Wood Chipper recommendations

[Gem99ultra]

I'm in need of a new wood chipper... Used won't do - the last (only) one I've bought before had a Tecumseh motor, and literally blew a hole in the side of the engine within 20 minutes. Of course, the Craigslist seller was no longer to be found. I have approximately 10 acres with thousands of 'sucker' pines that fall over after a couple of years. In the past I've collected them and burnt them, but with so much danger of a forest fire around here, I'd prefer to simply shred them. Leaving them to rot is an option, but not a desirable one for me.

My basic requirements are:
Max 5" diameter, normally 4" or less
Gas powered
Portable
If high hp, electric start
Under $2000

If you have any suggestions or recommendations, I'd appreciate receiving them.

Thanks.

 

[RNeumann]

PTO type is off the table? That may be a good fit unless you have something else that stays on your 3 pt.

 

[Gem99ultra]

PTO type is off the table? That may be a good fit unless you have something else that stays on your 3 pt.

No, PTO is certainly an option. I have a Kubota L3400 that's rarely used.

 

[bigtiller]

I have had 5hp lazy boy, 10hp mighty mack and 14hp bear cat. They were all under powered and for small occasional jobs a few times a year. For 10 acres with thousands of 'sucker' pines that fall over after a couple of years, I would really give pto powered a look.

 

[oosik]

Wallenstein BX52S would be the ideal chipper - PTO - for your tractor. Your not going to get it for $2K though. Currently listed for a little less than $3600.

I upgraded to a Wally BX62S when I got my new M6040 in 2009. I chip 750 to 900 small( 6" diameter or less) pine trees every spring - maintaining my pine stands.

Wallenstein makes a fantastic chipper.

 

[Gem99ultra]

yep, I think you're exactly right - gotta up the ante.

Bear Cat 'reads' good, but 3" might be a bit small. Wallenstein sounds like the Cadillac of wood chippers, although I can't afford a Cadillac. I'll be evaluating their Chevy model though.

 

[ericm979]

Woodmaxx and Woodland Mills both sell 6" and 8" PTO chippers. Designed by them, made in China. I have a Woodmaxx 8H which I have been generally happy with. I had a "chuck and duck" self-feeding chipper before. The hydraulic feed is much safer and chips a larger range of material. The 8H is $2800 including shipping. Woodland Mills' 8" is a different design which you may or may not like better, and retails for about the same.

There's a lot of threads about the Woodmaxx 6" and 8" chipper, youtube videos too. Fewer threads and videos of the Woodland Mills but there are some. They're the best deal in chippers these days, unless you're lucky and find a good used unit and you're in an area where used implements are reasonably priced.

 

[oosik]

The BX52S will handle material up to and including 5". Your tractor has plenty of power for this size chipper.

I don't know about the rating - Cadillac of chippers - I know that my BX62S would continue chipping all day and as long as the tractor had fuel. My stamina is the short side of the equation.

This is a spring time project where I'm all by myself. I break it into manageable parts. Identify at least 10 to 12 stands that need thinning. Get in there with my little Stihl and thin, baby thin.

Then the part that really makes my butt drag - pull all the cut trees out and stack in piles. A green Ponderosa pine that is 6" x 30' is not a lot of fun to drag and pile. Especially when I'm stumbling over all the other cut trees lying there on the ground.

Final and most fun part - pull off the pile and feed into the chipper. Very satisfying, very satisfying.

You have ten acres with thousands of small pines. I hope you don't think that your project will be a simple weekend project.

There are several other brands of chippers that have received good remarks here on TBN. Google - chipper and check out the posts.

Whatever you get - the process I use will be the easiest, fastest and least likely to get anybody hurt. If you have several helpers you might be able to cut, haul and stack - all at the same time.

If you can get help - just for a weekend - do the cut, haul and stack for that weekend. It will leave you with stacks to chip which is the easiest part of the entire project.

 

[RalphVa]

The MacKissic TPH123 meets your $ mark but only does up to 3 1/2". I've had a TPH122 for 14 years and love it. Best thing about it is that it's easy to maintain. I just recently replaced all the hammers and now need to replace the chipper blade because both the main one and replacement are down to minimum. This is after rotating the hammers the 3 times you can do. Rotating the hammers is about a 15-30 minute job depending on how much of a hurry you're in vs. 3 or 4 or more hours on a similar Troy Bilt Tomahawk that I had for 10 years.

I recommend the 3 point hitch one. You'll never bog it down like you will with a separate (smaller and gas) engine one.

Ralph

 

[Stimw]

With chippers you want the biggest rated you can afford.
If you were only chipping the the main trunk it would not matter but it's when the side branches get to the opening and then stop the feed.
I had a couple of 12" chippers with 4 cylinder Ford engines that I got in a deal.
The weak link was the (172 cuin) Ford engines, they have habit of overheating and ruining the $600. head. I sold them.
I had the 8" in pic and it worked great BUT the branch issue. I sold it too.
The flywheel does all the work so everything else just supports it.

 

[HEC]

I had a 3pt. hitch Woodmax 8m and it was self feeding and will handle 5 inch material with no problem . The people at Woodmax are great to deal with and they offer free shipping . I sold mine as my projects were all finished , it worked just fine for me .

