Your description of the ugly brush heap you eventually burn is exactly our method, too. :D I was asking my husband yesterday about renting a chipper, as we both stared at the growing lilac deathheap.
I have a similar electric chipper. If I prep the off cuts prior, trimming to size and all in one direction, it will get through a loose pile the size of my car in about 30 mins easy. Anything too big becomes garden stakes or firewood. No petrol no hassles.
Be careful, use the shortest cord possible for power!!! If you continue to use a small gauge cord or longer cords the life of the chipper will be shortened drastically.
Thank you for demonstrating the wood chipper. Might consider for the future. I don't know if you would be interested in this for the bigger branches(3" +) but I use them like edging material around my flower beds/shrubs. I just cut them up into say 2 foot or less length wise and use them. If you have circles you can't do this method, but rectangles, squares, and for long straight runs it might be beneficial. Its a very 'rustic' solution for the thicker branches, and may not be the best use of your time.
Hi Jason, what's common to do in the Netherlands nowadays is to actually use the thicker branches to create natural fences. Just stick a couple of thick stems in the ground and create a space in between them. Then simply pile up thicker stems in there year after year and it creates a great habitat for birds and insects and thus boosts the biodiversity around your property. If you place it strategically you could also use it to block the dominant or cold winds on your property to give some less hardy plants a bit more chance of survival. Here I use them to block cold North/Northeasterns winds, which are typically the only really cold winds we get during winter.
I got the same machine last year! My garden is only small but I hated sending my prunings away in the yard waste! If you figure out how to sharpen the blade I would love to see a video! Klaus
@@endlichdrin it’s kind of a drum blade, I think it’s the same technology as the Bosch chipper but the Bosch wasn’t available here in North America so I got this one.
@@WhatWeDoChannel Yep, it's the same cutting process inside the machine. The Bosch is for some reason the only one that all reviewers praise - though it cost twice as much as a regular chipper. Interestingly, all these regular ones look more or less all the same. Only the housing and the brand is different. Quite frankly, I suspect they are all from the same factory in China. Either way, I don't think a sharpening is necessary after one year of use. Adjusting the pressure plate shall do.
I'm on 3/4 acre and have a love/hate relationship with privet. Love the way the birds value the berries, love the watering-free evergreen screening it provides. Hate that every berry the birds eat germinates and the shrub trunks turn onto skin-shredding pikes of spikes the just don't go down a chipper chute. I never thought about an electric shredder that could be used as I cut so I don't have to load/unload the garden cart. Am going to investigate! Thanks for the suggestion!!
Thanks. Do read through the other comments though. This is my first run-through, and it worked as expected, but I'm hearing from others that the performance doesn't last. I do have to wonder if we're all talking about the same model - I've seen the light-duty blades of the models below this one, and I know for sure they don't last.
I watched the review on your other channel. I think this would be very handy on my homestead and I appreciate seeing it in action with a recommendation like this and more info on the other channel review. I have been cutting my tree and bush trimmings into firepit size pieces with loppers and chainsaw. I do enjoy sitting around a firepit and grilling over the open fire, also small bits are great in the rocket mass style heaters but I have a lot more yard debris than I can use up like that so this chipper would be a good strategy for utilizing it. I would use the chipped material in my compost and in pathways to help me establish garden areas around and throughout my property. Thank you for sharing this information.
Thanks Maggie. I've seen a fair bit of mixed feedback (from viewers of my video) on its durability and power. It's hard for me to tell if they're really talking about this model the CJ603 or the nearly identical CJ602. So far mine has been holding up fine under occasional use - no change in the kind of branches it will chip.
I recommend using the bags that normally come with the chipper to collect the chips. Besides this, over time, a pile of wood turns into a very special habitat for bugs and bees, amongst others. Certainly a better option than burning it.
I've got the red Sunjoe chipper for my home, so far so good. I cut or collect the branches/twigs and let them dry out for a few months, seems easier to mulch-up. Try using Ikea or Trader Joe's bags (with handles) under the chute to easily collect the chips and haul them off to wherever. I mix these shreds with mulched leaves to dress my plants/etc before winter sets in. Just keep an eye out for squirrels, they love digging into chip piles for some reason..
I got a chipper year or so ago. Different brand to yours, a Bosch one. It has been excellent, I have been very happy about it. We have a small town garden, and the custom here (Finland) has been to take the garden waste to a communal waste yard (we are not allowed to burn anything here). This is a big job and each household tend to have a separate cart for the purpose, a proper eye sore, or they rent a dump truck twice a year.. this is not cheap.. In my former life I did climate sciences and this also makes me think about the carbon we lose both by driving stuff from place a to b, and by burning. The chips make good compost and cuts down dramatically bags of soil (and plastic packaging) I need.. And, I can sort out our garden waste immediately avoiding messiness. Also, this saves so much time. Works well for leaves in the autumn to speed composting process.
Thanks Anna. It looks like my chipper wouldn't work at all for leaves - it has a hard enough time even with small twigs. Thanks so much for your insights!
I've seen Bosch ones in European videos. Super jealous, since they don't seem to be available in the US, and it looks like a solid machine. To tell the truth, i couldn't probably justify the cost at the moment either. So I'm just hoping SunJoe will hold up for a little while.
Hidden gem! Yeah, I had a hard time with dual-purpose videos in a way: trying to be both a topic video and a review, I sometimes felt I did neither one very well. So I split this one, and I'll see how it goes.
