Den69rs96,

You didn't mention model numbers, but my comments will be based on the 10 horsepower comparison.

The DR 10hp Chipper is a chipper only, while the MacKissic 12PT-10 is both a chipper and a hammermill shredder, as you can see in this enlarged "X-ray" view:

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The MacKissic hammermill gives you a lot of extra capability that the DR 10hp Chipper lacks, simply because the DR 10hp is a chipper only and the MacKissic 12PT10 is both a chipper and a hammermill shredder.

You normally feed limbs to a chipper with the large end first. As you feed the limb progressively toward the smaller end, you are frequently left holding a bunch of much smaller limbs, twigs, and possibly some leaves. It's very awkward and possibly hazardous to shove this small stuff into a chipper chute, but it's very easy and much safer to just drop it into the big shredder chute.

Am I biased towards the MacKissic? Sure I am. I have been using one for three years. I have fed a lot of 3" limbs into my "Mighty Mac" chipper chute, but I sure wouldn't want to be without that big shredder chute or that versatile hammermill.

The optional hammermill screens let me control the size and texture of my chipped product, from very fine (a screen with ¼" holes) to very coarse (screen removed altogether) and everything in between. I have several optional screens as well as the standard included 1" screen, so I can make a variety of products for rapid compost, mulch, garden paths, or landscaping chips. The DR chipper isn't nearly as versatile.

MM

Thanks Maineman. I don't have the model numbers for either, but they are the ones in your links. The DR is the 10hp with only the chipper and manual start. The merry mac looks exactly like the one above with manual start and 10hp so I think its the 12PT10. Electric start really isn't that important to me. I was leaning towards the merry mac because it included the shredder, but I've never heard of Mackissic before this website so I was questioning their quality. I know people with DR products and they all like them. Quality is really important to me. I usually buy things that I know are going to last a long time, so I'm glad to hear you have been using yours for 3 years. Sounds just like what I wanted to hear.

On a side note, has your merry mac required any repairs other than normal maintainence?

Also when you feed a limb into the chipper, does it pull it in or do you have to manually push it? If you push it, how do you chip say the last foot or foot and half?

Den69rs96,

"...has your merry mac required any repairs other than normal maintainence?"

I have "smoked" the V-belt a couple of times, so I am going to install a new one on my upcoming maintenance session. I have adjusted the belt tension a couple of times with my original belt, but it looks the worse for the wear, it has stretched some, and has scorched places where I smoked it. I'm getting smarter about not smoking the belt.

The chipper blade has gotten a bit dull (I have used it a lot) so I purchased a blade replacement kit from my local MacKissic dealer and will install the new sharp blade and adjust the cutting gap with the gapping "tool", also on my next maintenance session. I will keep the old blade and resharpen it in my spare time.

I have cleaned the original air filter several times with a vacuum cleaner, but I think it is time for a new air filter. I bought one at Home Depot and it will also go on during my next maintenance session. I may keep the old air filter for emergency use, and maybe experiment with washing it in dish washing detergent.

Depending on how ambitious I am, I may rotate the hammermill blades during my next maintenance session as well. They still work fine, but I have never rotated them and their active corners are a bit rounded now. Each hammer still has three unused corners.

I lube the hammermill main bearing with my grease gun every few hours of use. The manual says after every 10 hours of operation, but I usually do that every other time I fill the gas tank. I frequently use most, if not all, of a gas tank during a chipping-shredding session. There is a mountain of limbs and brush waiting by my "Mighty Mac" right now, and that will probably take more than a tankfull to process.

Incidentally, be on the alert if you do run out of gas in the middle of a session. Last winter I did that and just figured we had both run out gas at the same time and quit. I took a coffee break to let the muffler cool down so it wouldn't scorch the cover and then threw the cover over it. A week or two later I came out with my gas can, filled it up, and started it. As soon as the engine built up to working speed and the clutch kicked in, the belt smoked and I "instantly" shut it down and tried to figure out what had happened.

When I had run out of gas, the hammermill chamber was full of stuff and it had "set up" making it very difficult to turn the rotor. And, since I hadn't adjusted the belt tension recently, the clutch didn't kick in but just let the belt slip in the drive pulley until friction built up enough heat to "smoke" it. I dropped the screen and used a sharp stick to gouge out the set-up contents.

There are two morals to that story. Keep your belt tension set reasonably well and when you do run out of gas in the middle of a session, shut the engine off (gas & spark), drop the hammermill screen (no tools required to do that), and empty the contents so that it can turn easily the next time you do start it up.

And of course I change the oil in the engine every few months. On my upcoming maintenance session I will replace the Mobile One 5w30 that is in it now with Mobile One 10w30 for use this summer. Its Briggs & Stratton INTEK engine doesn't "use" oil, but it gets a little dark and I think it would be false economy not to keep clean fresh oil in it.

