Purchasing a new chipper, whether it’s a whole-tree or brush chipper, is a significant investment. After shopping around, a leading vegetation management company made their decision to go with a manufacturer with whom they had a ten-year relationship and whose support they knew they could count on.

Treescape Australasia, part of the New Zealand-based Treescape Group, purchased the first Vermeer WC2300XL whole tree chipper sold in Australia, a whole-tree chipper with enhanced infeed and crushing capabilities. They have also since expanded their Heavy Commercial division fleet with the BC2100XL, the largest brush chipper in Vermeer’s range.

Since their purchase, these high volume chippers have helped improved efficiency, productivity and expanded Treescape’s business opportunities.

The right choice

Treescape chose the WC2300XL as it needed a high-capacity, towable, reliable chipper to help manage their increasing workload.

Treescape Business Manager Allan Kliese said the WC2300XL was ideal because, where the working area permitted it, it allowed Treescape to cut and stack material.

Mr Kliese said, “For us the job is about breaking the vegetation into manageable stock piles, then having chipper on site at a later stage to process the stock piles increasing the efficiencies of both the staff and processing resources.

“There’s a continual process of chipping from then on. So rather than down time of machinery with the high production of the WC2300XL and BC2100XL, full work hours can be used on stock pile of vegetation, the machine is utilised to its maximum.

“So when the chipper rolls in, the job is completed in record time and can then be moved on to the next site.

“Staff love the machines as they don’t have to break the material down as much – due to the size of the infeed rollers on both machine’s – so it makes the sites more productive.

“Based on the success of projects between Airle Beach and Canberra, purchasing both machines has proved to be the right choice for us,” Mr Kliese said.

A more competitive business

Treescape’s heavy clearing division includes a fleet Vermeer BC1800XL’s, the Vermeer WC2300XL as well as their latest BC2100XL purchase.

Mr Kliese said that in other contracts, chippers were hand fed because the materials, mostly trimmings, didn’t warrant anything bigger. However, in heavier, larger clearing jobs, the WC2300XL itself feeds the chipper, which can handle a whole tree at once.

“With the WC2300XL and BC2100XL, generally those jobs are broad felling or full tree removal, which we use our excavators on for the excavator assisted felling. Then we would stack or feed directly onto the machine’s conveyor on the WC2300XL or the large intake with the BC2100XL feeding with excavators is no issue.”

The machines have worked large jobs for Roadtek and Lend lease doing roadside vegetation clearing. Also the two chippers have had time clearing areas for Holcium in the quarries along with other civil clients for housing developments.

Mr Kliese said the WC2300XL machine has had great success in Canberra for the government’s annual Dead and Dangerous Tree Removal program, which identifies and removes the most dangerous dead trees.

The impact of these chipper’s has also made Treescape more competitive when applying for new contracts.

“The main benefit for clients with the debris being processed by the machines is the product produced is far more beneficial than going through a tub or horizontal grinder,”

Mr Kliese advised and along with the chipping process the more sustainable processing of stumps has shown fair better end results when the project are completed.

Click here to read the full article in the October edition of The Australian Arbor Age