Wood Chippers Glasgow

Which Chipper Size Do You Need?

This is the question we get asked most, and the answer depends on what you’re chipping and how much of it you’re processing in a day.

6-inch chippers

A 6-inch chipper handles branches up to 150mm (6 inches) diameter, which covers most domestic garden work, hedge clearances, and light arboricultural jobs. Forst’s 6-inch towable models are compact machines that fit through standard garden gates and can be towed behind a transit van or pickup.

If most of your work involves residential gardens, hedge trimming, and small tree removals, a 6-inch chipper handles it comfortably without the extra weight and cost of a bigger machine.

The 6-inch models weigh under 750kg, which means you can tow them on a standard driving licence without needing a B+E towing qualification. That matters if your team includes drivers who don’t have the additional licence category.

8-inch chippers

An 8-inch chipper handles branches up to 200mm (8 inches) diameter and processes material faster because of the larger throat opening and more powerful engine. Forst’s 8-inch models, in both towable and tracked configurations, are built for professional tree surgery, large clearance contracts, and high-volume days where you’re chipping from morning to night.

If you’re regularly cross-cutting larger branches down to fit a 6-inch throat, an 8-inch machine saves you time because everything goes in whole. On a busy day, the time saved on cross-cutting adds up significantly. The trade-off is weight (most 8-inch machines need a B+E licence to tow) and higher hire or purchase cost, but for busy crews the productivity gain pays for itself.

Towable vs tracked

Towable chippers sit on a road-legal chassis and tow behind your vehicle to the job. They’re the right choice for most work because you drive to site, unhitch, and start chipping. Tracked chippers are self-propelled machines designed for sites where you can’t get a towed machine close to the work.

Steep gradients, soft ground, woodland without vehicle access, and sites where the timber is a long carry from the nearest hard standing are all situations where tracked saves you time and effort because the chipper goes to the wood rather than the other way round.

The Forst Range

We sell the full Forst range, covering towable, tracked, PTO, and compact configurations in both petrol and diesel. Forst chippers are designed and built in the UK, with ForstGrip feed rollers and AutoIntelligence feed control as standard across the range. New machines come with a 3-year warranty.

The range starts with compact 6-inch models for operators on tighter budgets or lighter workloads, moves through the core towable range in petrol and diesel, and goes up to 8-inch tracked machines for commercial contractors. PTO models are also available for operators who want a tractor-mounted chipper rather than a standalone machine. If you’re buying your first chipper, we’ll talk through your typical workload, the size of timber you’re processing, and how often you’re using the machine. We sell every model in the Forst range so there’s no incentive to push you toward a bigger or more expensive option than you need.

We also carry used chippers when stock is available, across Forst and other brands. Every used machine goes through our workshop before it leaves, and we’ll give you an honest assessment of condition, hours, and how much working life remains. For operators starting out or watching their budget, a good used chipper serviced and checked by our technicians can be a smart way to get on the road without the outlay of a new machine.

The ARB Max Range

Alongside Forst, we’re an official Arbmax dealer. Arbmax is a Northern Ireland manufacturer producing four chippers built for operators who need more capacity than a standard arb machine but want to keep towing weight under 3.5 tonnes, so they’re not tied to an HGV licence.

The range covers a 12-inch disc chipper (F30), a 13-inch drum chipper (D35), and an 18-inch drum chipper in towable (D45) or tracked (D45X) form.

The F30 is the disc machine, available with either a 134hp Cat C3.6 engine or a 75hp Deutz, depending on whether you’re prioritising raw power or fuel economy. Discs chip faster on cleaner timber and suit general arb work where you’re feeding branches all day.

The D35, D45, and D45X are drum chippers, which behave differently to discs. Drums produce a more consistent chip size at higher volumes and handle awkward, knotty, or stringy material better, which is why drum chippers dominate forestry, land clearance, and biomass production work.

The D35 sits at 13-inch capacity on a tracked-towable chassis, so you can tow it to site and then drive it on tracks once you’re there.

The D45 is the headline machine: an 18-inch drum chipper, Cat 100kW diesel, and the largest capacity you can get under 3.5 tonnes towing weight. The D45X swaps the towable chassis for tracks, which matters on forestry sites and soft ground where wheels would sink.

If you’re moving up from a 6-inch or 8-inch arb chipper because the material you handle has outgrown it, Arbmax is usually the next sensible step. For forestry contractors, biomass operations, and councils running storm clearance, the extra capacity pays back in time saved on site.

Call 0141 775 9288 if you want to talk through whether disc or drum suits your work, or to arrange a demo.

Hire or Buy a Wood Chipper in Glasgow?

Whether you hire or buy depends on how often you need a chipper and whether the workload justifies owning one.

Our hire fleet covers 6-inch and 8-inch Forst chippers in towable and tracked configurations. Every machine is serviced in our workshop between hires, with sharp blades, correct feed roller settings, and an engine that starts first time. We offer daily, weekly, and longer-term rates with better pricing on extended hires.

