Wood chippers greatly vary in size, weight, and type of blades used in it. This article covers the weight aspect of both home and commercial wood chippers.
Home wood chippers can weigh from 26 to 250 pounds. Commercial wood chippers weigh from 73 to 405 pounds. Industrial towable wood chippers can weigh from 948 to 72,120 pounds. Self-propelled industrial wood chippers can weight from 815 to 70,547 pounds. Stationary industrial wood chippers can weigh from 15,640 to a massive 94,000 pounds.
Dimensions, diameter of branches to be chipped, and overall power usually go up along with weight. Though some wood chippers stated as commercial might be smaller than their home counterparts, their engines are usually more powerful, and this is what makes them commercial. They also have oversized chutes for great volumes of debris.
Related: best wood chipper for composting and mulching
Weight of Home Wood Chippers
First, let’s look at the weight list of popular home wood chippers. They are similar in their purpose and capacity but greatly differ in forms and shapes, so select one that suits your yard most.
- 26 pounds — the super light-weight champion — Sun Joe 1.5 in. 14 Amp Electric Wood Chipper/Shredder. Despite its small size and weight can cut twigs and branches up to 1.5 in diameter. Due to its light weight can be easily moved around without even using its 6-inch wheels. Find it here on Amazon.
- 31 pounds — PowerSmart 1.6 in. 15 Amp Electric Chipper Shredder. Another lightweight contestant. A little heavier but a little bit more powerful than a previous one. The chipping capacity is limited to 1.6-inch branches. It can also be easily dragged around the yard on its 6-inch wheels. Find it here on Amazon.
- 95 pounds — Patriot Products 2.5 in. 14 Amp Electric Wood Chipper and Leaf Shredder, the fine middle-weight example of a home wood chipper. Thrice heavier than a previous model but much more powerful as well. 2.5-inch branches are no joke. It might be a perfect solution for small and medium yards. Though it can still be carried with bare hands we recommend using the handle on the top of the hopper to move it around the yard. Find it here on Amazon.
- 121 pounds — Tazz 1.65 Bushel Shredding Capacity K32 Chipper Shredder-212cc 4-Cycle Viper Engine. As we have already mention with weight comes more power. And this power needs to be supplied by a muscular gas engine. This wood chipper can chip branches up to 3 inches in diameter. Always-ready, 11-inch wheels will never go flat, and good for moving the chipper even through mud. Find it here on Amazon.
- 145 pounds — Brush Master 3 in. 11 HP Gas Powered Commercial-Duty Chipper Shredder. This wood chipper has a very prominent form thanks to its adjustable discharge chute, and a big leaf chute. 3-inch branches are no problem for this powerful chipper. Find it here on Amazon.
- 191 pounds — the heavy-weight category — Champion Power Equipment 3 in. 338cc Gas-Powered Chipper Shredder. This wood chipper has an impressive size of the vertical leaf chute that can also be used for shrubbery and yard debris. Another chute can chip branches up to 3 inches in size. Get more info from the Champion Website or check the price here on Amazon.
- 197 pounds — Dirty Hand Tools 3 in. 6.5 HP Gas Powered Chipper Shredder. This sturdy-looking chipper has a wide leaf chute, large tread wheels, and a reversible 2-position tow bar. A very convenient attachment considering its weight. 3-inch branches are the limit for this chipper. Get more info from the Dirty Hands Website or check the price here on Amazon.
- 206 pounds — Cub Cadet 3 in. 250 cc 2-in-1 Upright Gas Chipper Shredder. This one cuts 3-inch branches like grass, has two formidable chutes, and by formidable we really mean it, and can be attached to a tractor or ATV via tow bar. Looking at this beast you will surely want to attach it to something powerful. Find it here on Amazon.
- 250 pounds — the super heavy-weight champion — Yard Machines 2 in. 208 cc Tip-Down 3-in-1 Gas Chipper Shredder. Don’t be tricked by its size, this is the heaviest chipper we were able to find. Heavy cast steel blades are very durable and can handle even the toughest wood. Though the diameter of branches is limited to two inches. One thing about this model that is worth paying attention to is the adjustable hopper that can be placed vertical, horizontal, or even dropped down to the ground, so that you could just rake up all the leaves and debris into the chipper. Good for those who has back problems. Find it here on Amazon.
As you might have noticed gas-powered home wood chippers are significantly heavier than their electric analogues. If you have a small yard or live in a residential area, there is not much sense in buying a heavy gas wood chipper, unless you’re planning to cut some big tough branches. Though it is important to note that the size of the branches that can be chipped by home wood chippers is limited to 3 inches.
