Shredder/wood chipper recommendations?

[Andy & Heather]

Can anyone recommend a portable shredder/wood chipper that they use in their woodland? Most of them seem to be too big and expensive, or run off a tractor. Do you use it as much as you first anticipated?

[Rich]

Hi Andy and Heather,
It sort of depends on what are you intending to use it for and the diameter of it. If you've got a large amount to chip, you probably will need something big and expensive.

A few years back I hired what I thought was an adequate chipper at 13hp, it was basically 2 flails which span round at speed. It was just about okay with stuff up to an inch or so, but useless after that.

We wanted to chip up our brash from the coppice but soon realised it would regrow quicker than we could chip it!

[The Barrowers]

Hello There's is an old post called Which Chipper I used one and just hurt my hands Should have used more as hedging as what I have used has now dissolved into smaller hedges Need to add more every year

[SimonFisher]

Hello There's is an old post called Which Chipper

This one http://www.swog.org.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=32&t=397

[splodger]

instead of an answer to your question - i have questions:

do you have a market for chippings? or another commercial reason for chipping?

if no - and you just want to get rid of brash - it's quicker / cheaper to burn it !

if you want a more eco friendly option - depending on brash - it can have many uses:

plant supports etc
dead hedges
wildlife friendly revetments
bug/insect houses etc

to name but a few

we looked into the pros and cons on chipping, but decided that it was a large outlay for little return. we'd rather use the ash from a bonfire than the chippings from a pile of brash.