Wood Chipper cost breakdown: What you need to know

Here are the features which impact the price of a new wood chipper

Whether you’re looking at an entry-level wood chipper to get rid of some of the tree debris on your property, or something a bit more powerful to take out dense tree limbs, Woodland Mills has you covered.

There are a few wood chipper options for money-minded acreage owners to consider so they can manage their costs as well as their property.

What factors influence the cost of a wood chipper?

A wood chipper for a rural property owner can cost you approximately $2,000 to $6,000. The expensive industrial wood chippers you might see used commercially cost much more can be tens of thousands of dollars.

Looking at the lineup of wood chippers from Woodland Mills, you need to ask yourself what your budget is, what is the horsepower of your tractor and what tasks are you using your chipper for? Thankfully there are models which should appeal to any price point you are looking for.

Simon, a Woodland Mills community member, shared with fellow Woodland Mills product owners that his plans for his wood chipper, saying: “I mostly have debris clean up of branches from red cedar, hemlock, Douglas fir, alder and various maples that are common in the Pacific Northwest.”

So he knows exactly what material, and what diameter of branches, he’ll be feeding into his chipper. While industrial wood chippers may seem appealing, they are costly. Woodland Mills wood chippers offer great value and come in many different sizes and attach to many models of tractors to accommodate different horsepower to chip large branches as well as twigs and other tree debris.

So depending on the size of material you’re feeding it, as well as the horsepower of your tractor, you may find one of Woodland Mills’ models has the right features to suit your needs.

Why invest in a wood chipper over renting?

While a rental company might offer wood chippers, you may also consider purchasing one for the long-term plan of your property.

Renting is great for the short term, but rental prices can get expensive if you need it repeatedly or over a long term. The longer the rental duration or over repeated rental periods and it can quickly get expensive. Over the course of the year you may need access to a wood chipper for various projects on your property, from tree trimming to tree removal and other tasks. You could also incur additional fees by returning the machines late or with damage.

You may find yourself needing the wood mulch from your chipper in your garden or trails, or find the trees on your property continue to need maintenance over more than just a weekend. Many property owners find the total cost of a wood chipper makes it worth the longterm investment.

Whether you have small trees on your property or you own a woodlot and are looking for the best forest management tools, a wood chipper is a smart investment.

Chipped wood can also provide a lot of utility for your property, from wood chips for garden mulch to soft bedding for playgrounds or pathways.

Factors impacting price

PTO-driven or gas-powered wood chippers?

There are multiple types of wood chippers from Woodland Mills that you may want to consider for your property:

PTO-powered: PTO-driven wood chippers, like the WC88 or the TF810 PRO, rely on the horsepower of your tractor's PTO. The benefit of having a PTO-powered wood chipper is that you only need to fuel one machine, and you can attach it to your tractor's hitch and haul it wherever you need across your property.

Gas-powered: Gas-powered wood chippers, like the TFG55 GAS, don't require an external machine to power them and can be independently fueled. This makes for a great option for those who don't own a tractor, or who plan on using a wood chipper where their tractor cannot reach. Gas powered engines do require refueling and maintenance, so that does need to be factored into the cost over time.

It's up to you to decide what type of wood chipper you'll need, and whether you need something that can run independently or off of your tractor's PTO. There are also electric wood chippers and large-scale commercial/industrial wood chippers on the market, but these are expensive and not necessary for individual property owners.

Feed system

It's important to know the mechanics of wood chippers so users can make informed decisions when purchasing. What goes into a wood chipper that makes it have a higher price?

To briefly summarize, wood chippers pull material into a chipping mechanism. All Woodland Mills chippers are disc chippers, meaning they use a steel flywheel technology to shred material.

Some chippers feature different feed mechanisms to pull material into the flywheel.

Hydraulic Infeed: This feature is standard on most Woodland Mills chippers. A hydraulic feed mechanism is used to pull material from the feed chute into the flywheel. You can manually adjust the speed of the rollers, making it easier to feed in material of all shapes and sizes.

Gravity Infeed: This is the more economical option, available on the TFG55 chippers. This system relies on the operator to feed in material, as well as a carefully designed infeed chute to deliver material directly to the flywheel. The benefit of this is that it avoids the need for costly onboard hydraulics, but requires more material preparation by the operator.

Chipper size

PTO wood chippers are what most property owners will use for chipping up material on their property. The PTO output of your tractor is important because it determines which chippers are compatible with them.

Because chipping capacity is determined by the horsepower of your tractor's PTO, the higher the horsepower, the bigger the chipper you can attach to it. Likewise, larger chippers are more expensive, but are better for more large scale operations like farm properties or tree care services.

Here are the ranges of PTO horsepower outputs and which Woodland Mills models are compatible with them, in order of price:

12-30 HP: TFG55

15-30 HP: WC46 and TF46 PRO

20-50: WC68 and TF68 PRO

35-100+: WC88 and TF810 PRO

The most budget-friendly option for a wood chipper are models capable of chipping 3-5" diameter material. The TFG55 Wood Chippers comes in PTO and gas-powered models. These are excellent machines for those looking at an entry-level chipper.

Single or Twin Flywheel

Another big component impacting the purchase price of your chipper is the flywheel technology.

Single Flywheel: This is what the WC model Woodland Mills wood chippers use. A single steel disc is used to chip material. Paddles on the back of the flywheel improve airflow and help direct wood chips out the discharge chute. Single flywheel chippers are proven, capable machines that come in at a lower cost.

