Chipper? Or Prentice Loader?

Chipper, or Loader

  • Loader / I have a dump site

    Votes: 1 11.1%

  • Loader / I pay to dump

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Chipper / I have a dump site

    Votes: 7 77.8%

  • Chipper / I pay to dump

    Votes: 1 11.1%
  • Total voters
    9
MasterBlaster

MasterBlaster

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Location
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The TreeHousers that have purchased new chippers got me to thinking: I've noticed the move towards replacing chippers with log loaders. I know of at least two tree business' here that have sold their chippers altogether, and they seem to be more productive because of it. I mean, a chipper is much higher maintenance and requires at least one person (preferably more) to feed it, but the clincher is it can't load logs!

I'm thinking the final deciding factor is whether or not you have your own personal dump. The chipper will allow compaction of the load and chips can be disposed of much easier, so if I had to pay to dump I think I'd prefer a chipper. However, if I had my own dump I wouldn't be concerned about making chips anymore, I would just stuff a box full and go dump it.

Thoughts?
 
The answer definitely depends on several other factors. How much does it cost to get rid of the debris? How much time does it take? What other equipment do you own to assist in removing debris from jobsites and getting rid of it? Do you have a CDL? Lots of other considerations as well.
8)
 
If I had a free dump site, I might buy a loader. Its more cost effective for me right now to sub out the loader work.
 
I have a loader but it is a single axle,long bed with kind of short sides with a Prentice. I can haul brush but it is a waste of time because to get the most on it you end up cutting that brush 2-3 times to get the most you can into the truck. If we do haul in bulk it is either a small to medium size tree or a totally dead one. Then it is handy and a big time saver. Mostly we use the loader for big wood.

A tandem axle loader with a dump is probaly the way to go if you want to haul trees away in one big bulk load. Then you have to be doing more volume to pay for the truck.

Pro's and con's to both, just need to identify which is best for each situation.

I got a bigger chipper just to reduce waste or junk wood volume that has no value. In my case it is easier to get rid of chips than it would be try and get rid of a bulk load of tree limbs and wood all in the same load.

I have my own dump but still prefer to chip because hauling away a tree in bulk uses up more space and still has to be burned. After awhile you get a giant ash pile that has to be dealt with sooner or later. Even though I have five acres to dump on I still keep our burn pile conatained to a certain area because I couldn't stand or want to have the place looking like a landfill.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #5
Skwerl said:
The answer definitely depends on several other factors. How much does it cost to get rid of the debris? How much time does it take? What other equipment do you own to assist in removing debris from jobsites and getting rid of it? Do you have a CDL? Lots of other considerations as well.
8)
Click to expand...


But that woulda been too many poll options. The basic thing is whether you have your own dump or not. THAT is what you base your choice on, supposedly.
 
Nothing but chippers here. All the open space is being developed and your not even allowed to burn a camp fire. There are a few people with loaders but are more used for logs than brush.
 
Loader is what we use for 99% of the jobs we do. 18ft dump bed with 6ft sides, you can smash and pack a lot of brush once you get the hang of it. I kept a old chuck and duck for the odd job that we need a chipper for. Almost all the small towns around here have brush dumps that they burn.
 
I have both and I pay to dump. I do dump some on my own property some and only chips as I spread them out and disc them in the ground between my walnut trees. I would dump more chips here but there is usually something that makes me take it to the dump like ; it's too wet in the orchard because it rained, or I just irrigated or we end up putting some logs in with the chips, or it's closer to the dump than it is to my house. My dump at least for now is very reasonable, $9/load no matter what it is. There is a large tree service here that is moving toward the loader and they run the brush and wood through their tub grinder back at the yard.
 
Myself I have no dumpsite of my own and at our landfill if you're chipped it's free otherwise you pay $40/tonne. So pretty easy call for me.
 
If a guy is going to be even half serious about storm work, a loader is required. Even still, a tub grinder can chip quite a pile of material, so if you only do a small portion of tree work a year the fact that you can use a loader for demo work, etc, makes it a little more attractive than having a machine that only chips brush. For us out here, a guy has to have a chipper, though more loaders are starting to run around with tree service logos.
 
The last two companies to get our large City-wide tree removal contract did it with loaders. Their reasoning is that you pay one guy to load, instead of two or three to chip. The prevailing wage is something like $46/hr, so having one guy instead of three really helps the bottom line.
 
Moi?

I voted chip and pay to dump.

If there was a fairly cheap place to dispose of brush, Id consider going the prentice route. But for now......

Live to chip, chip to live!
 
OTGBOSTON said:
The last two companies to get our large City-wide tree removal contract did it with loaders. Their reasoning is that you pay one guy to load, instead of two or three to chip. The prevailing wage is something like $46/hr, so having one guy instead of three really helps the bottom line.
Click to expand...

$46 an hour to drag brush?:O
 
I'm a chipper. Everything. I have been cutting up stuff into cookies to chip. Mostly cause we were far from the dump.

The other comp in town from out of town, uses the bobcat into the dump truck method. The best part about this is they have 3 guys stack and cut brush to be picked up by forks on the front of the skidsteer. Guy runs two trucks nonstop all day.
 
Prevailing Wage is complete BS. It cost's taxpayers so much and for what?? Level the playing field for Unions to justify a wage ??
 
Jonseredbred said:
Prevailing Wage is complete BS. It cost's taxpayers so much and for what?? Level the playing field for Unions to justify a wage ??
Click to expand...

Absolutely that's what it is for. Unionized contractors would get outbid every time if it wasn't for prevailing wage. Some of the govt. contracts around here are prevailing wage around here and sometimes they are not. Unions don't spend all that money on campaign contributions for nothing.
 
chipped or not chipped $45 a ton at the green dump, no soil, rocks or branches over 6" thick please.
 
$33-$35 per ton at the county landfills here. Thankfully we have some privately owned recycling yards that accept tree debris for $6-$7 per yard.
 
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