If you could only have one??????

[owScott]

just a thought...... For the cost of a decent sized mini...maybe you could buy a used chipper for keeps and rent a mini for several jobs, when needed.

Thats a good point. You will use a chipper just about every job. You dont use a mini on every job. My final thought is if you are doing jobs that require a mini to handle that much material then a trailer will quickly become not effiecent.

 

[marne]

But he does bulk mulch installs, has to transport and plant trees, where holes need to be dug and stacks the logs curbside for others to pickup. Mini.

 

[TCtreeswinger]

Mini. Put a grapple on trailer, and extend the sides for capacity?

 

[Fivepoints]

Have you bought a mini yet? You'll be kicking yourself for not doing it sooner.

 

[Al_trees]

Listen Bud, I own quite a bit of equipment. I am licensed arborist who started with nothing but some entry level climbing gear from bailey's and an f150. When I built stake sides on the rig I thought that was a big deal and put a load handler roller thingamajig on it to unload the branches all at once.

A mini would be great for a landscaper. For any tree service the chipper is hands down the way to start. It would be simply ridiculous to stack brush and logs in a trailer verses chipping it into a truck. I used to do it with my first dump truck and after we spent the day cutting the material to get it on the ground I had to climb in the bed, cut it up smaller and that takes time. In fact you need to cut it up smaller as you go so you can fit enough material. I don't care if you have a triaxle dump truck branches take up too much space even with logs on them.

When I was testing for my arborist license there was a fella who was advocating for the dump trailer verses a chipper. I already owned both a mini and a chipper at the time. What he said sounded so stupid I had to turn and walk away.

A chipper can take a winch. Also you can park it close to the tree if it is not too large to drive on a lawn. Or use mats or plywood. We used to use a cart to haul our logs around the jobs for a while before I bought a dingo. It was not pleasant but it did the job.

Buy a quality chipper. Not a stupid one where the bump bar activates under normal use and requires you to stand there and hit the button constantly! You can always use the cart method or do one better such as buy a used mini for around 10k.

Of course you will need another truck to tow the chipper. With interest rates so low you can't go wrong buying a new truck right now. I recommend a dump truck but if you already have two trucks by chance or can sell the wife's car or trade in on a pickup that would work too. Just unhook the chipper and back the dump trailer up to it. As long as you are making the money to support it go for it. Sounds like you are. Go for it.

Don't over extend yourself but being uncomfortable at first can lead to huge rewards down the road. You just need to make the right decisions.

Free advice but rock solid. You're welcome.

 

[owScott]

Have you bought a mini yet? You'll be kicking yourself for not doing it sooner.

Not sure if the question is for me but I own a mini, CTX 100, chip truck, chipper etc.The mini is very productive when handling material for sure. I guess if we are talking about landscaping and other work past tree work then you have to decide what part is priority. If we are talking about tree work a chipper is 1st. Another point, to do tree work, requiring brush disposal how does this look. Haul the mini in the trailer load the trailer then unload the trailer then come back for the mini? Or seperate truck and trailer for the mini. Even a big trailer cant touch how much brush my chipper can condense into my 12 yard box. I dont landscape. I do tree work and a fair amount of big removals and crane work so the thought of packing a trailer is not reasonable so maybe I am biased.

 

[Fivepoints]

It was directed at the op. I couldn't live without the chipper or mini myself. I guess if I had a great dump spot that would take limbs and a huge grapple truck, that might be ok not to have a chipper.

 

[evo]

At this point I’d say I can’t go without either. The chipper bought my mini, and I can’t really see it being the other way around. But it’s market dependent, I have a list of folks willing to buy my chips at $125 per load, and I have to turn them away. On the super rare occasion it’s more effective for me to dump at the waste yard, chips are free but I have to pay to dump brush.
Chipper goes out 95% of the time, mini goes 30-40%...
I charge more if I bring my mini, on top of the base of the chipper and dump.
I have a auger, two buckets, forks, tiller, land leveler all for the mini. If I had another floater employee I could market for the other attachments, but I just don’t have the time or man power.