Chipper Advice on PTO Chipper

[GSVette]

I have a Victory chipper ( basically a Woodmaxx WM-8H clone) that I bought very recently. Very happy with it. Hydraulic feed with dual rollers handles just about anything I throw at it. Only had to wait a few weeks for it.

Took some time to assemble-not the greatest assembly instructions ever. Came with an extra set of blades as well.

 

[oldballs]

I guess I don't know what "true mulch" is. The fresh chips from dead Cedar (without the greenery) are especially nice for trails and what I call mulch. What comes out of the chipper depends on what you put in it and what you do with it varies accordingly.

From following such threads as this and looking at what the OP expects, I'd say that either the WoodMax or the Woodland Mills WC88 would be the best choice.

Cheers,
Mike

 

[plowhog]

But this year I have been sending cutoffs and scraps from my sawmill through my chipper (Wallenstein BX-42)

Do you turn the scraps on their side and cut again so they are not too wide for your chipper?

 

[mikester]

You don't say what you plan on chipping/shredding, it will make a big difference in the machine you select.

Some trees just shred and nest in your chute instead of chipping. Dry vs green also makes a difference. I hate chipping dogwood on my chinesium 8" PTO chipper because I waste more time disassembling parts and unclogging than chipping.

If you need high volume and reliability get a large 12" self powered unit with hydraulic infeed so you can stuff large branches and whole trees at once. You don't want to waste time chainsawing when what you really want is chips.

 

[plowhog]

I hate chipping dogwood on my chinesium 8" PTO chipper because I waste more time disassembling parts and unclogging than chipping.

In about 3 years of use, I have only had to open up my Woodland Mills WC-88 in the field once. A gnarly stump/root ball type thing that used to have branches protruding in many directions got stuck. Stuck hard. I used a sawzall and made multiple cuts across it while it was in place, put everything back together and it digested it fine.

 

[RidgeHiker]

Have a Woodmaxx WM-8m. Depends on what your idea of mulch is. These type of chippers create wood chips, not a fine mulch. They are slow to decay which is nice as ground covers and paths but not always what gardeners want to mix in to their soils. They are an excellent solution if you do not want to burn or haul away wood debris.

 

[scaredychicken]

Vermeer is good, but mostly industrial, and probably even overkill for your needs
Woodland Mills has some nice ones
Woodmaxx has some nice ones
Wallenstein is the brand that I'm seriously considering

my tractor capacity is much smaller, so I am not informed on models for your PTO application

 

[Jofang]

We use a lot of mulch. Until recently mulch was free from the county. Unfortunately they stopped their mulch program (backwards rural county can't get anything right and when they do they eventually mess that up). Purchasing mulch at the volume I want is very expensive.

Anyway, looking into pto driven chippers. I have a 45 hp tractor (about 40 hp at pto).

I don't really need one for material disposal. I need it specifically for mulch production. Material supply is not an issue. I cut my own firewood and there are always downed trees on my property.

So I guess my question is this: Will a pto chipper fill that need? If so, I am interested in recommendations on brands, models, features, things to avoid etc.

Thanks.

I have an acre or so of oak and chestnut with a few pine trees and occasionally I need to clear a dead tree or fallen branches. I have a Kubota BX2350 giving 23HP that drives a chipper that can take up to 4" branches. The downside is that these smaller, PTO chippers are hand fed, which is a pain. I have to push each piece into the chipper mouth, which is approximately 4" x 6" and even with my small tractor once the chipper starts cutting it flings the branch from side to side inside the chute with such force that it can rip the branch out of your hands, so with your more powerful tractor I would guess this could be even worse. Filling a half ton trailer with chips takes 2 of us the best part of a day.

If you're looking to generate a fair volume of chips it'll take you longer that you anticipate. My neighbour is an arborist and tows a diesel engined chipper behind his 7 ton truck. I've used this machine and it's a dream to work with. It chips anything from branches to trees and you don't have to hand feed. So, for occasional use mine is OK, but for volume, forget it, you need something with bigger balls.