I put my sunjoe on either a tarp, or put the chute in a bucket or tote and keep wheel barrel or dump trailer nearby. Easier than digging it out of the grass
Solves two problems, getting rid of cut branches and providing woodchips for the garden. I bought a used chipper last year i havn't used yet. Now i need to find a way to transport branches from my garden to my basement and back..
Hey Jason, that looked pretty good for your business. I am rehabbing 11 acres of forest and turning it into an orchard. My partner and I are on the prowl for a good used Vermeer. The utility contractors send them to auction after several years because a rusty machine violates the terms of their contracts with utilities. Many of those commercial units have less than a 1000 hours of runtime. Till we find the right deal we are going to rent a Vermeer a day at a time.
Thanks. I'll see how this one suits me - but I admit, I do view it a little more like a band-aid right now. I'll get used to the workflow of chipping, and see if the slowness becomes annoying. It cost me about 10 minutes this time, and that doesn't sound like a lot, but I could see it becoming annoying if I were using it after every trim job. I'll be keeping my eyes open for something a little more skookum in the future, but I haven't broken that news to Lisa yet!
@@FraserValleyRoseFarm At this point I believe I will save up stuff and 1-2 times each year rent a Vermeer with a 6 inch throat. But the trick, from my experience is to always lay the butt end of the branches in the same direction. Then it will work out faster. It is a horror show if when the butt ends scatter in all directions.
I hope you will give us an update on how this holds up. Like you I live in a rural area and generally burn that small stuff, but the number of days with a burn restriction keeps growing, so it may soon be more practical to chip it.
This was a good demo for the chipper. Myself, I'd probably just go for the bigger, louder and heavier gas version. It might go through the stuff better, but you'd need the bag or a tarp to catch the chips. I know on Quinn's Tree Farm's channel, they have a 1025R and a chipper that runs off the rear PTO.
Go Tecumseh engine! my rose seeds don't look good from hips for this year, I got busy working jobs. The previous ones are still alive and inside X4 in window sills. I lost track of seeds them in stratification. darn it. I'll keep watering them, who knows. It's a fun hobby for me! To be you! :)
I have the same problem I cut branches down to a minimum size of 400-500 mm , and was thinking of burning the wood , but need this and extension saw to not let my branches grow to high like last year which is why IAM having so many big bits I want to cut it right down this year so I don't need to cut it till this time next year
Thanks Carey. Already done: th-cam.com/video/fr7ky9XTKwY/w-d-xo.html I just put it on my other (little) channel. I've only used the chipper for this one load of branches so far, so it's not a long-term review, but it does give you a little look "under the hood".
Another advantage of chipping over burning is retention of minerals. As you'd expect burning wastes all the nitrogen, but you also lose half the phosphorus and sulphur, according to wheat studies.
I have SJ602, also 15 Amp as yours (SJ603). The cutting mechanism is different, it takes smaller twigs but cuts them into finer pieces and doesn't need adjustment. It works ok if the twigs are dry and not too small not too big. But if the material is green, it clogs too often. I wish they made 240 volt 30 Amp model. I would happily buy it as I hate to use gas.
Thanks for that clarification. I was a little underwhelmed by its handling of small material. The grinding of large chunks was great. I'm interested to see how the performance holds up over time.
@@FraserValleyRoseFarm 15Amp at 110V is about 2.2 HP. That is indeed a bit on a weak side. But that is the maximum they gonna make for 110V sockets. A 6 - 8 HP electric shredder (240V) would compete with gas machines easily. Also electric has big advantage in that all the torque is available at 0 RPM vs gas would need to spin > 1000 RPM. The problem is that cable becomes expensive for 240V. A 10 meter cable might cost around $200CAD. Anyways I think there is a market for 240V shredder. It would take branches up to 3-4 inches easily and would not clog by green material. I would pay $2K CAD for such wood chipper and it would save me vs gas machine in the long run. What do you think? Would you buy one?
Thanks - I'll be thinking on the question of the best next step. The first job with even this little one was encouraging because I ended up with a very clean results (chips onto a nearby garden bed). I'm sure continued use will expose its limitations and flaws. It would definitely be nice to be able to go up to 3-4 inches, but I'm not in love with the idea of a big expensive chipper either. Maybe something intermediate like you're talking about.
Jason, I have 3 1/2 acres which is half woods. Last year I bought a 3 inch gas wood chipper and it changed my game completely. Every few years I have to trim the woods back so I can mow the lawn and the mature trees in the lawn are hard to mow under unless they are trimmed up every couple years. Before I also burned these but now I make mulch. How cool is that?
Thanks Dennis. I did. Great property BTW - I love the trees and high shade. Your plantings are coming along too. I'd imagine they'll really fill that space in a couple of years.
Very intriguing video Jason.🤔 I use a Dosko turbo diesel powered commercial 10inch/25 centimeter wood chipper for the 85 acre/34 hectare coffee/macadamia farm. My machine would literally eat your machine.😁😆😂🤣 You are so right. The real question is: Should you chip or should you burn? The answer is: What is allowed in your area? What type of material are you trying to dispose of? What are you trying to accomplish? What will be most beneficial? What do you do when you can't do what you want? Will this process create more problems than it solves. What about cross contamination of other pests and or plants? I think you noted that one... And many other questions... We chip out of necessity because burning such a large volume of material would take far too long and require 24 hour supervision for safety, making it impractical. Burning would be a much better solution as well as help reduce beetle bore infestation. Every situation is unique because of the differing factors involved. I do have a couple of suggestions for you. If you are only planning to do this once or twice a year with the amount of material you just chipped, you have exactly the right machine. However, it would be better if it was one size larger and had a 4-5 times faster revolution per minute speed rate for cleaner and finer chipped material. The faster speed would also help shred any leaf stems and thorns adding to the composting process. For anyone considering wood chippers, there is always maintenance and the bigger the machine, the more expensive to operate. My machine requires 4 cutting knives that cost $750 US each and need to be replaced every other year because of the volume of material we run through the machine. The machine requires an engine oil change and service every year that uses 14 gallons/63.5 litres of engine oil, filter, fuel filter, and hydraulic oil filter. Whatever task you have there are usually several different options to help you get the job done. My chipper might be a little bit of over-kill on my new project though.🤔😁😆😂🤣 What do you think Jason?
