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What chipper

I need a chipper, what chipper do other gardeners have. It needs to be a petrol model. I can pay upto £1500. Anything above say 100mm diameter would be used as firewood I guess. I need to be able to move it on my own, and it needs to fit in my fiat doblo, until I get the trailer.Any ideas?

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  • PRO

    With that price range you're looking at second hand, the usual suspets are Jo Beau m300/400, Greenmech CS 100 and Bandit 490xp but they all retail new for about 3.5k +vat.

    • Would any of those fit in a Doblo? You wouldn't get anything else in there for sure! I can't see one person loading it in and out, either!

      Mark, what do you need it for?

      • PRO

        Well... yes I suppose, but if he needs a 4 inch machine it needs to be the size of a 4 inch machine.

  • Thank you for the replies. I guess that in reality the diameter would be less, I did not really give it enough thought.
    Yes the doblo is tight for space so would need to be compact. I did see a couple of chipper/shredders on eBay that may suit but don't know enough about them. One for example would fit but at 80 kilos in weight, would be unmanageable. It did chip upto 76 mm, which I guess is more than what I need.
    One of the reasons for considering one is so that I can bag garden waste more efficiently given the size of my vehicle.
  • Hi Mark,

    Sounds more like a shredder than a chipper is what you're thinking of.

    Personally, I'd hire one to see how you get on. I thought about it, but found they were too bulky to use easily, didn't do a great job, and were time-consuming. It's an issue with small vans, so I think you either turn down work where there a lot of larger waste, or use a trailer (which raises it's own problems, of course).

    • Hi Paul, many thanks for the comments and help. I never had this issue previously as I worked overseas gardening, and had a small van, with flat back alloy tray. It was bloody good and I could pile the waste really high. I guess a shredder is more in keeping its what I need but wanted it to cut through some small woody growth. The trailer is not an issue, as my licence allows it. Been driving for 30 years. It would just be an issue of space and storage where I live.
      I guess on occasion I am just trying to look at maximising space in the van, until I can go for something bigger in a few years.
  • PRO Supplier

    Rather than trying to get one into the van have you looked at towable models of chipper or shredder? It could be fairly easy to fit a tow bar to your van if it doesn't have one already.

    Definitely try a few out if you can - we're a little biased in suggesting hire as a good route as you wouldn't need to worry about long term storage and maintenance, but you might even be able to borrow or trial a friend or local companies machine to see if it does the job. The reputable brands are reputable for a reason - make sure you don't get caught out buying something that breaks within 5 minutes (that said, there are some up and coming brands which are high quality, as with all machinery). A little research will go a long way! :)

    If you will be looking to put rubbishy stuff through it that could include small nails and stones then a chipper may get damaged quite easily - a shredder is better for this sort of thing.

  • PRO

    I would say for certain that trying to shred waste to save space will inevitably end up costing you much more in time that it saves. No decent machine will fit in the back of a van really and it would be so cumbersome as to be a burden. 

    I hired a Timberwolf gravity fed 3 inch chipper recently and to be honest it was a pain in the neck. Could only take very specific waste i.e. nothing too green, fairly straight with no bits sticking out. Ended up having to take a lot to the tip anyway so defeated the purpose. They weight 250kg and cost at least 1.5k second hand. 

    Anything decent would be towable, but also very expensive. Trailers are much more flexible if you can sort out storage issues.

  • I own a greenmech CS 100. Best with long straight branches up to 3" but will take 4" with a little nursing, brash and shrub cuttings it eats no problem.

    I tow it with a garden tractor, in and out of sites and gardens, quite versatile as we can chip in to wheelie bins, shrub beds or in to the tipper. towing it makes for easy transportation and also gives it an anchor point as it moves around quite abit when you force branches through.

    cost around 5 grand inc vat, ive purchased through Arblease who offered finance.

    Any questions fire away :) 

    • I find Sycamore is the easiest to chip, the engine labours little when taking up to  3".

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