Recomended New Tracked Chippers?

[RDB logs]

Dear all,

 

It has probably been asked before, but struggling to find any info.

We are after a new tracked chipper, so: does any one have any recommendations/ steer clear/ ideas?

 

we would like a smallish one not too heavy as it will be used on soft mud/ foot paths/heathland/wet woodland reasonably flat ground. 99% of the time chipping holly brash (carnt wait!) obviously the bigger the shute the better but up to 8 " as any bigger will be fire wood

 

Ideally we could do with a dealer for good service and parts back up on the south coast

 

is there a model that can be used in its trailer for road use?

 

completely open to all suggestions, price is important but the right machine is more important!

 

many thanks in advance:thumbup:

Rich

[Lozzatrees]

 

is there a model that can be used in its trailer for road use?

 

Rich

 

The only one I know of that is designed to be used on it's trailer as well as tracked is the Greenmech Quadtrak 160, which I think will chip 6" without any problem.

Not sure how wide it is but I don't think it will go through narrow gateways because of the turntable setup.

 

Haven't used one myself but I know someone who had one on trial and they liked it.

There is a video of it on youtube I'll see if I can link it. Here you go.

 

Edited February 24, 2013 by Lozzatrees

[openspaceman]

Dear all,

 

 

is there a model that can be used in its trailer for road use?

 

completely open to all suggestions, price is important but the right machine is more important!

 

 

I've limited experience of use, only Jensen 528 &530. Well built but expensive at £23k, also weigh 1260kg. They can produce a smaller engined unit to cut weight.

 

Timberwolf 150 is lighter at 1080 and a smaller engine and around £21k. I see more of these on my journey to work than the rest but never tried one.

 

Then a couple of Greenmechs, the 1623 for really narrow access and the newer design quadtrak I think the 1623 is under £19k and have never seen one. The quadrak is around £22k and on paper seems good in every respect, it's light at 1000kg and can be had, and worked from,with a dedicated trailer.

Drawback is my colleagues say it doesn't feed bushy material as well as the jensen, I was unable to try it myself.

 

There is a new boy on the block, a jensen like design but 20% cheaper, launching soon.

 

All the above are essentially 6" machines, next size up in the jensen and greenmech range are the 9 by 7 but they weigh in around 2 tonnes and cost over £25k then the full 9" ones from jensen weigh 2.5 tonnes and cost £35k+.

 

There must be many more

[Team ANB]

I run a Jensen A540 (9x7.5") and am very very pleased with it. Before I brought us 2 years ago I had the timber wolf rep and redwood uk rep come with there 8" machines at the same time (didn't tell them I was doing this, should of seen their reaction!!). I had prepared a while pile of dead elm from 4-8" to get an idea of speed of intake, stress cut in and chip quality. The timberwolf was a shower of ****, slow and struggled with the bigger stuff. I also didn't liked the way in which you couldn't get into the engine and flywheel to change the blades and service.

 

In the negotiation process redwood came down to the same price as the timberwolf and both offered a free set of blades. For me the Jensen on tracks was a no brainier. Have had no problems with it, service and support has been 2nd to none from redwood uk and have never got it to any difficulties with it.

 

For me these 2 were the only contenders for chippers. I'm sure there are other good chippers (schliesing are good but need to rob a bank first and the rep in Berkshire is a proper bellend) on the market, but being the first time buying a chipper I didn't want to fanny around with reps from not so common machines.

 

Alastair

[Lozzatrees]

I have used hired in tracked Jensen and found them good to use when properly maintained and probably one of the best machines for tight/narrrow access.

I last used one in some woodland at the back of a school, the hire company unloaded it in the car park so I had to track it all the way round the buildings across the playground and through a pedestrian gate in a 10' high chainlink fence. The gateway was only normal door height so we took the chute off, but the hopper was narrow enough to fit; then down sleeper steps and eventually across a stream.

Here it is in said stream

[Stephen Blair]

Greenmech all the way for me now, there's a safetrak on Arbtrader.

 

Customer service and back up is superb aswell, they have come a long way in the last few years imo

 

 

Sent using Arbtalk Mobile App

[Horatio]

Jo beau

[Pete Mctree]

The greenmech 1928 is an exceptional machine - in both mobility/stability due to the safetrack system & chipping performance. Only downside is the poor chip quality due to the disc blade, but most of the time this is irrelevant.

 

I would be hesitant to use any larger track machine on a trailer - The safety bars etc might be at the wrong height & the stress & vibration would not be great on a chassis not constructed to withstand it.

[josharb87]

If woodland or heathland being able to raise the machine off stumps or over heather to prevent damage would be a massive advantage, the greenmech safetrak system is great for this, the timber wolf I used at a past company got grounded out in a stump and a rock - poor undercarriage design, and needed me to collect the tractor to lift it off-with travelling it was a day wasted for the stump time.

 

The 6" Jensen is good but the 6"greenmech has better chipping ability and the safetrak system

 

The greenmechs disc blades are awesome, as are the customer service-even on a 2nd hand machine not purchased through them and in a different country, the mechanic Mac spent a good hour of his time on the phone to me guiding me through diagnosing a problem

 

If chipping holly though the hopper of the 6"timberwolf/greenmech/Jensen are all too narrow, the greenmech is the best at pulling in material and chipping at full capacity

 

The bigger 1928 safetrak green mech would be high on my list for your job

[leedeerman]

Jensen A540 one of the best I've used in a long while. Depends how deep your pockets are. Redwoods back up is first class.