Good points, and I always appreciate your thoughts. As you know, holding and burning has become a less attractive option for me because I'm inviting more visitors onto the property, and want a more refined presentation. I could get away with the burning no problem - very rural area, and most of the neighbors burn routinely. I know that this machine at its current performance will handle about 90% of the common yard trimmings. There's still about 10% of larger material I'd have to hugel or burn. I'm (for now) going to call this a band-aid solution. I need a way I can conveniently cut down on all the twiggy waste during the growing season, so I'm not willing to stockpile the material to rent a more substantial chipper 2-3x per year, and I'm not willing at this point to invest in a larger machine (for some of the reasons you mention - but also just money!) If I use this for a year or two and find that I like the workflow around chipping after trimming, then I'll just have to see what my appetite is for speeding up the process & maybe getting a better machine.
@@FraserValleyRoseFarm Exactly right. I was thinking about your presentation because as you welcome more visitors onto the property visual appearance will be paramount. However, there are areas where you still have appropriate mulching space like behind the green houses or a far corner down wind of where the majority of people traffic will be. The advantage of getting the brush cuttings chopped finer is two fold basically. The first is the obvious visual appearance because it will naturally look nicer and more uniform (not so chunky). The other is cleaner mulching of both brown and green material along with a quicker breakdown time. All of us who grow plants have some type of permaculture going on as a natural part of the growing process and simple land maintenance. I think for you, having proper signage would go along way in the education of your visitors about the different stages and processes of the nursery, including maintenance and waste management. Many people think hiding things is the way to go, but that only works in parks and expensive properties. Going by all the comments and questions you get here on your channel are a very good sample of the exact same comments and questions you will have in person by your visitors. You are a working nursery, so your visitors will be curious to know just how you do it all. Why not incorporate the disposal process into the experience whether it is chipping for walkways and paths or mulching for fortifying the soil. Just like when you have a load of soil mix delivered, clearly you don't want people climbing the piles and making a mess. Perhaps having a small container they can see, touch, and smell will provide the information they are looking for. We use to do farm tours and people are just curious about how things work. Some will have many questions, but most prefer the more generalized view. Of course your clientele will be more inquisitive for success and will also want to share their successes. Yes, cost effective, practical, and affordable are very important evaluating tools when deciding should I or shouldn't I, when it comes to purchases and expenses. The good thing is, you have some experience with different types of equipment and that is very valuable information when making these types of decisions. I'm excited to see how your spring and summer seasons go this year. Hopefully the political wrangling about the virus will fade before the season really gets going, so you can enjoy the experience.👌
remial chips, nice. maybe inoculate the chips with stropheria the garden giant fungi, to decompose and give you some tasty dinner? :) and then good compost.:)
I’m with Jo Bond......just too small both on the inlet size and the overall heftiness. Doesn’t it hop around and tip a lot, Jason? Having to sort out anything over about 2 cm’s (1 1/4”) because those are too large for the inlet, now you must find another way to deal with those, (yes, burn, I suppose, but I too feel a little guilt with that solution). But, hey, you’re experimenting and looking for better ways to do things and that’s why we watch your vids and enjoy them so much. Keep it up, my friend.
Thanks Gary. It didn't hop around at all (+) and it took everything I had up to around 1 3/4" (++). Wasn't fast (about 10 minutes) (-). I view this as a step in figuring out what I need. If I don't find it too annoying in the workflow and the performance hold up with regular use, I might be able to make this work for a couple of years. By then I'll have a good idea of whether a larger chipper is a good answer, or whether it's back to burning!
Not the SunJoe! - I bought an electric, battery powered lawn mower from them, and it lasted about two months. It wasn't anything more than an overpowered kitchen appliance on wheels.
I forgot to tell you, I’m so thankful that you share your knowledge with us. 💕 I’m in several fb groups of gardening in general and roses as specialty here in Sweden, and when I asked if I could take cuttings now I got a patronizing answer from an “expert” that “you can never take cuttings from roses because you have to graft them, ALL varieties!” I know better than giving that mans explanation a single second, but the rest? The one that are new beginners?🙄 So thank you Jason. Your cannel is one of the first one I turn to when I’m looking for an answer.
Thanks Maximilian. I've never tried making charcoal (on purpose, though I've unintentionally created some!). Thats sounds like an interesting thing to try out.
You should use your wood chips to grow mushrooms! It is easy to grow mushrooms. It would turn the waste into food and would give you an excuse to make more videos about mushrooms
Yes please I will have some chips thank you but they look rather dry where is the muddy sauce ? Ha ha ha thank you for the beautiful interesting video oh and thank you for the chips with muddy sauce too ha ha ha @ Fraser Rose Farm 👍👍😀😀🌹🌹❤️❤️
Anyone using a woodchipper of any kind. Make sure you chip up your material whilst still green if possible dry aged wood is mich much tougher on your equipment
I broke one of those on my first day at a job xD thick piece of wood got jammed to badly into the gears nothing I could personally do lol. Beware of those machines
my personal experience is any small homeowner-type chipper, either gas or electric, is simply too underpowered to be really useful for anyone with acreage. Time consuming and inefficient. I still burn and feel awfully conflicted about that but can't justify the cost of a commercial sized chipper. So I face the same dilemma as you, but you aren't persuading me to give small chippers another shot, that looks incredibly tedious. Probably renting or hiring out chipping would be the way to go, IMO.
