Chipper Researching best qualitry wood chipper for a Kubota BX23S, suggestions please

[scaredychicken]

Good Morning,

Lately my interests have turned to yard clean-up and planning the purchase of a decent wood chipper that my BX23S can manage. I'd like some ideas from those that have experience and knowledge of chippers.

- my needs are for something that will handle 3-4 inch trees / limbs, anything with a larger diameter, would become firewood
- I have watched dozens of you-tube videos that feature wood chippers. Some have been very informative ... Messicks, Tractor Time with Tim, Landpride videos etc.
- prefer PTO driven unit, ... I think this is an advantage, but perhaps a completely separate unit is an option
- I am not brand loyal for this attachment, I just want something that will do the job effectively without killing the tractor

thanks for any suggestions.

happy Sunday

 

[5030]

My 'wood chipper' is a can of diesel and a match. Much cheaper, end result is about the same.

 

[SJay]

I have a Woods Chipper that works very well.

Product Details

 

[aczlan]

Woodmaxx TM86H we just got their 1260 self powered chipper and it is very well built.

Aaron Z

 

[scaredychicken]

My 'wood chipper' is a can of diesel and a match. Much cheaper, end result is about the same.

I have the same brand and model at this time looking to upgrade, so that I can use the woodchips elsewhere than in the ash pile.

 

[oosik]

I've had/have Wallenstein. First the BX42S, now the BX62S. An excellent piece of equipment. ABSOLUTELY no problems with either model.

Either the BX36S or the BX52S. The BX36S would be a better fit.

 

[aczlan]

Whatever you get, make sure it has hydraulic infeed so you dont have to fight it to load branches into it.

Aaron Z

 

[oosik]

Whoa - there Aaron. Neither of my Wally chippers has had hydraulic in-feed. I think the better answer - determine what you will be chipping. If it will be small trees, straight branches - save yourself a whole lot of $$$ and get manual feed. Likewise - if it will be twisted trees and twisted branches - then hydraulic in-feed is probably the way to go.

The ONLY trees I have here on the 80 are Ponderosa pine. I will - fell - drag to pile - chip - 900 to 1200 small pines every spring. I NEVER remove a single limb. Into the chipper they go - butt first. They range in size from 1" to 6" on the butt cut.

Been doing this thinning for the last twelve years.

Rather than hydraulic in-feed - - wish I had a couple young bucks every spring to help with the - drag to pile - operation.

 

[dlctcg]

Whatever you get, make sure it has hydraulic infeed so you dont have to fight it to load branches into it.

Aaron Z

I agree on the hydraulic in-feed.... I have a Wallenstein BX62R... great chipper... zero issues... great piece of equipment...

 

[TerryR]

Whatever you get, don't waste your money on power infeed. It's simply not needed for most home users. I've been using a manual infeed chipper for over twenty years, and now at age 78 I just finished up this year's windfalls with no issue. Maybe when I pass 90?

 

[4570Man]

I have the same brand and model at this time looking to upgrade, so that I can use the woodchips elsewhere than in the ash pile.

I can buy a mountain of wood chips for the money and time you’ll spend chipping. Even then wood chippers make long stringy chips that aren’t good for much.

 

[oosik]

I don't what equipment you are using to chip or what you are chipping but I've never had even one stringy chip in twelve years.

AND in my case - hydraulic in-feed would be a total waste of $$$.

I DO NOT chip to have chips to use. I chip to get rid of the trees I thin.

I thin to maintain my pine stands.

 

[4570Man]

I don't what equipment you are using to chip or what you are chipping but I've never had even one stringy chip in twelve years.

AND in my case - hydraulic in-feed would be a total waste of $$$.

I DO NOT chip to have chips to use. I chip to get rid of the trees I thin.

I thin to maintain my pine stands.

I have no experience with dinky chippers but I’ve seen chips 6” long coming out of power company chippers. I’ve never seen anything close to the nice crisp playground chips coming out of a wood chipper. Plus I could just buy those for $10 a yard. Here’s how I get rid of brush.

 

[scaredychicken]

Lots of good ideas and chipper suggestions, thank you. I still have a lot to think about, and the WOODS and WOODMAXX units are not as familiar to me as no one in my area (100 kms driving radius) carries those brands, to my knowledge.

