I needed to chip a huge pile of trees that I cleared from my back fence lines, averaging about 3 inches in diameter and shred leaves from a heavily wooded five acre plot and maintain it for years to come. After reviewing prices and capacities I found the SC5540 to be the pick of the litter for my current and anticipated future needs. The SC5540 chipper arrived very well packed on a pallet with a frame box structure to protect it, also heavy plastic sheeted the frame, to keep the chipper clean. It was very simple to assemble the hopper top and drive line. I am using the chipper on a John Deere 5042M and it is just what I had hoped for. It consumes a three inch fifteen foot tree in a very short time; branches cleared off, of course. I plan to use the chippings to mulch paths created by clearing the trees. I plan to get the accessory fine screen for the SC5540 to deal with the leaves and use them to mulch the extensive azalea beds on the property. This is a very sturdy piece of gear and I would recommend it to anyone with a tractor that maintains their own property as it is a great labor saver.
