The Complete Guide to Buying a Used Wood Chipper in the UK

Buying a Used Wood Chipper in the UK

In short: price a used wood chipper against current adverts for the same model, age and hours. Before you buy, check the hours against the machine's condition and service history, then the feed rollers, the blades and anvil, a cold start and hydraulic leaks, and make sure the emergency stop and the bar stop work. Walk away if the seller won't run it for you or can't show that any finance is paid off.

Why Buy Used?

A new wood chipper is a big outlay, and the price rises with size and spec. For most arborists — especially those running small crews or just starting out — that's a significant chunk of the annual budget. A well-maintained used chipper can do the same job for much less.

The trick is knowing what to look for, what to avoid, and what represents a fair price.

Understanding Chipper Sizes

Before you start shopping, you need to know what size you actually need.

Small Chippers (Up to 6" / 150mm Capacity)

Best for: Domestic work, light commercial, hedge trimmings, small branch work.

Example models: GreenMech Arborist 150, Timberwolf TW150, Bandit 65

These are your bread-and-butter machines for smaller operations. Road-towable behind a van, easy to manoeuvre into tight residential gardens, and relatively cheap to maintain. If you're doing mostly domestic tree surgery, this is your sweet spot.

Medium Chippers (6–8" / 150–200mm Capacity)

Best for: General arb work, council contracts, utility clearance.

Example models: Timberwolf TW230, GreenMech EVO 165D, Jensen A530

The workhorse category. Can handle most branch sizes you'll encounter on a typical day. If you're running a crew doing mixed residential and commercial work, a decent 6–8" chipper is essential.

Large Chippers (10"+ / 250mm+ Capacity)

Best for: Forestry, large commercial clearance, utility line work.

Example models: Bandit 1590, Vermeer BC1800, Jensen A540

Only worth it if you're regularly dealing with large-diameter timber. The running costs, transport requirements, and maintenance burden mean these only make economic sense for larger operations or specialist forestry work.

What to Check Before You Buy

1. Hours on the Machine

Hours are the most important metric for assessing value. Unlike a car's mileage, chipper hours represent actual engine and mechanism run time.

Compare the hours with similar machines in current adverts, and ask the maker or a dealer what working life to expect for that model. Ask for the full service history, not just the hour reading.

Important: Always check the hour meter matches the condition. A suspiciously low-hour machine that looks battered has probably had its meter replaced.

2. Feed Roller Condition

The infeed rollers do the heavy lifting. Check for:

• Wear on roller teeth/paddles — Worn rollers struggle to grip and feed
• Hydraulic feed motor — Listen for whining or juddering during operation
• Feed table alignment — Should be straight with no warping

3. Blades and Anvil

• Blade condition — How recently were they changed or sharpened?
• Blade bolt holes — Elongated holes mean the drum has had hard use
• Anvil plate — Check for deep scoring. Replacement can be expensive
• Spare blade sets — Ask if any are included, and get the price of a set for that model from a dealer before you buy
• Rotor bearings — Run the machine with nothing in the feed. A growl or rumble from the rotor housing (disc or drum) points to worn bearings, a big job on any chipper

4. Engine and Hydraulics

• Start the engine cold — Excessive smoke on cold start can indicate issues
• Oil condition — Dark, gritty oil suggests neglected maintenance
• Hydraulic leaks — Check under the machine and around rams
• Never feel for a leak with your hand — look with a torch, and if a leak has to be found with the machine running, hold a piece of cardboard near the hose. Oil from a pinhole leak under pressure can be injected under the skin (HSE: high pressure fluid injection hazards)
• Drive belts and clutch — Check belt tension and wear. A clutch that slips or grabs needs parts made for that model
• Auto-feed — Feed a branch big enough to load the engine. The rollers should stop or reverse as the revs drop, then carry on. If they don't, the feed control isn't working
• Diesel particulate filter (DPF) — Many newer diesel chippers have one. It cleans itself by "regeneration", mostly while the machine works; one maker calls it "the regen or burn off process" (Först), and its dashboard shows the service hours and when a regeneration is due (Först). Ask whether any DPF warnings have come up, how regens are going, and whether the filter has ever been cleaned or replaced
• Service history — Ask for records. Regular servicing is a green flag

5. Chassis and Bodywork

• Trailer chassis — Check for rust, cracking around tow hitch and axle mounts
• Frame cracks — Look over the whole frame too: cracks or fresh welds around the infeed hopper, the rotor housing and the chute mounts
• Road lights — Must be working for legal road towing
• Wheel bearings — Jack up and check for play
• Brakes — If fitted, they must work. Overrun brakes are common on chippers
• Weight plate — Note the plated maximum and unladen weights. They decide what your licence and vehicle can tow, and whether you need an operator's licence: see our guide to towing a chipper

6. Safety Features

Test these with the seller there and the engine running, before any money changes hands. If one doesn't work, don't use the machine until it's repaired.

