A Wood Chipper is a type of Implement in Farming Simulator 17 which converts Logs into Wood Chips.
When this machine is properly activated, Logs can be pushed into its grinder to produce Wood Chips. The chips are automatically dumped out of the Wood Chipper, into a Container, onto a Conveyor Belt, or simply on the ground. The mass of the log determines the quantity of Wood Chips produced. Wood Chips are significantly more valuable than plain Logs, but the work of feeding them into a Wood Chipper requires some effort and skill.
Farming Simulator 17 features no fewer than 4 different models of Wood Chippers. While they all perform the same basic function, different models can have significant advantages or disadvantages, making them useful in different situations. For example, one model is too small to process wide Logs; another model has its own hydraulic crane arm, and one model is actually a Placeable that cannot be moved at all.
List of Wood Chippers[]
Below is a list of all three mobile Wood Chipper models available in the base game. The mobile models can be found in the "Forestry Equipment" category at the store.
| Name | Price | Maint. Cost per Day |
Power Consumption |
Attachment | Weight (kg) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heizomat HM 4-300 | 28,000 | 50 | 30 | Drawbar (Bolt) | 1,850 |
| Jenz BA 725 D | 64,000 | 110 | 54 | Drawbar (Bolt) | 11,175 |
| Jenz HEM 583 Z | 88,000 | 130 | 243 | Drawbar (Ball) | 18,765 |
An additional immobile model is found in the "Placeables" category. It also converts Logs into Wood Chips but has many significant differences compared to the other models above.
| Name | Price | Maint. Cost per Day |
|---|---|---|
| Jenz HE 700 StA | 72,000 | 140 |
Activating the Wood Chipper[]
Mobile models of Wood Chippers must be connected to a vehicle in order to function - and the vehicle must be capable of transferring power into the Wood Chipper.
One problem with this is that the towing vehicle must keep its engine running while the chipper is being fed with logs - but when you jump out of the tractor to lift the logs into the chipper, the engine is automatically turned off.
To solve the problem, go into the "Game Settings" menu, and set "Automatic Engine Start" to "Off". Then get into the tractor, turn the engine on 
Vehicle: Start EngineDefault Buttons: 
Enter
??
??, and get out. Your tractor will now stay running and will keep the chipper running while you load logs into it. When you're done, don't forget to turn the tractor's engine off again Vehicle: Stop EngineDefault Buttons: Enter ?? ??, so it doesn't waste fuel (and maybe reset the game setting to "On").
Feeding Logs[]
Once a Wood Chipper is properly set up and activated Wood Chipper: ActivateDefault Buttons: B ?? ??, its grinder begins to rotate. Any log that comes into contact with the rotating grinder will be slowly sucked into the machine and turned entirely into Wood Chips.
Additionally, each model of grinder has some sort of conveyor belt or similar device right in front of the grinder, where logs can be placed. Any log that touches this conveyor gets sucked in closer to the grinder until it makes contact and is fully pulled in as described above. On some models, it is a very small platform, on others a long belt - but it works the same way in either case. The larger the conveyor belt, the easier it is to place logs on it to get them pulled into the machine.
Logs can be placed on the grinder using several different methods:
- A Loader with a Log Fork can lift a log right onto the conveyor. This is a relatively simple method, which requires good driving skills.
- A Tree Harvester (while still holding a fallen Tree) can cut logs to fall directly on the conveyor belt. The cutting head (and the entire fallen tree with it) must be positioned very carefully and precisely for this to work - requiring a lot of manual precision and control.
- One model of Wood Chipper in the base game has its own crane arm, and can effectively lift logs into its own grinder or conveyor. With this method, you can simply place the Wood Chipper next to a pile of logs - and use the chipper's own crane to lift them in.
- Finally, if the logs are light enough, they can be lifted manually in first person mode
First-Person: Pick Up ObjectDefault Buttons: LMB ?? ?? and dropped onto the conveyor.
Some of these methods even allow you to push the log into the grinder instead of placing it on the conveyor system, thus ensuring that the log doesn't get stuck at a weird angle.
It is generally best to place the logs as parallel to the conveyor belt as possible, and as close to its center. This ensures that they will not get stuck on their way in.
Log Length[]
The length the log you feed into a Wood Chipper does not change the conversion ratio to Wood Chips. A single 8.0-meter log, or four separate 2.0-meter logs, produce the same amount of Wood Chips.
Nonetheless, it is usually a good idea to cut logs to 2.0 meters when you intend to use them in a Wood Chipper. Not only does this reduce the chance of logs falling off the conveyor belt or getting stuck, but it also allows you to pick up the logs by hand in the first-person mode and place them in yourself, or fix their facing when they do get stuck.
There is no maximum length of logs you can use with any Wood Chipper, but it's generally a good idea not to cut logs to be longer than the chipper's conveyor belt.
Log Width[]
Note that one Wood Chipper model in the base game will not accept logs larger than a certain diameter (~0.35). This means it cannot use the logs cut from the bottom of fully-grown trees, which are just too wide. It will accept the logs from younger (smaller) trees or the logs produced from the top of larger trees.
Other Wood Chipper models do have a maximum log width defined in their data files - but the values are so large that no log in the game is too wide for those models.
Unloading Wood Chips[]
While processing, a Wood Chipper needs to continuously dump the Wood Chips out. All models of Wood Chippers have some sort of outflow device. In the base game, two models use a rotating pipe that can be pointed at a Container and unload directly into it. Another model uses a conveyor belt that a Container can be placed under.
