Renting a Flatbed or Utility Trailer to Haul a Wood Chipper

Two very different people end up asking the same question. One is a tree crew with three jobs across town and a chipper that has to make all of them. The other is a homeowner with a yard full of storm limbs who rented a chipper for the weekend and now has to get it home.

Both of these folks skip the first question, which is whether the chipper needs a trailer at all, because many of them hitch straight to the truck.

However, sometimes they do not or you need to carry multiple items at the same time. Choosing a trailer to haul a wood chipper is a weight and ramp problem: chippers are heavy for their size, nose-heavy once they are on a deck, and have a discharge chute and an infeed that have to be secured before the drive. Here is how to tell whether the chipper tows itself, how to match the trailer to its weight, and how to load it balanced and chain it at the frame.

Does the chipper need a trailer at all?

Most chippers with a 6-inch capacity and up are towable. They are built on their own axle with a coupler, lights and often brakes, and they hitch directly to a truck or a crew's dump trailer. So the first check is whether your chipper is one of them, because if it is, the trailer question answers itself.

A trailer comes into the picture in three cases. The small walk-behind and skid-mounted chipper-shredders, roughly in the 3- to 6-inch class, have no road axle and have to ride on something. A towable chipper with a damaged coupler, dead lights, worn tires or a questionable axle belongs on a trailer rather than on the highway under its own wheels. And a crew may put a towable chipper on a deckover or in a dump trailer so the chips and the machine travel on one rig to the next job. If you are towing a chipper directly, respect its own ratings: its gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR), its coupler size and whether it needs a brake controller. Read more about how to transport a stump grinder, which is the sister problem.

Match the trailer to the chipper's weight

Chippers are dense. A small walk-behind can ride a utility trailer, but a towable 12-inch machine weighs about as much as a small car and needs an equipment trailer or a deckover with the payload and the ramps to match. Work the decision in order: weight, then length, then ramp.

As rough ranges, small chipper-shredders in the few-hundred-pound class fit a single-axle utility trailer with a ramp gate. A 6-inch towable commonly runs a ton or more and wants a tandem-axle utility or equipment trailer. The 9- to 12-inch towables run several thousand pounds and belong on an equipment trailer or a deckover. Compare the chipper's weight, with fuel, to the trailer's payload with margin to spare, then compare the whole loaded rig to the tow vehicle's rating. Length matters too, because a towable chipper's tongue adds several feet to the machine and has to fit on the deck or hang safely past it. Route the exact weight to the chipper's data plate. Read more about payload versus tongue weight, and about equipment trailer versus flatbed.

Flatbed, utility or deckover

A utility trailer with a ramp gate suits a small chipper you can roll on. An equipment trailer or flatbed with heavy ramps suits a towable chipper you winch or roll on by its own wheels. A deckover gives you the width for a wide chipper and the option to carry the chip load alongside. Pick by how the chipper gets onto the deck and how wide it is.

The utility trailer's ramp gate and side rails make it the easy choice for walk-behind and skid-mounted units, which roll up the gate and brace against the rails. An equipment trailer or flatbed brings heavy ramps, a dovetail and rated D-rings, which is what a towable chipper needs when it rolls up on its own wheels. A deckover's fender-free deck handles a wide machine and leaves room for a chip box or a load of brush beside it. Whatever the deck, a towable chipper riding on a trailer still needs its wheels chocked and its tongue supported or strapped so it cannot swing. Read more about deckover trailer capacity and width advantages.

Load it nose-balanced

A chipper's weight sits at the engine and the drum, so position it so the trailer's tongue weight lands in range, usually with the heavy end forward of the axle but not jammed against the front rail, and roll it on slowly with the ramps at a gentle angle. A chipper is top-heavy enough to tip a light trailer during loading if you rush it.

Hitch the trailer to the truck before you load, so the tongue cannot lift when the chipper's weight hits the ramps. Set the ramps at a shallow angle, because a towable chipper's low frame catches on a steep one. Winch a towable on or roll it up by its own wheels with a hand on the tongue; push a walk-behind up with help, never alone. Center it side to side, settle the heavy end toward the front for proper tongue weight, and chock its wheels. Then prep the machine itself: lower and lock the discharge chute in its travel position, fold or secure the infeed tray, close and latch every hood, and make sure nothing is loose on top. Read more about flatbed load distribution and the 60/40 rule, and about how to load and secure equipment on an equipment trailer.

Chain it at the frame

Chain or strap the chipper at its frame or axle to the trailer's rated D-rings, with four tie-downs pulling in opposing directions, and secure the chute and the tongue separately. Never hook anything to the chute, the hood or the infeed tray, which will bend or tear off long before they hold the machine.

Use four rated tie-downs at frame points, two pulling forward and two pulling back, so the chipper cannot slide in either direction or bounce. Strap or block a towable chipper's tongue so it cannot swing on the deck. Strap the discharge chute in its locked travel position so it cannot rotate or lift. Chock the wheels, then re-check every tie-down after the first few miles, because machines settle. Keep straps off sharp edges and away from the hot exhaust, since a chipper has plenty of both. Read more about how to chain down heavy equipment, and about how to secure any flatbed trailer load safely.

Hauling the chips

The other half of a chipper job is the chips, and a dump trailer with high sides or a chip box moves them far faster than a pickup bed, which is why crews pair the chipper with a dump trailer. Plan the chip haul when you plan the machine haul.

Chips are light for their volume, so a chip load is about cubic yards rather than pounds, and a dump trailer with tall sides or a mesh extension holds a day's worth. Tarp the load, because dry chips blow out at speed. On many setups the chute discharges straight into the dump bed or a chip box, so the chips never touch the ground. Read more about dump trailer rentals for brush and debris removal.

What about insurance and damage protection?

Before towing a rented trailer, contact your auto insurance provider to ask whether your policy covers liability and towing-related damage claims.

Eligible rentals booked through Big Rentals also include Basic Rental Protection at checkout. This added protection can help limit your financial responsibility for certain damage or theft events during the rental period.

For full details on how Basic Rental Protection works, including deductibles, exclusions, and renter responsibilities, review our FAQ and platform terms.

The Short Version

• Most 6-inch-and-up chippers are towable and hitch straight to the truck; a trailer is for walk-behind units, a towable you do not trust on the highway, or a crew combining chipper and chips on one rig
• Match the trailer to weight first: small shredders on a utility trailer, 6-inch towables on a tandem, 9- to 12-inch towables on an equipment trailer or deckover
• Utility for roll-on small units, equipment trailer or flatbed for towables on their own wheels, deckover for wide machines and a chip load alongside
• Hitch the trailer first, ramps shallow, heavy end forward, chute locked, infeed folded, hoods latched
• Four rated tie-downs at the frame, tongue and chute secured separately, wheels chocked, re-check after a few miles
• Pair the chipper with a dump trailer for the chips, tarped, since chip loads are about volume

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