Charlesaf3
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Wallenstein BX42 pricing
- Thread starter smfcpacfp
- Start date
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amigauser
Veteran Member
Bigger is better because of branches. I had a 4-1/2 Bearcat 20 HP self powered chipper and I found that softwoods like pine with the branches at 45 degrees from the trunk fed with no problem. The problem was hardwoods like maple with branches off the trunk at 90 degrees got hung up. If the chipper has a larger feed opening you will need to do less trimming and it will work better feeding hardwoods through it.
OP
smfcpacfp
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The thing that made me realize that I only needed the 42 was a comment that was made by someone on this forum. Since I heat partially with wood, I would be burning, not chipping stuff greater than 4 inches in diameter. My forest is 99% softwood, so I do chip the small stuff. with the price of energy, however, I am going to burn all but the smallest softwood pieces
OlderToday
Bronze Member
I guess you can add me to the BX42 camp now as well. I've been watching and reviewing these chipper posts for several months now, hoping I could justify to myself an upgrade to a nice PTO powered chipper. Well guess what, last month (Sep '08), the tail-end of hurricane "Ike" rolls through Columbus causing more overall local property $$$ damage to the insurance companies than any other previous Columbus event on record. I lost enough tree limbs in my yard that I made my first ever (in 30 some years) homeowner's insurance policy claim...and that was just for clean-up and debris removal (fortunately, no house or other structural damage occurred). So why did I go the Wallenstein route?...just follow the bullet points and find out:
- Insurance company pays me directly for "Ike" damage. Too busy to even come out and look, they pay me directly based on my description. We're both happy.
- Chainsaw gets re-fueled, Kubota BX24 rolls out of garage.
- Backhoe lifts big limbs off dead power lines (yes, I was VERY careful), chainsaw cuts big stuff, Kubota moves it to truck, truck hauls it to free "Yard waste" recycling center (can't even give firewood away, there's so much of it around).
- Big stuff gone, Kubota moves small stuff (< 2-1/2 inch) to brush pile.
- Now 6.5 HP chipper/grinder is working hard, but I'm working too hard and it's taking too long.
- Four days pass...we have electric power again...and I still have a nice brush pile.
- I've had enough; as much as I like the garden mulch, I start hauling the smaller stuff off to yard waste center, again, and again, and again. I try the old "honey, the truck is just too small" excuse...wife too smart to buy it; nixes dump-trailer idea (well, not really, but the whole wife/dump-trailer thing makes for a better story, don't you think).
- Anyway, I go back to eBay and Craig's list. Yahoo! (not the web site, the exclamation). Really dumb, really stupid luck. Find an almost new Wallenstein BX42 up north on eBay, starting bid is about 1/2 retail list price (I've been looking for that, a Champion CX350 or a Salsco 600). Make phone call. Get eBay lister to change auction to include "Buy it Now" option for about same price. I buy it...NOW, 30 seconds after he makes the change!
- Next morning: stop at bank, drive several hours north, see his original bill of sale, kiss a few $$$ bye-bye, load truck, drive several hours south, and get stuck with a 4:30 fast food lunch/dinner. Seller happy, I'm happy (even with fast food), whole day pretty much shot. Still make it home for "date night" with bride at the Palace Theater at 8PM (Frost/Nixon w/Stacy Keach). No matter what, best event of entire week is still date night, bride is happy, I'm happy, I sleep soundly.
- A new dawn arrives; I unload BX42 from truck, check bolts, grease all fitting, run over and buy another Cat 1 top link pin from Tractor Supply Co. (actual, I buy two, but what the heck, let's get this economy rolling again), measure and cut PTO shaft to go between my BX24 and the BX42. Gosh, I even chipped-up all of that brush pile except for the wimpiest of it. And dang, I still find I need to make one final run to yard waste to get rid of the dregs. I'm a bit depressed now, that just went way too fast.
- After the fact: Decide insurance company was smarter then I was. I'm sure they got off for less $$$ then if a contractor came in and cleared up all the yard waste. Still doesn't really matter...I'm happy, got a BX chipper hanging off my BX Kubota and I'm ready for that next "event".
16-Oct-2008
Moral of story: Defined what is acceptable, and then accept the defined as soon as it becomes available (and hope you get lucky).
Real moral of story: Keep bride happy, always! Doesn't matter why, just keep bride happy.
- Insurance company pays me directly for "Ike" damage. Too busy to even come out and look, they pay me directly based on my description. We're both happy.
- Chainsaw gets re-fueled, Kubota BX24 rolls out of garage.
- Backhoe lifts big limbs off dead power lines (yes, I was VERY careful), chainsaw cuts big stuff, Kubota moves it to truck, truck hauls it to free "Yard waste" recycling center (can't even give firewood away, there's so much of it around).
