Skid Steer Mulchers: Disc vs Drum, Which Should You Buy?

A drum skid steer mulcher gives the cleaner finish and suits confined areas like a neighborhood backyard; a disc mulcher cuts through material a bit quicker but leaves a rougher finish. Both skid steer mulchers generally do the same job, so the choice comes down to the finish you want and where you are working. Chupp Industrial sells a lot more drum mulchers than disc mulchers.

What Is the Difference Between a Disc Mulcher and a Drum Mulcher?

The drum mulcher leaves a cleaner, finer finish and throws debris a shorter distance. It pulls material up into the drum and shreds it finer, and it cuts saplings cleanly to the ground.

The disc mulcher cuts through material a bit quicker, but it:

• leaves a rougher finish
• frays stumps and small saplings instead of cutting them cleanly
• throws debris far

Which Skid Steer Mulcher Fits Your Job?

Pick a drum mulcher when:

• you are working in a confined area like a neighborhood backyard, where debris thrown far is a problem
• you want saplings cut cleanly to the ground and a finer, cleaner finish

Pick a disc mulcher when getting through material a bit quicker matters more than the finish, and there is room for debris to fly.

Which Drum Mulcher Size Matches Your Skid Steer's Flow?

Once you have settled on a drum mulcher, size it to your machine's hydraulic flow and the trees you are cutting:

• 43-inch drum mulcher: the standard-flow model, running on 14 to 22 GPM (gallons per minute). It handles trees roughly in the two-to-six-inch range.
• 60-inch drum mulcher: the high-flow model, needing 30 to 45 GPM. It handles trees up to about eight inches.

The 43-inch is noticeably smaller than the 60-inch, so check your skid steer's flow before you choose between them.

So, Disc or Drum?

For a clean finish and tight spaces, the drum mulcher is the one, and it is the mulcher Chupp Industrial sells the most of. You can browse skid steer mulchers at chuppindustrial.com.