vermeer vs brush bandit

I have no experience with the bandit but have just replaced a 15 year old vermeer 1250 with a bc 1500 by vermeer. What a machine! I have been doing it the hard way! The idiot proofing features are bitchin. I use the winch every day as well.
 
Bring this dead thread alive ‍♂️ Looking at chipping 12” logs/spars/pieces of cracked logs , what size infeed am I goin to actually need as well as hp . And with all of the new tech is diesel any better?
 
I don't actually own a chipper yet - trying to make moves to get a 65xp or 90xp. It seems that guys will say get the biggest bandit or morbark that you can afford, so a 15xp Bandit (or morbark equivalent) would be your comfortable minimum for those logs. You could go lower, but if the logs have irregularities you'll have problems. The 18xp is pretty popular, perhaps having to do with cdl territory, but I think someone recently mentioned that it goes over cdl if you put normal options on it. Obviously, you'll want a drum chipper for those logs.

Recent 2 year trend is away from considering only diesel - consider both gas and diesel according to your specific needs and capabilities, and get the cheaper gas if there are no obvious pluses for the diesel. The factors include your ability to work on diesel engines and proximity of the person/dealer who will work on it. I have not heard anyone say that diesel engines have improved, but they have been pretty good for a long time so I'm not sure what improvement would look like. I would look into tier 4 changes specifically - if there are such and what they are. Maybe that is the new tech that you are referring to, and if that's the case expect it to decrease emissions in a slightly complex manner rather than improve performance.

The OP discusses Vermeer, who seem to be a bit behind in chipper tech, and also proprietary (custom parts ordered only from vermeer) and big box in nature. Be aware if you go that route. Here in Florida, everyone has Vermeer, which makes the used market kind of annoying for me to navigate. I also have to figure out who will repair a non-vermeer chipper if I go that route. Wish you success.
 
colb said:
I don't actually own a chipper yet - trying to make moves to get a 65xp or 90xp. It seems that guys will say get the biggest bandit or morbark that you can afford, so a 15xp Bandit (or morbark equivalent) would be your comfortable minimum for those logs. You could go lower, but if the logs have irregularities you'll have problems. The 18xp is pretty popular, perhaps having to do with cdl territory, but I think someone recently mentioned that it goes over cdl if you put normal options on it. Obviously, you'll want a drum chipper for those logs.

Recent 2 year trend is away from considering only diesel - consider both gas and diesel according to your specific needs and capabilities, and get the cheaper gas if there are no obvious pluses for the diesel. The factors include your ability to work on diesel engines and proximity of the person/dealer who will work on it. I have not heard anyone say that diesel engines have improved, but they have been pretty good for a long time so I'm not sure what improvement would look like. I would look into tier 4 changes specifically - if there are such and what they are. Maybe that is the new tech that you are referring to, and if that's the case expect it to decrease emissions in a slightly complex manner rather than improve performance.

The OP discusses Vermeer, who seem to be a bit behind in chipper tech, and also proprietary (custom parts ordered only from vermeer) and big box in nature. Be aware if you go that route. Here in Florida, everyone has Vermeer, which makes the used market kind of annoying for me to navigate. I also have to figure out who will repair a non-vermeer chipper if I go that route. Wish you success.
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I bought a 12xp last year (2018) and they are building my new 15xp due in January. Company wrench has a great rep. John. Personally I think the diesel market is destroyed due to epa emission requirements. No long term advantages unless you delete everything back to a functional engine. Gas is easy to work on. Can be serviced practically anywhere. Easy to get fuel. Warranty’s are usually better with gas. Went with a 15 due to weight. I want everything below CDL, 10,000LBS. Florida waves Cgvwr if the trailer is below 10,001. So a 25,999 dump truck can pull the chipper without a dot problem.

Colb. Don’t waste your time with a 65xp. It’s too small for the oaks. See about stretching to a 12xp.

My vote is for Bandit at the moment.
 
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Aah the pain .... to much to bear ... the more I think , the more I realize I need more gear and new metal,
The chipper I need isn’t the chipper I can afford and the chipper I can afford won’t chip the stuff I need to chip . The pain of starting a business
 
Ptstreeguy said:
Aah the pain .... to much to bear ... the more I think , the more I realize I need more gear and new metal,
The chipper I need isn’t the chipper I can afford and the chipper I can afford won’t chip the stuff I need to chip . The pain of starting a business
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Yup. The cost of equipment is outrageous. Unless you have a million dollars laying around these days as seed money, good luck. Run your own race, find your niche, and don’t price compete with people of lesser quality and poor ethics.
 
Tree_Frog said:
I bought a 12xp last year (2018) and they are building my new 15xp due in January. Company wrench has a great rep. John. Personally I think the diesel market is destroyed due to epa emission requirements. No long term advantages unless you delete everything back to a functional engine. Gas is easy to work on. Can be serviced practically anywhere. Easy to get fuel. Warranty’s are usually better with gas. Went with a 15 due to weight. I want everything below CDL, 10,000LBS. Florida waves Cgvwr if the trailer is below 10,001. So a 25,999 dump truck can pull the chipper without a dot problem.

