Just got my new WoodMaxx TM-86H Sub-Compact Chipper

[The Suburban Farmer]

Well, after lots of helpful advice from TBN, I pulled the trigger on a WoodMaxx TM-86H Chipper. I decided on this one instead of the other "value oriented" chippers due to the hydraulic infeed. With only 18 PTO HP on my 2320, I thought that the hydraulic feed would help with managing the infeed.

Firstly, the folks at WoodMaxx were great to work with. I talked with them on the phone a good bit to make sure this was the right option for me, and they were very helpful and responsive. They sent me a PDF of the manual so that I could review it ahead of making my decision as well, which was nice. It gets shipped as freight, and while I paid for liftgate service I have to say the guy that delivered it was beyond helpful, and delivered the chipper down to my shop instead of just dropping it at the end of my VERY long driveway. The packaging is robust, and it arrived in excellent condition:





It comes attached to an angle-iron base, which I've already cut apart and put into my scrap welding bin:



It comes fully assembled, and the only thing you have to do is fill with hydraulic oil. That was the biggest problem for me -- I couldn't find my funnel and ended up using one too small for the job. But, at least that gave me the chance to break out the Pressure Washer for the first time this year when I had to clean the puddle of oil off of our driveway.

It comes with a PTO shaft, and luckily for me, with my Quick Hitch, I didn't need to cut the shaft to fit. After letting it run for a bit to get air out of the hydraulic lines, I ran a 3" piece of wood through it and it chipped it into perfect little chips. Now, if the weather holds out, I'll put it to the test over the next few days and post additional comments on performance.

 

[The Suburban Farmer]

Now, I'm wondering if I should have purchased an extra set of blades.

Question for you guys that use chippers for "around the homestead cleanup" not daily use -- how often do you sharpen the blades on your chipper? Is this a 1x a year thing, or an every-time-you-use-it kind of thing? I'm debating if I should pick up another set of blades, they are usually $350, but are on sale right now at $200 for an extra set.

 

[roadhunter]

I have been looking at woodmaxx chippers and really like the looks of them. Thanks for sharing. Look forward to seeing how it works out.

 

[TerryR]

Now, I'm wondering if I should have purchased an extra set of blades.

Question for you guys that use chippers for "around the homestead cleanup" not daily use -- how often do you sharpen the blades on your chipper? Is this a 1x a year thing, or an every-time-you-use-it kind of thing? I'm debating if I should pick up another set of blades, they are usually $350, but are on sale right now at $200 for an extra set.

In my opinion, only if you have money to burn. The life of an edge depends on what you are chipping - old hard dead stuff or soft green stuff - and whether you keep dirt, sand, etc. out of it. I'd guess get about 12 hours of actual chipping before it becomes hard enough to feed that I decide to sharpen them. With the power feed you will probably run them longer than I do with manual feed.

It looks like the blades are reversible. If so you get two uses per sharpening. You can sharpen them with a bench grinder if you are very careful to not burn them. I get better results with a wet stone system with guides that keep the angles uniform. It takes me an hour or a bit more to sharpen a set, which I probably do less than once a year. It's a good activity to do when you get tired of feeding the beast and need some down time.

I'd suggest spending the money on a sharpening system instead if you don't have one.

Terry

 

[MNwoodchuck]

Ditto what TerryR said about blade life. My blades are reversible, and I get 10-15 hours of chipping time per edge, depending mostly on how much dirt is on the bark. Edges dull faster on dry wood than live.

I use 2 sets of blades since I don't have a suitable sharpener. When both edges are dull, I replace it and take the dull set in for sharpening when I can. I'm just spreading the wear and tear over two sets and ready to chip when the need arises.

1999 JD 4600 MFWD
460 loader
Curtis cab

 

[Huskerfan]

Installed Pat's quick hitch tonight to Kubota BX2200 lower links. This extends the link length by 4 inches. Then quick hitched the Wood Maxx TM86-H Chipper, (FEL attached, bucket empty). Started and throttled up the tractor. Tiny tach revealed RPM at 2000. Then raised the 3 pt lever. As expected the old BX raised the chipper with no hesitation. Still need to add 5 gallons of Amoil ISO 32 synthetic hydraulic to chipper but I don't anticipate any issues.

An additional benefit of adding Pat's quick hitch is the extra 4 inch length will allow for use of chipper's stock pto shaft without having to cut it shorter.

 

[The Suburban Farmer]

Well, I FINALLY managed to get out and try out the chipper today. Overall, I have to give it an A, not an A+ yet, but that might be user error.

It worked flawlessly on big limbs. Even with my puny 18 HP PTO, I was able to chip through 5 inch green wood by adjusting the hydraulic infeed setting at the slowest rate. Didn't bog down the tractor at all. One crotch section did stall the tractor, but that was my fault... never should have fed it through without cutting it with the chainsaw first. But, by reversing the infeed rollers and restarting the tractor, it came right out with no issues.

The reason it isn't an A+ is that it does struggle to grab some of the small branches (pencil size or smaller) for some reason. When I was doing final clean up and putting in some of the small pieces that were broken off / left over, it didn't always grab them. I think that it might be because I don't have the tension spring tight enough. This weekend, I'm going to tighten it a bit and see if that helps... assuming it does, this machine will be an A+.

I am SO glad that I went with a hydraulic feed unit. As a one-man-show today, it was really nice to put in a piece of wood, then walk over to get the next one knowing that it was going to feed fully. Not a single jam or misfeed today. On the gravity fed unit that I rented last year, I had to manually push the "branchy" stuff in to make sure it would feed correctly. Not the worst thing in the world, but the convenience of the hydraulic feeder is great and it's a real time saver. Plus, the reverse function to clear a jam or back out a log that is too big is very nice.

I chipped for about 3 hours today, and I didn't even make a DENT in my pile of branches and limbs, though. Our winter was hard on the trees around here -- lots more clean-up than I realized.





I'm putting the wood chips around my wife's raised-bed garden, and it looks like I'll have enough to do a full 6" of chips over the entire area without exhausting my supply of wood. Not sure what I'll do with the rest. The chips are good quality -- same size and consistency. Most likely, we'll use them to freshen up the existing wood chips around some of our flower beds.

 

[The Suburban Farmer]

Video of the chipper in action. Hopefully, I will get better video this weekend.

[video]https://vid.me/oNS8[/video]

 

[Huskerfan]

Looking good! Hope to crank mine up tomorrow.

 

[Huskerfan]

[/ATTACH]

Trial run. Works great so far. BX 2200 handles it well.
Sorry about the inverted photo. Meant to show the BX can lift it.
The stablizer bar for Pat's quick arrived this PM after the photos. Recommended for ease of attachment and detachment of 3 pt implements.