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3 point chipper will it work

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stevesk
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 2 Northeast Ohio
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2004-02-10          76562


I have about 15 acres of just logged land. Have to clean up the tree tops and looked in to renting a large "tree guy" type chipper. Costs around $300/day. I will probably need for 3 to 6 weekends. I saw a Wallenstein BX-60 3 point chipper for $2650 on Ebay and was wondering if it would work without killing me (i.e no hydraulic feed). How do these 3 point chippers compare with the larger tow behind units that the tree guys use? Thanks



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3 point chipper will it work

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Art White
Join Date: Jan 2000
Posts: 6898 Waterville New York
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2004-02-10          76571


The hydraulic infeed is very consistant and easy to work with. For the one on e-bay what would you run it with? They are handy and it is easy to make new friends with tools. ....


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stevesk
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 2 Northeast Ohio
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2004-02-11          76678


Thanks for the reply. I will have plenty of HP to run it (I will use a TC45 or my Ford 1715) but this unit does not have hydraulic feed and I was concerned with the performance. A hydraulic feed type would add around $3k to the cost which I cannot afford. Have you ever used one of these? Do you have to force the wood in? Is something like this impractical for 15 ac. with say 3 or 4 guys? Will we be waiting around and wrestling to get the wood through? Thanks ....


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kwschumm
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 5764 NW Oregon
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2004-02-11          76679


OK, I've gotta say it. Have you looked at the chinese Jinma chippers? I just got one but am having a few modifications done to it by a local welder before I start using it. It has up to 6" capacity, a powerful blower, and a belt-driven feed roller that looks like it will pull stuff through pretty well. And they go for $1500-1800, a heck of a lot less than most name brand chippers that have less capacity. I researched this pretty thoroughly before buying and the only complaint I've heard from owners are that you have to keep the belts adjusted properly so they don't burn up and that the original chinese belts are junk. Parts like bearings and pulleys are off the shelf items from an industrial supply and belts can be crossed at NAPA. Somebody said the blades were also crossed to another manufacturer but I haven't verified that yet so I bought some spares with the chipper. Blades are double sided and can be sharpened. There just isn't that much else to it that couldn't be fixed easily by a good welding shop. Hey, at that price it might be worth a try! ....


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kwschumm
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 5764 NW Oregon
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2004-02-11          76680


Here's a link to the company I bought my Jinma chipper from. He probably wouldn't ship to your area, but there are some good pictures of the chipper here. ....


Link:   Adams Tractors Wood Chipper

 

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harvey
Join Date: Sep 2000
Posts: 1550 Moravia, NY
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2004-02-12          76696


Stevesk JUST A THOUGHT HERE! If you limb out the tops at 2-3" and leave them, you will not know the limbs are there in 2 years. Cut the rest up for fire wood or sell the rest to a firewood cutter and have him limb out to you spec. Generally there are a few tree top fire wood guys out there.

But if you have had all the tops dragged to a landing already a chipper will probably work best. ....


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Jim on Timberridge
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 172 La Crosse WI
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2004-02-12          76753


I was in a similar situation in 96. Had 405 trees cut down, mostly red oak. Wanted to indulge myself with a 3ph chipper; justification was ecological, plus I had lots of use for the chips. So I bought a Verneer unit with 6" capacity and hydraulic feed for $7000.
It was a disaster. I ended up using the following two techniques to clear the tops:
1. Burned everything that could be moved to a clearing
2. Cut up everything else with chain saws to approx 4' lengths and so nothing stood up beyond 4' high.
Because my land is hillsides, most of the tops got chopped up - too hard to bring the tops to a site for burning. I agree with an earlier comment - it's hard to even see where the tree debris once was after cutting up (took 2-4 years).
Using a chipper for this task was so wrong, I'll try to list some reasons:
1. Absolutely have to have a big enough capacity. Mine had 6x6" throat, hydraulic feed, heavy duty flywheel and blades, etc. The chipper weighed 2000+". My JD1070 struggled with it, especially when I had to move off level ground. (Do you move the tractor all the time or bring the treetops to the tractor -- see below for the answer).
2. And guess what -- it wasn't big enough ! Most demonstrations of a chipper in action use saplings that are nicely straight and conveniently missing big side branches. Tree tops tend to have many crotches that are wide angled -- they will not easily feed into a 6x6" opening. An oak or hickory will fight you and beat you up.
You end up having to saw everything down to suitably small pcs. And now for the hard work: Unless you want to move the tractor/chipper frequently (can you get it close enough?), you have to drag everything thru the woods over to the chipper. I am telling you, these steps are incredibly tiresome and slow.
I have used a bigger Vermeer with a 9"x9" throat; it is absolutely the minimum size for the type of work you're facing. Even bigger types with drum cutters would be preferrable.
3. Best to chip up the wood when it's green - it will cut better. Old/seasoned wood will shatter and fight back in the hydraulics. So your window of getting everything chipped up is short. (And if your project extends over a year, plan on fighting blackberry and other nasty brush that fills in the cutover).
I guarantee that unless you are a card-carrying member of Greenpeace/Sierra Club/PETA, you will end up burning everything you possibly can. It is the most efficient and expeditious method.
jim ....


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blizzard
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 282 Central Maine
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2004-02-13          76764


..these steps are incredibly tiresome and slow.
Amen! Amen!
Fifteen acres is a big parcel to be cleaning up by hand unless the trees were pretty sparse. Some woods don't decay quickly, but if you pile the slash and knock it down with a chainsaw the increased moisture in the pile will aid decomposition, as will the addition of a fertilizer containing nitrogen. Machine piling and burning is of course the fastest, but 4 men with chainsaws can knock down a good amount of slash per day, just walking through and cutting everything that sticks up too much, and any branches that keep the main trunk off the ground.
Good luck,
bliz ....


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