"Also when you feed a limb into the chipper, does it pull it in or do you have to manually push it? If you push it, how do you chip say the last foot or foot and half?"

The "bite" of the chipper blade "assists" you some, but you manually push it in. Occasionally you can let a small limb go in all by itself. Some people use a "pusher stick" to push the last part of a limb in. I think a pusher stick may be an available accessory. You certainly don't want to stick you hands into the chute to push anything in. In practice, you don't really need to buy a pusher stick (it would probably get chewed up anyway), because the next limb serves as the pusher for the current limb. You feed the big end first because it works better as a pusher. Occasionally I leave a piece of a limb handy to use as a pusher in case the next limb is too "wimpy" to push well.

And, like I mentioned earlier, sometimes the last part of a limb is small enough just to drop into the shredder chute.

Incidentally, there is another reason for feeding the big end of a limb first. If you feed the small end first, the limb gets larger as you feed it in and, if you have misjudged its size, it can get large enough to jam up in the chipper chute. If that does happen, shut the machine off before you attempt to unjam the big limb.

MM

den69rs96
Mackissic has been around for many many years, so they do have a good track record.
If something would break, your dealer should be able to get your replacement parts, and if you don't have a local dealer, Mackissic has a nice helpful lady in the parts department.
Between your choices, I'd definately go with the Mackissic as it should be alot more versatile. I don't think I've read anyone having a bad experience with Mackissic machines on this board.

Bob,

I will have to take a look at the Tormek sharpener with a planer blade attachment. Obviously I haven't been keeping my chipper blade as sharp as I should have, because my chipper definitely doesn't self-feed. But I like your idea of frequent blade sharpenings. I need to "lay in a supply" of Loc-Tite 243 to help with that.

"I recently fed some stale cattle dung through the shredder. Oh man, that is a product almost better than sex if you're a gardener. Fluffy and smells of compost, few plants can resist its alure."

Well, I couldn't resist laughing out loud at the way you put that. That would be an excellent product for a garden. Unfortunately I don't have access to any cattle dung, stale or fresh.

But I am perfecting my process for composting finely ground wood chips. I'm adding nitrogen fertilizers to the pile to compensate for the lack of greens. I do have access to a lot of wild greens right now, and I should be harvesting them as a compost ingredient.

MM

The Tormek is an expensive device, but it is versatile and puts on a terrific edge. I really enjoy chipping, and the sharp blade makes a HUGE difference. Being able to properly sharpen my own blades makes one less thing for me to worry about.

I'm thinking composting with nitrogen fertilizer will make some mighty fine material. I'm leaving mine in a pile for about a year before I use it, it doesn't break down too much in that time. However, I'm looking mostly for weed-control mulch. The nitrogen-hungry material holds down annual weeds without depleting perennials much. I find that weeds are MUCH easier to control and tilth much better after the wood chip mulch is down for a year. If I didn't have access to rotted manure I'd be doing what you are doing (and loving it!) I had been applying the manure directly, don't know why I didn't think of grinding it up sooner. It even makes it wife-friendly so I don't have to apply it all myself. Want to make your wife happy? Give her more s***!

I do want to make my wife happy. (grin) That sounds like a plan.

MM

Thanks for the feedback. I just have to convince the wife that buying one will be more economical in the long run than renting one.

Seems like if I keep the merry mac maintained, I should get years of use out of it.

Den69rs96,

Incidentally, I don't think that MacKissic has used the term "Merry Mac" to refer to shredder-chippers for several years. When MacKissic first acquired Merry Tiller they came up with the "Merry Mac" name. But in the years since then they have gone back to the "Mighty Mac" name for the 12PT series of towable machines.

You might want to verify that the MacKissic shredder-chipper your dealer has in stock is a current model. The current models have a 10hp Briggs & Stratton INTEK OHV engine. My three-year old machine was a 12PT9 with a 9hp engine.

A couple of years ago I noticed in one of our local outdoor power equipment dealers that they had the same shredder chipper as mine except that it had an 8hp engine. It must have been several years old at that time.

Another reason that I wonder if your dealer has the current model is the $1499 price. I think that is several hundred dollars below what the current models are going for. If it develops that your dealer does have the older 12PT9 (like mine) you still might want to buy it to save some money.

MM

When I was in the store, the mackissic looked like the one you posted above. I read your post and emailed them about there chipper shredders and they got back to me pretty quick.

