Do you have many beautiful trees growing on your property and have often wondered which the best residential wood chipper would be for you to quickly and efficiently chip the branches that you cut off when pruning trees for their health and beauty? It sure doesn’t take long or many cuts until their is a large pile of branches laying on the ground that can make it difficult walk around and finish the pruning job!
A residential wood chipper is also useful when a storm breaks down branches or you want to clean up other dead limbs that have fallen from the trees.
Their are many different sizes of chippers or shredders and the best residential wood chipper for you may will vary depending on the size of the job or the diameter of the branches you will be chipping. Most of these chippers are gas powered with the smallest chippers using electric.
You may be looking for a larger model that will be able to chip 6 inch diameter branches and firewood pieces or a smaller and cheaper model that can chip 3 inch diameter branches. There is a budget electric model that can chip up to 1.5 inch diameter branches and is ideal for small branches and twigs.
6 Inch Diameter Gas Powered Best Residential Wood Chipper
Your best residential wood chipper for engine power and ease of feeding the branches through it will be the 6-inch chipper. Generally you will want the largest size of cutting diameter possible to make feeding branches through easier. The crotches in branches tend to hang up with smaller chippers. Unfortunately the price difference between the 6 inch and 3 inch models is fairly large so you will need to decide on how much work you will be doing and the diameter of most branches you will be chipping.
The gas engine offers more power and can be operated anywhere without needing to worry about finding an electric outlet to power it.
Some of these can be towed behind a vehicle to other nearby jobs or around your property. These towable models are especially convenient with the ease of transporting on the road by simply towing it behind your SUV or pickup truck.
A standard discharge chute can be angled out either side and the adjustable deflector lets you decide where to spread the chips as you work or blow them on a pile beside the chipper.
3 Inch Diameter Wood Chipper / Shredder
Its gas engine will allow you to operate the machine anywhere on your property and not be restricted by dragging an electric extension cord around.
This size of chipper has several discharge options. The main option is a discharge chute with an adjustable deflector to aim the direction of wood chips. Another option is to bag the wood chips by attaching a bagging system to the discharge chute.
These chippers are not very heavy and can be pushed around by hand, They can also be towed by a lawn tractor or 4-wheeler around your property from tree to tree. To be transported on the road it will need to be set on back of a vehicle or on a trailer and hauled that way.
1.5 Inch Diameter Electric Twig And Leaf Shredder
Now we have arrived at the smallest and by far the cheapest of the best residential wood chippers. These electric chippers are powered by electric, so simply plug in an extension cord and you are ready to work! They are much quieter than gas engines which can be beneficial if your using this machine in an area that dislikes louder noise. Also, you don’t have to worry about getting a gas engine started or serviced occasionally.
With this size of shredder you will need to cut branches off at their crotches so they will fit through. It will shred small branches into a hopper or bag attached to the bottom of the machine, when the bag is full simply remove it and dump out the chips to continue your job.
A sturdy push paddle is included to safely push small materials that don’t self-feed through the blades.
Grass clippings and leaves can be run through this machine to be ground into small pieces and then used as a nutrient-rich organic fertilizer for your garden or flowerbed!
What Should I Do With The Wood Chips?
After chipping or shredding any type of material you will have pile of wood chips with its size depending on how much was chipped. You may wonder what the wood chips can be used for or if they have any value. Some of the best residential wood chippers create fine chips that are useful and can be used for numerous things!
A few common ideas are for mulch in flower or landscape beds, you can save a sizable amount of money by using wood chips instead of buying premium bark mulch for your local landscaper!
Wood chips can be used as a walking path through a wooded area, they will keep the weeds down and your shoes out of the mud.
Playground areas are another excellent place to use wood chips, they are Eco friendly and any chips that escape the area into the surrounding grass will eventually compost into the ground.
If you have a compost pile, wood chips are superb addition to add fuel and heat to the composting process.
Last Thoughts About Chippers
One of these different sizes may be the best residential wood chipper for you if you are going to be using it occasionally and mostly planning to chip smaller branches. If you have a lot of work or many large branches you may want to consider renting or buying a bigger chipper.
In our Tree Pruning and Removal Business we are using a chipper capable of chipping a 12-inch diameter branch! Our chipper is a commercial grade meant to be used often and for hard work. It is built to withstand heavy use and it’s price would be above some homeowner’s budgets.
I hope sharing my experience using our chipper has helped you in some way as you are searching for information on which brand and model is the best residential wood chipper for you.
I hope you have an enjoyable time pruning your trees and chipping the branches! If you have any questions be sure to ask me in the comment section below and I would be happy to answer them!
Justin