Twin Flywheel: This is a Woodland Mills patented technology. Instead of using paddles on the back of the flywheel, it uses a secondary flywheel which operates at twice the speed of the primary/chipping flywheel. The result is improved airflow inside the chipper, helping to improve the consistency of the chipping. It aids in the processing of leafy, green materials and ensures no matter what you put in your chipper that you can expect it to be consistently processed.

The right chipper for your budget?

Wood chippers come in many different sizes, and there are several key factors when it comes to considering which chipper is the best tool for your landscaping projects. Woodland Mills has multiple options so you can find the best price for your budget.

Most customers will take the time to research their purchase, look into the best price compared to similar equipment, see what's needed to tackle the overall volume of larger branches and leafy material on your property and check whether it's worth paying a few dollars more for larger capacity. Here are a few of our recommendations:

Economical Wood Chipping Options

These wood chippers are great for small property owners, those who plan on chipping smaller materials like shrubs and saplings or those looking for entry-level options.

TFG55 5" GAS Wood Chipper

The TFG55 GAS is a new addition to our long-standing wood-chipper lineup. It features proven tech and durability carried over from our existing tractor-driven products. The 14HP engine doesn't need the PTO of a tractor, and the 5" opening will chip away branches up to 3" in diameter.

WC46 4" Wood Chipper

The WC46 Wood Chipper is a most wallet-friendly option for a PTO-driven wood chipper to fit onto your 3-point hitch. It requires 15-30 HP and has an in-feed opening of 4" tall x 6" wide (10cm x 15cm). This is a great machine to mulch tree material on your property for the best price.

Mid-range Budget Options

TF46 4" PRO Wood Chipper

A more feature rich version of the WC46 Wood Chipper, this PTO-driven chipper also requires 15-30 HP and has an in-feed opening of 4" tall x 6" wide (10cm x 15cm). But it also features Twin Flywheel technology, improving the chipping experience by improving its consistency and efficiency.

WC68 6" Wood Chipper

The WC68 is designed to bring efficient, reliable chipping to compact tractor owners. Made for compact tractors with a PTO output between 20-50 HP, with an opening of 6" x 8" (15 x 20 cm), this chipper is a great mid-range option with proven performance.

Ultimate Wood Chipping Options

WC88 8" Wood Chipper

For something with more power to do more yard work, the WC88 Wood Chipper requires has a 35-100+ HP requirement and an opening of 8″ x 8″ (20 cm x 20 cm) for larger material.

For S.D., a productive WC88 owner, he says an 8” opening is “ideal” for getting any large branches or other materials you’d need chipped up.

TF810 PRO 8" Wood Chipper

For greater chipping performance, there’s the TF810 PRO Wood Chipper. Taking advantage of Woodland Mills patented Twin Flywheel technology, the second flywheel helps to more efficiently deal with brush and wood debris using less horsepower. The TF810 PRO comes with an 8" x 10" (20 cm x 25 cm) opening and requires 35-100+ HP. This lets you chip large branches several inches in diameter while easily dealing with leafy material.

How do you decide which chipper is best for your property?

The average hydraulic commercial wood chipper may appear appealing, but could cost you tens of thousands of dollars and is well outside the budget and scope of most property owners.

Many small residential land owners are looking for a machine to help take down individual trees on their property, and maybe take down some larger, annoying branches to clean up their property.

Meanwhile, owners of bigger acreage with larger branches and older trees may be looking for something more comprehensive like the TF810 PRO Wood Chipper to shred both dense brush as well as leafy green material.

You want to ask yourself:

• • What is the PTO output of my tractor and what models are compatible with it?

  • What size of branches do I plan on chipping? Am I chipping larger branches which requires a higher capacity?

  • Am I chipping dry materials or wet, leafy, green materials? If it's the latter you may want to consider a chipper with Twin Flywheel

Accessories and add-ons for your wood chipper

Once you’ve decided which chipper you’re investing in, it may be worth looking at what additional tools you need to maximize your performance.

Maintenance Parts: The blade kit makes for easy maintenance and will help keep your chipper in top condition to keep its quality wood-chipping performance at its best, while the belt kit may be useful down the road as well. You can also save by bundling these two together and get the full maintenance kit.

Tow Hitch: This can also be useful if you want to tow a trailer behind your wood chipper too, letting you make one trip with chipper and trailer in tow.

Think about what you need, think about the price and your budget, and ask yourself what features you plan on using with your wood chipper when making your purchase.

Also make sure you have the right safety equipment, including hearing and eye protection.

Recouping costs

One of the benefits of owning your own wood chipper isn't just having land clearing capabilities, but being able to use wood chips across your property.

Wood chips can be useful for landscaping projects, like in building up low-lying areas or as bedding for gardens or pathways. They can be a valuable resource across your property, and is a cost effective option, saving you money from buying wood chips at the store. With a chipper, any large trees on your property which need to be trimmed can be harvested to become a fresh pile of wood chips for your garden or compost.

You can even offer your wood chipping services to neighbors and friends, making money from your wood chipper and becoming a small property maintenance service for your neighborhood. If you have a stump grinder you can even offer the full package to become a small-scale landscaper.

Plenty of Woodland Mills chipper owners have recovered the costs of their investments, and with a bit of creative thinking you can too.