Cheap domestic chippers - avoid?

[Jonny69]

On 03/07/2021 at 12:04, Dan Maynard said:

Agree, the only problem with M500 is the price, and there aren't many around second hand. I was lucky and found one for just under £3k, it's tatty but chips like a goodun. On its second engine, new drum bearings, not much else to it.

I saw TW 150s for £3-5k and just thought about how much more there is to go wrong.

I don't think it's bonkers to forgo the 6", but depends what your mix of work is. I'm mostly doing small removals and pruning with it which it is excellent for, 2 or 3 man teams. Also means I can run a tipper trailer and so have decent payload because even with the chipper on I can load 2 tonnes of wood at the end a job.

I have a Jo Beau M400 and a 12inch tracked bandit. For me its ideal to be able to cover a decent spread of work. We can get in the back garden for little trees with the jo beau, which happens surprisingly often. Then can be machine feeding the bandit when required on bigger jobs

 

Personally I don't see the point of 6 inch whatever make chippers. If I was to run a transit van type setup it would be with at least a 12inch road tow (probably american) machine. Bandit sell a 15inch road tow machine which is under 3500kg which would take the snedding out of most jobs. 

 

That M500 is bargain for £3k even if its tatty looking. The build quality on my Jo Beau is a bit questionable but they are built to a weight so I don't hold it against them. 

[arboriculturist]

On 03/07/2021 at 12:04, Dan Maynard said:

Agree, the only problem with M500 is the price, and there aren't many around second hand. I was lucky and found one for just under £3k, it's tatty but chips like a goodun. On its second engine, new drum bearings, not much else to it.

I saw TW 150s for £3-5k and just thought about how much more there is to go wrong.

I don't think it's bonkers to forgo the 6", but depends what your mix of work is. I'm mostly doing small removals and pruning with it which it is excellent for, 2 or 3 man teams. Also means I can run a tipper trailer and so have decent payload because even with the chipper on I can load 2 tonnes of wood at the end a job.

Having been through using the standard chippers, I took a step in a different direction and recently bought the New Jo Beau M500. Even the team said  - why does the average firm want anything else.

Timber @ £70/tonne most of us want to hang onto it and not fire it through a chipper.

Edited July 8, 2021 by arboriculturist

[Ty Korrigan]

On 08/07/2021 at 16:49, arboriculturist said:

Having been through using the standard chippers, I took a step in a different direction and recently bought the New Jo Beau M500. Even the team said  - why does the average firm want anything else.

Timber @ £70/tonne most of us want to hang onto it and not fire it through a chipper.

Got any images?

   Stuart