No worries. I'm not trying to sell anyone on it. It did a reasonable job on this load without jamming up, and most of my yard trimmings are in this size range. For me, renting a larger chipper for every little job would be a major pain in the butt. So it's a compromise (as are most things for a small farmer) - heck, I'd love to have a "real" large-deck zero-turn mower and goodness knows I have enough lawn, but I'll be happy to get as many seasons as I can out of our little ride-on.
Sure though that's a trade-off you'd make based on the scale of the jobs (and of course your budget!). I've rented chippers for my employer that were probably valued into the thousands of dollars, and I sure did enjoy using them - but they were also huge and noisy, and probably more than I'd need for a job I can knock off in 10 minutes on this small portable unit. I'll know over time whether this is the right tool for the job - and if it holds up! So far, it looks like I have a reasonable solution for around $200.
@@FraserValleyRoseFarm that great. I started out with a “white chipper shedder “ absolutely ruined it then we got a very fancy sounding Italian job a Caravaggi broke that too. Now have a PTO of the tractor so far great. It’s about volume,thickness of branches types of material and time. I have many trees and used to process them all into mulch Incredibly for the garden. My soil was black beautiful rich soil Yes it takes time but it was just me and my mother. My mother died but the trees keep growing I keep trimming now it’s more difficult. However from my experience buy a chipper that bigger for your needs if you can because once you chipping all your vegetation the soil changes There are pit falls should as disease you don’t want to spread round the garden.
Thanks for the feedback - I definitely did larger than 1" branches - some of the trimmings in the batch were closer to its max size of 1.7". But then this is also a brand new blade, so we'll see how it does in a year or two.
I have one ....waste of money and time! It only takes one or two sticks at a time which is very very time consuming, and it is not very pleasant to use as it blocks up if you try to hurry branches through.
Thanks for sharing your experience. I've only used it on a couple of batches so far, and it's worked fine, but I've also heard mixed reviews here from other viewers.
If you’re not in a country rural setting and have neighbors close, please consider the noise pollution these machines make. My neighbor behind us runs his gas powered shredder for hours, loud enough that I have to wear ear plugs while I’m working outside
Thanks - I hadn't thought of it. This one is not too bad for noise (no combustion, so it's just the sound of the blades and material). That said, we're also a fair distance from any neighbors who might mind the noise, so we're lucky that way.
I think they make two versions, one that essentially is more like a shredder (rotating blade), and one that's more of a grinder (a rotating wheel pushes branches against a fixed blade). It's supposed to be much quieter than blade shredders (no need to spin things fast) and gas mulchers. I have the grinder model and it really is relatively quiet. I even used it without ear protection, but if you need to run it for longer it eventually gets a little tiring. I think it's quieter than an electric blower, and definitely quieter than a mower.
This thing looks kinda Mickey Mouse. Get a serious chipper and you will be happy, as it works way quicker. Btw, a pile of branches in your garden is a wonderful biotope for any kind of animals, and it will rot slowly over time so you can add more and more branches on top over the years. If you have the space, think about it Ok, if you have a business to run which produces a huge pile this might not be the solution, but then this mini chipper wont be it either. I would get a serious machine in this case. Burning might be illegal in certain areas or at least harrass your neighbours, if you have any - hello Canada :)
Thanks Rollo. It's pretty rural here, so I'm sure I could continue to get away with burning. I'll see how this one holds up. I'm trying to get an idea of how it would fit into the workflow of pruning etc. I know I don't want large piles of debris anymore, but I can't quite justify the size and expense of a larger chipper at this point.
It is really satisfying to see the chipper cutting those branches.
I have started watching the Rose Geek channel and I wanted to thank you for the suggestion. Thank you Jason
My pleasure - she's great!
Any decision made to direct garden waste away from a bonfire is one to be celebrated. Kuddos to you Jason
I recently bought the same chipper and have yet to use it. Good to know it worked well for you.
Your description of the ugly brush heap you eventually burn is exactly our method, too. :D I was asking my husband yesterday about renting a chipper, as we both stared at the growing lilac deathheap.
I have a similar electric chipper. If I prep the off cuts prior, trimming to size and all in one direction, it will get through a loose pile the size of my car in about 30 mins easy. Anything too big becomes garden stakes or firewood. No petrol no hassles.
Be careful, use the shortest cord possible for power!!! If you continue to use a small gauge cord or longer cords the life of the chipper will be shortened drastically.
Thanks. Good to know it can work on that scale.
Thank you for demonstrating the wood chipper. Might consider for the future.
I don't know if you would be interested in this for the bigger branches(3" +) but I use them like edging material around my flower beds/shrubs. I just cut them up into say 2 foot or less length wise and use them. If you have circles you can't do this method, but rectangles, squares, and for long straight runs it might be beneficial. Its a very 'rustic' solution for the thicker branches, and may not be the best use of your time.
Great idea. Thanks Richard!
Hi Jason, what's common to do in the Netherlands nowadays is to actually use the thicker branches to create natural fences. Just stick a couple of thick stems in the ground and create a space in between them. Then simply pile up thicker stems in there year after year and it creates a great habitat for birds and insects and thus boosts the biodiversity around your property. If you place it strategically you could also use it to block the dominant or cold winds on your property to give some less hardy plants a bit more chance of survival. Here I use them to block cold North/Northeasterns winds, which are typically the only really cold winds we get during winter.