Another thing that you need to pay attention to while considering weight is portability. Almost every commercial wood chipper has a tow bar for transportation. But you sure don’t want to move your 200-pound home wood chipper around the yard on your own. So, it would be a smart move to get a home one with a tow bar to attach it to your lawnmower, for example.
Related: Best home wood chipper reviews.
Weight of Commercial Wood Chippers
Now it’s time to overview weight of more powerful commercial wood chippers. In this list we have included some popular models that have established reputation. It is worth noting that some of the manufacturers distinguish the third type of wood chippers — industrial ones. This causes a confusion in classification. But in our opinion the best way to separate commercial chippers from industrial ones is the price. Usually industrial chippers cost more than 5 thousand dollars, while commercial chippers cost twice as much as home wood chippers. But let’s move to the weight classification list.
- 73 pounds — Patriot Products CSV-3065B 3 in. 6.5 HP Briggs & Stratton Gas Powered Wood Chipper/Leaf Shredder — This one has a gas engine that allows this chipper to cut even 3-inch branches. Yes, considering its weight and size this model can be seen mostly as a home chipper but the manufacturer states that this one is a good fit for commercial position as well. To sum it up, this is the almost weightless commercial wood chipper that can be used in various situations and in various places. Find it here on Amazon.
- 119 pounds — Tazz K52 3 in. Gas Powered 196cc Kohler Engine Chipper Shredder. This one replicates the Tazz K32 model but has a more powerful engine to quickly chip 3-inch branches. It also has a bigger fuel tank that also adds some weight to this chipper. Still if you are looking for a strong but not too strong wood chipper this might be the model of your choice. 11-inch wheels for fast and easy moving are included. See it here on Amazon.
- 182 pounds — Southland 2.5 in. Briggs & Stratton 205cc Engine Gas Powered Chipper Shredder. The prominent feature of this chipper is the oversized drop-in hopper for leaves, twigs, and even pine needles. Unfortunately, the chipper chute is relatively small and can only cut branches up to 2.5 inches in diameter. This model has a tow bar that is not provided by default but can be easily bought along with the chipper. Considering weight of the whole thing it is a good idea to attach it to ATV or a tractor. Get more info on the Southland Website or check the current price here on Amazon.
- 245 pounds — Brush Master 3 in. 11-HP 270cc Feed Commercial Duty Chipper Shredder. The look of this chipper simply says, “I’m strong, durable, and reliable”. Completely made of steel this wood chipper can take up to 3-inch branches, and a large amount of leaves and twigs. Steel makes this one much heavier than its counterparts but do not fear this chipper includes a tow bar for portability, so you can attach it to a tractor right away. Find it here on Amazon.
- 270 pounds — DEK 4 in. 420cc 15 HP Gas Commercial Duty Chipper Shredder. With commercial wood chippers we are stepping into the next category of cutting and this is its first representative. This commercial wood chipper can chip branches up to 4 inches in diameter, and it is sold with a tow bar. Get more info on their Website or check the latest price here on Amazon.
- 320 pounds — Yardbeast 3514 3.5 in. Chipper 14 HP Kohler CH440. This wood chipper looks unusual comparing to other chippers. It has a rectangular form and can be placed along the wall without taking much space. It also has four wheels instead of two which makes it easily portable even with such weight. And of course, it can be attached to a tractor or a lawnmower. The power of chipping of this thing is limited to 3.5-inch branches. See it here on Amazon.
- 400 pounds — Yardbeast 2090 3.5 in. Chipper/Shredder, 14 HP Kohler CH440. Look at this monster, look at its weight, and realize that this thing will cut 3.5-inch branches like grass. It has a huge drop-in hopper for leaves, twigs, and debris. Big wheels and a tow bar allow to move this chipper easily around the yard no matter how big it is. Check the price here at the Home Depot.
- 405 pounds — Power King 5 in. 14 HP Gas Powered Commercial Chipper Shredder with Kohler Engine, Heavy Duty Tires, and XL Trailer Hitch. Heavy, expensive, powerful. These three words are pretty much everything you need to describe this machine. The manufacturer states that this thing can not just chip but pulverize trees up to 5.75 inches in diameter. It also has a long feed chute and a very convenient spout. The large tow bar is included. To sum it up, this wood chipper can chip, cut, and pulverize pretty much everything you find useless in your yard. Get more info here on their website or check the price on the home depot website.
Wood Chipper Characteristics that Affect Weight
- Housing material: Plastic parts make a woodchipper lighter but also less durable. Some cheap home wood chippers are almost completely made of plastic which makes them almost weightless.
- Power type: electric or gas. Electro-powered wood chippers are supplied straight from the socket and have small engines. And small engines mean not only weak chipping capacity but also easy portability and light weight. On the other hand, gas-powered engines are capable of chipping not just branches but small trees, although weight of a wood chipper greatly increases. It’s worth pointing out that in the lists above we didn’t consider weight of gasoline in a tank. And they can be relatively big, for example Power King 5 in. has a fuel tank capacity of 236.8 oz. (7 liters).
