Wood chipper advice

Also out of curiosity, how do you use yours?  Do you go out and periodically chip up some fallen/cut debris?  Do you make piles and then go on s chipping spree?  The reason I ask is that I typically will trim a hedge row over the course of say a month and get a huge pile that includes everything from sticks to nearly 12” diameter logs.  All of this goes into a pile near my garden beds arranged in such a way that I can situate the chipper in such a way that I can simply chip wood right into the desired bed.

Since I am collecting a mountain of chips, I need a big chipper to go through the pile expediently.  Also, those 12” logs just plain need a big chipper in order to take them in the first place.  And one of those logs will produce a LOT of chips.  Right now I have 3 waiting to be ground up (they were all hanging deadfall that I wanted out for safety reasons.

Travis Johnson wrote:

wayne fajkus wrote: That was me Wayne, I did that when I was first starting out in sheep, but to be honest with you, a hand lawn mower with a 4 inch hole cut into the top of it would do the same thing for a lot less money. I described how to fabricate one up on here once, but am not sure where it is. In fact anyone with a hand lawn mower can replicate what a small 5 hp chipper would do by doing the same thing, its why I think chippers would be a waste. You can get a running hand lawn mower off the dump for free and get the same production as a small chipper/shredder...maybe better.]

So, I must be doing something odd because the rest of this is not part of the quote but how to fix it I don't know .....
Travis, Would you please explain what you mean by a hand mower with a 4 inch hole cut into it? (A picture or two is worth a thousand words. ) Do you mean a push lawn mower? I could really use something to chop up leaves and small sticks.  I tried running the hand mower over the oak leaves and pulling/pushing it back and forth numerous times but it is exhausting with very little chopping accomplished. I do not have a lawn and if there's a way I could repurpose the lawn mower to make mulch it would be wonderful. I also have a big pile of mostly outer bark from cedars and doug fir from logs that were milled on the property.  I would like to make mulch from it. The bark slabs are pretty wide, so a large chipper would be needed. Some of the cut slabs have wood as well as bark attached but I can think of no easy way to separate it.  I am using all the scrap pieces of wood I possibly can for odd projects/uses around the yard. Hiring help for all this is going to be costly. Any ideas appreciated. TY!

Gray Henon wrote:Thought I needed a chipper for years, but never could justify the cost ($ and time) when I could get arborist chips for free.  Started making biochar out of my ever growing brush piles and couldn’t be happier.  I’ve documented my biochar production in the link below if anyone is interested…

Bob Clinton wrote:The first piece of serious equipment I bought was a wallenstein chipper shredder 20 years ago. I rented one for at least 15 years. It is a tool that takes a lot of abuse so I would be careful of used ones. I never thought I would use the leaf shredder but the owner of the farm supply store convinced me to get one that could chip up to 3” and shred branches and leaves. He told me that I would  create firewood for anything bigger and he was right. Best equipment decision I ever made. In fact I just bought the same unit again as a backup. The original has got a lot of use with my various properties. Turns a lot of debris into essentially soil. As chips I mulch everything which enriches the soil and pretty well eliminates watering. We have a homestead with a haskap orchard and almost every hype of other berries and fruit trees our zone allows. Attached is the link of the unit I have. Pricey, made in canada by the menonites and is well built. A workhorse. https://www.wallensteinequipment.com/ca/en/model/bxmt3209

Terrell Deppe wrote:I bought a Woodmaxx several years ago, and run it off a used (20 year old) 25 hp Mahindra. Works great!!!

Prior to that, I rented Vermeer chippers, but realized that a few weeks worth of renting would pay for the Woodmaxx. Even less if I rent out the chipper and faster if I rent the tractor, too. It does 9”, but only if they are straight. 6” is more realistic for me since we have only twisty Ashe Juniper to chip. When I get something a little too big, I chop off the thick or gnarly part and add it to my campfire pile. The rest makes great erosion control and provides a nice base for future top soil in my very rocky part of the world.

Prior to renting, I had a little DR 5-6 hp chipper that was useless. It did hedge clipping and leaves less than 2”. That was about it.

I have a woodmax 8" chipper.  It makes fantastic chips, and I need lots of them, so it was worth the price to me.

Paul Allen II wrote:

I have a woodmax 8" chipper.  It makes fantastic chips, and I need lots of them, so it was worth the price to me.

Is that the WM8M with mechanical infeed for under $2,400 (in today's inflated dollars)?

Pardon me while I call my Wallenstein dealer. It appears I'm owed a kiss.

Trace Oswald wrote:

Paul Allen II wrote:

I have a woodmax 8" chipper.  It makes fantastic chips, and I need lots of them, so it was worth the price to me.

Is that the WM8M with mechanical infeed for under $2,400 (in today's inflated dollars)?

Pardon me while I call my Wallenstein dealer. It appears I'm owed a kiss.

Mine is the WM8h.  I've never used the M, so I can't say whether the hydraulic feed is worth the extra money or not.