Thanks Stefan. Great idea!
I got the same machine last year! My garden is only small but I hated sending my prunings away in the yard waste! If you figure out how to sharpen the blade I would love to see a video!
Klaus
As the chipper used in the video was able to process the thick branches, I suspect it actually got no single blade to sharpen.
@@endlichdrin it’s kind of a drum blade, I think it’s the same technology as the Bosch chipper but the Bosch wasn’t available here in North America so I got this one.
@@WhatWeDoChannel Yep, it's the same cutting process inside the machine. The Bosch is for some reason the only one that all reviewers praise - though it cost twice as much as a regular chipper.
Interestingly, all these regular ones look more or less all the same. Only the housing and the brand is different. Quite frankly, I suspect they are all from the same factory in China.
Either way, I don't think a sharpening is necessary after one year of use. Adjusting the pressure plate shall do.
I'm interested in this chipper shredder and want to find good or bad reviews for it. Thank you Jason I trust all your opinions.
I'm on 3/4 acre and have a love/hate relationship with privet. Love the way the birds value the berries, love the watering-free evergreen screening it provides. Hate that every berry the birds eat germinates and the shrub trunks turn onto skin-shredding pikes of spikes the just don't go down a chipper chute. I never thought about an electric shredder that could be used as I cut so I don't have to load/unload the garden cart. Am going to investigate! Thanks for the suggestion!!
Thanks. Do read through the other comments though. This is my first run-through, and it worked as expected, but I'm hearing from others that the performance doesn't last. I do have to wonder if we're all talking about the same model - I've seen the light-duty blades of the models below this one, and I know for sure they don't last.
I watched the review on your other channel. I think this would be very handy on my homestead and I appreciate seeing it in action with a recommendation like this and more info on the other channel review. I have been cutting my tree and bush trimmings into firepit size pieces with loppers and chainsaw. I do enjoy sitting around a firepit and grilling over the open fire, also small bits are great in the rocket mass style heaters but I have a lot more yard debris than I can use up like that so this chipper would be a good strategy for utilizing it. I would use the chipped material in my compost and in pathways to help me establish garden areas around and throughout my property. Thank you for sharing this information.
Thanks Maggie. I've seen a fair bit of mixed feedback (from viewers of my video) on its durability and power. It's hard for me to tell if they're really talking about this model the CJ603 or the nearly identical CJ602. So far mine has been holding up fine under occasional use - no change in the kind of branches it will chip.
Looks like it works great for a garden clean up projects.
Yeah - I'll see how it holds up, but for smallish trimmings like this it looks good so far.
Very good and wonderful information Jason.
I recommend using the bags that normally come with the chipper to collect the chips.
Besides this, over time, a pile of wood turns into a very special habitat for bugs and bees, amongst others. Certainly a better option than burning it.
I've got the red Sunjoe chipper for my home, so far so good. I cut or collect the branches/twigs and let them dry out for a few months, seems easier to mulch-up. Try using Ikea or Trader Joe's bags (with handles) under the chute to easily collect the chips and haul them off to wherever. I mix these shreds with mulched leaves to dress my plants/etc before winter sets in. Just keep an eye out for squirrels, they love digging into chip piles for some reason..
Thanks for the feedback!
I got a chipper year or so ago. Different brand to yours, a Bosch one. It has been excellent, I have been very happy about it. We have a small town garden, and the custom here (Finland) has been to take the garden waste to a communal waste yard (we are not allowed to burn anything here). This is a big job and each household tend to have a separate cart for the purpose, a proper eye sore, or they rent a dump truck twice a year.. this is not cheap.. In my former life I did climate sciences and this also makes me think about the carbon we lose both by driving stuff from place a to b, and by burning. The chips make good compost and cuts down dramatically bags of soil (and plastic packaging) I need.. And, I can sort out our garden waste immediately avoiding messiness. Also, this saves so much time. Works well for leaves in the autumn to speed composting process.
What was the model number of your chipper?
Thanks Anna. It looks like my chipper wouldn't work at all for leaves - it has a hard enough time even with small twigs. Thanks so much for your insights!
I've seen Bosch ones in European videos. Super jealous, since they don't seem to be available in the US, and it looks like a solid machine. To tell the truth, i couldn't probably justify the cost at the moment either. So I'm just hoping SunJoe will hold up for a little while.
I didn't know you had a review channel! 😁
Hidden gem! Yeah, I had a hard time with dual-purpose videos in a way: trying to be both a topic video and a review, I sometimes felt I did neither one very well. So I split this one, and I'll see how it goes.
I put my sunjoe on either a tarp, or put the chute in a bucket or tote and keep wheel barrel or dump trailer nearby. Easier than digging it out of the grass
Solves two problems, getting rid of cut branches and providing woodchips for the garden. I bought a used chipper last year i havn't used yet. Now i need to find a way to transport branches from my garden to my basement and back..
Hey Jason, that looked pretty good for your business. I am rehabbing 11 acres of forest and turning it into an orchard. My partner and I are on the prowl for a good used Vermeer. The utility contractors send them to auction after several years because a rusty machine violates the terms of their contracts with utilities. Many of those commercial units have less than a 1000 hours of runtime. Till we find the right deal we are going to rent a Vermeer a day at a time.