Instead of dumping into a Container, a conveyor-based Wood Chipper can dump its cargo onto a Conveyor Belt system, although this has limited usefulness.
In all cases, the Wood Chipper can also be instructed to simply dump its product on the ground in a Pile. This pile can later be scooped up with a Bucket or similar device.
Into Containers[]
The primary method of collecting Wood Chips from a Wood Chipper is with a Container. In the base game, the only containers that can carry Wood Chips are Tippers.
Some Wood Chippers that have a rotating outflow pipe will automatically point towards any valid container they find nearby, shooting the Wood Chips directly into that container. You do not need to rotate the pipe yourself, just keep the container close to the Wood Chipper until it is full or until the work is done.
With a conveyor belt Wood Chipper model, the container needs to be manually placed under the end of the conveyor so that the wood chips can fall into it. The Wood Chipper itself usually has controls to raise and lower the conveyor Wood Chipper: Raise ConveyorDefault Buttons: LMB + Drag Up/Down ?? ?? to make room for particularly tall tippers.
Remember that if the Tipper becomes full, the Wood Chipper will refuse to dump any more cargo into it - as though there was no container present at all.
Onto Conveyor Belts[]
A Wood Chipper outfitted with an output conveyor system can dump its Wood Chips onto a Conveyor Belt instead of into a container. This works the same as dumping any cargo onto a conveyor belt with any other machine.
To do this, simply place the conveyor belt piece (any piece will work) underneath the end of the chipper's output belt. It will register this as a valid output point and will dump Wood Chips onto it automatically.
Wood Chippers that unload through a rotating pipe will not normally accept a Conveyor Belt as a valid unloading spot. Placing the belt underneath the pipe's nozzle, even when correctly rotated, will not cause the chipper to automatically unload its cargo onto the belt. It is technically possible to unload it anyway, by aiming the pipe properly and hitting the "Unload Here" button Wood Chipper: Unload HereDefault Buttons: Ctrl + I ?? ??, but this may or may not work at all.
Manual Dumping[]
Regardless of which sort of output system a Wood Chipper uses, it can be instructed to unload its cargo directly on the ground - with no need for a Tipper or Conveyor Belt to receive the Wood Chips. This is done by aiming the output belt/pipe in the correct direction, and hitting the "Unload Here" button <spanstyle="position:relative; bottom:8px;">Implement<spanstyle="display:block; color: white;">Wood Chipper: Unload Here<spanstyle="display:block; font-size:80%; padding-top:10px; padding-bottom:10px;">Default Buttons: <spanstyle="display:block;"><spanstyle="display:inline-block; padding-left:5px; padding-right:5px; padding-bottom:5px;"> <spanstyle="font-family:courier; font-size:120%;">Ctrl + I<spanstyle="display:block;"><spanstyle="display:inline-block; padding-left:5px; padding-right:5px; padding-bottom:5px;"> <spanstyle="font-size:80%;">??<spanstyle="display:inline-block; padding-left:5px; padding-right:5px; padding-bottom:5px;"> ???
Putting the chipper into this mode tells it to empty any Wood Chips on the ground, creating a Pile. The Wood Chipper will remain in "forced unloading" mode until it is disabled, and will, therefore, continue dumping Wood Chips in the same spot as more and more Logs are fed into the machine.
The resulting pile can later be picked up by any machine that can work with loose Wood Chips - primarily a Bucket on a Loader. It can then be dumped by that machine, e.g. into a Tipperwhen the time is right.
Dumping on the ground allows you to create a virtually unlimited amount of Wood Chips without risking running out of storage space or tippers.
Automatic Sale[]
One model of Wood Chipper - the Jenz HA 700 StA - is completely immobile, and has no outflow device of any kind. When it creates Wood Chips, it immediately sells them. There is no need (or ability) to carry the Wood Chips anywhere else.
The sale price for the resulting Wood Chips is the current price at the local Sawmill (which is usually the only selling point for Wood Chips on most maps). This price is displayed in the "Market Prices" menu.
Note that this means that you should check the current price before feeding any logs into this sort of Wood Chipper - or else you might be selling the chips for a low price.
Also, note that selling wood chips through the Jenz HA 700 StA affects the market price just as selling them at the Sawmill would.
Temporary Holding Tank[]
When a Wood Chipper has nothing to dump cargo into and is not in Manual Dumping mode (see above), it will try to store the wood chips in its internal cargo tank - if it even has one.
The size of this tank changes from model to model, but for most, it is 5,000 liters. This is a rather small amount, equivalent to only a few short Logs.
If the tank ever becomes full (or if the machine does not have any internal tank, such as the Heizomat HM 4-300), any additional Wood Chips produced by the machine will be completely lost.
Note that the game does not report the amount of Wood Chips inside the Wood Chipper's internal tank, even when it is hooked up to a vehicle. Therefore, you have no way of knowing how much space you have left inside. As a result, it is always better to leave the machine in Manual Dumping mode than to let it accumulate Wood Chips.
Furthermore, note that the Wood Chipper unloads its wood chips at a certain rate - which isn't terribly high. If you feed logs into the machine too quickly, it may end up running out of internal space for the Wood Chips while trying to unload the chips it has already created. Make sure to give the machine a few seconds between each log, to ensure that it can empty itself before having to process the next log.