For those who don’t know, a wood chipper is a machine used for tree and bush wood reduction. It cuts them from their original form into tiny wood chips.
For those who know what it is and want to rent, I will share with you wood chipper rental costs and quotes for 2020.
Wood Chipper Rental Options, Cost, And FAQs
Just so you know, wood chippers can be installed on a mobile frame using their wheels. They can also be fixed on snow runners and placed on a truck. This makes it possible to move them from one point to the location of the trees.
Wood chippers are also called wood shredders, although that name is reserved for the smaller versions of the wood chipper.
Things To Consider When Renting A Wood Chipper
There are many brands and models of wood chippers available to hire. You may get confused when you first come across the many options available. For this reason, there are a few things you should consider before you rent one.
These include –
Are you renting for domestic or commercial use? – In my opinion, this is the most important question you should ask yourself.
If it’s meant for domestic use (home use), then you’d probably need it for only a few days each year. This also means the plants you plan to chop up will be small in size (I don’t expect that anyone would have mighty shrubs at home).
For domestic use, a small-sized would chipper would be your best bet.
On the other hand, if you need the wood chipper for a job, then you should consider whether you’d be hiring long term or not. You can balance the cost of rental against the cost of buying the machine outright.
Keep in mind that if you were to buy the machine, then you’d be responsible for servicing and maintenance. This will, of course, cost you some extra money, and you also have to deal with storage space.
Also, you have to consider the models that run on electricity as well as the ones that can be powered by a generator. Some wood chippers have their gasoline-powered engines.
These types of engines are carried by industrial wood chippers and they are great for large scale chipping.
Generally, if you intend to use the chipper for domestic use, then go for the smaller, electrically powered models. If they are for commercial use, then go for the gasoline or diesel-powered models that are meant for heavy-duty work.
How frequently will the machine be used? – Knowing how frequently you’ll be using the wood chipper can help you decide whether to rent or to buy.
If it is cheaper to rent (considering the number of times you’ll be using it) than buying outright, then you can go ahead and rent. On the other hand, if renting under the above-given circumstances would be more expensive than buying, then why rent?
Where will you store the wood chipper? – Storage is always an issue when it comes to machines. Do you have space for it? If the answer is no, then there’s no need to buy. Renting is your best option!
Size of the plants that need chipping – If you’re dealing with a large batch of trees then you would need to rent a large heavy-duty wood chipper. If they are not so much, then renting a smaller sized one would be ideal.
Heavy-duty machines will cost more to rent than the smaller ones. It would be unwise paying more to rent a heavy-duty chipper when the size of trees is relatively small.
Reduction ratio – Reduction ratio means how much the size of the feed is reduced by the chipping machine.
For example, a reduction ratio of 10:1 means that a volume of ten bags of leaves or branches will be reduced to a volume of one bag of chippings.
The number of blades on the chipper – A Wood chipper with a higher number of blades will trim faster than one with a fewer number.
Having more blades also means the amount of stress on the axle and motor will be reduced, thereby improving the lifespan of the machine.
Vacuum – Some wood chippers have vacuum attachments that discharge debris. This is the preferred option when renting.
Where to rent one from – Your local tool hire center is the most likely place to rent one.
Keep in mind that the store would mostly have wood chippers that are in demand in your area.
This means that if you live in the city, domestic chippers are the ones that would be commonly found for hire. Whereas if you live in a rural environment, you will most likely be surrounded by rentals that have mainly heavy-duty chippers.
Why Rent A Wood Chipper?
There are several reasons for hiring a wood chipper. Some of them are listed below.
It saves you money – If you are disposing of the wood chips to landfill, then the number of truckloads required for the job will be reduced. This will save you money on transport costs, disposal fees, and laborer’s wages.
It is environmentally sustainable – Many districts no longer accept garden waste in landfill and they have prohibited the burning of garden waste.
Producing your wood chips means you have ready-made mulch to scatter around your trees.
It is affordable for home use – Renting a wood chipper is a cost-effective way with which you can dispose of fallen branches, leaves, and trees as a whole.
It is affordable for small landscapers – Small landscaping businesses (especially start-ups) may not be able to afford to buy a brand new wood chipper.
Renting one gives them the chance to spread the cost of buying and maintaining one over the cost of each job they get.
It helps you create space faster – After your trees, branches, and shrubs have been cut, you’re going to have a ground littered with plant waste. The wooden parts of a plant do not compost quickly, and you can’t just leave them there to take up all that space.
A wood chipper gives you the best conversion option. It turns large, space-consuming pieces of wood into compact chippings that can easily be put away or disposed of.
Also, when the wood is chopped into tiny pieces, bacteria and other insects can easily break them down.
Wood chippings are also great for mulching around plants since it helps preserve the ground moisture and prevents the up-shoot of unwanted weeds.
They can also be scattered around the surface of children’s playgrounds and garden walkways.
Wood Chipper Rental Cost Estimates
The amount of money it will cost you to rent a wood chipper will vary. The area you live (rural or urban), and the size of the machine are all factors that will influence the rental cost.
The following costs are purely intended to be indicative and represent the average cost.
| Size of wood chipper | Rate |
| Wood chipper 4” | $130 per 24 hours |
| Wood chipper 6” | $200 per 24 hours |
| Wood chipper 9” | $270 per 24 hours |
Questions You Should Ask The Rental Shop
If you want to carry out the wood chipping yourself, then there are certain questions you will need to ask the contractor.
They include –
Ask for contracts – The rental store is most likely to present you a contract, if they don’t, then be sure to ask for one.
The contract should cover every foreseeable problem that may arise. The contract should state things that could go wrong and who going to be responsible for them.
The choice to accept or decline the contract terms is all yours. If their terms are not agreeable then you can try another rental store.
How to operate the machine – The rental shop would like to have you return their machine in tip-top shape. It is also in your interest to know how to operate the machine.
Feel free to ask them how it works. They can give you an operations manual for assistance, they can also give you a quick demonstration right there at the store.
How long can you keep the machine – It is not strange that you may need to spend more time than planned on a job. This should prompt you to ask the rental how long you can keep the machine after the rental period has expired.
Also, ask if there will be extra charges if there is a 24-hour delay in returning the machine.
Conclusion
A wood chipper is probably the best piece of equipment as far as garden refuse disposal is concerned. It makes the job easier to handle and costs significantly less when you factor in disposal charges.
Sadly, this useful piece of equipment costs a lot to purchase and maintain. Thankfully, there are rental shops available where you can go and hire from.
Renting will save you cost over time and you won’t have to worry about storage space.
I hope this article on wood chipper rental costs has been helpful.
Good luck!