Project Overview

About This Project

NorthPoint Equipment Rentals provided a wood chipper rental to a lakefront property owner in Gilford, NH following a severe ice storm that downed 22 trees across the property. With a tree service handling the felling and limbing, the homeowner needed processing capacity for the resulting volume of brush and timber — and faced $3,000–$5,000 in haul-away quotes from debris removal companies.

NorthPoint deployed the Bandit 12XP Intimidator — a 145 HP commercial chipper with 12-inch capacity. The homeowner rented it for one day and processed all downed material on-site, converting the entire debris field to wood chips that were spread as mulch across the property. Zero haul trips. Zero disposal fees.


The Challenge

What the Job Demanded

The Gilford lakefront storm cleanup presented a volume and access challenge that ruled out smaller chippers:

Material volume: 22 downed trees ranging from 6 to 18 inches in diameter generated an estimated 15–20 pickup truck loads of brush and timber. Hauling that volume off a lakefront property in Gilford required either multiple large truck loads ($3,000–$5,000 in quotes) or a high-capacity chipper. Timber diameter: Several downed trees had main trunks over 10 inches in diameter — beyond the capacity of residential chippers. Lakefront access: The property’s narrow lakefront access road limited truck traffic — making multiple haul trips logistically difficult and costly. Timeline: The homeowner wanted cleanup completed before summer season, with a hard deadline driving the one-day rental approach.


The Solution

Equipment Deployed

NorthPoint supplied the Bandit 12XP Intimidator — a 145 HP commercial chipper with 12-inch capacity designed for exactly this type of high-volume storm cleanup and land clearing application.

Bandit 12XP Intimidator
Commercial Disc Chipper
145 HP  ·  Diesel  ·  Towable
Engine
145 HP Deutz
Capacity
12-inch diameter
Disc Diameter
24 in
Feed System
Hydraulic infeed

Commercial-grade towable disc chipper for high-volume debris processing, storm cleanup, and land clearing applications. 12-inch capacity handles main trunks and large limbs that smaller chippers can’t process. 145 HP Deutz engine provides consistent power without bogging on dense hardwood. Hydraulic infeed system controls feed rate for operator safety. Produces consistent 1–3 inch wood chips suitable for on-site mulch application. Standard choice for tree service companies, land clearing operations, and large residential storm cleanup projects in New Hampshire.


Implementation Timeline

Single-Day Storm Cleanup

The Bandit 12XP was towed to the Gilford property at 7am. The homeowner and a helper worked in two-person chipper crew formation throughout the day.

1
7:00 AM

Bandit 12XP towed to Gilford property. NorthPoint operator walk-through covered infeed procedure, safe feeding distances, PPE requirements, and chip discharge management. Two-person crew configured — one feeding, one dragging material to chipper.

2
AM Session

Largest material processed first — main trunks up to 18 inches broken into sections and fed. 12-inch capacity handled the hardwood trunks without stalling. Chips discharged into piles staged for mulch spreading. Approximately 40% of total volume processed by noon.

3
PM Session

Remaining brush, limbs, and secondary trunks processed through the afternoon. 12XP maintained consistent processing speed throughout — no heat-related slowdowns. Final brush piles cleared by 4:30pm.

4
5:00 PM

Chipper cleaned and returned to NorthPoint. All material chipped on-site — 15–20 truck loads of debris converted to manageable chip piles. Chips spread across property as mulch over the following week.


Results

What Was Achieved

All storm debris processed on-site in one day — eliminating $3,000–$5,000 in hauling costs and converting the debris field into valuable mulch material spread across the property.

Processing Time
1 Day
Complete storm debris field — 22 downed trees — chipped on-site from 7am to 4:30pm in a single rental day.
vs. Haul-Away
$3K–$5K Saved
On-site chipping eliminated all debris hauling cost versus $3,000–$5,000 in haul-away quotes for equivalent volume.
Material Processed
18–20 Loads
Estimated 18–20 pickup truck loads of brush and timber converted to on-site wood chips — zero off-property disposal.
Diameter Capacity
12 in
18-inch trunk sections split and re-fed at 10–12 inch dimension — the 12XP handled the hardwood material without stalling throughout the day.

The 12XP handled everything the ice storm threw at it. I saved at least $4,000 versus having someone haul all that material away. NorthPoint towed it right to my property and the walk-through was thorough. Machine never stalled once.

Carol B.  —  Property Owner, Gilford, NH


Key Takeaways

What This Project Demonstrates

This project illustrates the clearest financial argument for chipper rental: when the alternative is debris hauling, a one-day rental frequently saves thousands of dollars.

On-Site vs. Haul-Away
Converting debris to chips on-site eliminates disposal cost entirely. For large storm cleanup volumes, chipper rental pays for itself many times over versus hauling.
12-Inch Capacity Matters
Residential chippers handle 4–6 inch material. The Bandit 12XP handles 12-inch trunks and heavy hardwood without stalling. The right chipper for the volume of material is the difference between a one-day job and a three-day job.
Two-Person Crew
Commercial chippers are most efficient with two operators — one feeding, one dragging material. A solo operator can run the 12XP but processes at roughly half the rate.
Chips as Mulch
The 12XP produces 1–3 inch wood chips suitable for direct mulch application. Spreading them on-site adds value to what was otherwise a waste stream.
Lakes Region Delivery
NorthPoint Tilton tows the Bandit 12XP to Gilford, Laconia, Meredith, and all surrounding Lakes Region properties. Larger jobs in Carroll or Grafton County served from Ashland or Rumney.