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Best Wood Chipper For Home Use Of 2023

Dart Hill
  Sep 28, 2023 10:12 PM

Do you live in a yard that is constantly strewn with debris from the trees? Do you own a piece of land that features a forest or a great deal of overgrown brush? If this describes you, a Wood Chipper is a fast and effective gardening gadget that will have your lawn and property looking great in no time.

A woodchipper's adaptability is one of its many attractive features.

It can be used year-round to make high-quality compost, sweep away debris after a storm, get rid of weeds and dead plants in flower beds and vegetable gardens, and reduce organic buildup on your lawn. Wood chips for your smoker can be made from hickory or apple tree branches.


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Buying Guide

Size of Your Property: Residential or Rural

Location and the size of your home are the first things to think about while looking for a wood chipper. Several sizes and types of motors are available for wood chippers. Cleaning up your garden in the city or on a residential street likely means removing dead leaves and small branches from nearby trees, with the occasional larger branch to deal with after a storm.

In order to maintain harmony with your neighbors, it's generally not a good idea to get a powerful gas-powered unit that can create a lot of noise if your property is located close to theirs. The limbs of trees up to 2 inches in diameter can be chipped with a small electric wood chipper.

Get a gas-powered wood chipper that can handle branches up to 3 inches in diameter for medium-sized yards and bigger rural properties like farms and acreages. These wood chippers have strong wheels and can be mounted on a trailer, making them easy to transport around the yard.

Power

Take the wood chipper's power rating into account before making a purchase. Wood chippers that run on electricity typically feature motors with a power output of 14-15 Amps. Engines in gas-powered machinery typically produce between 4 and 10 horsepower and have displacements of 120 to 320 cc.

Though smaller electrically driven wood chippers should be fine for use on residential properties, some models can even rival the power and vacuum of their gas-powered counterparts. Your energy needs will vary depending on factors such as the size of your property and the nature of the yard waste you plan to get rid of or employ in your compost pile.

Feed Capacity and Size of the Chute/Hopper

How much yard waste you can put into the wood chipper's chute (also known as a hopper) is determined by its "feed capacity."

A wood chipper with a tiny hopper is perfect if you only need to chip a few branches every now and then. On the other hand, a broad hopper will be required if you have a huge quantity of branches, loads of dense brush, and leaves to process.

Having a small hopper and trying to feed a large amount of garbage into it can lead to the garden waste becoming lodged, which in turn can cause the machine to fail. It will also slow down the mulching and chipping processes.

Self-feeding/Extra Vacuum Capacity

To make it easier to feed branches and leaves into the machine, some gas-powered wood chippers feature a self-feeding mechanism or increased suction power. A high powered suction does all the work for you once you place the branches or other yard trash in the hopper or chute.

What Type of Material Will You Be Mulching?

If operators are putting the improper kind of material into the wood chipper, it will not function as expected. Be sure the machine can handle the types of organic material found near your home.

Feeding anything other than wood, brush, and leaves into a wood chipper might halt its operation. This includes things like plastic, newspaper, and even pine needles. This highlights the significance of reading the manual before operating the device.

Type

There are three types to choose from: electric, gas, and PTO (PTO). The smallest diameter branches that can be processed by an electric wood chipper are those between 1/2 and 2 inches in diameter. Because of their reliance on an external power source, they can't be taken anywhere with you. Branches up to 3 inches in diameter are often no problem for gas chippers, which are more powerful but also more expensive. However, their motors are louder, emit more hazardous emissions, and necessitate more complex fuel blends. PTO (Power Take Off) chippers are the largest and most powerful of the three main types. They connect to your current tractor and run off of the power it produces. To be effective, PTO chippers would need to be used to remove vast areas of land containing many huge branches and logs.

Size and weight

The dimensions are different for each category. Carefully take measurements and make a note of the total mass. It needs to be small enough to store in your workshop or garage, and simple enough to transfer when you need it. To give you an idea of the range of sizes and weights, electric chippers can be anywhere from 25 to 100 pounds, gas chippers over 100 pounds, and PTO chippers over a thousand pounds.

Use

Some chippers are better than others at reducing leaves and other forms of soft material. If you want to use your chipper for larger pieces of debris, such as sticks and leaves, choose a chipper with a wider chute.

Generally speaking, the wider the diameter of wood that a wood chipper can process, the higher its price. Carefully consider the chipper's kind and size before purchasing to avoid wasting money on an overpowered or undersized variant. Renting a chipper from a hardware store could be a more cost-effective option if you only plan to use it rarely.

Shredding Chute

The use of a shredding chute is helpful for disposing of weeds, leaves, and other forms of soft yard trash. Materials like tree branches, twigs, leaves, weeds, grass, and other plant-based yard trash are shredded in a different chute since they are less stiff.

A dedicated leaf shredder could handle this task, but a wood chipper with an integrated shredding chute would do the job just as well while taking up much less room. Keep in mind that the price of a wood chipper with a built-in leaf shredder will be higher than that of a similar wood chipper without the shredder.

Reduction Ratio

After going through a wood chipper, the material is reduced in size, as shown by the reduction ratio. Wood chippers with an 8:1 reduction ratio, for instance, will shred the input material to one-eighth its initial volume. Most wood chippers have a reduction ratio between 8 and 20, depending on the model.

To reduce material size, chippers require increased power and energy. The cost of a chipper goes up in proportion to the size of its engine. Choose a chipper with a smaller reduction ratio if you don't need it to shred the material.


FAQS

How do you use a wood chipper?

Finding a flat surface to put it on. Once in place, park any necessary transportation machinery and configure the chip deflector and chip chute to send chips in the proper direction.

Pre-start inspection for debris in the chipper is a must. Turn it on if the coast is clear. If not, remove the spark plug and clean it before trying to start the engine again. Whenever you need to perform maintenance, always make sure the power is turned off first.

Starting the engine, feed the material into the wood chipper, pointy end first. When the chipper starts working, you can safely step back and to the side of it to avoid any flying debris. When you're done chipping, you can use a leaf blower or leaf vacuum to collect the wood shavings before disposing of them or putting them to good use.

How do you feed a wood chipper?

Start at the pointy end and work your way in, as that's where the wood chipper's feeding chute is. Green branches' moisture can assist cool and lubricate the wood chipper's knives, so it's a good idea to mix them in with the dry wood.

What shouldn’t I put in a wood chipper?

Manure, pet waste, meat, bamboo, pressure-treated lumber, coconut shells, golf balls, and many other objects should not be placed in a wood chipper. Leaves, twigs, branches, and grass clippings are all examples of yard waste that could be chipped up and used in the wood chipper.

What is a wood chipper?

To make wood chips, a wood chipper will shred and cut branches, leaves, and other organic waste. But that's not all, because certain wood chippers also have a mulching feature!

A wood chipper is a machine used to reduce large amounts of organic material, such as branches and leaves, to manageable chip size. In addition, certain wood chippers also have a mulching feature.


Conclusion

The ideal wood chipper for your yard will be strong and long-lasting, allowing you to easily dispose of both small trimmings and larger branches. Keep in mind that the power of gasoline-powered versions exceeds that of electric ones, making them better suited for larger properties. When considering noise and pollution, however, electric is the best option.


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