chipper: heavier, 1000rpm flywheel better for smaller tractor? WC68, WM-8h, WC88

[oosik]

Yes - I too have quite large chip piles all over the 80. Found a good use for these piles. Drive my riding mower up on top of a pile. Lower the cutter and let the soft pine chips clean all the accumulated "gunk" under the mower shroud. Makes a whole lot of noise but sure does a good job.

 

[bud70706]

Buying a PTO chipper. My rig is on the smaller end of viability with 21.7 pto hp. PTO lift is 1600lbs@2ft aft (also FEL + beet juice in all 4 wheels). My use case is primarily conifer (eg, soft), and mostly small (anything ~4" or larger becomes "firepit" firewood). The large input capacity seems great/necessary to reduce processing of larger branches, tree tops, etc - but I have no ambitions for 6" trees of any sort, and understand my tractor will require slow feeds on larger material anyway.

I am not understanding, *especially* for a ~underpowered use case: wouldn't the following not only chip well but actually be significantly more "kind" to my tractor:

• heavier flywheel: smooths out power demand (higher inertia), might transfer less impact to the PTO & 3-point
• 1000rpm vs 540rpm:
  • because it's belt driven (not direct drive) this should significantly ease wear on my pto drivetrain?
  • and it would have ~4x the inertia (rises with square of speed), even more effective than increasing mass

The common models recommended seem to be woodland mills WC68 and woodmaxx wm-8h. Then there is the WC88 which seems to combine the benefits of both (but is rated to require 50% more hp than the WM8h - ie more than my tractor has) I own implements from both companies, very satisified with quality of both. My pto is rated for both (on the lower end) wm8h/wc68.

• The WM-8h has both a heavier flywheel and belt-driven/1000rpm
  • it also has dual powered infeed and a lift-bar for the infeed rollers
  • but a clunkier design (much longer, and requires rear chute post). This matters for me, I am mostly thinning heavy pine/fir woods for fire (so i'm not driving on trails, but through the trees)
• BUT the WC68 folds (moves/stores smaller) and has easy flywheel access
  • it seems easy access to the flywheel will be very helpful (even ignoring blade access , cutting a lot of small stuff I understand I'll need to get in there to clean things out regularly?)
• enter the wc88 - which is NOT rated for my HP (35hp min) but would seem to combine some benefits of the WM8h (fast/belt slightly heavier flywheel) with the folding, accessible design of the WC68

Questions:

• am I thinking about the "wear on my tractor" correctly here?
• the WM-8h is rated for my tractor but the WC88 is not - they would seem to be nearly identical.
  • Is the WM-8h overly optimistic (understanding limits on larger stuff & feed rate obviously)? What are the downsides to the wc88 on my rig?
• practically speaking, even if the direct drive & mass of the WC68 is worse, would I notice any difference on mostly 4" softwoods with my rig?

Thanks!

I use a WM 8M on my 3046R with no issues but I'm pushing 40PTO HP.

 

[Henry Island Guy]

I picked up a once used 5in Wallenstein chipper for my Bobcat 2025. I know I am underpowered for this chipper but I am careful to only feed <4in branches in it. It ain't fast, but it gets the job done at 540rpm 22hp. I have learned to wear all the safety gear I own (hardhat w face shield, gloves, thick jacket) when using it, especially when feeding knarly madrona dead branches in as the can spin around and whack you.

 

[Erik M]

I picked up a once used 5in Wallenstein chipper for my Bobcat 2025. I know I am underpowered for this chipper but I am careful to only feed <4in branches in it. It ain't fast, but it gets the job done at 540rpm 22hp. I have learned to wear all the safety gear I own (hardhat w face shield, gloves, thick jacket) when using it, especially when feeding knarly madrona dead branches in as the can spin around and whack you.

Always get a chuckle seeing a gravity feed chipper “only used once” for sale, someone obviously found it a little too exciting. If you only need it once, wouldn’t you rent it?

 

[Bill Guenthner]

Buying a PTO chipper. My rig is on the smaller end of viability with 21.7 pto hp. PTO lift is 1600lbs@2ft aft (also FEL + beet juice in all 4 wheels). My use case is primarily conifer (eg, soft), and mostly small (anything ~4" or larger becomes "firepit" firewood). The large input capacity seems great/necessary to reduce processing of larger branches, tree tops, etc - but I have no ambitions for 6" trees of any sort, and understand my tractor will require slow feeds on larger material anyway.