• Feed control bar — With the rollers turning and nothing in the infeed, push the bar at the top, then at the bottom. Each time the rollers should stop at once and stay stopped until you restart them; they shouldn't restart by themselves after the bar has stopped them. GreenMech's training shows its bar working this way: "push the bar either at the top or the bottom away from you and the rollers will stop", and a button restarts the infeed (GreenMech QuadChip 160 training). The bar should move freely and spring back; a bar that's tied back, wedged or bent has been disabled.
• What the bar and the emergency stop stop — On GreenMech's machines the bar "controls the rollers only not the engine" (GreenMech Arborist 150 training), so the rotor is still spinning after the bar trips. Find out from the manual what the emergency stop button stops (the rollers only, or the engine too) and test it the same way. If the chipper was built for another market, find out from its own manual how its bar works before you use it. In 2023 one small woodchipper was withdrawn from the market because it "would continue to operate if the wiring of the emergency stop was not connected before use or became disconnected during use"; the maker contacted existing owners to supply a new wiring module for the emergency stop, so on a used one ask whether it has been fitted (GOV.UK product safety report).
• Excavator or crane feeding — Some chippers have a mode for feeding with an excavator that switches the stop bar off, with flashing lights as a warning that the machine can't be hand fed (TP, Forestry Journal). Check that mode is off, and that its warning lights work, before anyone feeds by hand.
• Guards and covers — All should be present and secure
• CE marking — Check compliance plate

If you use it at work, PUWER 1998 requires, where appropriate, stop controls that bring the machine "to a safe condition in a safe manner" (reg 15), emergency stops that work in priority over them (reg 16), a restart only "by a deliberate action on such control" (reg 14(2)), and guards and protection devices that can't "be easily bypassed or disabled" (reg 11(3)(e)).

Imported machines: HSE says "grey imports", second-hand machines not placed on the UK market before, "are frequently constructed differently in ways which may not be obvious from casual inspection", and "Importers/purchasers are advised to check carefully before proceeding" (HSE: second-hand products). Ask where the machine was first sold.

Red Flags to Watch For

• "Sold as seen" with no demo — Walk away unless the price reflects total uncertainty
• No service history — Could mean neglected maintenance
• Fresh paint — Sometimes used to hide damage or rust. Look underneath
• Reluctant to demonstrate — The seller should be happy to run it
• A feed bar tied back, wedged or bent — The main stop has been disabled; don't use the machine until it's repaired
• Mismatched hour meter — If the machine looks rougher than the hours suggest
• Cheap price, no explanation — If it seems too good to be true, it usually is
• Finance not cleared — Ask for proof that any finance is paid off. If a vehicle you buy turns out to be on hire purchase, the law may protect you if you bought it in good faith (Hire-Purchase Act 1964 s.27); plant, trailers and leased kit get no such protection

How Much Is a Used Wood Chipper Worth?

Compare the machine with current adverts for the same model, age and hours. Prices vary with condition, included extras (spare blades, for example) and location, so allow for those, and for any repairs your checks above turned up.

Where to Find Used Chippers

Online

• TreeBay: a classifieds site for the UK's arb and forestry trades; the machinery listing form asks for make, model, year, hours and condition
• Dealer and plant auction websites: mostly dealers, often larger commercial machines

Community

• Trade forums and Facebook groups, including regional ones. Check sellers carefully and never pay before viewing

Dealers

• GreenMech approved dealers — Often have certified used machines
• Timberwolf pre-owned — Used Timberwolf chippers, checked and sold through Timberwolf's authorised dealers
• Local plant dealers — Worth checking for trade-ins

Chipper Maintenance — Protect Your Investment

A used chipper is only a bargain if you maintain it. Once you've bought, follow a structured wood chipper maintenance schedule to protect your investment — daily pre-start checks, weekly blade routines, and an annual service will keep it earning for years. PUWER 1998 requires work equipment to be maintained in good repair (reg 5). A maintenance log isn't compulsory, but if you keep one it must be kept up to date, and the result of each PUWER inspection must be recorded (reg 6(3)); our PUWER compliance guide explains what the regs mean for arborist kit.

Financing a Used Chipper

If you can't buy outright, several options exist:

• Hire purchase (HP) — Own it after the final payment. The interest is an allowable expense, but the repayments aren't (GOV.UK: financial costs); you claim the chipper itself through capital allowances, or as an expense on the cash basis (GOV.UK: allowable expenses). Ask your accountant.
• Finance lease — The finance company keeps legal ownership, but you carry the risks and rewards of owning the chipper (HMRC: finance leases). If you'd rather hand it back at the end and upgrade, that's usually an operating lease (HMRC: operating leases). Leasing payments are an allowable expense (GOV.UK: financial costs).
• Bank loan — Flexibility, but you need good credit.
• Hire or lease first — check Hire & leasing on TreeBay while you save.

Summary Checklist

Before you hand over any money:

• Seen the machine running and chipping live
• Checked hours meter against overall condition
• Inspected blades, anvil, and feed rollers
• Started engine cold and listened for issues
• Checked hydraulics for leaks
• Listened for rotor bearing noise, and checked the belts, clutch and auto-feed
• On a diesel with a DPF: asked about warnings, regens and cleaning
• Tested the feed bar (top and bottom) and the emergency stop with the rollers turning, and checked the guards
• Reviewed service history or receipts
• Checked chassis, lights, brakes, and bearings
• Compared the price with current adverts for the same model, age and hours
• Got a clear written receipt with serial numbers

Happy chipping. And when you're ready to sell your old one — list it on TreeBay. For more on selling used arborist equipment safely, read our seller's playbook.