12 yards of wood chips

17 years ago

I saw a tree company working in my neighborhood and asked whether I can have their truckload of wood chips. They gladly gave them to me and dumped at my front patio very carefully. It was all hard wood from a few locust trees that a neighbor is taking down, plus branches from trimming.

I had already been hesitating when it comes to asking for free wood chips. Having seen and heard so many incidences in the forum I thought I will ask this time since it is right across the street. The tree guy told me the alternative for them would be to drive 20 miles AND pay $100 per load to a dump site. He aslo said the dump site then will dye the chips black or red and then sold them back to us at $30/yard. The tree company usally has 4-5 truck load a day. How dumb is that dump?

I am so happy with my deal today. I probably need to do some rough screen and process the large pieces with my smaller chipper (10 HP). I also know that in the future if I need more I can simply give them a call to save them money.

So for others in this forum, please do not hesitate to ask. Both parties will be happy.

njrookie

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Comments (20)

claireplymouth z6b coastal MA
17 years ago
I did the same thing about a month ago - they were working up the street so I walked up and asked for the chips. Got a truck load (they said it was about 13 yards).

I also once asked the town for chips when they were working in the neighborhood. I couldn't get them that day, but I gave them my name and address (in writing) and was told that if they had a full truck and were nearby they'd deliver. A few weeks later they showed up unannounced and dropped off a load.

In another case an arborist we'd used in the past showed up one day with a small load (he was working in the neighborhood). I said yes, and asked if he could cut up a large branch that had fallen over to the neighbor's property (our tree). He did it cheaply, and we got more chips from that branch.

Definitely ask - they may say no, but chances are, as njrookie says, they'll be happy to get rid of the chips.

Claire
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bob64
17 years ago
I have approached arborists on the street with mixed results (some say yes and some say no) but never an unpleasant moment - they don't seem too surprised by the request. I also tell our own arborist to always leave the wood chips from the work he does for us. We save money and use the chips. One arborist gave me a load of chipped branches but the trunk and bigger branches he cut into firewood and sold to someone.
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dchall_san_antonio
17 years ago
Do a search on "ramial chipped wood."
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julianna_il
17 years ago
One of my neighbors has had a giant chipping machine going for the last three days after our big storm, and I thought I'd walk down and ask for a few bags. But now the machine is gone and I guess they hauled it off.

Then I was talking to someone in the grocery store and the city has piles of chips for anyone, stuff from the storm. But the lady I was talking to said she's gotten city chips before and then it infested her yard with centipedes.

So now I'm paranoid. I didn't even know we had centipedes in the midwest.
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seamommy
17 years ago
I wouldn't worry too much about bugs in wood chips, they're just looking for food like everyone else. They'll do their part to help break down the wood into usable nutirents and when the food source is gone so will the bugs be. If I had a source for 12 yards of wood chips, I'd be on that like a duck on a June bug. Cheryl
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blutranes
17 years ago
If I could get my hands on some stump grinding I would be on that like air in breath. I got a large stump that had been ground and mixed with soil, it is out there composting as it was piled. Almost any wood mulch is a great find IMO...

Blutranes
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donn_
17 years ago
It's funny. I have browns coming out of my ears (figuratively speaking, of course ;>)), but I have to work for greens.

I have 15 yards of woodchips in the driveway, 30 bags of sawdust and shavings from a woodshop, and 100 bags of leaves. Unfortunately, lawn mowing and seaweed season is over for the year, so my supply of greens is scarce. Scrounged greens are not plentiful enough to be fuel efficient, and I won't cut rooted Eelgrass in the bay.

I really need to get rid of my van, in favor of a pickup. I can get all the free horse manure I can use, but it isn't practical to haul it in a van.
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blutranes
17 years ago
Hmmm,

5-gallon buckets with lids? Tubs secured between the 5-gallon buckets towards the back of the van? Heavy duty plastic bags, extra large? More than one way to haul some good manure...

Blutranes
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donn_
17 years ago
It would require 41 five-gallon buckets to carry 1 cubic yard of manure. That's not efficient hauling.
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happyday
17 years ago
Donn, how about putting a hitch on the van and getting a trailer? Mind you, I wish I had my old 4x4 pickup back too, tho the van is better for keeping loads dry.
In case anyone was wondering, as was I,
"Ramial wood" refers to twigs having less than 7 cm in diameter. They contain soluble or little-polymerized lignin, the base for soil aggregates and highly reactive humus. These small-size branches are not used as firewood, even in the poorest tropical countries. The name and description of Â«ramial woodÂ» was given in 1986 (Lemieux) under the French name of Â«bois ramÃ©alÂ».

Here is a link that might be useful: «REGENERATING SOILS WITH RAMIAL CHIPPED WOOD»
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donn_
17 years ago
Hap..I have a hitch on the van, but no place to store a trailer when it isn't being used. I really need to lose the van (4x4 tricked out Quigley conversion 1980 E250, surf fishing truck) and get a good pickup.

I religiously sort, save and shred all my small diameter deciduous branches, and dig them into the beds.
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blutranes
17 years ago
Who said it would be cheap? Ok, how about this; find a few self-serve car washs, make friends with the attendant, ask them to save all their 55-gallon soap drums. Cut them in half, free 25-gallon buckets...

Blutranes
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Lloyd
17 years ago
Our local government paid a contractor this fall to clean out a drainage ditch in front of my property. There were thousands of saplings growing and they just ran a big horkin bush hog device over them. After reading the ramial wood article above, I'm thinking I should have cut them down and chipped them up? They were mostly 7 cm and under and I could have ran them through the chipper fresh cut. Maybe next year I can give it a try on the ones they missed. Might be worth a little experiment. I remember chipping a bunch of these years ago to use on a path and they did heat up very quickly in the trailer I was using. Never thought much about it though...till now :-)

Lloyd
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rayama
17 years ago
I just looked up local tree services and called. They were more than happy to drop off a load. I'm using them in my compost, as mulch, all over the place!
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claireplymouth z6b coastal MA
17 years ago
Another link on ramial woodchips which is very readable.

Claire

Here is a link that might be useful: In praise of ramial chips, and other
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pablo_nh
17 years ago
"How dumb is that dump?"

Sounds like they are extremely smart, actually. They've convinced people to PAY them to take the raw material for their products.
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pablo_nh
17 years ago
Oh, and it may take longer for black locust chips to break down. BL is used for fence posts because it is naturally decay resistant (but of course will decay faster as chips).
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njrookie
Original Author
17 years ago
I should have said "How dumb is that dumper?" I guess.

The chip mountain looks cool and my 4.5 year old is climbing up and running down all the time. It is hard to tell the temperature inside though since it is so HUGE. I am not worried however since I will just use it to mulch beds. last time i used about 4-5 inches, but by July it was weeds everywhere. this time I can going to put down some newspaper down first to see if that helps.

njrookie
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njrookie
Original Author
17 years ago
you are totally right. i saw sparks when i tried to cut some locust branches i found in the yard with a chain saw. that probably means it will work better/longer as mulch.
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pablo_nh
17 years ago
Check your sharpness and chain tension.

Locust is also a good firewood and wood for making bows, but it's a PITA to split. (and the thorns could be more pleasant :)
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12 yards of wood chips

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claireplymouth z6b coastal MA

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12 yards of wood chips

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