 

[ridgerambler]

Thanks guys. Good info. Since this is something my wife wants more than I do the budget could probably be stretched a bit. Agree about the DR brand. Watched the video on their web site on their PTO unit and it looked like it was going to shake itself apart.

Not too worried about the labor. I tend to wander from one chore/project to the next. Plus, if my daughter wants chips, she and her husband can chip them.

I have a Woodmaxx 8H chipper that I really like. I paid $3500 for mine about a year ago and have used ones on CL and Market Bulletin for $1500-$2500, but they don't show up used often and seem to go quick. Mine has hydraulic drive and the mechanical drive models are a bit cheaper. I loaded a small flat bed dump with chips in short order, but don't usually collect the chips. It has a 3 year warranty and mine has run well since I have had it with no issues. It is made in China, but seems well made and Woodmaxx stocks repair parts. Might be worth looking into. I run mine with a JD 5205 and it will take 8" wood without slowing down. Several good utube videos out there to look at.

 

[IH2424]

We use a lot of mulch. Until recently mulch was free from the county. Unfortunately they stopped their mulch program (backwards rural county can't get anything right and when they do they eventually mess that up). Purchasing mulch at the volume I want is very expensive.

Anyway, looking into pto driven chippers. I have a 45 hp tractor (about 40 hp at pto).

I don't really need one for material disposal. I need it specifically for mulch production. Material supply is not an issue. I cut my own firewood and there are always downed trees on my property.

So I guess my question is this: Will a pto chipper fill that need? If so, I am interested in recommendations on brands, models, features, things to avoid etc.

Thanks.

Have you checked at small, backcountry sawmills? We have two here in upstate NY within 20 miles of me that process mainly hemlock and they both offer bark mulch - and cheap. I pay $30 for all they can load on my half ton 8' pickup.

Tim

 

[grsthegreat]

I’m sticking with the woodmaxx mx8800 simply because it made in the USA. That, and it has hydrostatic drive not hydraulic. Mostly cause it’s made in the USA.

 

[kentrodngun]

I bought a Chinese PTO chipper a number of years back 1000lbs, auto-feed, rated for 6" logs. I used it primarily for saplings when clearing land and also for tree branches with leaves. It did a great job with the saplings and was flawless. For larger branches, it did an ok job but the chute would get clogged up and it takes time to clear it out. Would I recommend getting one like this? If saplings and branches with leaves, absolutely. Larger stuff to avoid clog-up will require you to wait for the item to be chipped before putting in the next one but lets face it, do any of us? Chips are like pea gravel size with occasional shreds. Here's a sample of last year's chipping. A lot of the stuff in the pic was long dead, fresh cut stuff chips beautifully and looks great.

 

[Doughknob]

Those chips look like mine from the WM-8H. But i am patient and do one large branch at a time. Works well.

 

[norshud]

I have had a Woodland Mills WC88 for a few years. One of the best purchases I have ever made. The machine continues to amaze me every time I use it. I was so impressed with the engineering of this machine that when I wanted a Sawmill I purchased a Woodland Mills HM130 MAXX Sawmill. I have been pleased with it also.

 

[twowoode]

We use a lot of mulch. Until recently mulch was free from the county. Unfortunately they stopped their mulch program (backwards rural county can't get anything right and when they do they eventually mess that up). Purchasing mulch at the volume I want is very expensive.

Anyway, looking into pto driven chippers. I have a 45 hp tractor (about 40 hp at pto).

I don't really need one for material disposal. I need it specifically for mulch production. Material supply is not an issue. I cut my own firewood and there are always downed trees on my property.

So I guess my question is this: Will a pto chipper fill that need? If so, I am interested in recommendations on brands, models, features, things to avoid etc.

Thanks.

