Almost 70 years have passed since our company, carrying the name of our founder, Gary Vermeer, was established – but more than the Vermeer name stands the test of time. The second and third generations of the Vermeer family are now carrying the legacy of innovation, continuous improvement and the ultimate goal to equip our customers, our people and our world to do more.
From the round baler to the stump cutter to the trencher, Vermeer has revolutionized products since the beginning. One product that was invented long before the establishment of Vermeer was the wood chipper. Although the first wood chipper was developed in the 19th century, it didn’t make a splash commercially until the 1950’s with the high-speed drum chipper.
The BC1600 was the first brush chipper built at Vermeer Corporation. Launched in 1978, this chipper quickly made an impression on the industry, and Vermeer sold several hundred units in the first few years. Because the BC1600 had no feed roller system, chipping logs was no easy feat – it took time and labor to get the job done.
From the beginning, brush chippers were built to break down logs into small chips as part of wood recycling jobs or used as a tool for land maintenance. The function of the manually-fed wood chipper is not much different from the inception, but the design has advanced substantially. With increasing demand to solve the challenge of finding and hiring labor, the Vermeer brush chippers had to keep up with the ever-changing tree care industry. The chipper line went through enhancements including features to promote safety and efficient operation. Today, the Vermeer chipper line consists of nine models offering a chipping capacity of gas 6 – to 21-inch (15.2 – 53.3 cm) with both gas- and diesel-powered engines. Vermeer brush chippers have found their way from small landscaping all the way to large land-clearing sites.
The latest model in the Vermeer lineup – the AX19, designed specifically for mechanical feeding rather than manual feeding – was launched in November 2016. Operating on large commercial sites and capable of chipping up to 19” (48.2 cm) diameter logs, Vermeer has found a sweet spot to help crews more efficiently process the material.
For the past three decades, Vermeer has been developing and enhancing brush chippers to keep up with the shift of our customers. As tree care companies are expanding their job capabilities, Vermeer will continue to create options and features to meet their needs. What was your first Vermeer chipper?
