Looking for a self feeding chipper:

[marhar]

Can anyone recommend a good self feeding chipper that will run on a 50hp compact tractor?

 

[Bullwinkle123]

I don't have one, but I've spent a bit of time researching one. If/when I get one I've decided on the WoodMaxx 8H, which has independent hydraulic feed and good reviews. I'm still going through the cost justification of a chipper though, and also have no place to store it out of the weather. Unfortunately they seem to have gone up about $300 (or roughly 10%) since 2020.

FWIW, given that I haven't owned one I also have a 50-ish HP tractor. You'll find plenty of reviews on all kids of chippers and chipper-shredders here, everything from how easy the blades are to sharpen to whether or not hydraulic feeds are worth the cost, so be sure to do a search on chippers in the forums here.

 

[sea2summit]

I have the WoodMaxx 9900, I like it a lot and have a little over 70hrs on mine in the last ~3 years. I started with it on my MX and it had no problems turning it. It doesn't like to feed small material and has trouble wrapping vines around the feed roller, as long as you feed something substantial with the vine or smaller material there are no issues.

 

[Stonehaller]

I used to have a Wallenstein BX62 self feeding chipper. Ran it on a 45HP tractor. It was a beast. The only thing I did not like was how it would pull in branches so fast you had to be careful to let get go - it could rip your gloves - and you had to get out of the way as you could get whipped by the branches as it pulled in. I cleared a lot of small popple trees 1" to 4" trunk. I cut them off at the ground, stuck the trunk end of the tree in the chipper and it would pull in the whole tree. With green stuff you rarely had to trim anything. It would bend and break branches pulling them in.

 

[bigtiller]

WC88 8" PTO Wood Chipper

Transform branches and logs into useful mulch with the WC88 8" PTO Wood Chipper! Easy and efficient!

woodlandmills.com

Good for 35 to 100 hp.
I have the next size down, the WC68.
They worke great and several of us here have bought a woodland mills chipper recently.

 

[oosik]

I've had two chippers - first was a Wallenstein BX42S, now a Wallenstein BX62S. Both were manual feed. It grabs my trees so hard and fast - it is truly frightening. I chip ONLY small pines. 1" to 6" on the butt. Feed them in whole - butt first. I thin my pine stands every spring. Chip 900 to 1200 small trees every year. I've NEVER had to trim up a pine tree. Been chipping for about 15 years now.

I'm careful to not drag these pines turn the mud, dirt, etc. The blades on my BX62S are on their first side and are still sharp as a razor. This is after seven years of use - every spring.

 

[RalphVa]

Can anyone recommend a good self feeding chipper that will run on a 50hp compact tractor?

You could easily run a WM WC88. We've a WC46 (4x6 hole) and love it. Can often stick the base of a long tree into it, and it'll just chew it up. Like anything else though, it has its things to learn about it. Think we have one more chipping trip before the bush hog has to go on. Wife has been busy with the chain saw cutting up the last bits of stuff.

 

[Captain Dirty]

Please clarify "self-feeding". Manual feed or gravity feed, "chuck and duck", chippers are self-feeding in that the knives pull the logs or branches in as oosik described. Some branches with forks or crooks exert enough force on the sides of the infeed chute so that the knives and gravity do not pull them in, and some manual persuasion is required. Hydraulically fed chippers are often considered "self feeding" as the machine itself pulls the material in.

 

[metalbender]

BIL just got a Woodland Mills with a power infeed roller. Runs on an 18 hp Kubota. He asked me last fall, I told him to keep away from the "Chuck and Duck" types. Yup, they self feed, but as has been said, quite violently. I have a Champion stand alone, it's bad enough within it's capabilities.

 

[RalphVa]

I had a MacKissic TPH-122 for 16 years and a similar TroyBilt Tomahawk for 10 years before that. Yeah, they'd pull the stuff in with sharp chipper blades, and the shredder parts would jerk things in with sharp-cornered hammers but often violently. The self feeding WM units will self feed with rollers but will also slow down the jerking in of stuff like vines (not really good on vines though). Self feeding ones are no good on leaves either. Need a shredder for these. My leaf supply dried up, and I needed to do a lot of chipping, therefore the WM WC46.

You also better have full face shield and gauntlet gloves up to your elbows incase stuff gets thrown back at you from the non-self-feed chippers. I once had a hand pruner hidden in some leaves I put into the shredder hopper of the Mac. They got kicked back out into my face and arm.

The WM units also have horizontal or near horizontal input chutes. No way could I do whole trees into the Mac like I've been putting into the WC46 lately. Just cannot lift them high enough to go into the Mac's input chute. The wife can use this WM WC 46.

 

[ericm979]

I have a "chuck and duck" self feeder and a hydraulic feed Woodmaxx 8H. The power feed is so much better- it's safer and feeds easier.

A 50hp machine can run a Woodmaxx MX9900 or 8800. Those cost a little more than the 8H but they're made in the US and according to Woodmaxx have better control over the feed speed. I swapped my 8H's valve for a better one which helps a lot but that's an extra $120 on the cost.

 

[Snobdds]

I'm more of a fan on pull behind chippers, I don't like having so much inercia handing off the back of the tractor spinning. I just don't think a slip clutch would save the PTO if the blade jams up suddenly. I have a Echo bearcat 8" with hydraulic feed. I put entire trees in to about 6". It never waivers. Mine likes to pull the trees and branches to the right side of the chute, as that is how the blade grabs. If your not careful, it will slam your hand against the chute.

We usually just have one person load the machine that understands where the whipping occurs. Other than that...it's nice to have around.

 

[RalphVa]

I'm more of a fan on pull behind chippers, I don't like having so much inercia handing off the back of the tractor spinning. I just don't think a slip clutch would save the PTO if the blade jams up suddenly. I have a Echo bearcat 8" with hydraulic feed. I put entire trees in to about 6". It never waivers. Mine likes to pull the trees and branches to the right side of the chute, as that is how the blade grabs. If your not careful, it will slam your hand against the chute.

We usually just have one person load the machine that understands where the whipping occurs. Other than that...it's nice to have around.

The WM WC46 came with a PTO end that has a shear bolt in it, with 2 or 3 spare ones. Very small bolt. It would shear instantly if the blades got jammed.

 

[dlctcg]

We have a Wallenstein BX62R which has the hydraulic feed & it is a beast. We have run it on our NH TC40D (way smaller than 50hp) with zero issues for 10+ yrs. It has a separate flow control valve to control the speed of the feed rollers. The only issue (as someone else mentioned) are vines but if feed in with bigger stuff it usually runs right through. We feed entire 4+ inch trees in to it & walk away to get the next while it self-feeds. If I had to purchase another one tomorrow I would not hesitate to purchase another Wallenstein; they pretty much only build logging / tree service equipment.