PTO Chipper, Victory vs Woodmax

[RyeThomas]

Ok so I lost out on a WoodMaxx PTO chipper on Craigslist, so I started shopping around for a Hydraulic fed PTO chipper. I found much to my surprise all of these chippers are clones of each other made in China. The Victory and the WoodMaxx spec out the exact same and while WoodMaxx has a better web site the Victory unit looks the same with a few minor changes.
I知 all for saving $650 to get the same machine, but I cannot find much info on the Victory. I contacted them and they said all the right things but I壇 like to hear from owners of any of their equipment. Thanks, Rye.

WoodMaxx WM-8H $2799
Victory WC8H $2145

 

[flingwing1969]

WC8H - Victory Tractor Implements

Looks the same as the Woodmaxx, same flywheel weight. $700 less expensive shipping included. I would bet it was manufactured in the same plant to the same specs and only had different decals on it than the Woodmaxx has. Everything is in the same spot and everyone I've heard from with one, loves their Woodmaxx.

 

[747driver]

I have had the WM 8H for 2 years. Great machine that is well built. Yes it is built in China but the company is in New York where the rest of their woodchippers are made and its built to US specs. They assembly the WM 8H in NY and ship it in a steel frame container. I opted for the USA made pto shaft. Never heard of Victory before, they must be new as they never turned up when I researched 2 years ago.. The WM has a separate flow control valve with lever to adjust feed rate. Victory says they use the safety bar handle to accomplish the flow rate. The WM mounts to lower skid plates for more stability. The Victory says 30 hp or more is needed. My Kioti CK27 only puts out 25 pto hp which works well. Make sure you know what your pto hp is, as it will be lower than engine hp.

 

[flingwing1969]

If I'm reading it right (whatever "2+1" means for sure) it has fewer knives than the WoodMaxx - three vs four.

 

[RyeThomas]

I saw that on the blades as well or knives. I will send them an email for clarification. I watched a bunch of videos in what I’m assuming is German (or similar). It does have a in-feed adjustment valve, in the video it’s a simple knob and unlike a lot of WoodMaxx reviews that claim it’s either 30% or 100%, this one seemed to be truly adjustable.

I’m at 33 pto hp.

Just re-read specs Woodmax has 2 reversible flywheel knives and 1 bed knife. So I’m betting it’s the same.

 

[s219]

So many chippers are Chinese knockoffs of a Wallenstein or other reputable brand, it's hard to tell which knockoffs are which anymore. I wonder if these knockoffs will all compete themselves out of business.

 

[RyeThomas]

Don’t know, most seem super happy with Woodmaxx. I’m betting this came off the same line so I’m leaning toward buying one, if they go out of business I can just buy parts from whomever is left. I’m all about American products but I’m also about this American not overpaying for a name or origin.

I also agree and wonder how long some of these companies will last.

 

[ericm979]

This is similar to a Woodmaxx 8H but not the same. The safety bar is below the feed chute, not above. The feed chute is more open at the top. The arms between the upper moving feed roller and the springs are wider, blocking access to the slot in the housing behind them. Since stuff sometimes jams in there that will make it harder to clear the jam. The safety bar looks like a better design than Woodmaxx but it may get tripped by branches a lot.

The feed speed control valve is a simple valve not a proportional speed control valve. Early Woodmaxxes had that too then they went to the proportional valve. If you read up on hydraulic flow control that's a better type of valve. Woodmaxx uses too large a valve however which makes having the better type of valve less of an advantage. I replaced their 16gpm one with a 4 gpm unit and it works much better. You could put the good valve on the Victory with some fab work to make a bracket, and hoses.

Woodmaxx has an adjustable 3pt hitch, Victory's is fixed. Woodmaxx has full length skids on the legs, the Victory just has small pads. The Woodmaxx has two 8" blades. It'd be interesting to find out what size blades are on the Victory. The Woodmaxx discharge chute turns 360 degrees, this one's only 270 but looks similar otherwise.

The differences are so numerous that there's no way it came off the same line as the Woodmaxx. So I would not expect it to benefit from Woodmaxx demanding a certain quality level from the factory. It might be built to the same quality or it might not. Until there's some reports from purchasers you'll be taking a chance.

Betst Co sells Victory (from the west coast). They have posted here in the past though not recently. If they sell these then you should be able to get parts etc from them. Getting parts from China can be tough unless the trading house you're buying from is set up to support individual purchasers. Some are, some are more like distributors.

 

[s219]

Don’t know, most seem super happy with Woodmaxx. I’m betting this came off the same line so I’m leaning toward buying one, if they go out of business I can just buy parts from whomever is left. I’m all about American products but I’m also about this American not overpaying for a name or origin.

I also agree and wonder how long some of these companies will last.

If the Chinese units are the same quality, engineering, and materials, then no issue, but the ones I have seen are not as well made as the name brands, at least not to the eye. The welds are not as good and I wonder about the quality of the steel, balancing of flywheel, bearings, etc -- stuff you can't tell by eye. A well made Chinese product can be fine, but that's often hard to know/verify. So I'd say to at least go with an importer that other people have bought from, and hopefully it's a company that has parts/support.

 

[RyeThomas]

This is similar to a Woodmaxx 8H but not the same. The safety bar is below the feed chute, not above. The feed chute is more open at the top. The arms between the upper moving feed roller and the springs are wider, blocking access to the slot in the housing behind them. Since stuff sometimes jams in there that will make it harder to clear the jam. The safety bar looks like a better design than Woodmaxx but it may get tripped by branches a lot.

The feed speed control valve is a simple valve not a proportional speed control valve. Early Woodmaxxes had that too then they went to the proportional valve. If you read up on hydraulic flow control that's a better type of valve. Woodmaxx uses too large a valve however which makes having the better type of valve less of an advantage. I replaced their 16gpm one with a 4 gpm unit and it works much better. You could put the good valve on the Victory with some fab work to make a bracket, and hoses.

Woodmaxx has an adjustable 3pt hitch, Victory's is fixed. Woodmaxx has full length skids on the legs, the Victory just has small pads. The Woodmaxx has two 8" blades. It'd be interesting to find out what size blades are on the Victory. The Woodmaxx discharge chute turns 360 degrees, this one's only 270 but looks similar otherwise.

The differences are so numerous that there's no way it came off the same line as the Woodmaxx. So I would not expect it to benefit from Woodmaxx demanding a certain quality level from the factory. It might be built to the same quality or it might not. Until there's some reports from purchasers you'll be taking a chance.

Betst Co sells Victory (from the west coast). They have posted here in the past though not recently. If they sell these then you should be able to get parts etc from them. Getting parts from China can be tough unless the trading house you're buying from is set up to support individual purchasers. Some are, some are more like distributors.

Very informative post, thank you Sir.

A few things, the in-feed valve type from Woodmaxx may be a better design but it doesn’t seem to deliver the intended results. The fact you had to change yours out and many have voiced concerns about it doesn’t really seem like the Co has listened or adressed the issue. On a $2799 machine that’s a problem IMO.
The legs, while I agree would be more stable with skids its going to be attached to the tractor or sitting on a pad.
The adjustable hitch may be nice for some but I have one tractor, none of my other implements have adjustable 3 point hitches. A nicety but not a necessity for me anyway.

I am in Va so I won’t be able to put my hands on one pre-purchase. That concerns me. All your points are valid, don’t think I’m trying to be a no it all. I’m just playing a bit of devils advocate. I really appreciate your time and info, I have no clue what to do. Rye.