Like any tree care contractor, Brent Rolffs knows the value of working efficiently.
“The quicker you can do the job and get out, the better off you are,” he says. “That makes you more competitive.”
Rolffs, who co-owns Iowa-based Pella Tree Service with his wife, Brenda, credits Vermeer brush chippers and stump grinders with helping his crews improve their productivity.
And now he says they have a tool that enhances those efforts even more. Two of Pella Tree Service’s Vermeer BC1800XL brush chippers have the Tree Commander™ remote control.
The product, made by Vermeer, allows an operator to use the remote to control the infeed rollers, including restarting the rollers if the chipper’s lower feed stop bar is inadvertently tripped by a branch.
Pella Tree Service crews use skid loaders to feed their brush chippers. With the Tree Commander remote control, the skid loader operator can control some of the brush chipper’s functions without getting out of the machine or relying on another crew member.
“Now you can sit in the skid loader and push the button and get things rolling,” Rolffs says. “I estimate it will help us be 4 to 5 percent more efficient. Over a year, that’s a big deal.”