I am not understanding, *especially* for a ~underpowered use case: wouldn't the following not only chip well but actually be significantly more "kind" to my tractor:

• heavier flywheel: smooths out power demand (higher inertia), might transfer less impact to the PTO & 3-point
• 1000rpm vs 540rpm:
  • because it's belt driven (not direct drive) this should significantly ease wear on my pto drivetrain?
  • and it would have ~4x the inertia (rises with square of speed), even more effective than increasing mass

The common models recommended seem to be woodland mills WC68 and woodmaxx wm-8h. Then there is the WC88 which seems to combine the benefits of both (but is rated to require 50% more hp than the WM8h - ie more than my tractor has) I own implements from both companies, very satisified with quality of both. My pto is rated for both (on the lower end) wm8h/wc68.

• The WM-8h has both a heavier flywheel and belt-driven/1000rpm
  • it also has dual powered infeed and a lift-bar for the infeed rollers
  • but a clunkier design (much longer, and requires rear chute post). This matters for me, I am mostly thinning heavy pine/fir woods for fire (so i'm not driving on trails, but through the trees)
• BUT the WC68 folds (moves/stores smaller) and has easy flywheel access
  • it seems easy access to the flywheel will be very helpful (even ignoring blade access , cutting a lot of small stuff I understand I'll need to get in there to clean things out regularly?)
• enter the wc88 - which is NOT rated for my HP (35hp min) but would seem to combine some benefits of the WM8h (fast/belt slightly heavier flywheel) with the folding, accessible design of the WC68

Questions:

• am I thinking about the "wear on my tractor" correctly here?
• the WM-8h is rated for my tractor but the WC88 is not - they would seem to be nearly identical.
  • Is the WM-8h overly optimistic (understanding limits on larger stuff & feed rate obviously)? What are the downsides to the wc88 on my rig?
• practically speaking, even if the direct drive & mass of the WC68 is worse, would I notice any difference on mostly 4" softwoods with my rig?

Thanks!

This is what you need and that your tractor can handle. My tractor has 25hp at the PTO and after using this a lot for the last 12 months I wouldn’t put anything larger on my tractor. It will eat 4 inch pine and cedar all day long and 2 to 3 inch hardwoods. It doesn’t have a power feed and I’ve never needed one, (and I don’t have hydro at the PTO anyway) It does self feed but the blades pull the material in. I paid $1800 for it one year ago but like everything I’m sure they’ve gone up.

 

[hosspuller]

I have the WM-88, Like most, anything 4 inches + is firewood. I run it on either a 5200 or a 5065... 45 -65 hp. With lower HP, hydraulic feed is a must to regulate the infeed. The smallest tractor that can lift the chosen chipper can handle the largest limb IF the infeed is slow enough.
"How does one eat a whale ? One bite at a time.... Same with a chipper. Keep the bites small and the chipper will eat it.

 

[oosik]

At times I've had my son and his friends come out and help. Must wear leather gloves and protective eye wear. I tell them - butt in first - push until you feel the chipper grab the tree - let go - STEP BACK.

Many have really freaked out when they feel the chipper rip that tree right out of their hands. Then "***** slap" them as it's pulled down the chute. I chip small pine trees ( 1" to 6" on the butt) and up to 30 feet long. A 30 foot pine can really get to whipping as it's chewed up.

 

[orangetree]

1620 with turbo added

I haven't seen much mention of this, but it was on my radar when i went for the 2610 - like the other orange l2501, it's the only model without complicated emissions left; and if i really found the 26hp lacking, it would be the best candidate to turbocharge - it's essentially the same tractor as the 35hp, and with conservative boost I'd see the same power, better fuel economy, and the same or lower price. We'll see in ~5 years

 

[Whitbread]

I haven't seen much mention of this, but it was on my radar when i went for the 2610 - like the other orange l2501, it's the only model without complicated emissions left; and if i really found the 26hp lacking, it would be the best candidate to turbocharge - it's essentially the same tractor as the 35hp, and with conservative boost I'd see the same power, better fuel economy, and the same or lower price. We'll see in ~5 years

I added the turbo, I detailed it in the thread here Turbo NH 1620 . It has worked very well for the intended purpose and minimal cost involved.