Woodchippers?

[FRIZ]

I am getting ready to order my JD4720. One of the attachments I wanted to get was the Frontier Woodchipper. I love the idea of a PTO driven Woodchipper which can be attached to the iMatch Quick-Hitch. And the fact that if I have any problems with a Frontier product I just call the JD dealer. But I am shocked with the prices!!!

Frontier WC1105 (Gravity Feed 5 In. Capacity) $4,300.00

Frontier WC1205 (Hydraulic Feed 5 In. Capacity) $6,500.00

My JD dealer just gives me a 10% discount on the Frontier Woodchippers. Now I have the following questions:

Does anybody have any experience with the Frontier Woodchippers?
Are the Frontier WC1105 & WC1205 of so high quality that the price is justified?
Is the Hydraulic Feed so superior to the Gravity Feed that it justifies the $2,200 price difference?
Is there another reliable company which produces a PTO driven Woodchippers?

Please share you insights.

Thank you,
Regards,
FRIZ

[BarryinMN]

Chipping is a dusty dirty gritty business. Might take awhile finding the tractor under all that dirt.

I have an old commercial drum chipper & try to distance equipment from the debris.

[Charles Billings]

Friz, Check out the Wallenstein wood chippers. The BX42 can chip up to 4 x 10" and the BX 62 up to 6 x 12. From Woodward Crossing or Marsh Brothers the prices are apporximately $2500 and $3300, respectively. I have the BX42 and love it. I see no need to get the hydraulic feed, unless you have money to burn.

[BigfishTX]

I have a Wallenstein BX42 chipper without the hydro feed-doesn't need it. total price was about $2500 shipped. It is an amazing chipper and having it on the 3pt is so easy-just drive to where the limbs are and start chipping. I have a quick hitch on my JD4500 (with about 40 hp) and it comes on and off in a few seconds, very easy to interchange.

[GordNovo]

I too have the Wally BX42.. and frankly it's my favorite tool for the tractor. No better way to exercise out that frustration and stress from the weekday madness than by puverizing and reducing deadfall down to a pile of chips on the weekend...hoo-ahh !! The BX42 has a 4" capacity, which to me seems adequate. Anything larger generally goes into the bonfire pile anyway.
If you have a local wally dealer in the area, you should seriously consider this brand.. you'll save a lot of money.

One thing to consider though is the sizing and species of trees you'll be chipping. The BX42 has a tractor hp rating of 35-40, but the 2520 only has 26.5, but it still does a great job but primarily on poplar in our forrest. Every once in a while, I come across an elm in our forest and i don't notice till I hear the tractor's labouring to chip down a 2-3" dia log.. then realize it's a hardwood species. I do believe that if bulk of trees were of the hardwood variety, my 2520 would be underspecced for the job. Lucky for my, we have 99% poplar, which it handles with ease.

Friz, with your 4720, depending on on the species of tree you're hoping to chip, you may want to consider the BX62 series of Wally chippers. They're rated for 60-70hp, which yours is right in the middle.

Have fun with your selection and shopping! The other brand you hear a lot about is BearCat, but I don't have any direct experience with them.. I considered that brand when I was shopping, but the Wally was a little cheaper and the feedback on the forums was VERY good, so for me the choice was obvious.

[Jrrcorp]

Fritz, I just got my BX42 yesterday and tried it out last night. It worked great and you can't beat the price. Got mine from Woodward Crossing. Great folks to deal with.

[acs55812]

I had a 5" woodchipper once----used it a couple time and sold it.

What I didn't like was 5 inch meant 5" with no branch stubs sticking out beyond 5". Think about that your cutting down a pine tree with 3" trunk---you must remove all limbs to make no more than 5" total distance across---then the limbs get tossed in the top and the trunk in the chute.

If I could have fed 3 inch trunk with limbs into chipper that would have been a pleasure to use---as it turns out for me it was a big increase in work for the little added benifit.

For me I just couldn't see the amount of work required to chip the tree and will go back to building a brush pile and burning said tree.

[Phineas7]

IWhat I didn't like was 5 inch meant 5" with no branch stubs sticking out beyond 5". Think about that your cutting down a pine tree with 3" trunk---you must remove all limbs to make no more than 5" total distance across---then the limbs get tossed in the top and the trunk in the chute.

That's a good reason to have one bigger than you can really drive. I have a Jinma derivative that is rated at 6" that has a mechanical feed. My little tractor will start bogging down once it gets much above 3". If the branches aren't too big they'll just bend and feed in. I do a lot of saplings and small trees; It works pretty good. The feed system really helps and I'm sure a higher qaulity chipper with hydraulic feed would work even better. I still have to help it. It doen't have the traction to bend in the branches.

[Smalljobs]

I've been using a borrowed 6" Jinma PTO Chipper on my Jinma 284LE and after over 15 hrs of chipping I just can't say enough about it. The pricing and performance cannot be beat.

[lwalsh]

I dont know your location but I bought my bx42 last winter from a master distributer in MI for $1879.00 plus tax. Very pleased with the chipper.