Morbark 2400 vs Bandit 1890

Gareth's Tree

Gareth's Tree

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Ashtabula
At some point I'm hoping to upgrade from my Morbark 17 chipper. (Which I have owned for about 13 years and it has been very reliable.) Really, the main reason I would consider upgrading is I want something that can feed limby material better.

So, with this in mind I'm thinking I want something with double feed wheels. My budget is in the $30,000 range I have narrowed it down to a Morbark 2400 or a Bandit 1890. I need the chipper to be under 10,000 lb so it can be towed without a CDL. I really like the large feed will option on either of those chippers, as that will help one of my main goals of being able to feed things into it easier.

So I'm wondering what people think about either of these chippers. Does either one have any characteristics that really set it apart? How well do either of them feed branchy material? Thanks!
 
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Just food for thought, but the newerish 1590s ( since about 07) have an 18x20.5" opening....that being said, our newest with supersized feed system, basic options everyone wants, and a tier 3 173 horse, no winch weighs in at 9890 pounds full of fuel...24.5 gallons i believe? Ours does have extra wide steel fenders cuz we had it setup with wide tires, which proved to be just as much of a problem as the narrow pizza slicers due to weight/speed ratings and available rims to fit the axle.
 
craneguy1 said:
Just food for thought, but the newerish 1590s ( since about 07) have an 18x20.5" opening....that being said, our newest with supersized feed system, basic options everyone wants, and a tier 3 173 horse, no winch weighs in at 9890 pounds full of fuel...24.5 gallons i believe? Ours does have extra wide steel fenders cuz we had it setup with wide tires, which proved to be just as much of a problem as the narrow pizza slicers due to weight/speed ratings and available rims to fit the axle.
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I have considered the 1590 and have not completely ruled it out. Honestly, I should probably measure the feed opening on my current chipper since that is what I am comparing things to, and I really don't want to go any smaller... I know the feed wheel opens more vertically than the width is on my Morbark 17.

How do you feel it does feeding limby branchy material?
 
Does well...an 1890 would be better...they get bigger feedwheel motors...but little rough to stay under 10k with them.
 
We have a Morbark 2400 that weighs in just under 10000 lb. We pulled it with a Int 4700 just under cdl truck for a year or so, but I don’t think there was any way we were under 26000 lb when the truck was full—and we only had an 11 cubic yard box on it. We soon outfitted an int 4900 with a 27 cubic yard box to pull the 2400 and all went through the process of getting cdls.
 
I second the 1590. It’s a workhorse and is easier on your truck than an 1890. I was with a company that used the 1590 and 1390(gas), and both worked well. Definitely for your needs I wouldn’t go to the 1390. Currently I use an 1890 every day, and yeah, it’ll eat a conifer without much limbing, but the size is a factor. We are consistently on steep slopes where a 1590 would excel.

Are you using a machine to feed it most of the time, or hand feeding?
 
Unless you get an 1890 with the larger feedwheels it probably won't feed any better than the Morbark with one large feedwheel. The bigger the feedwheel, the larger the wood it can climb on it's own is. In my opinion, one large feedwheel trumps two small ones across the board.
 
Crimsonking said:
I second the 1590. It’s a workhorse and is easier on your truck than an 1890. I was with a company that used the 1590 and 1390(gas), and both worked well. Definitely for your needs I wouldn’t go to the 1390. Currently I use an 1890 every day, and yeah, it’ll eat a conifer without much limbing, but the size is a factor. We are consistently on steep slopes where a 1590 would excel.

Are you using a machine to feed it most of the time, or hand feeding?
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We feed it with a small articulated loader.
 
Trevor Balgavy said:
Unless you get an 1890 with the larger feedwheels it probably won't feed any better than the Morbark with one large feedwheel. The bigger the feedwheel, the larger the wood it can climb on it's own is. In my opinion, one large feedwheel trumps two small ones across the board.
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Thanks for the insight! I would want one with the wide feed opening...
 
Actually we just welded the hinged infeed tray solid. Thus, eliminating the catch points, and inherent weaknesses associated with a hinged opening. After using it we are definitely impressed with the increased performance, to the point where if I can come up with some more ways to help the infeed we may not need to upgrade simply for better infeed performance.
 
How much do you guys think hydraulic down pressure helps? I think with some simple re-plumbing of my existing hydraulic lift cylinders I could have hydraulic down pressure...
 
islandedge said:
Down pressure does not help some, down pressure is all the difference in the world!
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Atleast it was on my 1890 when the seals blew on the lift/crush cylinder. It acted like my old 250. I hated taking it to work but the day it was rebuilt it was day and night difference! I've sharpened my feed wheels with a small grinder and get the tight areas with a carbide porting tool
 
Gareth's Tree said:
At some point I'm hoping to upgrade from my Morbark 17 chipper. (Which I have owned for about 13 years and it has been very reliable.) Really, the main reason I would consider upgrading is I want something that can feed limby material better.

So, with this in mind I'm thinking I want something with double feed wheels. My budget is in the $30,000 range I have narrowed it down to a Morbark 2400 or a Bandit 1890. I need the chipper to be under 10,000 lb so it can be towed without a CDL. I really like the large feed will option on either of those chippers, as that will help one of my main goals of being able to feed things into it easier.

So I'm wondering what people think about either of these chippers. Does either one have any characteristics that really set it apart? How well do either of them feed branchy material? Thanks!
Click to expand...

I have owned both . Depends on what power option the chipper has . I would have to say that bandit has proved itself to be damn tuff . Just keeps running . However the 2400 is also very solid . If I had to choose I would go with the bandit as it just never breaks down .... ever . Either one is good but it would come down to what engine it has and which service center was closes and gave the best service .


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