 

[ericm979]

I have a MacKissick TPH184 4 1/2" (actually a MerryMac which is the brand Northern sold them under). For chipping trees and brush the Woodmaxx is far superior. It'll take much larger material, with branches that the MerryMac could never handle. The MerryMac had a shredder and the Woodmax does not so the MackKissick is better on that front. It will shred leaves while the 8H mostly passes them through. Any wood gets chipped however. The last time I looked the larger MackKissick was $400 more than the Woodmaxx 8H... they doubled in price in the 18 years since I bought mine.

The "chuck and duck" chippers like the MacKissick will yank material right out of your hands. Or it wont feed at all and you have to shove it. With the short chute and the speed of feeding once it grabs, it's kind of dangerous if you don't have the right technique. With the 8H's long chute and hydraulic feed the material's not being yanked out of your hands and there's not much shoving needed. Just get it under the roller and it'll get pulled in at a controlled rate. The feed rate control valve is the one problem I have with the 8H, it's the wrong size and makes adjusting the feed speed more difficult than it should be. I replaced with a smaller capacity US made one and it works like it should. But even if you leave the feed on fast all the time it's much safer than the MacKissick.

The MacKissick drops chips out the bottom, so you have to pick it up and move it pretty often otherwise it packs up and stops working. I kept the MerryMac when I sold the old tractor as the buyer didn't want it. I thought I'd use it every once in a while to shred stuff. But I've put 46 hours on the 8H and haven't used the MerryMac at all, so it'll go up for sale when I get a chance.

 

[RNeumann]

No, PTO is certainly an option. I have a Kubota L3400 that's rarely used.

Based on the feedback it looks like it may get used more!

Their is some good info....maybe more than you want to spend but most things are these days.

 

[Gem99ultra]

Based on the feedback it looks like it may get used more!

Their is some good info....maybe more than you want to spend but most things are these days.

You're so right... I've been nitpicking at this problem for about 5 years now. Cut, stack, haul and burn just doesn't get the job done for an old man (77y/o) working alone. Probably not for a young man either. Jumping up on the cost certainly seems to be the prudent thing to do. I hate buying junk tools. I'm already convinced that buying a HF special isn't going to happen, nor will any of the other cloned junkers. Buying a wood chipper is like buying a new truck - first thing that happens is sticker-shock I'm past that now.

I bought the Kubota when I lived in the 'city' with only 3 acres of land to run a brush hog on. No doubt, I bought the tractor for my toy. Moved from the city to the country and use it occasionally, but its now an essential tool when I need it, although not often. Its 9 years old with 130 hours on it. Right now its used only as to till our little garden, rake the 1/2 mile gravel driveway, and annually with my homemade man-lift for trimming trees. Using it with a wood chipper might give it justification.

There have already been some excellent suggestions, which I will definitely base my purchase upon. I certainly appreciate the feedback, leaning a lot about wood chippers that I never even thought about. Any other suggestions or info is certainly appreciated.

 

[hslogger]

Woodmaxx hydraulic feed. git one

 

[ericm979]

I'm in my 50s and only recently figured out that if I get appropriate sized equipment I can do far more with it. Costs more up front but saves me money in the long run. Hiring it out here is expensive. Renting is expensive and it's an hour each way to pick it up and drop it off.

The other thing I'd suggest looking in to is a grapple. I get a lot of use out of mine, not the least is pulling out poison oak. It's also good for grabbing brush or trees I have cut and piling them up in a place where it is convenient to chip. Mine cost me about what a crew of guys with saws and a chipper truck cost for a day. After I did what they can do in a day I'm even. Everything beyond that is saving me money.

 

[Gem99ultra]

Thanks for the Woodmaxx. That chipper looks like more than enough chipper for my needs, and at a good price. I'm checking into the Woodmaxx WM-8H now. Another bonus, they offer 5% discount to veterans.

Like I told my SO, the price falls right in my $2K budget, going over by ONLY 50%. That's right on target, based on the way she shops

 

[oosik]

Ha, ha - - right on target at only 50% over. Sounds like the auctioneer at the last auction I attended.

Woodmaxx has received good reviews here on TBN. Hydraulic in-feed is great if you have twisted limbs and trunks. My Wallenstein does not have that feature - I only chip pines whole and it grabs them hard and pulls so hard - - it has truthfully scared many of my weekend helpers. Particularly girls - they seem to scream a lot - jump around - raise rather large clouds of dust.

Whatever - as long as they grab a tree - now and then - and shove it in the chipper.

 

[NTG]

I too am looking at the Woodland Mills and the Woodmaxx with hydraulic feed. Just a heads up, Woodland Mills is increasing the price on both of their chippers by $300 on August 3rd, "due to new tariffs".

 

[plowhog]

Particularly girls - they seem to scream a lot - jump around - raise rather large clouds of dust.

I can see why you keep inviting them. But why would they wear bikinis to chip wood?

Seriously, I should buy a chipper. Only going 50% over budget sounds like a steal compared to some of my tractor-oriented purchases!