RyeThomas
Gold Member
Sorry wrong thread, disregard.
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Chipper WoodMaxx TM-86H review
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RoyJackson
Rest in Peace
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- John Deere 4052R Cab,, Deere 855D UTV, Z920A Zero Turn Mower and assorted implements
Just out of curiosity, since some of you own Woodmaxx chipper...I see the 86H has four knives...yet the larger 8M and 8H only have two. I'm surprised the larger machines only have two blades and I'm wondering how the performance is with only two.
My old Wood 5000 chipper/shredder has four blades (the shredder has 32 swinging knives) and does a pretty good job up to 4" (5" if the limb is pretty straight).
My old Wood 5000 chipper/shredder has four blades (the shredder has 32 swinging knives) and does a pretty good job up to 4" (5" if the limb is pretty straight).
ericm979
Super Member
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The 8H has a belt drive that spins the flywheel about 2x faster than the PTO. The 86 is direct drive. So the number of cuts/second is the same. My 8H chips hardwood as large as I can fit into the chute. I have to set the feed speed low because 32 PTO HP isn't enough for wood that large. But the chipper can handle it fine. When I'm doing that it makes a lot of chips in a hurry.
Code54
Elite Member
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- Kubota MX5100, Kubota BX25D,1957 Farmall Cub Lo-Boy Kubota KX91-3, BCS 853
Was running our 8H yesterday and was chipping some cherry, and oak limbs, up to about 6" inch with out any problems at all. Im running it on a 50hp and can pretty much run without bogging but you can tell if you throw a 6" limb in there, especially long stuff (8' or more but they do tapper down some) - you can hear the motor working a little bit more but does it without any drama. The worse thing is long twisted stuff, the hydro feed will pull it in and sometimes the end that is out the the chipper will trash around and knock ya silly if you are too close!
V7Sport73
Member
I have the WoodMaxx MX-9900 Chipper. I only have about 20 hours on it so far. I purchased this about 3 months ago. So far I am very happy. On the small B3200 Kubota it's about 23 HP at the PTO. This is short of the 25 HP recommended by WoodMax. Now that the blades are a little worn, I've noticed the tractor will struggle with limbs over 4". I can run this on my larger Kubota M59 tractor without any issues. I saw that some folks were asking about the cheap Chinese PTO. I purchased this thinking it wouldn't matter. However, I have a real issue with it sticking onto the chipper. I've tried to grease it but it's still very difficult to remove from the chipper when I'm storing the unit. As far as the quality of the Woodmax Chipper is concerned, it has been outstanding! I've chopped Elm, Pine, and Willows without any issues. We stack all the wood so that when it's time to start chopping, the chipper is always full. It's amazing the size logs this thing will take.
dckchk
New member
My TM-86H is now up and running. The problem was a lack of sufficient oil in the tank. As I said in my original post, my chipper was delivered just hours before bad weather was closing in and in my haste to get up and running I purchased what I thought were 4 5-quart containers of oil without noticing that they were now 1-gallon containers. Yesterday when I finally got the chipper back out with enough time to sort things out I discovered that the oil level was low in the tank and checked the “can” sizes online to confirm the mistake.
As I previously posted I am using this chipper with a BX-2200 Kubota which is specified to have 16.7 Hp at the PTO shaft. This is pretty much the minimum recommended for driving the TM-86H.
My experience during the first couple of hours of using this chipper is as follows.
1. The quality of construction is very high and entirely consistent with heavy continuous use
2. All operating controls are convenient to work with and access to hook up to the tractor is very convenient once a drive shaft of the proper length is available.
3. As I previously posted, it is not possible to properly attach this chipper to a BX-2200 Kubota unless a quick-hitch is installed on the tractor. Cutting the drive shaft will enable a power connection but it will not be possible to set the chipper flat on the ground. That can only happen if the attachment to the chipper is extended at least another 3” or so back from the normal Cat 1 hitch location. This is not really a problem in my opinion because the quick-hitch is virtually a necessity anyway in order to expedite hook-ups and it is not an expensive accessory. The requirement for it however is something the customer should know about up front. I did not and WoodMaxx sales seems skeptical of the need. Had I followed their recommendation to cut the shaft to directly connect without the hitch, I would now be forced to purchase another drive shaft.
