What are Some Great Small Wood Chipper Options for Your Rural Property?

Landowners looking for a heavy duty wood chipper have some great options of different sizes and budgets

Wood chippers can be useful property maintenance equipment that can be used for DIY landscaping and branch cleanup. 

But not every landowner needs a large wood chipper. If you just need a device that can turn your tree branches and yard waste into a pile of wood chips, so you can convert it into a fine mulch for your garden, then you may only need a small wood chipper.

So what models should you consider for your property's needs? Let's figure it out:

What are the basics of wood chipping?

Wood chipping is a practical and efficient way to manage yard waste, especially for homeowners and landowners dealing with piles of tree branches, leaves, and other garden debris.

Wood chippers are heavy-duty machines designed to turn branches and leaves into mulch, making them ideal for landscaping, garden maintenance, and property cleanup. The wood chipping process is straightforward: simply feed your branches, leaves, or garden waste into the chipper’s chute, where powerful spinning blades or knives break the material down into smaller chips. These chips are then discharged through a separate chute, ready to be used as high-quality mulch or for other landscaping projects.

Using a wood chipper not only helps keep your property tidy by reducing large piles of waste, but it also transforms what would otherwise be discarded into valuable materials for your garden. Chipped branches and leaves can improve soil quality, retain moisture, and suppress weeds, making it a smart addition to any landscaping plan. With a variety of wood chippers available, there’s an ideal machine to meet the needs of any property, whether you’re tackling a small pile of branches or managing larger cleanup jobs. By investing in a quality wood chipper, you’ll save time and effort, making yard maintenance and garden care more efficient and sustainable.

Should I get a gas-powered or PTO wood chipper?

The first thing to consider is what type of wood chipper you need, whether you want a gas-powered chipper with its own engine or one that can be powered with a tractor. There are benefits to both:

• • Gas-Powered Wood Chippers: These models, like the TFG55 GAS, have their own engines and don't require a tractor to run. Great for landowners who don't own a tractor or want to haul their chipper behind an ATV or UTV to chip branches deep in the bush or across tough terrain.

  • PTO-Powered Wood Chippers: These models, like the WC46, are powered by a tractor's PTO. Even subcompact tractors with a PTO can be used to power a wood chipper, and this can be convenient since it's hauled behind your tractor, and you only have to maintain one engine.

What type of wood chipper should I get for chipping fresh, green branches?

Twin Flywheel Technology is unique to Woodland Mills wood chippers and is uniquely positioned to chip green, leafy material consistently.

• With Single Flywheel wood chippers, one flywheel is used for both chipping and throwing, which does limit airflow. Operators often have to mix in heavy, dry material with leafy, green branches so they can be carried through the chip stream.

• With the patented Twin Flywheel design, one flywheel is dedicated to chipping the material and the other spins at 2x the speed to throw materials out faster and farther. This also significantly increases the air flow, which helps carry difficult lightweight, wet, leafy, and coniferous material smoothly through the chip stream, reducing potential build-up.

Models of Twin Flywheel wood chippers like the TFG55 GAS or the TF46 PRO feature Twin Flywheel and are great for converting your green, freshly cut branches into wood chips.

What can I do with a pile of wood chips?

Wood chips can be used for a variety of landscaping tasks, so nothing on your property goes to waste:

• • Garden Mulch: Wood chips break down and restore nutrients to the soil. Combine this with garden waste to create a strong mulch that can be a healthy and restorative resource for your garden.

  • Trail Footing: Chipping branches to create trails on your property? Use your chipped branches, trees and saplings to create a soft and comfortable path for walking or ATVs.

  • Playground Bedding: Many homeowners with children have play structures in their yard. Use wood chips to create a soft place for kids to land when jumping around and playing.

What are the best small wood chippers?

Want a small, compact wood chipper model ideal for your property's needs? Here are a few great models:

1. Woodland Mills TF46 PRO Wood Chipper

The TF46 PRO was engineered in-house as the ultimate wood chipper for subcompact tractors, designed to push the limits of what’s possible with lower-horsepower machines. Recognizing the growing popularity of sub-compact tractors, our engineering team set out to build a perfectly matched, high-performance chipper, and the result is the TF46 PRO.

At the core of its design is our patented Twin Flywheel Technology, which really shows its advantages in lower horsepower applications. The primary flywheel is directly driven for high-torque chipping, allowing you to handle larger material with less horsepower. The secondary flywheel spins at over twice the speed of the cutting flywheel, improving chip discharge and airflow, making it easier to process green, leafy, and lightweight material.

2. Woodland Mills WC46 Wood Chipper

The WC46 launched in 2018 to meet the demand for a smaller-capacity wood chipper that’s compatible with sub-compact tractors. Designed to bring reliable, efficient chipping to more tractor owners, it quickly became a go-to choice for customers working with 15 to 30 HP at the PTO.

With its hydraulic infeed system and direct drive design, the WC46 makes quick work of branches, delivering smooth, consistent chipping. It's a perfect match for subcompact tractors, giving landowners a powerful tool to keep their property clean and manageable.

3. Woodland Mills TFG55 GAS Wood Chipper

The TFG55 GAS is a new addition to our long-standing wood-chipper lineup, designed for landowners who need portability in their chipper. It features all the proven technology and durability we've built into our existing tractor-driven products.

In the pursuit of creating the most well-rounded wood chipper in its class, we challenged our engineering team to balance branch size capacity and in-feed rate while maintaining smooth, consistent feeding. Two years of R&D, countless prototypes, and in-field testing hours resulted in our new gravity-assist in-feed system. This unique system combines a steep-angled in-feed chute with a high-torque, slow-speed, three-bladed flywheel. Matched with our patented Twin Flywheel technology, the system ensures that lightweight and leafy materials won’t reduce productivity.

4. Woodland Mills TFG55 PTO Wood Chipper

The TFG55 PTO is our first gravity-feed PTO wood chipper. It was released in the fall of 2024 after two years of research and development at our Canadian head office. Designed to be a value oriented entry-level wood chipper, the TFG55 PTO supports compact and sub-compact tractor owners with yard cleanup and mulch creation.

Our patented Twin flywheel technology ensures reliable chipping performance, even with compact and the sub-compact tractors that offer lower horsepower and limited lifting capacity.