Chipper/Mulcher
 

Wife and I live under a lot of trees. We have cleared some and have a modest garden.

We both agree that we need a chipper/mulcher for all of the tree debris we accumulate. I can easily fill a dump truck with pine needles each month. Up until now I've been burning or dumping them on the side of our lot. The chipped/mulched stuff is great for the garden as mulch or put into the compost, etc so we want to make use of our resource. :)

Looking for a recommendation on a chipper/mulcher. We are mainly pines, with some oak and yaupon. I would say 4" is the biggest limb that I would chip. (anything larger would go into the wood pile for firewood.)

Thanks,

Blorp

Re: Chipper/Mulcher
 

I've spent a lot of time running limbs into a 6" Vermeer chipper very similar to this one:

http://www.ironplanet.com/jsp/s/item...a?h=405%2C2172

A lot of the Home Depots around here have chippers this size for rent. It will chip anything that will fit through the feed chute. Works best for limbs; you'll have a difficult time trying to coax loose leaves or needles into the rollers. They're loud, too. Make sure you have hearing protection.

Re: Chipper/Mulcher
 

Pine needles are very acidly. Watch them in compost and mulch. You will prolly have to add lime to the pile.

Re: Chipper/Mulcher
 

The best ones come out of Fargo N Dakota.

Re: Chipper/Mulcher
 

we picked up a used Troy Built chipper last year at a garage sale for $125.00
it looks and runs as good as new.
When I got it home and first tried it I was not impressed because you had to feed the branches very slowly.
so
I removed the cutters and sharpened them, this made a Huge difference. The machine now quickly chews up the branches with ease and fills the bag with fantastic free mulch. so, I think the key to making these machines pleasurable/easy to use is keeping the blades sharp.
I am sure there are other good brands out there, but I can say for sure that the Troy Built units are built strong and work well. Watch your areas Craiglist for a used machine, I have seen several listed in our local Craigslist in the $150 to $250 price range.
it look like this one:

Re: Chipper/Mulcher
 

Yeah. I keep them separate. I've traded piles to folks who want needles for their roses.

:)

I think with a little Craigslist work, this chipper may offset its cost.

Re: Chipper/Mulcher
 

Wood chippers, eh? They can be very useful.

Re: Chipper/Mulcher
 

My wife posted on another forum which she posts in.... Troy Built seems to get high marks there too.

thanks

Re: Chipper/Mulcher
 

Find you a good old Mitts & Merrill chipper somewhere for $1500 to $2000. Check eBay. Make sure the teeth are sharp and run a couple of sticks thru it to make sure it works fine. Mine chips up to 9 inches. It has a 300 c.i. 6 cyl engine that never, ever quits running. It is the best (and oldest) piece of equipment I ever bought. It is very easy to operate and parts are easy to find though I have never needed them. Pulled mine down from Ohio to Tennessee after I bought it on eBay. Looks like the one pictured below. It will out chip most any Vermeer of the same size. Be patient and you can likely find a good one at a very good price somewhere.

http://karlkuemmerling.com/store/med...2/15400107.jpg

Here is the website of a company that always restores the older models to like new condition.

http://karlkuemmerling.com/store/page8.html

Re: Chipper/Mulcher
 

I have a DR chipper that takes up to 3.5 inch limbs. One of the best investments I have made. It helps us keep the woodlot cleaner and safer. When you buy a machine make sure you buy a spare set of knives so that you can change them out for sharpening.

http://www.drpower.com/Wood-Chippers...CPR-_-Overview

Only downside is that in some states, like Connecticut, you have to leave your wife as a deposit:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helle_Crafts

"...detectives responded to the rental agency in nearby Darien where Richard Crafts rented the woodchipper machine. They secured copies of the agreement and luckily, the exact machine was in the rear parking lot of the rental shop. It was towed over to the state police forensic lab where it would be examined for additional evidence. In the meantime, the difficult work at Lake Zoar continued."

"For days, detectives and police diving teams searched the crime scene area at least one mile in both directions form the site. The Housatonic River was extremely cold, too cold for divers to stay in for long. Police obtained permission to lower the water level by restricting flow at the power dam upriver. Divers located a Stihl chain embedded in the muddy bottom of the river. The serial number had been filed off but it seemed to have been in the water only for a short time. The discovery renewed the hopes of the police teams and they continued the backbreaking job of searching in the bitter cold for almost two weeks. Days later, their labors were rewarded once again. One detective discovered a piece of a human toe. And shortly afterwards, a fragment of a finger was found, then part of a tooth. Police sloughed through river mud that was knee deep, trembling from the cold and the icy waters of the Housatonic. But still, they pushed on."

"In the end, Dr. Henry Lee said, "Our team's efforts at Lake Zoar eventually led to the discovery of 2,660 strands of blond hair, 69 slivers of human bone, 5 droplets of human blood, 2 teeth, a truncated piece of human skull, 3 ounces of human tissue, a portion of human finger, 1 fingernail, and 1 portion of toe nail.""

"Helle Crafts had been found."

http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/n...murder/10.html