Chipper WoodMaxx WM-8H vs Woodland Mills WC86

[ericm979]

I'm glad it works for you but I'd recommend most people get the hydraulic feed, because reversing the feed and changing the feed speed are both very useful.

I reverse the feed a LOT. Not being able to reverse the feed would be a real handicap for my chipping. Material gets stuck between the rollers and won't feed. The toothed roller just grinds on it. I can reverse the feed, turn it and then feed it back in. Larely I have been chipping a lot of Madrone which does not grow straight, and it's meant a lot of reversing to get stuff to go down. Leaving stubs on straighter growing species can also cause this.

I also change the feed rate a lot. With 32 PTO HP I need to slow the feed down to very slow in order to chip 6" material. The hydraulic feed (with a better feed control valve) makes this easy. You can also start and stop the feed very easily.

The hydraulics have not given me a problem (other than replacing the feed valve with one that works better). The only issue was been a slight leak which was just the cap over the relief valve being loose.

 

[Carleola]

@Ericm979 - I have also found that the feed valve that comes with the WM-8H is not regulating well. It seems to be either "on" or "off" with not much variation in between. What make and model valve did you use to replace it?

 

[Carleola]

UPDATE ON WM-8H: Now that I have 10 hours on the chipper I can provide a valid update. The machine has worked flawlessly and I'm happy with it. The feed speed valve is not very sensitive, resulting in it either being "on" or "off".

Now some advice for owners with smaller tractors - I have a Kubota B3350 and find the unit a bit heavy for the tractor. One requires the front end loader or weights in the front to counter balance - otherwise it can give one some heart-attack moments. I now realize that the 7 gal of hydraulic oil adds about 57lbs. In retrospect I might have purchased the WoodMaxx MX8800 with the hydrostatic drive. The unit is lighter about 200lbs lighter and only uses a couple of quarts of regular oil. Finally, on staring the chipper the heavy flywheel tends to bog down the engine, requiring me to engage/disengage the PTO to get it up to running speed without stalling the engine. However, once its up to speed it works very well indeed! This is a minor inconvenience for me.

 

[aczlan]

@Ericm979 - I have also found that the feed valve that comes with the WM-8H is not regulating well. It seems to be either "on" or "off" with not much variation in between. What make and model valve did you use to replace it?

Here is his thread: http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/hydraulics/377635-hydraulic-motor-flow-valve.html
IIRC, the pump puts out 3 GPM so a 0-4GPM valve is a good fit. He used this one: Brand Hydraulics FCR51-1/2(-4) Flow Control 1/2 NPT/-4 GPM Spool/Adjustable Spring Relief: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific

Aaron Z

 

[ericm979]

Yep, thats the one. I think you were the one who suggested that to me Aaron. It's a direct fit and works a lot better than the original. Thanks!

 

[Hughman]

Old thread, I know. I'm looking at these two chippers. Would they be a good match for my New Holland tc33da? I think I have about 27-28 HP at the pto and 1600# lift on the 3point.

Is one better than the other? Any other brands I should be looking at? Will mostly be chipping oak.

 

[aczlan]

Old thread, I know. I'm looking at these two chippers. Would they be a good match for my New Holland tc33da? I think I have about 27-28 HP at the pto and 1600# lift on the 3point.

Is one better than the other? Any other brands I should be looking at? Will mostly be chipping oak.

I think you will find that they are very similar, other than the Woodmax has 2 feeder motors (2 rollers to pull in the brush) the Woodland Mills appears to have 1 motor and 1 roller to pull stuff in.

Aaron Z

 

[ScipioUSA]

Old thread, I know. I'm looking at these two chippers. Would they be a good match for my New Holland tc33da? I think I have about 27-28 HP at the pto and 1600# lift on the 3point.

Is one better than the other? Any other brands I should be looking at? Will mostly be chipping oak.

Which two? This thread kinda went across a few different models. I like the fact that the Woodland Mills has a clamshell design for servicing the blades/clearing jams, and that it folds for storage. Not knocking the Woodmaxx chippers at all, and the MX-8800 is made in the USA and has some nice features you cannot get on the Woodland Mills units, but you do pay for that premium.

 

[toxicjeeper]

I'm on the fence about ordering the woodland Mills wc88 chipper right now as well. I was surprised shipping was only 200 bucks too for an all in price of 4827.70
Not too bad for an 8 inch chipper

 

[Hughman]

Which two?

The two in the title