Wood chipper for rent?
A lot of customers ask us whether it's best to buy or rent a wood chipper. And we thought of addressing that question briefly.
Investing in a quality wood chipper is not an easy decision. If you are in this boat, you may be thinking, “Why would I invest thousands of dollars in a piece of equipment that I may only use seasonally?“ That is one key question to ask before committing yourself to owning a wood chipper. And we would like to offer some insight that can help you decide whether to rent or to own one of our chippers.
So, should I buy or rent? Well, this will fundamentally depend on your wood chipping needs.
Let us start with some realities of owning a wood chipper. Owning a wood chipper can pose some challenges. To begin with, you may need to do some degree of maintenance on the unit like changing belts (wear and tear component), greasing the bearings, changing the wheels, etc.- You may be an avid fix-it-yourself person and this will not be much of a concern to you. On the other hand, those who are not inclined to DIY repair need to remember that having a dealer do these things may not be worth the run, the time, and ultimately the cost at an average of $40 and up to $70 per service hour.
Another consideration is space. Ask yourself if you have the proper storage space while the chipper is not in use. This is true especially in cold states that get a lot of snow. In contrast, if you live in places like Arizona you would be able to use your unit pretty much year-round. If you live in a cold climate and need to stow the chipper away for winter, you’ll need to provide proper “hibernation” maintenance, particularly on the engine. That means, prepping the fuel with additives, cleaning the air filters, carburetor, and such to endure the duration of the cold season.
The decision of whether to rent a wood chipper will depend on the size and how repetitive is the task you are looking to take on. For example; if you are doing a one-time job to remove branches, renting a unit would be the smart move. (In fact, given how often these jobs appear on their list, many contractors prefer to rent.) A big downside for renting, however, is that places like Home Depot usually rent big chippers that need to be towed. So, you may not be inclined to have a tow truck come to your place of residence or workplace.
In addition, when renting, it is important to consider planning your work ahead. Since you will likely be charged by the hour, you need to ensure that your task is prepped and well planned in advance to avoid extra charges.
So if you own a property that has trees and shrubberies, and you would like to keep this under control year-round-- without the stress of having to deal with someone else's equipment, towing back and forth, and avoiding all the inconvenient paperwork-- then you will be well better off buying a chipper.
Please click below to see our chipper lineup. If you are aiming for a bigger, commercial-grade wood chipper, we also offer interesting finance options to optimize your working capital and maintain a steady cash flow.