3. With less than 17 Hp I am limited to pine ~3” or less in diameter and I am choosing not to chip hardwood over 1”. These are quite acceptable limits for me. Any hardwood above 1” is firewood. My pine limit may also be a bit conservative as the pine I have so far chipped is dry and I’ve been operating with a feed rate at about 7. I haven’t yet played with feed rates as thing were going very well until I choked on a larger piece and stopped operation for the day at that point.
4. The condition which choked the chipper and stalled the tractor was a single soggy 3” pine limb. After opening the cutter housing we found the exhaust chute plugged and casing full of chips. It took a couple of clean out attempts before we got the hang of properly clearing it out. The lesson learned was to be more conservative about rejecting big water-soaked pieces. Dry and newly cut material seemed not to cause a problem. Also I am still learning how to manage the feed control and rates to best deal with problem situations. Of course this is an issue which is partly the result of operating with barely enough PTO power.
5. The only aspect of operation which I found annoying was the sensitivity of the feed control bar to false depression by passing branch material. I’m not sure anything could be done about this without seriously compromising safety. I am going to see whether it is possible to change the position of the bar so that it is a bit more under the hopper where it would not be constantly vulnerable to passing material.
Over all I am very impressed with the design and function of the TM-86H, especially as it is being supplied with the absolute minimum PTO power. However I still feel that the customer support upon initial delivery was inadequate. I only discovered the requirement for the quick hitch after the chipper delivery which further delayed my setup. Then
a couple of weeks later after the quick-hitch was delivered I was in a panic situation with bad winter weather closing in just hours away. Despite multiple calls for support I have not received any WoodMaxx assistance in resolving this issue.
As I previously posted I am using this chipper with a BX-2200 Kubota which is specified to have 16.7 Hp at the PTO shaft. This is pretty much the minimum recommended for driving the TM-86H.
My experience during the first couple of hours of using this chipper is as follows.
1. The quality of construction is very high and entirely consistent with heavy continuous use
2. All operating controls are convenient to work with and access to hook up to the tractor is very convenient once a drive shaft of the proper length is available.
3. As I previously posted, it is not possible to properly attach this chipper to a BX-2200 Kubota unless a quick-hitch is installed on the tractor. Cutting the drive shaft will enable a power connection but it will not be possible to set the chipper flat on the ground. That can only happen if the attachment to the chipper is extended at least another 3” or so back from the normal Cat 1 hitch location. This is not really a problem in my opinion because the quick-hitch is virtually a necessity anyway in order to expedite hook-ups and it is not an expensive accessory. The requirement for it however is something the customer should know about up front. I did not and WoodMaxx sales seems skeptical of the need. Had I followed their recommendation to cut the shaft to directly connect without the hitch, I would now be forced to purchase another drive shaft.
3. With less than 17 Hp I am limited to pine ~3” or less in diameter and I am choosing not to chip hardwood over 1”. These are quite acceptable limits for me. Any hardwood above 1” is firewood. My pine limit may also be a bit conservative as the pine I have so far chipped is dry and I’ve been operating with a feed rate at about 7. I haven’t yet played with feed rates as thing were going very well until I choked on a larger piece and stopped operation for the day at that point.
4. The condition which choked the chipper and stalled the tractor was a single soggy 3” pine limb. After opening the cutter housing we found the exhaust chute plugged and casing full of chips. It took a couple of clean out attempts before we got the hang of properly clearing it out. The lesson learned was to be more conservative about rejecting big water-soaked pieces. Dry and newly cut material seemed not to cause a problem. Also I am still learning how to manage the feed control and rates to best deal with problem situations. Of course this is an issue which is partly the result of operating with barely enough PTO power.