My purpose for looking into a wood chipper is primarity for clean-up and maintenance on the property. I now know that I am looking for a Cat 1 chipper that will work with my existing BX23S tractor, and I am really pleased to know that chippers exist for these more compact tractors.
In recent years (last 10 for sure) the area that I reside in (Interior of BC Canada) has been subjected to Burning BANS and Fire Restrictions for much of the year ... this year, that began in the first week of April, and it will probably continue until the typical restriction lifts in mid-November. That means that for most of the year, the Fuel and a Match method is not really an option. The small fires that may be permitted in these times, would be very limited ... campfire size maybe. So that would be tedious.
I want to use the chips in other areas such as chicken runs, garden paths, general landscaping. Buying chips / mulch is not really of interest to me at this time. Every year we lose about 10-15 trees on the propery to wind fall alone, so the clearing and cleanup is valuable. If I find 2-3 options that could work, the decision might rest on the dealerships that are nearby. Thanks.

 

[AndyMA]

I use a Valby Chipper and it doesn’t make stringy chips. Nice consistent sheared off chips.

I’ve had both the manual and hydraulic feed versions and the hydraulic feed wins Hans down

Andy

 

[ericm979]

I've also owned and used both manual and hydraulic feed chippers. (a MacKissick and a Woodmaxx). Hydraulic is far better. It's worth spending the money for. It's safer and more effective. Even accounting for the difference in capacity I have to do a lot less cutting and fiddling to get stuff in the hydraulic feed chipper.

Woodmaxx (and their competitor Woodland Mills) don't have dealers, they sell direct. Both design their own chippers (and other things) which are then made in China. Woodmaxx also has some made in the US models that are too large for your tractor. There's plenty of threads where people discuss their experiences. Mine with the Woodmaxx 8H has been pretty positive. I did replace the hydraulic feed speed control with one that works better but many people are ok with the one that comes with it.

 

[scaredychicken]

ericm979 - I appreciate your reply and insight, it adds to all the feedback from others also. I did not know that Woodland Mills and Woodmaxx were essentially online purchases, good to know. Thanks

 

[wawajake]

I have a Kubota Bx2660 so just a couple pto hp bigger than your Bx23 ...I have used a Wallenstein 42 model without hydraulic feed for 6 yrs now ...love it. It handles up to 4 inch butt size and many times it draws the tree in by itself. The hardest part of job is hauling the trees into piles butts facing same way. The woodchips come out the same way you see purchased at landscape places. I use them for garden paths and ruts on Atv trail. When clearing winter tree falls on my land up here in northern Ontario Canada.

 

[oosik]

Hauling the trees to a pile - all butts facing the same way--- by FAR the most difficult part of my spring thinning program. Around here only the Wildlife Refuge is authorized to burn slash and trees. It's a HOLY NIGHTMARE... They start with many old truck tires. Pile the slash, etc on top of this. Unknown gallons of diesel to get it going. You can see the black smoke rising from the burning pile for miles. Looks like a site where a jet aircraft crashed.

I'm only a couple miles from Turnbull NWR and the smoke chokes me out for a couple weeks every year.

Maybe one of these years they might invest in a commercial chipper. Lord, I sure hope so.

It's always done this time of year. Everything is still green. Later in the year the chance of starting a wildfire is just too great.

 

[5030]

Hauling the trees to a pile - all butts facing the same way--- by FAR the most difficult part of my spring thinning program. Around here only the Wildlife Refuge is authorized to burn slash and trees. It's a HOLY NIGHTMARE... They start with many old truck tires. Pile the slash, etc on top of this. Unknown gallons of diesel to get it going. You can see the black smoke rising from the burning pile for miles. Looks like a site where a jet aircraft crashed.

I'm only a couple miles from Turnbull NWR and the smoke chokes me out for a couple weeks every year.

Maybe one of these years they might invest in a commercial chipper. Lord, I sure hope so.

It's always done this time of year. Everything is still green. Later in the year the chance of starting a wildfire is just too great.

I have to say that I've never initiated my burn pile with tires or any other form of artifical accelerant. Just dried out cuttings and arranging butts, never. However they go on the pile works for me. Rapid oxidation reduces it all to ash pretty quickly.

I'm against roasting tires anyway. You roast them and then you have the steel belts left. Always a mess and tires stink too.