18 inch or greater chipper opinions?

[arbortrary]

Please opine about your experience owning or operating, and/or your observations & insights about other competitive makes and models of 18-inch diameter towable chippers? Please frame your opinion by comparison when possible between makes & models (e.g. Morbark, Bandit, Conehead, Vermeer, etc.)

 

[thattreeguy]

i ve operated the bandit 18" chipper.(the tandem axle one)drum type, and it always clogged when the chute was pointed to the side of the machine... strong motor but i didnt like it it was also verry heavy....
the 18" bandit 200 and 250 xp disc were a good machines i enjoyed the features on the infeed to smash the brush down as it went in and the motor was strong also.
the 18" vermeer was also great for a drum.. but it didnt smash down on the brush it folds it together (the feed wheels are side by side instead of top and bottom.) easy to service in the event of a jam.
the 18" morbark i ran was when they first came out and it was strong..but the noise and vibration was almost tramatizing..it worked well but just devastated your head thru the ear muffs.
i say try all of em.. ..look for the best infeed options.( hydraulics to the feed wheels up and down and smash down option, definetely diesel powered. and access to the cutter wheel for maint. i preffer disc because of the quality of chip.... if i were buying one again id lean towards the bandit or amorbark because of the infeed options..SMASHABILITY! but try them all, i did and these chippers are great have lots of big wood and brush on hand and run them hard..find out for yourself. happy purchasing

 

[RogerM]

Mechanical fed drum. with horizontal rollers(one top, or top and bottom)seems someone has to always lift the yolk when feeding large diameter pieces. With vertical(side by side rollers) they seem to spread and accept the limb/log easier. ALso if you can't get your chipper close to the work i.e. back yard pack out(all of our favorites)I've found that it's easier to feed the blocks with the vertical rollers. One last observation, this goes without saying, but chip flyback seems to be more with vertical rollers than the horizontal. Eye protection, face protection ALWAYS! Brush Bandit-has horizontal Vermeer-has vertical rollers. Set up some demos try before you buy. Work em hard.

 

[jerseywild]

I use a Vermeer 1400XL with the winch option, a friend of mine uses the Vermeer 18" with the winch option. I also know guys using the Bandit 18". I would only buy Vermeer at this point because the service I get from Vermeer is top rate. I have had problems with the company who deals the Bandit because they also sell Rayco. My stump grinder is a rayco. My next stump grinder will be vermeer. Think about the service before you make a decision because you will need it sooner or later. I won't say that Vermeer hasn't made mistake but they go the extra mile to make things right.

 

[Mr_Ed]

Check out the Conehead video's I posted on the main board. I've owned Bandits, Vermeers and sundry others, but the Conehead is the best I've seen yet.
(Disclaimer - I'm the UK dynamic dealer, but I'm also a contractor - and have been for 15 years)

 

[tnttree]

used to have a bandit 250, double rollers and morbark 2400, my crews always preferred the Mobark over the bandit. Reason is the large feed roller is much more agressive. I now run 2 woodsman and a Morbark 20/36 all 250hp chippers. I still have that 2400 - its for sale 10K

 

[Hammer]

Vermeer 1800 is what we have and have had great service from the sales people and service department. The machine works like it should, hard and without problems.

 

[Lumberjack]

My county has a Bandit 280 with a winch, the paint is fading, but the throat still has most of its paint.. aint that some ?????