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Join us for the first ever Elmstar Demo Day – a hands-on, outdoor event bringing together the best in arborist, landscaping, and estate maintenance machinery.

Whether you’re managing public spaces, maintaining private estates, or running a contracting business, this event is designed to give you a closer look at the latest tools, techniques, and trends shaping the industry.

Who It’s For

• Arborists & Tree Surgeons
• Local Authorities & Parish Councils
• Grounds & Estate Managers
• National Contractors
• Environmental & Infrastructure Teams
• Equipment Hire Companies
• Schools & Colleges
• Hotels, Golf Courses, Private Estates

What to Expect

• Live Demos – See machines in action across woodland, grassland, steep banks and more.
• Meet the Brands – Talk direct with reps from Husqvarna, Ferris, Jensen, FSI, Hansa, Yanmar, Echo, and more.
• Expert Advice – Industry insights, product walk-throughs, and safety briefings.
• Hands-on Experience – Get up close with tools, test equipment, ask questions.
• Electric Tool Zone – See the latest in battery-powered technology from the Husqvarna, EGO range and others.

Extras

• Free entry with pre-registration
• Branded giveaways + merchandise
• Competition entry – Win a chainsaw worth £800! (Ts & Cs here)
• Food & drink available onsite
• Opportunity to speak with the Elmstar team about sales, hire, service, parts and BAGMA handover & installation training

Location

Westpoint, Exeter (Outdoor Site), EX5 1DJ

How to register

The event is free, but there is a registration process for health and safety reasons.

Just head over to our ticket tailor event page and register.

Health & Safety

We want everyone to enjoy the day safely. Please use common sense around working machinery and follow the guidance of the Elmstar team and brand reps at all times.

• Stay behind any marked demo boundaries
• Do not touch or operate any machines unless invited to by a rep
• Keep children and pets supervised at all times
• In case of emergency, head to the Fire Assembly Point (marked on the map)

First aiders will be available on site if needed, ask at the registration gazebo. For full details you can read our full health and safety policy.

(and other commonly asked questions)

Do you need to remove one or more tree stumps from your garden or commercial plot? How to deal with tree stumps is a common topic on forums and social media sites, so we decided to answer some of the most frequently asked questions.

What is a stump grinder?

A stump grinder is a machine equipped with a rotating cutting disc that chips away at tree stumps, reducing them to wood chips. It’s used to remove the visible part of a tree stump by grinding it down to below ground level.

Should I buy or rent a stump grinder?

For single projects, it is almost always better to hire a stump grinder than to buy one. After all, once you have ground down your stumps, why else would you need a grinder? Even if you have a large number of stumps to remove, do you really want the inconvenience and cost of having to store and maintain your grinder until you can sell it on?

If you are in business as a gardener or grounds maintenance provider, buying a grinder may be more cost-effective than hiring, but you must weigh up the expected frequency of this type of work with the costs involved in maintaining and storing your grinder.

Should I grind a stump or remove it?

Grinding a stump is much quicker and easier than removing it. However, if you need to replant or build in the exact spot where the stump is located, you will need to dig down and remove the entire stump including its root system. There are several methods for removing a tree stump (using chemicals, fire, etc.) but they all take a lot of time and effort.

Are grinders easy to use?

Many stump grinders demand a level of skill and physical effort to operate them. Smaller more user-friendly models are available for domestic projects. Talk to us to find a stump grinder that will fit your specific project needs.

What size stump grinder do I need?

This depends on size of your tree stump and the project’s complexity. A portable grinder is often sufficient for a small to medium-sized stumps. Larger stumps may require a more powerful, self-propelled model.

Visit our stump grinder hire page for full details, or contact us for advice and guidance.

If you’ve never hired a wood chipper before, you might be wondering how to track down a good deal for your upcoming project. This short guide is designed to answer the most common questions about hiring a chipper, including how much they cost and where best to hire one from.

What are wood chippers used for?

Let’s start with the most obvious question: what exactly is a wood chipper. This is a very important question because depending on the type of ground you are clearing, a wood chipper may not be the most appropriate machine.

In simple terms, if you need to clear tree trunks, branches and tough, woody material, a wood chipper is ideal. But if you are clearing shrubs and vegetation, a shredder is what you need because chippers are not designed to deal with flexible, sappy branches and leaves. 

Can I use wood chips as mulch?

You may have come across advice that recommends using wood chips as mulch – a layer of organic material used to improve soil and suppress weeds. The good news is that wood chips is a very effective mulch. As explained by the Soil Association, wood chips are ideal as a mulch because they:

• Retain water, reducing evaporation
• Act as a slow-release fertiliser
• Suppress weeds
• Keep plants insulated
• Reduce landfill waste
• Are free!

What types of wood chipper are there?

Without getting too technical, there are four basic types of wood chipper: wheeled, towed, self-propelled and stationary. While a small, wheeled chipper may be sufficient for a simple domestic job, most projects will require a towed or self-propelled chipper. Self-propelled chippers usually run on petrol or diesel although there are electric models.

How much is it to hire a wood chipper?

When considering hiring a wood chipper, it is important to avoid basing your decision on cost alone. Your chosen chipper must be reliable and able to handle the demands of your project, which is why we only hire out machines from leading brands.

Maintenance and storage is also essential. Even the best chippers will break down if they are not regularly serviced or exposed to the elements when in storage.

Chippers are usually hired either by the day or week, with weekly hire prices starting from around the £80 mark. When getting quotes for your hire, watch out for hidden extras (e.g., damage waivers, fuel, delivery, etc.)

Where can I hire a wood chipper?

The two main outlets for wood chippers are general tool hire companies and specialist arboricultural or grounds maintenance companies.

As a specialist in grounds maintenance machines, we recommend you add Elmstar to your shortlist of hire partners. We offer a range of benefits, including:

• Towed and self-propelled chippers from leading brands
• Delivery and collection service
• Servicing from a dedicated, in-house team
• 48 hour machine replacement in the unusual event of a problem

Visit our wood chipper hire page for full details, or contact us to find out more.