#####Chippers: Seeking Opinions Here #####

I'm wanting to purchase a leaf/wood chipper, but don't want to spend more/less than I should.

Please post any positive or negative comments you may have of a particlar name brand chipper.

Planning to chip up my leaves and small branches (under 2 inches in diameter). I'm tired of the weed-wacker in the trash can method. :(

Oh just found this!

http://www.hortmag.com/ope/charts/chippershredder.asp

get at least a 9 hp. otherwise the engine will work itself to an early grave. debi

Okay, I didn't know about the minimum recommended hp. thanks debi!

I bought a McCulloch chipper shredder and feel like I wasted my money. Although it advertised as being able to chop up small branches, if I put anything other than dry leaves in it, it jams .

troy bilt, lawn boy, gravely, husqvarna, these are all good brands. mcculloch went bankrupt and another company bought them out. sears is too expensive for what you get. we just bought a used sears craftsman 9hp. but i don't think they make a 9 anymore. check your paper for a good used one. make sure you use it before you plunk the money down!!! debi

We have an 8 HP Simplicity and love it. Goes thru maple, oak, etc. like nothing. No strain on the motor if you stay within the 3 1/2" size it says it will do. In fact, you can't get anything larger down the chute! It has a safety feature that prevents it.

My dad gave me his Sears 5hp chipper. I tried it one year and its sat idle since. I use my
lawn mower on the leaves (bag 'em up with some grass and use em as mulch on all my beds).
So I was hoping to make wood chips out of small branches. Way too much work! You need
to push in the branches and it only takes small ones. Maybe rent one similar to what you think
you're gonna buy to give it a real test drive.
Tam

Osteole,

I am partial to the MacKissics. In particular, the models that use a hammermill for the shredder section are much to be preferred. The free-swinging hammers are much less prone to jamming and a hammermill can process a very wide variety of materials. I have several screens for my MacKissic, and I can process materials into a very fine texture through my ¼" screen. A 1" screen came standard, but I bought several additional optional screens.

MM

that sounds like a great machine. i have to tell my DH about it even tho we just got the used one. debi

Debi,

Here is an "x-ray view" of my MacKissic shredder-chipper (you need to click on the little invisible "image expander" icon to make the text readable):

http://www.mackissic.com/consumer/images/consumer%20images/chipper_shredder_consumer2_img.jpg

This is a normal view, showing both the chipper chute and the shredder chute:

http://www.mackissic.com/consumer/images/consumer%20images/12PT-studio-tow%20bar.JPG

MacKissic makes a wide variety of models, ranging from entry-level to professional:

http://www.westsharpening.com/mackissic-shredders.html

If my "old" model 12PT-9 (now replaced by the more powerful 12PT-10) ever wears out, I would like to save up the money to get this considerably larger model:

http://www.mackissic.com/consumer/csconsumer/consumer_shredder_chipper3.htm

The main motivation for getting the MacKissic SC150 would be its larger hammermill section with 36 hammers (as compared to the 24 hammers on mine) and a much larger feed chute to the shredder section. A drawback on the SC150, in addition to its hefty price, is the absence of optional shredder screens.

The MacKissic 12PT-10 is probably the "sweet spot" in the MacKissic shredder-chipper line because of its wide range of accessory screens. I also got the optional pull handle to pull the thing around like a big kid's wagon, rather than hitch it to a lawn tractor. And I got the cover because I leave it out at the work site, so the cover protects it from the weather. This vendor lists the complete line of accessories for the 12PT-10:

http://www.store.yahoo.com/dolphinope/migmac12chip.html

As our gardening season winds down, our use of the shredder-chipper is going into high gear. I will be processing the coming leaf fall through my ¼" screen for an extra fine fluffy rapidly compostable product, very suitable for our compost piles, and I have several brush piles to process as well. This 3.5-acre property has over 2 acres of thick woods and, with all the deadfall and tree prunings, I seem to have an endless supply of feed material for my "Mighty Mac". The chipper can handle limbs as big as 3½", which would normally be good for firewood, but we don't like to burn pine because it gunks up the chimney, so I have made frequent use of the 3½-inch chipping capability. The chips from the chipper go through the hammermill section, so I can use my screens to control the size of my wood chips, from very fine to very coarse. For the biggest chips, I remove the screen altogether. Big chips are useful in some landscaping situations.

But I use my ¼-inch screen to make very fine chips to use as a cushion around my 2-year old grandaughter's slide and outdoor playset. The finely ground chips are much softer than sand, in case she falls into them. I just made another 10 wheelbarrow loads of freshly ground chips for extra cushioning.

MM

MaineMan! Just the kind of information I was needing!

My husband informed me over the weekend that we could buy an attatchment for our diesel Kubota lawn tractor/mower. I didn't realize it had a rear PTO. Depending on cost, this might be the most reasonable choice.

Mainman's chipper looks very efficient

i was telling my DH about the swing hammer thing you were talking about and he totally agreed and proceeded to tell me all about them. i said, "hey wait, i will read all of this to you tonight because i don't understand a word you're saying" LOL. so good, there is more info now that i can tell him about. thanks, maineman! debi

Osteole,

MacKissic has a couple of three-point-hitch (TPH) models:

http://www.mackissic.com/consumer/threeconsumer/threepoint.htm

MM

Tammy,
Do you mow the leaves in situ, or do you rake a pile then mow it? Just found out the NEW shiny lawnmower we bought in May or so IS a mulching lawnmower. So we wait until they dry out, then we mow them, then we rake them? How do we rake them after they are mulched or at least chopped up?
xx Carrie

Hi Carrie,

I've got to admit I really hate raking leaves (I think I was tramatized as a child
by having to help rake our 4 acre forested property LOL). I have mulching mowers
too but they both have a bagger that you put on (remove a plate or pull a switch to open slot
for the bagger. I have two - always need a back-up around here!) So - I just mow
with the bagger in the fall and dump the bags on the places I want to mulch. Or I
add 'em to my compost pile if any is left over. One mulching mower I had years ago
had a different blade for mulching but I just left it alone and put on the bagger.

I hope this helps!
Tam