- Chutes and hoppers: Commercial models have oversized chutes and hoppers for big branches and large amounts of leaves. These things can add significant weight to a whole construction, so if you just want to chip quick but not big you can consider other types of wood chippers.
Other Things to Consider about Weight of Home and Commercial Wood Chippers
When buying a heavy wood chipper the first thing you need to consider is how to move this thing around a yard or a farm. Almost all commercial wood chippers can be attached to a tractor, ATV, or even a lawn mower (though this can be risky), but not every model is sold with a tow bar and a hitch. So, don’t forget to check this in specification before buying one. There is an exception however, the heavy Yardbeast 2090 can be moved around manually thanks to its 4 wheels and a convenient handle, and this way it can also be placed more accurately in a yard or garage.
Check the supports. They should be able not just support the whole construction but also endure the pressure and vibration. Check out the form and the number of supports, rules are simple — two are better than one, wide are better than narrow.
Summing Up Home and Commercial Wood Chippers Data
Wood chippers’ weight greatly depends on their capacity and power. The math is pretty simple in this case — bigger branches mean that you need more power, bigger power demands larger and more sturdy housing and an engine which leads to bigger size and weight. Commercial wood chippers might not have a bigger capacity than home ones but their engines are muscular and chip branches quickly and effectively.
Don’t forget about that when looking at the chipper capacity characteristic. In general, home wood chippers are good for residential areas and small yards to handle branches, twigs, and leaves, and commercial wood chippers are a nice choice for big farms and small commercial enterprises. We also recommend buying heavy models only if you have ATV to attach it to.
Weight of Industrial Wood Chippers
Industrial wood chippers are the biggest and the heaviest of all chippers capable of chipping whole trees. They can be roughly divided into three types — towable chippers, self-propelled chippers, and stationary chippers. Let’s describe them briefly and then move to the actual weight list.
As the name suggests towable chippers are attached to ATV, tractor, or truck, and then moved where they needed most. While the chipper is attached to a vehicle, wood chips can be sent straight into the back of a truck.
Self-propelled wood chippers are very vast category of chippers that have one thing in common — they can move by themselves. This includes wood chippers with small combustion engines, wood chippers that are installed on trucks and tractors, and wood chippers with fully equipped cabin that can move on its own like any other ATV.
Stationary wood chippers can also be of different sizes and forms, their distinctive feature is that they don’t have wheels, and are installed on several supports instead.
All models in each of the three types differ in size, weight, and amount of wood that can be chipped at once. So, each type is presented in its own list.
Weight of Towable Industrial Wood Chippers
At first it might seem that this type of wood chippers is the smallest among industrial chippers until you do some additional research and find some prominent examples, such as Morbark 50/48X Whole Tree Drum Chipper. These huge machines can chip even whole trees, so don’t underestimate this type of chippers.
- 948 pounds — Rabaud Xylochip 100M. This light (comparing to other models) wood chipper can chip branches up to 4 inches in diameter. Thanks to its light weight this thing has maximum speed of transportation of 80 mph. So, this chipper can follow you anywhere you want.
- 1800 pounds — Vermeer BC700XL. This is the smallest model in the Vermeer brush chipper line. Yet it is twice as heavy as the previous model which implies that this chipper has a bigger capacity. And this is true. Vermeer BC700XL chips branches up to 7 inches in diameter.
- 2225 pounds — Wallenstein BXTR6438F. 7-inch branches are not a problem for this chipper. As key features the manufacturer states a powerful 999 cc engine and an electronic control system that prevents bigger logs from getting stuck inside the chipper.
- 2500 pounds — Morbark Beever™ M8D Brush Chipper. It has a bigger weight and a bigger capacity capable of cutting 8-inch branches and logs. As you might have noticed the differences among models get blurred, so we recommend you read through specifications carefully to select the best chipper for you. But the general dependence is simple — bigger weight means a more powerful engine, a bigger chute, and higher capacity.
- 5500 pounds — Bandit Intimidator™ 12XP is a good example of this dependence. This one is much heavier than a previous moment, and it can chip branches, logs, and even small trees up to 12 inches in diameter. This is the smallest chipper in the Bandit line of Intimidator™ chippers, which can also be supplied with two distinctive options — a self-propelled track undercarriage and a hydraulic winch. Track undercarriage greatly increases weight of the chipper but at the same time increases its ability to move across all types of terrain, move on its own by the way. And the winch is used to pull large logs straight to the chipper.
