Hello all! I am a co-owner of a family owned tree pruning and removal business. I am going to tell you about the commercial tree removal equipment we use in our business. Such as the work trucks we drive, the trailer we use, the wood chipper, and the tractor with the 3 point stump grinder attachment.
Rayco Wood Chipper – Easily And Quickly Shred Branches
The wood chipper is a Rayco RC 12. It has approximately 100 horsepower and a diesel John Deere engine. The overall weight of this chipper is 6,280 pounds. The discharge spout can be rotated 360 degrees, along with an adjustable deflector at the end of the spout. It can chip up to a 12-inch diameter log or branch.
It has a single intake feed roll controlled by a hydraulic pump. The intake feed roll has down pressure to help push the branches into the cutter wheel. This wood chipper has a drum style cutting wheel and produces wood chips that can be used for mulch or other uses.
Amazon.com offers a large selection of wood and brush chippers able to grind a large pile of sticks into a small pile of mulch!
BaumaLight 3 Point Stump Grinder – Easily Grind Out Stumps
The BaumaLight stump grinder has a 3 point hookup to the John Deere. And is powered by a PTO which attaches to the tractor. It has 2 hydraulic cylinders that are powered by the tractor’s hydraulic pump. One moves the cutter wheel up and down, the other moves it side to side. Both of these cylinders are controlled from the drivers seat. It has a heavy-duty base to reduce stress on the tractor while grinding.
The cutter wheel is 24 inches in diameter and has 810 revolutions per minute. It can grind 8+ inches below ground level and stump grinder weighs 864 pounds. We upgraded the original cutter wheel to be able to use the brand Green Teeth, which offer more aggressive teeth. This stump grinder is almost always attached to the tractor and gets used at many of our jobs. In roughly 75% of our tree take downs, the stump will also need to be ground out.
Many of the other arborist businesses in our area use a different type of stump grinder, like a Vermeer or Rayco model that is 4 wheel drive and has the grinder wheel in the front. We had a grinder like that but a drawback was there was no loader to clean up the stump grindings, that needed to be done by hand or bring another machine to load them. A large stump can give several tons of dirt and wood chips. We really like this setup for its ease to use and the extra weight on the back which really helps stability when loading heavy logs.
Compact Tractor – Essential For Loading Firewood
We use a 4720 John Deere compact tractor. It has a 2.4 liter, 4 cylinder turbocharged diesel engine that produces 58 horsepower. Its weight is 3,860 pounds and it has 4 wheel drive, The front end loader has a scoop and pallet fork attachment, The scoop is used for loading stump grindings and smaller pieces of firewood. The pallet forks are used for loading large pieces of firewood and logs.
The tractor is used for many things, to pull a rope attached to a tree we are cutting down, drag large branches to the wood chipper, load firewood onto the truck, and grind stumps with the 3 point stump grinder.
The tractor is useful for tree removal, we almost always fasten a rope to the tree we want to cut down and pull it with the tractor, unless it is obvious it will fall in the correct direction.
It is especially helpful to drag large and heavy limbs to the wood chipper. At some tree removal jobs the tractor does almost all the work, dragging each big branch to and putting it in the chipper.
The Bucket Truck – Very Helpful In Pruning And Removing Trees
The bucket truck is a GMC C7500 and has a gas engine. It has a single rear axle with dual wheels on either side. This truck does not have front wheel drive. It has an Altec boom with a one man bucket and a working height of 60 feet. The truck bed is enclosed and dumps. It can be used to haul wood chips or stump grindings. It has toolboxes on either side and a toolbox in the back along the side of the bed and most of our tools are stored in this truck.
The chainsaws, leaf blower, hard hats, gas can and similar tools are in the drivers side toolbox, while the ropes and climbing gear is in the passenger toolbox. The rakes, shovels, and extension pole saw handles are stored in the toolbox along the side of the bed.
This truck is vital to our business, it helps the pruning and removal jobs go faster and be safer. It is much safer to be working out of a bucket truck where the risk of getting hurt is low, than using climbing gear and climbing the tree. We have the brand AlturnaMats ground protection mats stored on this truck and we use them when necessary to drive on the grass.
Ford 450 – An Enclosed Truck Bed To Haul Wood Chips
The Ford 450 has a turbocharged diesel engine. This truck is almost always used to pull the wood chipper and is built for that job. It has a single rear axle with dual wheels on either side. 4 wheel drive to include the front wheels for driving in snowy or muddy conditions. Toolboxes on either side of the truck, mounted just behind the cab and below the bed.
The dump bed floor is made of steel and is enclosed with an aluminum roof and aluminum sides for the wood chips to be blown into. The dump box is 12 feet long, 8 feet wide and 5 feet high. With those dimensions, when the truck is full of wood chips it will be near the weight limit.
Ford 450 – An Open Top Truck Bed To Haul The Firewood
The Ford 450 has a turbocharged diesel engine, and is a 4 door cab. This truck is usually pulling our Appalachian tilt trailer loaded with the compact tractor and stump grinder. It has a single rear axle with dual wheels on either side and includes 4 wheel drive for the front wheels when driving in snowy or muddy conditions. Toolboxes are mounted on both sides just behind the cab below the bed.
The dump bed is made from aluminum and has an open-top, designed for dumping firewood and stump grindings over the side into the bed.
Appalachian Trailer – To Haul The Tractor And Stump Grinder
The trailer has a 12 volt hydraulic pump to tilt the rear deck to the ground, no need to raise and lower heavy ramps. This trailer has 2 axles and a wooden floor with a steel frame. It usually carries the compact tractor to and from the job. We also use the trailer to carry large logs to the sawmill.
Now You Are Ready To Start Your Project!
This was some of the basic and most used heavy equipment in our business, I hope it helped you if you are looking for equipment or planning to start your own business.
If you are simply looking for lighter equipment to use around the house or farm you can find light duty versions of the equipment I use!
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If you have questions or comments on this equipment or other tools, leave them below and I will try to answer them.
Justin