Colb. Don’t waste your time with a 65xp. It’s too small for the oaks. See about stretching to a 12xp.

My vote is for Bandit at the moment.
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I just do so much pruning in 3" wood. Right now, I load up a 16 yard bin with prunings, haul them home, and manage them at home. Problem is, I don't have enough room to process all these small loads. If I chipped and left a portion of it on site, I could manage it better in my small space. Also, I could often mulch the tree with it's own prunings - is that sick and twisted?

I have a 32hp 2800lbs. SK650 skid steer that I can push a 65xp around with. I've been notified by a Buzzer that a 90xp will barely move under the encouragement of an SK650 - needs flat hard surface.

I sub grapple truck loads with rake and blow for $250/60(I think?) yd. load on large removals. Despite the fact that I wouldn't have 30-80k for an awesome chipper like yours, I am not sure it fits this market. Hardly ever see a big chipper around here because of the low cost of wood hauling... I am very open to helpful critique if you still think it is a suspect idea.

Sounds like you need to sell your 12xp to @Ptstreeguy ...
 
Lol. Splitting crew with two of everything this year. Time to make real money. One crew pays the bills. The other turns the profit.

The grapple set up is your hidden jem during your client build up. Contact John and he may be able to find what you need before years end. I had a 65xp. Great machine. Just change your blades a lot. I am currently getting about 15 hours per side on my blades. Live oak and palms are brutal. I don’t idle my machines so that’s about 14 hrs of chip time. Gotta love gas. Low hrs. Just a short warm up and cool down.
 
If I’m buying a used large chipper like a BB250xp or Vermeer 1200xl what are the hours a machine like this will typically get? I am buying my first chipper and I know I need something with a winch that can chip bigger wood( because I specialize in large removals) but not too costly or with constant issues.
 
Ptstreeguy said:
If I’m buying a used large chipper like a BB250xp or Vermeer 1200xl what are the hours a machine like this will typically get? I am buying my first chipper and I know I need something with a winch that can chip bigger wood( because I specialize in large removals) but not too costly or with constant issues.
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I think you get 2 of those 3 - cost, diameter, down time. Which can you do without?
 
The 65’s have a 6x6 opening. The 75’s have a 7x12 opening requiring less prep. Kinda think of it as a 12” that only opens up half way, you can still shove more stuff in there.
The 25 hp is kinda weak, a 30-35 hp 75 would be super rad. I wonder how much and how hard it would be to do a engine swap
 
evo said:
The 65’s have a 6x6 opening. The 75’s have a 7x12 opening requiring less prep. Kinda think of it as a 12” that only opens up half way, you can still shove more stuff in there.
The 25 hp is kinda weak, a 30-35 hp 75 would be super rad. I wonder how much and how hard it would be to do a engine swap
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Thanks, I'll start looking for the 75. This one looks like a great deal, but Christmas just happened, lol.
 
Ptstreeguy said:
If I’m buying a used large chipper like a BB250xp or Vermeer 1200xl what are the hours a machine like this will typically get? I am buying my first chipper and I know I need something with a winch that can chip bigger wood( because I specialize in large removals) but not too costly or with constant issues.
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The life expectancy comes down to the former owner(s). A rental company we work with sells their machines after 1500 hours because by that point, they have gone through two or three clutches, and often times have had the engine rebuilt at least once. However, we have a Bandit 1590 right now that has almost 6000 hours, has the original clutch, and has not had anything done to the engine besides the injectors being replaced last year.
 
Ptstreeguy said:
If I’m buying a used large chipper like a BB250xp or Vermeer 1200xl what are the hours a machine like this will typically get? I am buying my first chipper and I know I need something with a winch that can chip bigger wood( because I specialize in large removals) but not too costly or with constant issues.
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Good luck on the search. Having/paying a mechanic to check it out will save some headache exactly for the point @Reach made. Cheaper sale price with "!low hours!" tend to be more expensive in my limited experience too.
 
evo said:
The 65’s have a 6x6 opening. The 75’s have a 7x12 opening requiring less prep. Kinda think of it as a 12” that only opens up half way, you can still shove more stuff in there.
The 25 hp is kinda weak, a 30-35 hp 75 would be super rad. I wonder how much and how hard it would be to do a engine swap
Click to expand...

The Bandit 65xp has a 6”x12” opening.
 
I’m considering selling my Bandit 65xp. I’m venturing into land clearing so I believe it is time for an upgrade. I’m looking at a 250xp or possible (if I can bite the bullet) a 280xp.

2018 Bandit 65xp
223 Hours
44 hp Kubota Turbo Diesel
Dual in-feed wheels
8 sets of knives (2 sets still in package)
Custom down spout chute (for close proximity chipping)

$28,500

If it will fit . . . it’ll chip. I hate to get rid of the chipper, but 6” is far from ideal when it comes to land clearing. I need a chipper that is good for both residential and land clearing.
Let me know if you’re interested. Located in Oliver Springs, TN.
 
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