- 12600 pounds — Bandit Intimidator™ 21XP. Skipping all similar models of trailer chippers, we would like to point out this Bandit chipper, the heaviest in the Intimidator™ line. It is a compact machine with huge appetite that, as the name suggests, can chip branches, logs, and trees up to 21 inches in diameter. To carry such weight this chipper has 4-wheel suspension and can be supplied with a loader option. Other above-mentioned options are also available for this model.
- 18000 pounds — Morbark Beever™ M20R Forestry Chipper. Despite its weight this chipper is also towable though you will need a heavy truck to move it around. The most prominent thing about this chipper except its weight is the long infeed deck with live chain drive to easily deliver trees to the drum.
- 72120 pounds — Morbark 50/48X Whole Tree Drum Chipper. This enormous trailer wood chipper has Morbark Integrated Control Systems, a powerful drum, a unique infeed system, and a microchip application. The capacity of this beast is limited only by your desires.
Weight of Self-Propelled Industrial Wood Chippers
Wood chippers in this category greatly differ from each other. It can be modifications of ordinary trailer chippers that have track undercarriages instead of wheels, especially designed trucks for wood chipping, or tractors equipped with huge chippers. As we have already mentioned self-propelled track chippers are much heavier than ordinary towable wood chippers. But we start the list with a rare type of wheeled self-propelled wood chipper manufactured by Rabaud.
- 815 pounds — Rabaud Xylochip 100DA. You want to have self-propelled wood chipper but you don’t want it to be heavy then this is the machine of your choice. This thing can move itself anywhere you need, and chip 4-inch branches with no sweat.
- 1598 pounds — Rabaud Xylochip 100C. The lightweight track wood chipper. It chips branches up to 4 inches in diameter. Tracks allow this model to move around all kinds of terrain, as well as cambers or slopes. As you can see this is a modified trailer Xylochip wood chipper.
- 2634 pounds — TP 160 Track. A simple but reliable track wood chipper. It has a standard 4-inch capacity. The thing that distinguish this chipper is a user-friendly control panel, from which both speed and track width can be chosen.
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- 8000 pounds — Bandit Intimidator™ 12XP Track. A track modification of a drum style hand-fed chipper that is heavier by 2500 pounds than its counterpart. It has the same features as the wheeled model, the only difference is that it can travel over rough terrain.
- 18000 pounds — Bandit Intimidator™ 21XP Track. Another modification of a wheeled wood chipper. Combination of impressive processing capabilities and all-terrain qualities makes this wood chipper an ultimate machine for all kinds of forestry works.
- 31967 pounds — Ventura Castor 1320. This wood chipper is not just a modified version of a wheeled chipper, this is a separate self-propelled machine. A prominent form allows it to have a big infeed deck and a very long discharge platform extending by 5 meters from a cadib. It can also be towed by trucks if needed. So, you can deliver the wood chipper to the site and then easily drive it around.
- 70547 pounds — Biber Powertruck by Eschlböck Biber is another evolution step of self-propelled wood chippers. This is a specially designed truck for wood chipping. The chipper is not just mounted on a truck, it is a part of a vehicle. This way the wood chipper can be delivered anywhere real fast. Supplied with a powerful engine and 29.5-inch capacity, this truck represents an interesting solution for those who chips wood professionally. Biber Powertruck has two options — TUROX for off-road chipping, and VICAN with outstanding performance.
Weight of Stationary Industrial Wood Chippers
Stationary wood chippers are best for processing huge amount of wood on a regular basis. Strong supports cease vibration and take lots of pressure from big logs and whole trees. So, in general, these are large machines that are installed right on the work site.
- 15640 pounds — Morbark 58” Chip-Pac. This small, comparing to other stationary models, wood chipper can be transformed in several ways, and is able to chip 15-inch branches, logs, and trees. Thanks to its form it doesn’t consume a lot of space and it can be installed inside the building.
- 33000 pounds — Bandit 2290S. 20-inch capacity, high supports, and a 37” chipping drum makes this machine a good solution for outdoor industrial chipping. Whole trees are easily chipped into small pieces by this powerful chipper.
- 94000 pounds — CBI Magnum Force 8400. One of the largest stationary wood chippers in the world. It produces up to 700 m3/h of high-quality chips. Everything about this thing is big and powerful — Electronic Diesel Engine with 1050 HP at 2200 RPM, oversized radiator, and enormous discharge conveyor. This thing can chip any tree you load in it.
Summing Up Industrial Wood Chippers Data
It is obvious that buying an industrial wood chipper is a serious step for your business. So, we recommend starting with something small, something that covers your demands without exceeding them too much. And then go up if needed. Select a stationary wood chipper only if other options can not cover your needs, and you will be chipping huge amount of wood on a constant basis for a long period of time. Due to its nature it is hard to sell them later, so, keep that in mind when buying one.
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