Wood chipper recommendations

[Ade8mm]

I have a big hedge about 70yrds long, a mix of field maple blackthorn hawthorn and of course barmbles. It needs a serious trim. Don't want a bonfire or wish to waste money on hiring skips. Could anyone recommend what sort of wood chipper I should be looking for (to rent) ?

 

[Outback]

Have ring round your hire companies , I have a 3" capacity Timberwolf which I use on those sort of jobs but the rubbish unless you can feed it in with brush cloges it up so mulch it with a brush cutter , unless there is tons to come off builders bags to the tip .

 

[wirehair]

I hire a Timberwolf locally either 150mm or 200mm which are about £150 and £240 per day

 

[Alantoo]

Don't go too small...much too frustrating.

We bought a Greenmech Arborist 130 which has a Ø130mm (5"and a bit) capacity and hydraulic driven feed rollers for the community composting scheme...very pleasant company to deal with...a number of us did a training course with the salesman on site, and then went up to the factory to be given maintenance instruction and advice.

I was impressed with the construction in the factory.

The machine has been very good, despite the idiots not following the request to keep soil and flower pot divots out of the woody bay.

If you can find a place to hire one from it would be perfect for your hedge.

If you cannot hire one for yourself to use, it would be well worth hiring one and an operator or two from a tree surgeon...no reason why you can't do the cutting and carrying and leave them to do the actual chipping...

Alan

 

[countrryboy]

U don't say wot size the stems are u want to chip? Or wot they look like how bushy etc for fitting down the chute of chipper.
Most hire chippers are 6" ish size at normal hire places, more specialist might have bigger 1s. Is road tow OK or need a tracked version??
Really all the big makes are pretty good.
If u have never used a chipper before watch which way the blade spins as will throw wood to that side, can catch ur hand a sore q against chute sides and watch any diagonal cuts to put long face down as will flip up and sideways.
Seen a few sore chins and noses and helmets knocked off with them

Dunno how ur thinking off cutting it??
Sometimes not that easy getting at it.
I imagine will be a pain to hand cut as probably be wide and saw above ur head all day has safety issues, plus the dragging offhawthorn or black thorn can be a real bugger.
Buy a set of welding guantlets for handling the thorn

It's becoming more and more common to do jobs like that mechanically with a digger and tree shear attachment feeding direct into a chipper.
Won't be cheap but will do it in no time and no infected hands from blackthorn.

 

[sako85708]

If what you want to cut off is not too thick say 1 - 2 inches it might be worth giving an farm contractor or your local friendly farmer a ring and get it cut and chipped with a tractor mounted hedge cutter

 

[Tom D]

Any 6" hire machine should do the job, Timberwolf, Greenmech or FORST are all ok. The most important thing with a hire machine is the condition of the knives. forget about what make, just make sure it has some freshly sharpened knives on it.

 

[User00035]

Don't go too small...much too frustrating.

We bought a Greenmech Arborist 130 which has a Ø130mm (5"and a bit) capacity and hydraulic driven feed rollers for the community composting scheme...very pleasant company to deal with...a number of us did a training course with the salesman on site, and then went up to the factory to be given maintenance instruction and advice.

I was impressed with the construction in the factory.

The machine has been very good, despite the idiots not following the request to keep soil and flower pot divots out of the woody bay.

If you can find a place to hire one from it would be perfect for your hedge.

If you cannot hire one for yourself to use, it would be well worth hiring one and an operator or two from a tree surgeon...no reason why you can't do the cutting and carrying and leave them to do the actual chipping...

Alan

As above. Roller-fed commercial chippers are the only way to go for this, which means hiring one in. Greenmech and Timberwolf are probably the most common pro machines but even a worn out used one costs thousands and is never worth it for a one-off job. Cheap garden chippers/shredders are a waste of money unless all you want to do is mulch your hedge clippings.

The best garden/light pro machines are probably Eliet but for what the OP wants they'll start at about £2500-£3000. And you'll need to tow it around. A self-propelled machine new will be about 10K, 4.5K used. Best to hire.

 

[Ade8mm]

U don't say wot size the stems are u want to chip? Or wot they look like how bushy etc for fitting down the chute of chipper.
Most hire chippers are 6" ish size at normal hire places, more specialist might have bigger 1s. Is road tow OK or need a tracked version??
Really all the big makes are pretty good.
If u have never used a chipper before watch which way the blade spins as will throw wood to that side, can catch ur hand a sore q against chute sides and watch any diagonal cuts to put long face down as will flip up and sideways.
Seen a few sore chins and noses and helmets knocked off with them

Dunno how ur thinking off cutting it??
Sometimes not that easy getting at it.
I imagine will be a pain to hand cut as probably be wide and saw above ur head all day has safety issues, plus the dragging offhawthorn or black thorn can be a real bugger.
Buy a set of welding guantlets for handling the thorn

It's becoming more and more common to do jobs like that mechanically with a digger and tree shear attachment feeding direct into a chipper.
Won't be cheap but will do it in no time and no infected hands from blackthorn.

The max stem diameter would be 1 - 2 " One side I can do with a tractor and flail hedgecutter. The other-side is in my garden. Access is poor and the lawn too soft for the tractor. I will cut it with a mixture of petrol hedge trimmer and a long reach Stihl hedge cutter / chainsaw attachment.

 

[countrryboy]

The max stem diameter would be 1 - 2 " One side I can do with a tractor and flail hedgecutter. The other-side is in my garden. Access is poor and the lawn too soft for the tractor. I will cut it with a mixture of petrol hedge trimmer and a long reach Stihl hedge cutter / chainsaw attachment.

Ur not so bad then if only a couple inch max diameter.
Was picturing something far more overgrown than that.

Aye I'd still hire a 6" chipper saves u pulling stems apart to fit in a smaller chute.

Possibly cut everything 1st and lay stems same direction, ideal butt facing where u expect chipper to come from, so u can just slide it straight in.
Usually start at the back and work forward so the stuff ur chipping 1st is on top.

Sounds like u might need a tracked chipper if too wet to drive a pick up and trailed chipper along garden

 

[Uncle f]

So I carry out this work as a contractor using an excavator mounted flail which will do approx 6” diameter. This will mulch down to pretty much nothing. Access wise I have a U20 which I can retract in the tracks that will get me into a gap 1250mm wide.

maybe worth seeing if there is a contractor up near you that will do this. For your info I would look to charge in the region of £355.00+vat per day for these works including fuel, insurance and travel costs with a 6 hour work day (travel costs however are within a 40 mile radius of my farm in Cobham Surrey)
If costed against the hire of a chipper (Timberwolf ) 9” chipper with a local company to me is £245.00vat per day plus fuel. Then look at your labour and fuel costs to get these works done approx 1 day

getting a contractor or tree surgery company to do it will be cheaper. They will Have the kit, knowledge and experience and have it done in no time.

 

[John Gryphon]

This unit is a solid robust machine. The famous wood chipper is a Yard Shark with an 8-horse power Briggs and Stratton engine, displayed at the Visitor's Center with a mannequin leg sticking up.