If you’re looking into purchasing a tree chipper, be it for personal use on your own land or for a business, such as gardening or landscaping, there are a few things you need to consider before making the move.

There’s quite a variety when it comes to choosing a chipper. There are machines for personal use as well as more professional ones meant for those who do landscaping or gardening, and the prices vary greatly.

If what you want is small and simple because you don’t expect to use it every day but rather just a few times a year to clear out your yard, you won’t want to pay tons of money for the biggest baddest machine on the market. But if you’re planning on using this in a landscaping or gardening business, you’ll want to invest in a higher end model that will be able to attack a larger variety of problems.

You also need to think about what you’re going to do with it. Getting rid of entire trees altogether will require a chipper that can handle larger wood diameters, whereas just clearing out dead brush and a few tree branches here and there won’t require something so powerful.

You also need to decide if you’re going to use this tool for things besides trees and brush; if you want to do mulching as well, some chippers come with separate chutes that turn green plant matter into a mulch base.

An important factor that might slip your mind is how noisy your chipper is. Some aren’t as loud as others and it’s important to know what the regulations are in your neighborhood because you may get in trouble for creating too much noise if you go for one of the noisiest machines out there.

There’s lots to think about when purchasing a tree chipper, so consider your needs and wants carefully before making the final move.