Arborist Machinery Scotland

Hire a chipper from a general plant hire company, and it’ll process timber.

What it won’t do is come with any advice on whether the throat size suits the diameter range you’re having to work with.

And when it develops a fault mid-job, you’re dealing with a depot that hired it off a lorry last month and knows nothing about it.

That’s where ILH Groundcare’s experience comes in.

Our machinery range covers what arborists need on site: from 6-inch towable chippers for general tree surgery through to 18-inch drum chippers for high-volume commercial site clearance, pedestrian stump grinders for residential gardens and restricted-access sites through to large tracked self-propelled machines for open ground and commercial contracts.

To find out more about our machinery and equipment, talk to our experienced team today.

Wood Chippers for Tree Surgeons in Scotland

Whether a chipper runs on every job or only for specific woodland management and clearance work, the right model depends on three things: the timber diameters the job produces, how the machine gets to the work area, and whether it needs to operate independently or can run from a tractor’s power take-off.

ILH is an official Forst dealer and Scotland’s first Arbmax dealer.

Both ranges are available to hire or buy through us, and we carry the full Forst range of 13 models.

Towable Chippers for Road-Accessible Sites

Forst towable chippers are the most common type of arborist machinery we supply.

Available in 6-inch and 8-inch capacity, they tow behind a standard arb vehicle and reach sites quickly.

Forst’s AutoIntelligence feed roller control adjusts the feed speed automatically as material goes in, this keeps the machine working without the operator manually managing the infeed.

The 6-inch models handle the timber diameter range most residential and light commercial tree surgery produces.

Where jobs regularly produce material above 6 inches, the 8-inch models handle larger stems without labouring.

Both are available to hire or buy, with a 3-year warranty on new machines.

Tracked Chippers for Difficult Access and Soft Ground

On soft ground, tight woodland tracks, or any site where a towing vehicle can’t get close enough to work effectively, tracked chippers are the practical choice.

Forst tracked chippers can reach the timber on soft ground, through narrow gates between mature trees, and across the kind of terrain where a towable unit would get stuck or cause ground damage.

For sites with the most demanding access conditions, the top model in the Forst tracked range has an undercarriage built for the worst terrain arboricultural contractors encounter.

If access is the main constraint on a job, a tracked chipper usually removes it.

PTO Chippers for Contractors Running a Tractor

Tree surgeons and arboricultural contractors who already run a tractor on woodland management and larger clearance jobs have a cost-effective chipper option in Forst’s PTO chipper range.

Both mount to the tractor’s three-point linkage and run from the PTO shaft rather than carrying their own engine.

They reduce fuel costs, cut service intervals, and remove an extra machine from the transport and maintenance rotation.

For contractors doing regular coppicing, shelter belt work, or large-scale tree removal where the tractor is already on site throughout the job, a PTO chipper is often an efficient setup.

Arbmax Drum Chippers for High-Volume Arb Work

Where timber volumes are high, or stem diameters exceed what a standard arborist chipper handles comfortably, Arbmax drum chippers change the pace of the job.

The range takes material from 13 to 18 inches in diameter, staying within the 3.5-tonne towing limit.

Drum chippers produce more consistent chip quality than flywheel-disc machines and maintain throughput more steadily through variable material.

For arboricultural contractors regularly working at scale, the Arbmax range handles site clearance volumes that would slow a standard chipper to a crawl.

Stump Grinders for Arboricultural Contractors

FSI stump grinders cover the full range of what arborists encounter in Scotland.

From compact pedestrian machines for residential garden stumps at one end, to large tracked self-propelled grinders for open-ground commercial stump removal at the other.

ILH has been working with FSI for over ten years, and we’re now an official FSI dealer.

The range we stock runs to ten models.

FSI Pedestrian Grinders for Residential and Restricted-Access Sites

FSI B series pedestrian grinders are built for stumps in residential gardens, domestic amenity areas, and sites where the machine needs to work close to hard landscaping, boundaries, or existing planting.

The machines are compact enough to pass through a standard garden gate and manoeuvre around the root plate without causing damage to the surrounding area.

Power and grinding depth increase up to the B series.

On hardwood stumps or larger root plates, the larger models grind efficiently where the lighter machines in the range would work through too slowly to be commercial.

For residential tree surgery where stump grinding is a regular part of the service, the FSI B series is the most common pedestrian grinder we supply.

FSI Tracked Grinders for Commercial Contracts and Open Ground

Larger stumps, higher volumes, and open-ground commercial stump removal call for something with more capacity than a pedestrian machine provides.

FSI’s self-propelled and tracked grinder range steps up in power and grinding depth to match the job.

On larger, harder stumps and higher-volume commercial stump removal contracts, that additional capacity makes the job viable at a commercial rate rather than a slow crawl.

Radio-controlled operation is available in the tracked range.