Thank you for your interest in Klem's. We do carry homeowner chippers/shredders. We carry the Dr Products and Mighty Mac (Mackissic). We have the ability to order other products if these do not fit your needs.
The Dr chipper comes in 10hp with wheels and handles and chips 3 1/2 inches. this unit sells for $1,499.00 and we have one in stock on the display floor, you can also get the Dr in a 13hp tow behind unit with 4 1/2" chipping, this unit sells for $2,099.00, or the 19hp tow behind that also chips 4 1/2", this unit sells for $2,899.00. The 13 hp can be towed by your lawn mower, the 19hp is designed to be towed by a vehicle or atv. All Dr products have a 2 year warranty.
The Mighty Mac chippers are available in 6.5hp and 10hp in the stand models. The 6.5hp chips 2 7/8" and sells for $979.00, and the 10hp chips 3 1/2" and sells for $1,499.00. They also have a tow model that will chip 3 1/2" that has a 10hp engine you can order this unit with or without electric start. We have a pull start unit in stock for $1,499.00.
Feel free to stop in the store anytime, our hours are 8am to 8pm Monday through Saturday and 10am to 5pm on Sunday.

den69rs96,

"They also have a tow model that will chip 3 1/2" that has a 10hp engine you can order this unit with or without electric start. We have a pull start unit in stock for $1,499.00."

That sounds like the MacKissic 12PT10 and that is a good price in today's market. Mine is a pull start and I really don't need an electric start. Mine usually starts on the second pull. If the engine has been running in the last few minutes, it starts on the first pull.

If you get it, be sure to check the engine oil before starting it up. They are shipped "dry" and the dealer is supposed to add the oil, but occasionally a dealer might forget to do that.

MM

Thanks maineman. I think Briggs makes a pretty good engine. I have a 18hp vanguard engine on my generator and I don't use the electric start on that. I keep all my machines in tip top shape and check the oil constantly. I own a muscle car so checking oil becomes second nature. I believe proper maintainence is the key to long life. I looked around my yard as I was mowing yesterday and I definitely have over a months worth of chipping to do. I figure it will be cheaper in the long run to buy the Mighty Mac than rent a chipper. Plus I could always use the free mulch.

den69rs96,

"I figure it will be cheaper in the long run to buy the Mighty Mac than rent a chipper. Plus I could always use the free mulch."

I think you will find that buying the machine, versus renting, is a good move in the long run. When the machine is handy, you tend to find more uses for it.

By combining a capable chipper with a versatile hammermill, the 12PT10 can do a lot of things besides chip limbs. It can process all kinds of stuff, including deadfall. I put a lot of leaves through mine as well. I shred newly fallen leaves as well as old dead and even rotted leaves and leafmold.

If you have a garden, it can help you make compost piles from just the material from your trees. If you want big long-lasting landscaping chips to pile around the base of trees and shrubs, you can remove the hammermill screen for maximum-sized chips.

Some people get very creative in the way they use the hammermill. Bbriggs (message above) processed dried cattle dung to good advantage. I have even heard of people throwing a bunch of dead fish into the shredder chute. Ugh! I think I would want to be wearing a rain coat for that. It can pulverize oyster shells (noisily) and corn cobs (relatively quietly). I have put a lot of acorns and loose tree bark through mine. I use an optional ¼" screen to get fine-textured products suitable for rapid composting, or for use as a fine mulch or a soft material for covering paths. Several screen sizes are available.

I keep mine outdoors at my chosen work site, so I got the optional all-weather cover. A bicycle cable and lock keep it from "wandering away" from a nearby tree. Keep us posted.

MM

Well, I bought the Mackissic Mighty mac 12PT10. Its getting delivered Tuesday. Can't wait to break that baby it. Thanks for all the help

Den69rs96,

Congratulations! And happy chipping and shredding. Keep us posted on your experiences with your "Mighty Mac."

MM

I would like to thank everyone here, but especially "maineman" for educating me about chipper/shredders and the advantages of the hammermill type. Despite that my brother-in-law has a 12PT10 (clone actually, from Northern Tool) he has more money than...well, knowledge and doesn't really know what he's got. So I almost bought a "leaf shredder" on his advice and that would have been a big mistake for us.

Try as we might, we could NOT justify the money for the 12PT10, so I got the next best thing I think, the SC763. Owing to MacKissic's convoluted distribution here (you'd think in Texas they could do the "2-step" well! Nope!), I bought from West, and saved a bunch on sales tax. Got a 1/2inch screen also and couldn't be happier.

Well, maybe just a little happier: it does accumulate mounds underneath very quickly that have to be raked away. I'm thinking of making a cinder block platform for it to try to control the output a little better.

I think too that the 763 will be adaptable to a custom cart/trailer that I could build. Then (except for the motor hp) I will be able to pull it behind my (future) garden tractor, and not have to suffer 12PT10 envy!

Thanks again MM for all your expertise!

Laserfan,

"...it does accumulate mounds underneath very quickly that have to be raked away. I'm thinking of making a cinder block platform for it to try to control the output a little better."

I use a long-handled flat-bottomed shovel to scoop the shredded product out from under my 12PT9 and that gradually dug out a fairly deep space underneath my machine, making more room for the product.

