PTO Chipper, Victory vs Woodmax

RyeThomas · Apr 12, 2018

Now my 4510 is at the low end of recommended PTO hp, they want min of 30 and I’m only at 33.6. Rpm dropped but nothing to worry about. This was a 4” (a little over) log.

Very happy with my purchase.

RyeThomas · Apr 12, 2018

I also really like they sent me an extension for the chute, I can easily load my dump trailer from any side not just the back.

Jack Yuan · Apr 15, 2018

s219 said:
If the Chinese units are the same quality, engineering, and materials, then no issue, but the ones I have seen are not as well made as the name brands, at least not to the eye. The welds are not as good and I wonder about the quality of the steel, balancing of flywheel, bearings, etc -- stuff you can't tell by eye. A well made Chinese product can be fine, but that's often hard to know/verify. So I'd say to at least go with an importer that other people have bought from, and hopefully it's a company that has parts/support.

Woodmaxx improved the TH-8M based on Jimma WC8 years ago, Victory improved something else more. They are manufactuered in different factories which located in two different cities next to each other, they are the top quality level compare with nearly another 10 factories who produce same chipper in China. I visited most of them these years.
So it's fine no matter you choose woodmaxx or Victory.
It's difficult for US people to identify Chinese attachments through internet information, but it is always good to spend more time and dig more into internet.
It's better to deal with Chinese manufacturer or US importer, the basical rule is that the closer you reach to who produce it, the more support you will get.
Both Woodmaxx and Victory are importer.

Luke'sScreenName · Apr 15, 2018

Jack Yuan said:
Woodmaxx improved the TH-8M based on Jimma WC8 years ago, Victory improved something else more. They are manufactuered in different factories which located in two different cities next to each other, they are the top quality level compare with nearly another 10 factories who produce same chipper in China. I visited most of them these years.
So it's fine no matter you choose woodmaxx or Victory.
It's difficult for US people to identify Chinese attachments through internet information, but it is always good to spend more time and dig more into internet.
It's better to deal with Chinese manufacturer or US importer, the basical rule is that the closer you reach to who produce it, the more support you will get.
Both Woodmaxx and Victory are importer.

Interesting information. Thanks! Why did you visit the factories?

Jack Yuan · Apr 15, 2018

Luke'sScreenName said:
Interesting information. Thanks! Why did you visit the factories?

I m also manufacturer and I have to know what and how my competitors are doing, to make myself better than them.

crazyal · Apr 15, 2018

In this day and age it's really hard to tell. I'm buying a wood lathe from Grizzly. Grizzly is just an importer who buys them from a couple of different companies in China and Taiwan. A quick search for the actual company that makes it, in my case the Burt Group, you find they have the same equipment listed, just a different color. If you wanted to buy 10 of them they would sell to you. These same companies make equipment for much larger names as well. What is harder to tell is if the importer, in my case Grizzly, specifies specific brands of bearings or the castings to be finished to a specific level. I'm sure Harbor Freight is the same way, they just have lower standards so they can sell cheaper. So when it comes to quality it just comes down to what the importer specifies.

Jack Yuan · Apr 15, 2018

crazyal said:
In this day and age it's really hard to tell. I'm buying a wood lathe from Grizzly. Grizzly is just an importer who buys them from a couple of different companies in China and Taiwan. A quick search for the actual company that makes it, in my case the Burt Group, you find they have the same equipment listed, just a different color. If you wanted to buy 10 of them they would sell to you. These same companies make equipment for much larger names as well. What is harder to tell is if the importer, in my case Grizzly, specifies specific brands of bearings or the castings to be finished to a specific level. I'm sure Harbor Freight is the same way, they just have lower standards so they can sell cheaper. So when it comes to quality it just comes down to what the importer specifies.

That's an problem for importer, importer is always willing to sell as more different products as they can, so they will buy from some different factories. Also importer will purchase same products from different factories, they try to avoid this pain but sometimes they have to do so because of some reasons. Different factories produce different products even through they looks same according to the photos. Or, we can say, even in same factory, different worker will produce different products.

About Harbor Freight, I think their products are only suitable for people who very few use the machine.

RyeThomas · Apr 15, 2018

Another vote for customer support. I have the chipper on a job clearing down to a river, I’ve been there all week. Took some leave from my real job just to get some side work done now that spring has sprung. Like a Moron I parked the machine sideways on a hill, the chute was uphill by a good deal (100% my fault) well I clogged the chute and smoked the belts. I was upset at first but sometimes the best lessons are the hard ones, man I’m good at the hard ones. Anyway once again it’s Sunday and I sent an email to customer service. Guess what I got an immediate reply and they are expediting my belts out. Again this is my fault and I don’t work for Victory but they sure are taking care of my self inflicted issues. Big thumbs up.