It is useful on sloped sites or anywhere standing close to the machine during grinding isn’t the safest option.

On these larger machines, grinding depth below ground level is significantly greater than on pedestrian models.

For arboricultural work ahead of replanting or ground preparation, that extra depth helps remove residual root material.

All FSI grinders are available to hire by the day or week, or to buy outright.

We’ll always advise on the right model before you commit.

Compact Loaders for Arboricultural Work

Compact loaders don’t feature in every arborist’s setup.

But for contractors running larger commercial jobs or wanting to reduce manual handling and move material faster, they make a measurable difference.

Loading chip into a trailer, moving log sections off a site, or shifting material between work areas across a large clearance project is quicker with a loader than without one, and the physical load on the crew reduces significantly over a long day on site.

ILH supplies the MultiOne loader range and the Sherpa mini loader series.

MultiOne’s eight series covers a range of sizes and power outputs, with an attachment range that extends each machine’s use well beyond basic material handling.

The Sherpa series runs five models, all narrower than the MultiOne entry models, and better suited to tight-access arb sites where the gap between structures or planting limits what can get through.

MultiOne loaders come with a three-year warranty, and both ranges are available to buy through us.

Hire or Buy? What Works for Arboricultural Contractors

The hire vs buy question is straightforward for core arborist machinery and less clear for specialist equipment used only occasionally.

If a chipper is on every job, buying usually makes more sense than hiring.

However, an arboricultural contractor grinding stumps on a handful of jobs a month is usually better served hiring one as needed than owning a machine sitting idle between contracts.

Whether you are looking to buy or hire, ILH can help.

We take the time to understand your needs to guide you towards the correct machinery for the task at hand, as well as your frequency of use.

ILH’s hire fleet is maintained to the same standard as the machinery we sell.

Every machine leaves the workshop serviced, checked, and ready to work.

Hire is available by the day or week, and used machinery is also available for contractors who want to buy without paying new prices.

Service and Parts for Arborist Machinery

Downtime on an arborist fleet doesn’t just cost the repair.

It costs the day, and if parts are on back-order from a dealer who doesn’t stock them, it costs several days.

The ILH workshop in Cumbernauld handles service, maintenance, and breakdown repair across all major arboricultural machinery brands, not only the machines we sell.

For wood chippers, that covers Forst, Timberwolf, GreenMech, Jensen, TP, and more.

Stump grinder servicing runs to FSI, Predator, Carlton, Bandits, and Vermeer.

Workshop services include routine servicing, blade sharpening, cylinder sharpening, hydraulic work, and electrical diagnostics.

For most arboricultural contractors in central Scotland, Cumbernauld is close enough that a machine can be dropped in and turned around without the job stopping for long.

If any part isn’t currently stocked in our workshop, we source them directly from the manufacturer rather than going through a long supply chain.

If your machinery needs an inspection or a service before a busy period, get in touch to book it into our experienced Cumbernauld workshop today.

Arborist Machinery Scotland: Frequently Asked Questions

What size chipper do I need for tree surgery?

A 6-inch chipper handles the material most residential and light commercial arboricultural work produces, and it’s the most common size we supply to tree surgeons across Scotland. If jobs regularly produce timber above 6 inches in diameter, the 8-inch models are the right step up. For high-volume arb work with large stems, the Arbmax drum chipper range takes material from 13 to 18 inches in diameter. We’ll always talk through the spec with you before you hire or buy so you’re not making the decision blind.

Should I hire or buy a stump grinder?

If stump removal is a regular line in your diary, buying makes sense. If it comes up a handful of times a month, hire is usually the better call. For contractors grinding stumps on three or four jobs a week, buying an FSI model suited to your typical stump size pays for itself over time. Below that frequency, day or week hire from our fleet keeps the cost tied to the work. All FSI grinders in our fleet are available to hire.

Can you service machinery I didn’t buy from you?

Yes. The ILH workshop services all major arboricultural machinery brands, including Timberwolf, GreenMech, Jensen, TP, FSI, Predator, Carlton, Bandits, and Vermeer. Bring the machine into the Cumbernauld workshop or call us on 0141 775 9288 to discuss what it needs.

What warranty comes with a new Forst chipper?

All new Forst chippers bought through ILH come with a 3-year warranty. As an official Forst dealer, we handle warranty claims directly without the runaround of going through a distributor.

Do you hire arborist machinery by the day?

Yes. Wood chippers, stump grinders, and compact loaders are available to hire from ILH by the day or week. For longer contracts, speak to us about what works. Every hire machine leaves our Cumbernauld workshop serviced and ready for work.

Get in Touch with ILH Groundcare

Call us on 0141 775 9288 or email contact@ilhgroundcare.com.

We supply arboricultural machinery to tree surgeons across Scotland, with hire, sales, servicing, and parts all from our workshop in Cumbernauld.