Thanks. I'll see how this one suits me - but I admit, I do view it a little more like a band-aid right now. I'll get used to the workflow of chipping, and see if the slowness becomes annoying. It cost me about 10 minutes this time, and that doesn't sound like a lot, but I could see it becoming annoying if I were using it after every trim job. I'll be keeping my eyes open for something a little more skookum in the future, but I haven't broken that news to Lisa yet!
@@FraserValleyRoseFarm At this point I believe I will save up stuff and 1-2 times each year rent a Vermeer with a 6 inch throat. But the trick, from my experience is to always lay the butt end of the branches in the same direction. Then it will work out faster. It is a horror show if when the butt ends scatter in all directions.
I hope you will give us an update on how this holds up. Like you I live in a rural area and generally burn that small stuff, but the number of days with a burn restriction keeps growing, so it may soon be more practical to chip it.
Thanks Eric. I know some people have hassled me about the burning, but aside from the ugly burn pile it wasn't a bad solution overall.
This was a good demo for the chipper. Myself, I'd probably just go for the bigger, louder and heavier gas version. It might go through the stuff better, but you'd need the bag or a tarp to catch the chips. I know on Quinn's Tree Farm's channel, they have a 1025R and a chipper that runs off the rear PTO.
That's what I'd really like to have. The small one is holding up okay so far, but it does take some time to get through a pile.
That worked well.
I saw a video on how to make drawing charcoal and it got me thinking if it would even be a good source of art supplies or not.
Go Tecumseh engine! my rose seeds don't look good from hips for this year, I got busy working jobs. The previous ones are still alive and inside X4 in window sills. I lost track of seeds them in stratification. darn it. I'll keep watering them, who knows. It's a fun hobby for me! To be you! :)
I have the same problem I cut branches down to a minimum size of 400-500 mm , and was thinking of burning the wood , but need this and extension saw to not let my branches grow to high like last year which is why IAM having so many big bits I want to cut it right down this year so I don't need to cut it till this time next year
Please do a review for us Jason. 🌹🍀
Thanks Carey. Already done: th-cam.com/video/fr7ky9XTKwY/w-d-xo.html I just put it on my other (little) channel. I've only used the chipper for this one load of branches so far, so it's not a long-term review, but it does give you a little look "under the hood".
Another advantage of chipping over burning is retention of minerals. As you'd expect burning wastes all the nitrogen, but you also lose half the phosphorus and sulphur, according to wheat studies.
Such a small and compact chipper! They should make one that also runs on electricity.
Just to make sure you know: this one is a 15amp electric chipper.
@@FraserValleyRoseFarm Oh really! That is excellent for people who have small lawn and gardens.
Jason, about how much time did it actually take you to chip up the brush you had there? great video !
10 minutes. Still felt slow at times, but it was a fair sized trailer.
I have SJ602, also 15 Amp as yours (SJ603). The cutting mechanism is different, it takes smaller twigs but cuts them into finer pieces and doesn't need adjustment. It works ok if the twigs are dry and not too small not too big. But if the material is green, it clogs too often. I wish they made 240 volt 30 Amp model. I would happily buy it as I hate to use gas.
Thanks for that clarification. I was a little underwhelmed by its handling of small material. The grinding of large chunks was great. I'm interested to see how the performance holds up over time.
@@FraserValleyRoseFarm 15Amp at 110V is about 2.2 HP. That is indeed a bit on a weak side. But that is the maximum they gonna make for 110V sockets. A 6 - 8 HP electric shredder (240V) would compete with gas machines easily. Also electric has big advantage in that all the torque is available at 0 RPM vs gas would need to spin > 1000 RPM. The problem is that cable becomes expensive for 240V. A 10 meter cable might cost around $200CAD.
Anyways I think there is a market for 240V shredder. It would take branches up to 3-4 inches easily and would not clog by green material. I would pay $2K CAD for such wood chipper and it would save me vs gas machine in the long run. What do you think? Would you buy one?
Thanks - I'll be thinking on the question of the best next step. The first job with even this little one was encouraging because I ended up with a very clean results (chips onto a nearby garden bed). I'm sure continued use will expose its limitations and flaws. It would definitely be nice to be able to go up to 3-4 inches, but I'm not in love with the idea of a big expensive chipper either. Maybe something intermediate like you're talking about.
Jason, I have 3 1/2 acres which is half woods. Last year I bought a 3 inch gas wood chipper and it changed my game completely. Every few years I have to trim the woods back so I can mow the lawn and the mature trees in the lawn are hard to mow under unless they are trimmed up every couple years. Before I also burned these but now I make mulch. How cool is that?
Very cool. So much mulch to build the soil!
@@FraserValleyRoseFarm Did you get the email I sent you?
Thanks Dennis. I did. Great property BTW - I love the trees and high shade. Your plantings are coming along too. I'd imagine they'll really fill that space in a couple of years.
@@FraserValleyRoseFarm I hope so, I also planted 28 fruit trees between 4-6ft tall last spring in the back yard and can't wait to see them in bloom.
It seems to drag down a bit. I would need something with more power and able to take larger limbs. Thanks for the demo. Michael
Very intriguing video Jason.🤔
I use a Dosko turbo diesel powered commercial 10inch/25 centimeter wood chipper for the 85 acre/34 hectare coffee/macadamia farm.
My machine would literally eat your machine.😁😆😂🤣
You are so right. The real question is:
Should you chip or should you burn?
The answer is:
What is allowed in your area?
What type of material are you trying to dispose of?
What are you trying to accomplish?
What will be most beneficial?
What do you do when you can't do what you want?
Will this process create more problems than it solves.
What about cross contamination of other pests and or plants?
I think you noted that one...
And many other questions...
