Chipper Advice on PTO Chipper

[N80]

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.

 

[sea2summit]

I've got a woodmaxx MX9900 that I've got thousands of pounds of chips through, probably 40-50 yards of raw material at this point. I put the chips in with my pigs for about a year then let it compost for about a year. It's held up well.

Having said that, if I was to do it over I'd probably shop around for a self powered unit. They seem to be only slightly more expensive on the used market and their capability/throughput are significantly higher.

 

[N80]

So you're saying the self contained units are more capable at a comparable but somewhat higher price? Or do you have to go way higher on price to get that better capability?

I am not familiar with self contained units other that the DR Chipper-Shredder (brand) types or the big units the tree guys use. I have assumed a pto unit would have significantly more capability than any DR Chipper type model and that the units the tree guys use would be crazy expensive.

 

[nyone]

Have you contacted any local arborists/tree companies and offer a free chip dump site?

How many yards are you needing each year?

 

[sea2summit]

So you're saying the self contained units are more capable at a comparable but somewhat higher price? Or do you have to go way higher on price to get that better capability?

I am not familiar with self contained units other that the DR Chipper-Shredder (brand) types or the big units the tree guys use. I have assumed a pto unit would have significantly more capability than any DR Chipper type model and that the units the tree guys use would be crazy expensive.

Think something like a Vermeer, Morbark, or Bandit. Off the hop they'll usually have dual feed rollers which is a huge advantage over a single commonly found in a self feeding PTO chipper, the capacity will also often start at 12" vs 4-9" for most PTO units. On the second hand market around here they can be had from 6-12k.

 

[N80]

@nyone My property is out in the sticks. I doubt anyone would be willing to dump there but I will certainly make some phone calls. And I have no idea how many yards I need. Was filling up a 10'x6'x3' trailer about twice a year but could use even more than that. So, all-in-all not a huge amount but my daughter who lives nearby would also want even more than that.

@sea2summit Sorry, should have stated budget in original post. My budget is probably around $2000 and most anything larger than 9" would be firewood.

 

[plowhog]

Purchasing mulch at the volume I want is very expensive.

Using a wood chipper to generate mulch in volume is going to be very labor intensive.

I have a Woodland Mills WC-88 that gives me good service. But producing chips in production level volume would be a very different deal.

 

[plowhog]

Was filling up a 10'x6'x3' trailer about twice a year

OK that's not too bad. I have a dump body bed on a 1-ton pickup, and a dump trailer, and I fill them each numerous times per year. Probably close to equivalent.

 

[sea2summit]

@nyone My property is out in the sticks. I doubt anyone would be willing to dump there but I will certainly make some phone calls. And I have no idea how many yards I need. Was filling up a 10'x6'x3' trailer about twice a year but could use even more than that. So, all-in-all not a huge amount but my daughter who lives nearby would also want even more than that.

@sea2summit Sorry, should have stated budget in original post. My budget is probably around $2000 and most anything larger than 9" would be firewood.

That's about 6.6 yards a load.

Yeah, 2k budget helps with recommending the right unit You're looking at a used gravity feed PTO unit I would imagine. Just stick with a solid name brand I'd stay away from cheap units like DR, find someone that specializes in tractor implements not little implements who happens to make on you can power with a tractor.

 

[N80]

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.

 

[plowhog]

if my daughter wants chips, she and her husband can chip them.

I tell others my chipper is one of the best investments I have made. It turns trash (slash) to treasure (chips.)

But I have a very healthy respect for it and its potential to do damage. Personally I would not have others near my chipper unless I was there. It has the capability for a gruesome accident. (Maybe your family is more responsible than mine.

 

[dlctcg]

We have owned a Wallenstein BX62R chipper for at least 8 years & run it on out NH TC40D with no issues. It does have the hydraulic feed on it & after having it, I wouldn't want to be without it... It is a 6" capacity chipper but it never really sees stuff that size as we heat with a wood stove.

As for Mulch??? I would not call what comes out of our chipper mulch... It is Chip & whatever else you put through it (leaves, vines, pine needles, etc)... We chip a lot of brush & sapling & use some of it for our wooded trails but it is Chip & not want I would consider true mulch if that is what you are looking for...

