Options for trailerized (PTO-driven) chippers

November 6, 2017

Product Review

Definition: A tractor-mounted chipper or PTO-chipper refers to a wood chipper hooked behind a tractor as an implement using the PTO of the tractor to drive the chipper.

In the farming industry wood chippers are often used to chip up old orchards, chip the orchard prunings when they are too big for the “bossiekapper” and also the removal and chipping of invasive species (alien clearing) such as Black Wattle, Port Jackson, Gum (Bloekom) and Rooikrans etc. The chips may then be processed or used directly as mulch on the orchards/vineyards. Most farmers will use a PTO-driven chipper since they already have a tractor on the farm to drive the chipper and on farms chippers are typically used for a short time period (during pruning season). A PTO chipper can be hooked behind a tractor like any other implement on the farm. The size of the chipper will determine the size of the tractor. The bigger the chipper the bigger the horsepower required from the tractor.

Why buy a tractor-mounted chipper?

A PTO chipper is more affordable than a self-driven chipper so the initial capital layout is a lot less.
Easy to connect and use.
Sometimes the terrain is only accessible with a tractor fitted with a chipper on the 3-point.
Most of the time there is a tractor on the farm that is not in use and can be used to drive the chipper.

Different options for TOMCAT’s trailerized, tractor-mounted (PTO-driven) chippers

Option 1. Our PTO wood chippers are built standard on a base that hooks up at the back of the tractor on the 3 point system. This is the best option when you want to reverse into the orchard, chipping all the side branches after pruning and leaving the chips in rows directly under the trees as mulch.

Option 2. Then we have a slow speed trailer. Popular option when you have an older tractor and don’t want to put too much stress on the back of your tractor’s lift arms. A drawbar is attached to the front and wheels with an axle fit ted beneath the base of the chipper. This is not a roadworthy option and cannot be towed at speeds greater than 10km/h.

Option 3. The wood chipper is mounted on a high speed trailer. There is a choice between a full roadworthy model and a 40km/h option. Very popular when the wood chipper needs to work on multiple farms and needs to travel quickly with a vehicle from one site to the next.