Check out Betst

We use a lot of mulch. Until recently mulch was free from the county. Unfortunately they stopped their mulch program (backwards rural county can't get anything right and when they do they eventually mess that up). Purchasing mulch at the volume I want is very expensive.

Anyway, looking into pto driven chippers. I have a 45 hp tractor (about 40 hp at pto).

I don't really need one for material disposal. I need it specifically for mulch production. Material supply is not an issue. I cut my own firewood and there are always downed trees on my property.

So I guess my question is this: Will a pto chipper fill that need? If so, I am interested in recommendations on brands, models, features, things to avoid etc.

Thanks.

Check out Betstco products out of Oregon. I bought one for my Massey 1723 that works great. They offer free shipping and were better priced than other suppliers.

 

[HankinOhio]

I second woodland mills. I ordered a sawmill a couple years ago, which Ive been wanting for about 20 years. On whim I thought, what the hell gonna splurge and try out a chipper, for fruit tree trimmings, limbs from firewood that are too small to use, and general yard waste. I was VERY impressed with the chipper. I got the 6 inch, anything larger is firewood. Itll pull in about anything it can get a bite on a pull down its throat. Never used any other chipper but I have no problem recommending woodland mills. The sawmill works pretty good too.

 

[N80]

I’m sticking with the woodmaxx mx8800 simply because it made in the USA. That, and it has hydrostatic drive not hydraulic. Mostly cause it’s made in the USA.

Can you explain the difference between hydrostatic and hydraulic in this case and why one is better than the other?

Also, what advantages do those two have over mechanical feed?

Thanks.

 

[grsthegreat]

I had the same question. Here’s the email response....

few questions..1. what is the difference between hydraulic and hydrostatic
infeed on the chippers to justift a $1,000 increase in price. - A: Hydraulic
drive used a gear type pump that moves a predetermined amount of oil every
full rotation of its input shaft. These pumps are known as "fixed
displacement" pumps. The oil in a hydraulic system is in constant
circulation, moving from the pump to control valves that can redirect the
oil flow as needed before continuing to the oil reservoir. In -feed rates
are set using a pressure compensating flow control valve.

A Hydrostatic pump is a totally different design and uses pistons inside a
rotating barrel type pump. It is known as a "variable displacement" pump
because a person can push / pull a lever and change the amount of oil
pumped. When a Hydrostatic Pump is in the neutral position, the internals
are spinning but they are not pumping any oil. When you move the handle
forward or back, a lever on the outside of the hydro pump rotates a shaft
that is connected to a "swash plate" inside the pump and causes it to tilt
away from being square from the body of the pump. The more you tilt the
swash plate, the further the pistons travel up and down inside the rotating
barrel and the greater the amount of oil is pumped.



Besides the infeed system, the WM series are manufactured in China and the
MX series are manufactured in the United States. The MX series require 2
quarts of motor oil and the WM series requires 7 gallons of hydraulic oil.



bottom line, there is a greater accuracy of speed control with the hydrostatic unit. The low end is a lot slower than the hydraulic version. When I chip large dead junk wood, I need to slow it down a lot.

 

[Doughknob]

Can you explain the difference between hydrostatic and hydraulic in this case and why one is better than the other?

Also, what advantages do those two have over mechanical feed?

Thanks.

Hydrostatic is a misnomer. Even in tractors, they really employ hydraulic transmissions. Not hydrostatic. Any time movement of fluid is involved, it is hydraulic. Hydrostatic is fluid pressure with no movement involved. Like filling a tank with water and trying to pump more into it, thus causing a higher pressure in the tank - that is called a hydrostatic test. Or a scuba diver down a ways feels a higher pressure because of the depth of the water. Hydraulic feed chippers can be reversed, with a valve - this helps greatly when something gets stuck.

 

[Doughknob]

. It is known as a "variable displacement" pump
because a person can push / pull a lever and change the amount of oil
pumped.

This is known as a variable displacement hydraulic pump.