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PTO woodchippers again
Well, I've read all the stuff I can find about them, but I still can't decide whether PTO chippers are worth a hoot. Looking specifically at a Patu DC40 or Valby CH140. I've never seen either, and I sure would like to see one work before I plunk down the cash. I realize hydraulic feed is better, but one has to make compromises. I burn anything 2" or better that is straight enough to get in the stove, so I don't need to chip a 4" oak log or anything. Do these things work ? Do they beat the tractor up ? I've got 27 PTO HP. Any opinions greatly appreciated. (I'm also tired of buying mulch at $12/scoop.)
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PTO woodchippers again
They do work, and work well, however, they also require your tractor to be dedicated and running at pto speed for the entire time you are working. For the average person the cost of a chipper, compared to the cost of a box of matches is not justifiable. Further, the speed at which the machine CAN operate compared to the speed you will operate at if you want the 'output' for landscape mulch is VERY different, the faster you set the feed-rate the larger the chips are, at full speed the the 'chips' are more like golf balls, the 'landscape mulch' size comes from bare minimum feed rates. In the course of building golf courses we use them extensively, but over the years we have discovered that a 'stand-alone, self-powered' model is better because it frees the tractor up for hauling the chips, dragging in the brush, etc. Besides for the few times an average user will need one, the rental charges will barely equal the interest on the money to buy one. Best of luck.
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PTO woodchippers again
Excellent point Murf,
When you consider everything involved in such a purchase, a day or two rental is downright smart use of your money. Concerning the price of mulch, do they grow mushrooms in your area?? If so, find out if you can purchase the used "mushroom soil". Its "much" cheaper, last longer, has better wind resistance, and its better at keeping weeds down. Trust me...This year we used 2 "Tri-axle loads (approx 30-40 Ton). We simply couldn't afford to do it with regular mulch.
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PTO woodchippers again
Yes, again they work. I'm using a Woods 8100 chipper on my JD4300. It has the hydro feed and it is great. The size of the opening should not just be thought of as referenced to firewood. Larger opening allows more untrimmed branches and much less work. The hydro feed seems much safer and is independent of the PTO speed. Chips are fairly uniform.
However I agree, it is not a good use of dollars. The argument seems to be, if it is not used often-its not worth it to own-- and if it is used often, a separate unit with motor makes more sense. But-- it is very convenient to have it there whenever you need it. Isn't this the case with most attachments?
I can't cost justify it logically but I have no regrets.
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PTO woodchippers again
Thanks, gentlemen, for the views. While I am not building golf courses, I'm not exactly your average suburbanite. We raise a fair quantity of blueberries, asparagus, and apples, and while we can always pile the brush over in the woods, I have always thought there was a better way. I'd love to have a self-powered one, but the used ones I see around here are $3000 up, won't start, and have large chunks falling off. In other words, they are trashed. You can rent one over a weekend here for $200, I guess I'll try it and see how much we can stuff thru it in 2 days. I guess I'll wait until I see a PATU work before I buy one.
Unfortunately, the nearest mushroom farm I know of is in Pennsylvania.
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PTO woodchippers again
Here's my $0.02 about chipers. My opinion is that a Vermeer 620 (used) or the new equivalent is the way to go. The tiny chipper/shredders are only good for garden and yard waste. The big machines can chip large material but usually wood in the 5-6" range is saved for firewood. About hyd. feed: it controls the load on the cutting disc or drum and makes more efficient use of limited HP. Be very careful of used machines unless you know the history and are a good mechanic. The large V-8 powered drum chippers are not, in my opinion, for anyone other than a professional. Read the accident reports about deaths and you will see what I mean. When I sold my tree business, one of the new partners clipped off 4 fingers in a drum chipper while working on it. Look for a large throat so you can feed material without having to saw it up too much. Also, if you can touch the throat by reaching across the feed table, look for another machine. You will be surprised by the amount of work that can be done with a 20hp machine. It is also easy to tow between a small 4wd tractor. Good luck and wear your ear plugs and eye protection.
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PTO woodchippers again
Have a danuser 24p,6",3pt. chipper with self feed and love it.What i like is if you can drive the tractor their,you can get the chipper their.As far as cost effective,i'm not sure any of my equipment is.When i'm at a job with mower,trimmer,blower,tractor and all kinds of stuff,and the young lady comes to do the gardening with some hand tools that you could buy at tag sales,and charges almost as much as i do,,well i guess it's just fun to have stuff.
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PTO woodchippers again
I have a Befco BM6-900 6" self feed 3 pt PTO chipper/shredder that I bought used this spring. It had very little use & other than the faded paint from setting outside it looks like new. I had been using a 8 hp Troy Bilt chipper/shredder & there is no comparison. I was able to chip more brush with the pto chipper in one afternoon than I did in several days with the Troy Bilt. As far as renting a chipper, all the rental stores in this area only have self powered chippers the size of my Troy Bilt & when you rent you have to schedule your work around the rental store. As for making sure something is cost effective, if this was a requirement than very few of us would own our compact tractors. Chris
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PTO woodchippers again
I'm considering buying a 4 inch chipper for use with my John Deere Model 670 compact tractor. I've gathered information about the Bear Cat Model 73454, the Danuser Model 18G, the Patu DC40MF, and the Valby CH140. These are all manual feed chippers and range in price from $2855 to $3400. Now I have stumbled across information about a chipper made in China and sold by Bolton www.boltonpowerequip.com/chippers.html It's list price is $3,395 WITH AUTOMATIC FEED!! Does anybody know anything about this chipper? I'm leary of Chinese products but wonder if acquiring parts might be less of a concern with a chipper than a tractor, for example.
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PTO woodchippers again
Just purchased the DR Chipper PTO model for around $1,800 including shipping. It works great. I use it on MF 1235 with 30HP (25 HP at the PTO). Chips up to 4 1/2 inches and has taken almost everything we have fed it wothout even slowing down.
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