We chip out of necessity because burning such a large volume of material would take far too long and require 24 hour supervision for safety, making it impractical. Burning would be a much better solution as well as help reduce beetle bore infestation.
Every situation is unique because of the differing factors involved.
I do have a couple of suggestions for you.
If you are only planning to do this once or twice a year with the amount of material you just chipped, you have exactly the right machine. However, it would be better if it was one size larger and had a 4-5 times faster revolution per minute speed rate for cleaner and finer chipped material. The faster speed would also help shred any leaf stems and thorns adding to the composting process.
For anyone considering wood chippers, there is always maintenance and the bigger the machine, the more expensive to operate. My machine requires 4 cutting knives that cost $750 US each and need to be replaced every other year because of the volume of material we run through the machine. The machine requires an engine oil change and service every year that uses 14 gallons/63.5 litres of engine oil, filter, fuel filter, and hydraulic oil filter.
Whatever task you have there are usually several different options to help you get the job done.
My chipper might be a little bit of over-kill on my new project though.🤔😁😆😂🤣
What do you think Jason?
Good points, and I always appreciate your thoughts. As you know, holding and burning has become a less attractive option for me because I'm inviting more visitors onto the property, and want a more refined presentation. I could get away with the burning no problem - very rural area, and most of the neighbors burn routinely. I know that this machine at its current performance will handle about 90% of the common yard trimmings. There's still about 10% of larger material I'd have to hugel or burn. I'm (for now) going to call this a band-aid solution. I need a way I can conveniently cut down on all the twiggy waste during the growing season, so I'm not willing to stockpile the material to rent a more substantial chipper 2-3x per year, and I'm not willing at this point to invest in a larger machine (for some of the reasons you mention - but also just money!) If I use this for a year or two and find that I like the workflow around chipping after trimming, then I'll just have to see what my appetite is for speeding up the process & maybe getting a better machine.
@@FraserValleyRoseFarm Exactly right.
I was thinking about your presentation because as you welcome more visitors onto the property visual appearance will be paramount. However, there are areas where you still have appropriate mulching space like behind the green houses or a far corner down wind of where the majority of people traffic will be.
The advantage of getting the brush cuttings chopped finer is two fold basically. The first is the obvious visual appearance because it will naturally look nicer and more uniform (not so chunky). The other is cleaner mulching of both brown and green material along with a quicker breakdown time.
All of us who grow plants have some type of permaculture going on as a natural part of the growing process and simple land maintenance.
I think for you, having proper signage would go along way in the education of your visitors about the different stages and processes of the nursery, including maintenance and waste management. Many people think hiding things is the way to go, but that only works in parks and expensive properties. Going by all the comments and questions you get here on your channel are a very good sample of the exact same comments and questions you will have in person by your visitors.
You are a working nursery, so your visitors will be curious to know just how you do it all. Why not incorporate the disposal process into the experience whether it is chipping for walkways and paths or mulching for fortifying the soil. Just like when you have a load of soil mix delivered, clearly you don't want people climbing the piles and making a mess. Perhaps having a small container they can see, touch, and smell will provide the information they are looking for.
We use to do farm tours and people are just curious about how things work. Some will have many questions, but most prefer the more generalized view.
Of course your clientele will be more inquisitive for success and will also want to share their successes.
Yes, cost effective, practical, and affordable are very important evaluating tools when deciding should I or shouldn't I, when it comes to purchases and expenses.
The good thing is, you have some experience with different types of equipment and that is very valuable information when making these types of decisions.
I'm excited to see how your spring and summer seasons go this year. Hopefully the political wrangling about the virus will fade before the season really gets going, so you can enjoy the experience.👌
remial chips, nice. maybe inoculate the chips with stropheria the garden giant fungi, to decompose and give you some tasty dinner? :) and then good compost.:)
they're hard work but I love the end product
I’m with Jo Bond......just too small both on the inlet size and the overall heftiness. Doesn’t it hop around and tip a lot, Jason? Having to sort out anything over about 2 cm’s (1 1/4”) because those are too large for the inlet, now you must find another way to deal with those, (yes, burn, I suppose, but I too feel a little guilt with that solution). But, hey, you’re experimenting and looking for better ways to do things and that’s why we watch your vids and enjoy them so much. Keep it up, my friend.
Thanks Gary. It didn't hop around at all (+) and it took everything I had up to around 1 3/4" (++). Wasn't fast (about 10 minutes) (-). I view this as a step in figuring out what I need. If I don't find it too annoying in the workflow and the performance hold up with regular use, I might be able to make this work for a couple of years. By then I'll have a good idea of whether a larger chipper is a good answer, or whether it's back to burning!
Not the SunJoe! - I bought an electric, battery powered lawn mower from them, and it lasted about two months. It wasn't anything more than an overpowered kitchen appliance on wheels.
Sorry to hear it. This one has been okay so far, but it's been less than a season, so I'll reserve judgement.
Nice! Can it double shred the material? Thinking of buying one myself too.
No. This one has a difficult time with smaller material already, and would be impossible to feed with smaller chips I think.
@@FraserValleyRoseFarm I’ve reached that age I’m thinking, hey let’s try, what could possible go wrong?🤷🏻♀️😁
I forgot to tell you, I’m so thankful that you share your knowledge with us. 💕 I’m in several fb groups of gardening in general and roses as specialty here in Sweden, and when I asked if I could take cuttings now I got a patronizing answer from an “expert” that “you can never take cuttings from roses because you have to graft them, ALL varieties!” I know better than giving that mans explanation a single second, but the rest? The one that are new beginners?🙄
So thank you Jason. Your cannel is one of the first one I turn to when I’m looking for an answer.
