rewatch some videos and I want to try this again but it started raining.

The way this is packaged for shipping tells me the company takes pride in their product - a steel cage - now becoming a workshop table.

 

[Gem99ultra]

2manyrocks,

I finished preparing the chipper - Woodland Mills WC68 - arrived a few days ago - trimmed the PTO shaft, filled with hydraulic oil, checked and rechecked everything, took it to the first of many, many brush piles, and started it up. It worked well.

I cannot compare or provide the ultimate advice on chippers as this is the only one I have ever used, but my assessment: very well made - quality is evident; manual very thorough; love the safety bar (pull out to activate roller, in for neutral, and farther in to reverse it - and you can use your upper legs to bump-shut it down quickly); very happy that I got one with a self feeder; it takes in the material faster than one person can drag stuff over and feed it so having a couple of helpers would really speed things up - there were two of us (the roller speed is adjustable and I ran it at half speed which was plenty)' it seems to work best on drier stuff; I learned that there are ways to insert the branches to make it easier, e.g., what kind of branch configurations may need to be trimmed, etc. Anyway, in about an hour and a half we chipped up a whole lot of branches.

We don't plan on chipping anything much over 2-3 inches as we like to keep that for firewood, but I did try one at about 4 inches and the roller did not seem to want to pull it in - a very short trial - likely a technique issue - I will rewatch some videos and I want to try this again but it started raining.

The way this is packaged for shipping tells me the company takes pride in their product - a steel cage - now becoming a workshop table.

If you have trouble with the larger pieces, use a smaller piece like maybe a 2"-3" piece started, then run the larger piece in before it finishes the small piece. I often run larger pieces jammed up one directly behind the previous one being chipped giving the unit a continous run. That works better than running one piece completely through, then start another one.
If running the continous pieces end to start is too fast for you to reload it's fine to simply pause the chipper before it finishes the first piece while you get the next one lined up and ready to follow.
Another tip I've found to be helpful is to cut the butt of the larger pieces at an angle to give the rollers something to bite and pull in the tree. That makes for a little extra chainsaw work but it helps the chipper.
It won't take you but a short while before you'll be an expert chipper

 

[2manyrocks]

FWIW, I prefer using a battery powered pole saw to trim branches in brush piles to make them more manageable. The reach of the pole saw means I avoid bending over and I can reach into the pile to cut branches. The instant/on off means I can set the saw down to drag the brush, etc without having to recrank the saw. It's no big deal to pick up the saw to cut off some branch that is stuck on something. I also think it's safer from kickback.

 

[Hughman]

Cutting the butt ends at an angle helps with the feeder. I saw one guy on YouTube that loosened the springs on the feeder to help with feeding larger pieces. Thought I might try that next.

 

[ponytug]

I use an electric saw to trim as well. I really like the quick stop, and no concerns about fire from a hot muffler.

I went the other way on the spring; I added a pair of heavy duty rubber tie downs to increase the down pressure. That makes the teeth on my roller engage better on the big logs. My original intent was to improve the the feed and control of small twigs/brush. Along with the added tension on the roller, I adjusted the gap down to about an 1/8".

All the best,

Peter

 

[beowulf]

I use an electric saw to trim as well. I really like the quick stop, and no concerns about fire from a hot muffler.

I went the other way on the spring; I added a pair of heavy duty rubber tie downs to increase the down pressure. That makes the teeth on my roller engage better on the big logs. My original intent was to improve the the feed and control of small twigs/brush. Along with the added tension on the roller, I adjusted the gap down to about an 1/8".

All the best,

Peter

Peter, we also use electric chain saws- usually for the smaller stuff and trimming and cutting up what we want to save for firewood. A couple of Echos work well. A smaller Craftsman battery power saw from Lowes not so much - we have to keep returning it for a new one. And we have gas powered saws for the big stuff.

I will think about the roller adjustments after I have more experience with the chipper.

 

[ponytug]

Peter, we also use electric chain saws- usually for the smaller stuff and trimming and cutting up what we want to save for firewood. A couple of Echos work well. A smaller Craftsman battery power saw from Lowes not so much - we have to keep returning it for a new one. And we have gas powered saws for the big stuff.

I will think about the roller adjustments after I have more experience with the chipper.

FWIW: I went for years before I adjusted the roller. After the heavy snows last year that brought down lots of limbs, I was chipping a lot of fallen green live oak and bay branches that had thin twigs that weren't feeding well for me. YMMV.

All the best,

Peter

 

[319Quahog]

I have to just shake my head at buying a chipper if you can burn it. Less time, money, energy and labor to burn it.

I have been burning. Probably about one a week for the last couple months. I need to go stir the coals from yesterday's.

It gets old. Breathing smoke, dodging sparks, feeding more brush onto the fire etc. Trying to be responsible and keep an eye on it is boring too.

It also isn't legal here when there is no snow cover on the ground, but I have a large enough lot in mind your own business country that it doesn't matter too much.

I'm about to say eff it and buy a gas chipper from Home Depot that i can tow behind my UTV. PTO won't be an option for a few years until I get my trails firmed up and the chips will help with that.

DK2 6 in. 14 HP Gas Powered Kohler Engine Certified Commercial Chipper Shredder with Extended Axles and Trailer Tow Hitch OPC506 - The Home Depot

Make cutting trees and branches easier with this 6-in. 14 HP gas-powered Kohler engine commercial chipper shredder combo. Great for effective cutting of trees, branches, leaves and garden composting, it includes dual 13-in. cutting blades that are double-edge cut reversable for durability...

www.homedepot.com

 

[ultrarunner]

I’ve tried small chippers and the only one worth a darn is the small PTO chipper.

Without at least 30+ hp behind it I tire of it quickly.

I tried to rent a Bandit 65 but no go as a consumer even when it was hooked up to my truck.