Z'sTrees
Branched out member
- Location
- Hartsel CO
I've outgrown my trusty old bandit 200+. Mostly feeding with mini skidsteer or mini excavator and the chipper has become the bottleneck. It's a terrible time to buy used but I don't think I can afford to wait another year.
Obviously bigger is better but I'd like to stick to towing with my f-550 as we have lots of tight driveways and loose/steep roads here in the mtn's. If I stay below the 8500lb mark I'll be in the sweet spot with the 17500 gvw of the truck giving me under 26k combined. That being said weight isn't the biggest factor, but I would like to keep it single axle for maneuverability.
Pre tier iv is a must, mechanical diesel would be a big plus to me. Winch is a must but can be added on most models, same with autofeed
More interested in the ability to crush tops and feed brush with less saw work than chipping big logs all day. I have a sawmill 15 min down the road and everyone burns firewood here. That being said, there's always junk wood that is better off chipped.
So far I'm looking at:
Bandit 1390/1490/1590.
+ I'm familiar with bandit and have had really good luck with them. Availability is pretty good. Easy enough to add winch if not optioned. Bigger drum than most (37").
-Used pricing is high. Too new for all mechanical diesels. the 18" (1590hd?) is pushing it weight wise
Morbark 15 (tornado?)
+welded infeed looks stout for feeding with machinery. Decent availability. Dealer is better than bandit locally. Pricing seems a little more realistic.
-Unfamiliar with morbark in general. Smaller drum (~20") with only two knives
Morbark 2400 (hurricane)
+ Welded infeed, bigger feed system and drum, 18" capacity, old enough to be available with mechanical motor, decent availablity and pricing
-Stuck to 4cyl due to weight (underpowered?), i've read pre 2001 had trouble throwing chips due to lack of blower
Vermeer BC1800
+readily available, big feed wheels (although vertical?), big drum, lot's out there with winch. pricing is better used than others, old enough to have mechanical motor
-flimsy vermeer bodywork, proprietary parts, underpowered (most older ones are 110hp that i've seen)
Carlton 2015
+ factory is a few hours away and has good support, most have winch, pricing is better than some of the big names
-maybe too new for pre emissions diesel, not very common used
Never seen a woodsman or conehead in person but I would like to know more about them.
Any other machines that fit my criteria that I'm missing?
I'm all ears, so any info or advice is greatly appreciated.
Obviously bigger is better but I'd like to stick to towing with my f-550 as we have lots of tight driveways and loose/steep roads here in the mtn's. If I stay below the 8500lb mark I'll be in the sweet spot with the 17500 gvw of the truck giving me under 26k combined. That being said weight isn't the biggest factor, but I would like to keep it single axle for maneuverability.
Pre tier iv is a must, mechanical diesel would be a big plus to me. Winch is a must but can be added on most models, same with autofeed
More interested in the ability to crush tops and feed brush with less saw work than chipping big logs all day. I have a sawmill 15 min down the road and everyone burns firewood here. That being said, there's always junk wood that is better off chipped.
So far I'm looking at:
Bandit 1390/1490/1590.
+ I'm familiar with bandit and have had really good luck with them. Availability is pretty good. Easy enough to add winch if not optioned. Bigger drum than most (37").
-Used pricing is high. Too new for all mechanical diesels. the 18" (1590hd?) is pushing it weight wise
Morbark 15 (tornado?)
+welded infeed looks stout for feeding with machinery. Decent availability. Dealer is better than bandit locally. Pricing seems a little more realistic.
-Unfamiliar with morbark in general. Smaller drum (~20") with only two knives
Morbark 2400 (hurricane)
+ Welded infeed, bigger feed system and drum, 18" capacity, old enough to be available with mechanical motor, decent availablity and pricing
-Stuck to 4cyl due to weight (underpowered?), i've read pre 2001 had trouble throwing chips due to lack of blower
Vermeer BC1800
+readily available, big feed wheels (although vertical?), big drum, lot's out there with winch. pricing is better used than others, old enough to have mechanical motor
-flimsy vermeer bodywork, proprietary parts, underpowered (most older ones are 110hp that i've seen)
Carlton 2015
+ factory is a few hours away and has good support, most have winch, pricing is better than some of the big names
-maybe too new for pre emissions diesel, not very common used
Never seen a woodsman or conehead in person but I would like to know more about them.
Any other machines that fit my criteria that I'm missing?
I'm all ears, so any info or advice is greatly appreciated.