I think if you shopped around you could find a used quality built unit...

 

[N80]

But I have a very healthy respect for it and its potential to do damage. Personally I would not have others near my chipper unless I was there. It has the capability for a gruesome accident. (Maybe your family is more responsible than mine.

I would probably be there. But fortunately my son-in-law is very competent and has lots of experience with tractors and equipment.

@dlctcg Agree. And what we were getting from the county was not really mulch either. It was just chips that their crews brought in and people's yard trimmings etc chipped up. But, that's all we need. True mulch would be nice but not required for us.

 

[Doughknob]

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



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 a Woodmaxx WM-8H I use with my 45HP tractor. It works great. About 1.5 hours chipping to fill your trailer with it. Cost $3300. It is made in china but is one of the best-built things I have seen from there yet. Even has an hour-meter on it. Auto-feed on it is a must-have. Reverse on it is also VERY handy. (WM-8M has mechanical feed so no reverse)

Woodmaxx is really backed up with getting these. Also, they seem reeeeeaaaalllllly slow at customer service requests. Good product; slow/questionable service.

 

[oosik]

I've had two chippers. First - Wallenstein BX42S. Now - Wallenstein BX62S. Both have functioned perfectly for over a total of 15 years.

Every year I thin and chip my many Ponderosa pine stands. Roughly 900 - 1200 small( 1" to 6" on the butt) pines. I have no use for the chips. So they just lay where they fall and molder away.

Unfortunately - the 42S or 62S is no longer produced. Replaced by the 36S & 52S.

If you have pines, like I do, a gravity feed is more than adequate. If you will be chipping angled, twisted stuff - the hydraulic feed may be the way to go.

In any case - the Wallensteins have been excellent chippers.

 

[Baby Grand]

I have an old Patu 4" manual feed DC-40. Made by Finns for small woodlot use. Works great for just about anything up to 4" OD.
The only trees that really give me grief are pin oaks and elms. The pin oaks have twisty, pointy, springy limbs that have to be trimmed to feed well. Like oosik said "If you will be chipping angled, twisted stuff - the hydraulic feed may be the way to go".
The elm is ... just elm, tough, interwoven fiberous material that fights back. I read somewhere that it was great for wagon wheel hubs.

If/when the Patu ever dies, I'll probably take a deep breath and price out a Wallenstein. Their design is nice - with the chute almost horizontal, like my Patu, so if I can drag it to the chute, about 16 - 24" high, it will almost self feed. What the Wallenstein design also has, which my Patu lacks, is an oversized in-feed opening. Something like 4x10" on their 4" unit, which should greatly reduce the need for pre-trimming anything twisty.

 

[RalphVa]

You could easily drive a WM WC88 chipper. Will make lots of chips. We've a WC46, which is adequate for us.

 

[N80]

Thanks guys. Lots to think about here.

 

[s219]

If you are going to mulch limbs with twigs/leaves/needles then what you end up with is not the best quality for most landscaping purposes. But this year I have been sending cutoffs and scraps from my sawmill through my chipper (Wallenstein BX-42) and that makes some nice mulch (looks like playground mulch that costs $50-60 per yard here). It's all wood and bark, very nice quality. I can make a yard or two every time I clean up my pile, takes about 30 minutes. I would not want to do this for production, but to get nice quality free mulch from sawmill scraps is a nice bonus.

 

[ericm979]

The Woodmaxx 8H and Woodland Mills 8" are both designed in North America and made in China. They're probably the best deal in new PTO chippers. The two designs are different. Each has it's plusses and minuses. I went with the 8H due to the dual feed rollers. In my area used commercial (trailer) chippers of the same capacity are much more expensive than either of these, and that's for units with a lot of hours.

When I chip material that's mostly wood (instead of leaves, needles or brush) I save the chippings for the garden or roads to cut down dust. If it's got a lot of leafy stuff in it, it gets spread out on my land or composted.

The chips from my 8H are a lot smaller than what you get from a big commercial chipper.