5. The only aspect of operation which I found annoying was the sensitivity of the feed control bar to false depression by passing branch material. I’m not sure anything could be done about this without seriously compromising safety. I am going to see whether it is possible to change the position of the bar so that it is a bit more under the hopper where it would not be constantly vulnerable to passing material.
Over all I am very impressed with the design and function of the TM-86H, especially as it is being supplied with the absolute minimum PTO power. However I still feel that the customer support upon initial delivery was inadequate. I only discovered the requirement for the quick hitch after the chipper delivery which further delayed my setup. Then
a couple of weeks later after the quick-hitch was delivered I was in a panic situation with bad winter weather closing in just hours away. Despite multiple calls for support I have not received any WoodMaxx assistance in resolving this issue.
RoyJackson
Rest in Peace
- Joined
- Nov 17, 2001
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- 23,144
- Location
- Bethel, Vermont
- Tractor
- John Deere 4052R Cab,, Deere 855D UTV, Z920A Zero Turn Mower and assorted implements
I sold my backhoe (which hasn't been used since I bought the tractor...except for one minor project) today and ordered a Woodmaxx 8H chipper. Per the website, delivery will be in June. I hope they don't push off delivery...then push off delivery again. That's what happened with the flail mower I'd ordered.
Anyway, most reviews I've read were good or better then good.
Anyway, most reviews I've read were good or better then good.
Code54
Elite Member
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- Aug 20, 2005
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- Putnam Co. West Virginia
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- Kubota MX5100, Kubota BX25D,1957 Farmall Cub Lo-Boy Kubota KX91-3, BCS 853
Congrats Roy - Hopefully it comes quickly - I was lucky, I ordered mine and had it in about two weeks. Been a real nice unit so far. Broke one spring on the feed roller and they sent 2 new ones without any issues. The only other issue I had was one day I noticed I was leaking hydro fluid. Turns out the bolts on the pump were backing out and the pump fitting was coming loose. 10 minutes to get a wrench and tighten everything and was right back in business.
Having had a Wallenstein in the past I feel this one is a much better value and the extra size and hydro feed have been a huge help when cleaning up trees around our place.
Having had a Wallenstein in the past I feel this one is a much better value and the extra size and hydro feed have been a huge help when cleaning up trees around our place.
lpigott
Gold Member
I looked at Woodmaxx and Woodland Mills units along with many others before I bought my Woodland Mills WC88. I am VERY pleased with all aspects of it. I ordered it and it was delivered exactly one week later. Watch the very detailed video they have on the unit, that is what sold me, and the fast delivery time did not hurt either.Woodland Mills WC88 8" PTO Wood Chipper Walk Around - YouTube
NWOH_Grizz
Silver Member
I bought a Woodmaxx WM8H recently, ordered it about 5-6 weeks ago. It was here in the promised 2 weeks, and that counts the 4 days it sat at the trucking company local terminal waiting on them to deliver it . Assembly was straightforward once you watch the video. Only problem was a shaft bearing spindle nut wouldn't torque right, and I called their service dept for advice. They answered right away and gave good advice, and used their suggestion of a different method to get the job done. The unit works very well on my New Holland with 35 PTO HP. Have about 5 hours of run time on it so far. First hour of use was all fresh cut pine, up to three inches. Ate it right up and spit it out. I've been working on several piles of willow limbs that I cut down last year. Eats them right up. Only slow down I had was a piece about 5+", and I had to stop the feed rollers a couple of times to get it through there. I did manage to get a 3" piece jammed in there to where it wouldn't come out. A small branch coming out from the main limb got caught in the little moon-shaped slot that the upper feed motor slides up and down in, and it took me over a half-hour and inventing a couple of new words to finally free that up.
Overall, I'm very pleased with the WM8H, but I only have about 5 hours on it so far.
Overall, I'm very pleased with the WM8H, but I only have about 5 hours on it so far.