Still, as you say, the stuff does build up fairly rapidly, so I keep the shovel handy to scoop out more material every few minutes. That builds up a big mound of material in front of my MacKissic. After I am done with a session, I have a big bushel-sized plastic container that I use to transfer the material to my currently building compost pile.

MacKissic does have a bagging accessory for the 12PT series, but I didn't see the need for it. Apparently there is also a bagging kit available for the SC763.

MM

Thanks for your comments. I looked again at the info shipped with the unit and realized that we still had the "baffle plate" set as for shipping, i.e. it was keeping the output from blowing forward at all! :embarrassed: Nothing in the owner manual about how to set the thing, obviously there are a couple places you can hang it, and then another couple for managing it's "swing"--I guess this just depends on what you're shredding and what kind of a "cloud" you want to make (or not) out the front?!

In the end I think the only thing I don't like about it is those cinch/push-cap axle ends which seem cheesy--one would NOT want one of these falling-off!

Well I just got back from vacation and tried out my 12PT10 a couple of days ago. I picked up about 7 or 8 branches about 8ft long and some smaller branches that were lying around in the woods. This chipper rocks. The 12PT10 cut through the limbs like butter and makes a big pile of mulch pretty quick. I am glad they included ear and eye protection because I noticed some chips flying around and it is a bit on the loud side. I never thought yard clean up could be so fun.

I am wanting to get a MacKissic 763 or possibly the 12PT10. I am favoring the 763 because of its smaller size, better fit for my small backyard city garden.

I will be shredding mostly oak leaves, pine bark and small tree limb trimmings, maybe 1 inch or so, plus some tomato vines, eggplants and pepper plants, squash plants and the like from my garden, for making compost.

I live in Dallas and cannot find a MacKissic dealer showroom here. Would like to see one before I buy it.

Based on your experience, which one would you recommend for my needs? Is there a local MacKissic dealer?

tumble_weed

Tumble_weed,

There is a MacKissic distributor listed in Dallas, who should be able to tell you where your MacKissic dealers are.

"I am wanting to get a MacKissic 763 or possibly the 12PT10. I am favoring the 763 because of its smaller size, better fit for my small backyard city garden."

The 763 costs about $1200, while the 12PT10 costs about $1700. For about $500 more than the 763, the 12PT10 is about twice the machine, so that extra $500 buys you a lot.

I keep my 12PT9 (the 9hp predecessor to the 12PT10) outdoors under an optional cover, so garage space isn't an issue for me. It's about the size of a large wagon, so it's not that big, and its four-wheel design makes it more stable and easier to move around. The larger shredder hopper and throat opening make feeding leaves faster with the 12PT10 than the 763. If you can afford it, I recommend the 12PT10 over the 763, even for a small city lot. I think it would give you a better shredding experience, even in a small city back yard.

MM

I was fighting a used craftsman POS chipper/shredder for the last 2 seasons. I was looking through craigs list and just happen to see a 12PT for sale. It is an older 7hp model and is 20 years old and was garage kept. Fired on the second pull. Got it home, changed the oil. Got a new blade and screen for it and it was the best $350 i ever spent. With the parts, the total price was about 450. What amazes me is that the blade and hammermill design looks identical to the brand new ones. I never would have bought a new one just due to the fact that once this project is completed (185 ft of 7ft tall hedge removal), I wont use it that much. I was looking at the smaller ones.
My wife thought I was nuts bringing that home, but when she saw how easily it ate 7 foot tall privet, she changed her mind.
Glad I was surfing that day...

Mighty Mac 12pt 7 h.p.
I smoked and streched my belt due to dull hammers but I,m faced with two belt options. The MacKissic on line partscat. says use a 5H - 560 belt, yet the belt that was on the machine is a 4L - 570, which is the correct one ?.

Is there any technique for putting a new edge on dull or rounded hammers ?
Thanks in advance for any tips, hints or outright good advice.

Dave,

My MacKissic 12PT9 uses a 7-5H550 belt, which I replaced after repeatedly smoking my original belt. I couldn't find the belt locally, so I ordered it from the Tulsa Engine Warehouse.

If you still have your manual for your 12PT7, it tells how to "rotate" your hammers. If your hammers are like mine, they have a pivot hole in each end. By swapping ends and/or turning the hammers over you can use each of the four corners. So if you haven't done that yet, you still have three lives left in your hammers. I haven't rotated my hammers yet, but I plan to do that before Winter sets in. The manual has instructions for rotating your hammers, including diagrams.

MM

den69rs96

Where is Klem's? If not too far, it sounds like the pricing would be worth the trip. With three acres of mostly wooded land, I need a reliable machine. Especially since more trees will be coming down to fuel the fireplace now!

Thanks

I recently acquired an 8 hp DR tow chipper shredder. Could use feedback of any type. Have not used it yet . In fact I've always burned.