Delivery and collection across Glasgow is available, or you can collect from Cumbernauld. For tree surgeons between machines, landscapers taking on a clearance job, or council grounds teams needing extra capacity, hiring from a specialist means you get the right chipper for the job rather than whatever happens to be sitting in a generic hire yard.

If chipping is part of your daily work, buying makes more sense. For Glasgow-based operators, that means your dealer is 15 minutes away rather than at the other end of the country. Warranty work, servicing, parts, and advice are all local. When your chipper needs attention, you drop it at our Cumbernauld workshop and collect it when it’s ready.

Wood Chipper Servicing and Parts in Glasgow

Our Cumbernauld workshop handles routine servicing, blade sharpening, hydraulic repairs, electrical diagnostics, and full rebuilds on chippers from all the major manufacturers. We service and repair Forst, Timberwolf, GreenMech, Jensen, and TP chippers, so whatever brand you run, we can maintain it properly.

Blades and anvils are the parts that wear fastest. Running a chipper with blunt blades doesn’t just slow you down. It puts extra load on the engine, the hydraulic feed system, and the flywheel, which shortens the life of everything else on the machine. We stock genuine Forst spare parts at our workshop, including blades, anvils, feed roller components, belts, filters, and common wear items. Most parts are available same-day if you collect, or next-day delivery across the UK.

For Glasgow customers, the workshop is a quick run up the M80. Drop the machine off in the morning and we’ll call you when it’s done.

Why Glasgow Customers Choose ILH Groundcare for Wood Chippers

Glasgow has plenty of places to hire a chipper. National hire chains, general plant companies, and online booking platforms all serve the city. The difference is what happens when you need help.

Call a national hire desk and you’ll speak to someone who processes bookings. Call ILH and you’ll speak to someone who can tell you the practical difference between a 6-inch and 8-inch chipper, explain why a tracked machine makes sense on certain Glasgow sites, and advise on blade types for the timber you’re processing.

That specialist knowledge matters when you’re choosing equipment for a job, and it matters even more when something goes wrong on site and you need someone on the phone who actually understands the machine.

We also don’t just hire. We sell, service, and supply parts for the same machines. That means our hire fleet is maintained by the people who service and repair chippers for a living, not by a general mechanic who looks after a mixed fleet of tools and plant.

Areas We Cover from Glasgow

Our Cumbernauld workshop sits just off the M80, which puts us within easy reach of the whole Glasgow area and beyond. We deliver hire machines and sell across Glasgow city centre, the West End, Southside, East End, and all surrounding areas including Paisley, East Kilbride, Hamilton, Motherwell, Kirkintilloch, Bishopbriggs, Bearsden, Milngavie, and Clydebank.

We also cover Lanarkshire, Renfrewshire, East Dunbartonshire, West Dunbartonshire, and North Lanarkshire. If you’re further afield, we deliver across Scotland. Call us with your postcode and we’ll confirm delivery cost and availability.

Wood Chippers Glasgow FAQ

How much does it cost to hire a wood chipper in Glasgow?

Hire rates depend on the machine size and hire duration. Commercial chipper hire in Glasgow typically runs between £120 and £180 per day, with better rates on weekly and longer-term hires. Call 0141 775 9288 for a quote based on the machine and duration you need.

What size chipper do I need?

For domestic garden work, hedge clearances, and branches up to 6 inches diameter, a 6-inch chipper is the right choice. If you’re processing larger timber, working on a busy commercial contract, or spending half the day cross-cutting branches to fit a smaller throat, step up to an 8-inch machine. Call us with the details of your job and we’ll recommend the right size.

Do you deliver chippers to Glasgow?

Yes. We deliver hire and sale machines across Glasgow and the surrounding area from our Cumbernauld workshop. Delivery cost is quoted separately so you know the full price upfront. You can also collect from our workshop if you’d prefer to tow the machine yourself.

Do I need a licence to tow a wood chipper?

Most 6-inch towable chippers weigh under 750kg, which means you can tow them on a standard Category B driving licence. Larger 8-inch models typically exceed 750kg and require a B+E (trailer) licence. Check with us when you book and we’ll confirm the weight of the specific machine.

Can I hire a chipper with an operator?

We supply the machine rather than operators, but we walk you through the controls on handover and provide phone support throughout the hire. If you need an operator, we can sometimes point you toward local tree surgeons or contractors who offer operated hire.

What brands do you service?

We service and repair Forst, Timberwolf, GreenMech, Jensen, and TP chippers in our Cumbernauld workshop. Whatever brand you run, we can maintain it.

Get a Wood Chipper Quote

Call 0141 775 9288 or fill in the form below. Tell us whether you’re looking to hire or buy, what you’ll be chipping, and we’ll come back with the right machine and a price.

Specialist chipper dealer, 15 minutes from Glasgow. Family-run since 2007. Hire, sale, service, and parts from our Cumbernauld workshop.