- Big stuff gone, Kubota moves small stuff (< 2-1/2 inch) to brush pile.
- Now 6.5 HP chipper/grinder is working hard, but I'm working too hard and it's taking too long.
- Four days pass...we have electric power again...and I still have a nice brush pile.
- I've had enough; as much as I like the garden mulch, I start hauling the smaller stuff off to yard waste center, again, and again, and again. I try the old "honey, the truck is just too small" excuse...wife too smart to buy it; nixes dump-trailer idea (well, not really, but the whole wife/dump-trailer thing makes for a better story, don't you think).
- Anyway, I go back to eBay and Craig's list. Yahoo! (not the web site, the exclamation). Really dumb, really stupid luck. Find an almost new Wallenstein BX42 up north on eBay, starting bid is about 1/2 retail list price (I've been looking for that, a Champion CX350 or a Salsco 600). Make phone call. Get eBay lister to change auction to include "Buy it Now" option for about same price. I buy it...NOW, 30 seconds after he makes the change!
- Next morning: stop at bank, drive several hours north, see his original bill of sale, kiss a few $$$ bye-bye, load truck, drive several hours south, and get stuck with a 4:30 fast food lunch/dinner. Seller happy, I'm happy (even with fast food), whole day pretty much shot. Still make it home for "date night" with bride at the Palace Theater at 8PM (Frost/Nixon w/Stacy Keach). No matter what, best event of entire week is still date night, bride is happy, I'm happy, I sleep soundly.
- A new dawn arrives; I unload BX42 from truck, check bolts, grease all fitting, run over and buy another Cat 1 top link pin from Tractor Supply Co. (actual, I buy two, but what the heck, let's get this economy rolling again), measure and cut PTO shaft to go between my BX24 and the BX42. Gosh, I even chipped-up all of that brush pile except for the wimpiest of it. And dang, I still find I need to make one final run to yard waste to get rid of the dregs. I'm a bit depressed now, that just went way too fast.
- After the fact: Decide insurance company was smarter then I was. I'm sure they got off for less $$$ then if a contractor came in and cleared up all the yard waste. Still doesn't really matter...I'm happy, got a BX chipper hanging off my BX Kubota and I'm ready for that next "event".
16-Oct-2008
Moral of story: Defined what is acceptable, and then accept the defined as soon as it becomes available (and hope you get lucky).
Real moral of story: Keep bride happy, always! Doesn't matter why, just keep bride happy.
Last edited:
ultrarunner
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Nice Story... and a Chipper is on my wish list~
BXinNH
Silver Member
Ah yes, truer words have rarely been spoken.
Matt.
FLHayman
Bronze Member
I have the 62, and have never felt like I overbought. As others have said, the branches have more room to hit the rotor, and require less trimming. The feed is at diagonal, so the horizontal box is pretty big to shove stuff through. I tested it with a piece that was 2 almost 7inch pieces that y'd together, and it made it fine. Horsepower becomes an issue on hard wood pieces like that, but the bigger the feed throat, the less you have to cut. IF they made a 12" one that my tractor could move, I'd take it, even though I wouldn't have the HP to chip the max diameter. I sure wouldn't have to trim much of anything, since most branches would likely have enough room to bend on the way in, as they were pulled by the cutting action.
The thing really does feed itself as soon as it starts to make contact with the knives, which are past a sort of curtain at least another foot beyond that point. When it's up to speed and you feed in a branch, step back and laugh as it chomps up 20 feet of a branch with no problem. One man can't usually keep up with it....by the time you put one branch in and reach down to get another, it's ready for more. In Florida here, we don't burn firewood much, but get lots of branches and trees down during hurricane season. I love the Wallenstein chipper.
The thing really does feed itself as soon as it starts to make contact with the knives, which are past a sort of curtain at least another foot beyond that point. When it's up to speed and you feed in a branch, step back and laugh as it chomps up 20 feet of a branch with no problem. One man can't usually keep up with it....by the time you put one branch in and reach down to get another, it's ready for more. In Florida here, we don't burn firewood much, but get lots of branches and trees down during hurricane season. I love the Wallenstein chipper.
Happyman
Gold Member
I went with the 62 even though I'm at the edge of enough horsepower for a 6" branch.
I only stalled the tractor once and that was on a full 6" piece about 10 feet long. Usually everything is closer to 4" and it is not a problem.
FLHayman is right...you just can't keep up with this monster by yourself. Even when my teenage son, his buddy and me limbing and tossing into the chute, the thing just eats faster then we can stuff
I love it
I only stalled the tractor once and that was on a full 6" piece about 10 feet long. Usually everything is closer to 4" and it is not a problem.
FLHayman is right...you just can't keep up with this monster by yourself. Even when my teenage son, his buddy and me limbing and tossing into the chute, the thing just eats faster then we can stuff
I love it
