Brand new 1390xp with winch and a 97 HP cat 46500
Brand new 1390xp with a winch and a 147 HP Perkins( really same as cat) 47800
2010 Morbark M15R with a winch,1097 hours, 147 HP Cat, 37,000
Between the two 1390 choices, for a lousy $1300, spring for the bigger engine! You won't regret it. And while Perkins is a subsidiary of Cat, they are different engines built by different companies. I've run several Perkins with great success: No mechanical issues, easy on fuel, good parts availability, and a much lower purchase price than Cat/Cummins/Deere.
That having been said, I would buy the Morbark. Yes, you've seen me post on here about the broken shafts we've had on our M15R lately. But hear me out:
First off, both chipper manufacturers have changed their numbering system and their chipper specs several times, so you have to look beyond the model numbers to make sure you're comparing apples to apples. We have a 2012 Morbark M15R and a 2007 Bandit 1290XP, both with 140 hp Deeres
and both rated as 15" machines! When Bandit built our 1290, they hadn't yet introduced the 1390 or the 1490 models and were selling the 1290XP as a true 15" chipper. I have the spec sheets on our 1290, the current 1390, 1490 and 1590 and our 1290 is significantly bigger and heavier than the 13/1490s, and is almost identical to what the 1590
was when it was a 15" machine before they bumped it up to a 17" machine. Yeah, confusing. So on paper, our 2 chippers are virtually identical in capacity, with same engine, same hp. The Morbark weighs 2200 pounds more (just a lot more beefy steel) and will out chip the Bandit by a significant amount. We tend to favor the Bandit for pruning jobs or when we're concerned about the weight on a soft lawn. But if it's a crane job, big removals, lot clearing or just a major chipping job, we always take the Morbark.
People like to make a big deal about the drum diameters, and while the Bandit has the 37" diameter drum and the Morbark only the 30", it still our go-to big machine. (
@Bucknut 's Model 13 only had a 22" drum, and yes it was a buzzy little machine that was great for brush but not so much for wood. Yes, I ran one for a year.) Also, the Morbark will feed/eat things on its own that the Bandit would never ingest without some chainsaw help. When the Bandit gets to a wider crotch or a very bushy top that it can't pull in, the feed wheels just strip the bark off of the butt end and then skip repetitively until someone backs it out, chainsaws it apart and refeeds it. The Morbark, when in a similar situation, will slow the feed rate down to almost nothing, but it's still gripping, still pulling until BAM! the crotch collapses and the branch goes thru.
I've run Bandit 200s, and while I haven't run a 1390, I wouldn't consider them too much of a step up. A M15R next to a Model 200? No comparison!! And unless you're trying to fill 48' chip trailers, the Morbark throws chips just fine and will pack our 14' and 16' chip trucks to the roof.