Why dont you try and do a trench burn to make some biochar
Thanks Maximilian. I've never tried making charcoal (on purpose, though I've unintentionally created some!). Thats sounds like an interesting thing to try out.
You should use your wood chips to grow mushrooms! It is easy to grow mushrooms. It would turn the waste into food and would give you an excuse to make more videos about mushrooms
Great idea. Thanks Ryan.
Yes please I will have some chips thank you but they look rather dry where is the muddy sauce ? Ha ha ha thank you for the beautiful interesting video oh and thank you for the chips with muddy sauce too ha ha ha @ Fraser Rose Farm 👍👍😀😀🌹🌹❤️❤️
If you wrap some potatoes in foil and put them in the fire, its no longer an environmental disaster. It's just cooking.
ok, that made me laugh.
Nice!
Anyone using a woodchipper of any kind. Make sure you chip up your material whilst still green if possible dry aged wood is mich much tougher on your equipment
I broke one of those on my first day at a job xD thick piece of wood got jammed to badly into the gears nothing I could personally do lol. Beware of those machines
Thanks for the warning.
my personal experience is any small homeowner-type chipper, either gas or electric, is simply too underpowered to be really useful for anyone with acreage. Time consuming and inefficient. I still burn and feel awfully conflicted about that but can't justify the cost of a commercial sized chipper. So I face the same dilemma as you, but you aren't persuading me to give small chippers another shot, that looks incredibly tedious. Probably renting or hiring out chipping would be the way to go, IMO.
No worries. I'm not trying to sell anyone on it. It did a reasonable job on this load without jamming up, and most of my yard trimmings are in this size range. For me, renting a larger chipper for every little job would be a major pain in the butt. So it's a compromise (as are most things for a small farmer) - heck, I'd love to have a "real" large-deck zero-turn mower and goodness knows I have enough lawn, but I'll be happy to get as many seasons as I can out of our little ride-on.
You need a proper chipper. That’s far too small more trouble than it’s worth
Sure though that's a trade-off you'd make based on the scale of the jobs (and of course your budget!). I've rented chippers for my employer that were probably valued into the thousands of dollars, and I sure did enjoy using them - but they were also huge and noisy, and probably more than I'd need for a job I can knock off in 10 minutes on this small portable unit. I'll know over time whether this is the right tool for the job - and if it holds up! So far, it looks like I have a reasonable solution for around $200.
@@FraserValleyRoseFarm that great. I started out with a “white chipper shedder “ absolutely ruined it then we got a very fancy sounding Italian job a Caravaggi broke that too. Now have a PTO of the tractor so far great. It’s about volume,thickness of branches types of material and time. I have many trees and used to process them all into mulch Incredibly for the garden. My soil was black beautiful rich soil Yes it takes time but it was just me and my mother. My mother died but the trees keep growing I keep trimming now it’s more difficult. However from my experience buy a chipper that bigger for your needs if you can because once you chipping all your vegetation the soil changes There are pit falls should as disease you don’t want to spread round the garden.
Thanks Jo - I'm looking forward to the benefits. I'll definitely investigate a PTO driven chipper when I'm considering an upgrade.
I never could understand making biochar. The global warming problem is carbon in the air atmosphere, we need to put the carbon in the ground.
I used that chipper for years waste of money and time the branch can't be bigger than an inch ot it jams
Thanks for the feedback - I definitely did larger than 1" branches - some of the trimmings in the batch were closer to its max size of 1.7". But then this is also a brand new blade, so we'll see how it does in a year or two.
I have one ....waste of money and time! It only takes one or two sticks at a time which is very very time consuming, and it is not very pleasant to use as it blocks up if you try to hurry branches through.
Thanks for sharing your experience. I've only used it on a couple of batches so far, and it's worked fine, but I've also heard mixed reviews here from other viewers.
If you’re not in a country rural setting and have neighbors close, please consider the noise pollution these machines make.
My neighbor behind us runs his gas powered shredder for hours, loud enough that I have to wear ear plugs while I’m working outside
Thanks - I hadn't thought of it. This one is not too bad for noise (no combustion, so it's just the sound of the blades and material). That said, we're also a fair distance from any neighbors who might mind the noise, so we're lucky that way.
I think they make two versions, one that essentially is more like a shredder (rotating blade), and one that's more of a grinder (a rotating wheel pushes branches against a fixed blade). It's supposed to be much quieter than blade shredders (no need to spin things fast) and gas mulchers. I have the grinder model and it really is relatively quiet. I even used it without ear protection, but if you need to run it for longer it eventually gets a little tiring. I think it's quieter than an electric blower, and definitely quieter than a mower.
👍🏽🙏
This thing looks kinda Mickey Mouse. Get a serious chipper and you will be happy, as it works way quicker.
Btw, a pile of branches in your garden is a wonderful biotope for any kind of animals, and it will rot slowly over time so you can add more and more branches on top over the years. If you have the space, think about it
Ok, if you have a business to run which produces a huge pile this might not be the solution, but then this mini chipper wont be it either. I would get a serious machine in this case.
Burning might be illegal in certain areas or at least harrass your neighbours, if you have any - hello Canada :)
Thanks Rollo. It's pretty rural here, so I'm sure I could continue to get away with burning. I'll see how this one holds up. I'm trying to get an idea of how it would fit into the workflow of pruning etc. I know I don't want large piles of debris anymore, but I can't quite justify the size and expense of a larger chipper at this point.
That electric chipper is a toy. I think you would want a gas powered chipper/shredder for this.
Yep. Piece of crap.