Recently I opened up an acre for goats. 8-year-old redwoods (coastal and sequoia) that were not growing well -- planted too closely, had squirrels eating the bark off them and something else bothering them. Two years ago, I used a rented chipper that was abysmal. It was large enough to need a truck to tow it. But, it required pushing the limbs in with some force. This was probably not sharpened before I rented it. This year, when we chipped all the redwood limbs, I rented from a different place. It was a
Vermeer BC600XL 22H.P. (2 cylinders), handles up to 6-inch diameters. This one really worked out well for me. It was able to chip 6-inch limbs, but I wouldn't want to do that regularly. It would take forever as it would lose momentum and stop chipping while it got up to speed again. On diameters of about 3 to 4-inches it worked
quite well and would pull the material in at a medium speed. I blew it into the back of a full-sized pickup truck with a tarp over the cab and back window. Protect your rear windows. Mine cost $800US. Ask me how I know. (!%^$#@) It was not as fast as professional models I have seen city crews using. But it was just fast enough to handle a crew of 3 dragging stuff to it.
A NOTE OF CAUTION: Be extremely careful in towing this machine as it is not very stable, making it quite apt to tipping on its side. It almost did so in a field and actually did tip over when I stopped on the highway to make a cellphone call. I was moving less than 5-mph, going off the road at an oblique angle to the road and the bloody thing went over as if in slow motion. It cost me $65 for a tow truck to right it. Oh. . . it is quite short as well, making it difficult to manipulate while backing up. I managed, but it took extra time. Still, I'd rent it again.
Paul Goettlich
Rockin' Rooster Ranch
Coquille, OR
Sunset Zone 5
USDA Zone 9a