Equipment that reduces labour costs not only makes a business more productive, but can also improve staff health. Utilising equipment that provides a ‘mechanical advantage’—literally the ability to amplify input force – means operators have to apply less effort to get the job done, reducing fatigue and chance of injury.

For arborists, keeping labour-intensive jobs on schedule and preventing operator injury is all about taking mechanical advantage. Increasingly, we are seeing equipment like Vermeer brush chippers with winches coupled with mini loaders utilised by the tree industry to keep operator exertion to a minimum, often in conjunction with productivity features like remote control, that enable one person to feed and operate an 18” chipper.

Tree servicing company sees benefits

Leo’s Tree and Tower is an ornamental shrub and tree service company in Armidale, NSW.   As a small company, minimising labour expenditure and reducing health impacts is vital to the business. Leo’s own two Vermeer BC1800XL brush chippers with remote, and recently purchased a Vermeer skid steer loader.

The chipper’s feeding system is designed to improve productivity, monitoring engine rpm and automatically stopping and reversing the roller when it senses jams. The vertical feed rollers make materials much easier to load and the long feed table and bottom feed stop bar increases the safety of operators.