Anybody dealt with House of Contractors out of Canada?

[TJP440]

I'm in the market for a woodchipper and ran across these guys on sleaze bay. They have a machine somewhat similar to a Woodmaxx WM-8H which from my hours of research seems to be the top dog for my needs and compatibility with my B3200 (23 PTO HP)

They claim to have been in business 20 years and further claim their units are made in Canada. They also claim The Woodmaxx is a knockoff of their unit? Their website sounds like it was written by an experienced used car salesman. THEIR VERSION LINK
The price is attractive BUT sounds a bit
So I thought I'd ask here for any experiences with them good or bad. They sell a lot of other implements as well.
TIA for any input

 

[imnukensc]

Just to be clear, it doesn't say their units are made in Canada. It says their units are " proudly assembled, welded and packaged in Canada."

 

[TJP440]

Just to be clear, it doesn't say their units are made in Canada. It says their units are " proudly assembled, welded and packaged in Canada."

You are correct, but their website wording / claims on the unit would seem to indicate they are which is why I'm asking for info.
Canadian Made flywheel and input gears, Blades: 2-Reversible USA Made, 1 Bed Knife (Anvil) USA Made.
Just looking for real experience with them good or bad. Can't find much online for reviews

 

[jimh406]

The price is attractive BUT sounds a bit

I have no experience with them, but I generally trust my gut. I don't know about you. YMMV.

 

[Moose7060]

Check out Wallenstein. Very, very good reputation for quality products. Just an observation, the Woodmaxx WM-8H that you are looking at is an import unit, not USA made like the other WoodMaxx's. House of contractors, CAEL, and TMG industrial are all about the same, jacks of all trades and masters of none.

 

[mikester]

I'm in the market for a woodchipper and ran across these guys on sleaze bay. They have a machine somewhat similar to a Woodmaxx WM-8H which from my hours of research seems to be the top dog for my needs and compatibility with my B3200 (23 PTO HP)

They claim to have been in business 20 years and further claim their units are made in Canada. They also claim The Woodmaxx is a knockoff of their unit? Their website sounds like it was written by an experienced used car salesman. THEIR VERSION LINK
The price is attractive BUT sounds a bit
So I thought I'd ask here for any experiences with them good or bad. They sell a lot of other implements as well.
TIA for any input

Looks a lot like my 8" chinesium chipper I bought off kijiji 15 years ago for $1800. Came in a steel crate I too "assembled" in Canada. At the time I figured it was cheaper to buy and modify this unit than to build it new.

Out of the crate it's designed to break down every 5-15 minutes. After a lot of mods I can use mine for about 1-2 hours before jamb ups occur.

Here's my recommendations:
Don't buy if you aren't handy and don't have a full weld and fab shop.

That mechanical feeder is garbage and was the first thing to go as stray wood chips would knock the belt off like clockwork. I tossed mine and now have hydraulic infeed.

I replaced all the safety guarding fasteners to standardize on a single M8 bolt threading into a weld nut so I can fix in the field with only one ratchet wrench and no fiddling with nuts and washers.

The chip chute design is designed for clogging. I modded mine to make it easier to remove in the field with only 1 wrench. I also added a swivel to let me rotate the chute.

Get yourself a PTO slip clutch - better than your new chipper being an engine brake and stopping your tractor.

I find a squirt of diesel on the chipper/flywheel acts as a good chip lube and prevents jamb ups.

REGULARLY check your belts, belt pullies, bearings, chipper teeth, anvil clearance.

I treat my machine like a death trap and don't anyone else feed the machine. I avoid standing near the 200lb flywheel during operation...I have enough experience not to have a lot of confidence in the chinesium quality of parts used. Take great care in choosing your work clothing and gloves, machines like these have minimal safeties and will suck you in mercilessly and turn you into hamburger. Top up your life and disability insurance. If you have employees DON'T buy one of these machines.

Get and wear a quality certified forestry helmet with hearing and face protection. You WILL get chips and branches flying out of the infeed and hit you.

 

[NCL4701]

Sorry I can’t directly answer your question as I have no experience with them. One thing you might consider with the one you posted a link to: the infeed rollers are driven by some sort of belt and gear box system with a short driveshaft that appears to have quite a lot of offset. I’m assuming the clutch they reference is a slip clutch for that drive system. Woodmax is driving the infeed with hydraulic motors. In my experience running chippers and shopping for one a couple years ago, the one you posted is the first I’ve ever seen with infeed powered by anything other than hydraulic motors. As much stopping, starting, reversing, jamming, etc. as goes on with operating a chipper I personally would be very hesitant to go with a drive system involving belts, gears, and clutches. YMMV.

 

[rh74]

All of their products are made in China. The woodchippers are made in the same plant/s as the Woodmaxx and Woodland Mills import stuff. The Woodland Mills and Woodmaxx import chippers are now being sold under various different names by various internet companies. As other have mentioned the infeed mechanical setup on this unit is not ideal. The real question is will this company provide you any support after the sale and do they carry any spare parts.

 

[MapleLeafFarmer]

I'm in the market for a woodchipper and ran across these guys on sleaze bay. They have a machine somewhat similar to a Woodmaxx WM-8H which from my hours of research seems to be the top dog for my needs and compatibility with my B3200 (23 PTO HP)

They claim to have been in business 20 years and further claim their units are made in Canada. They also claim The Woodmaxx is a knockoff of their unit? Their website sounds like it was written by an experienced used car salesman. THEIR VERSION LINK
The price is attractive BUT sounds a bit
So I thought I'd ask here for any experiences with them good or bad. They sell a lot of other implements as well.
TIA for any input

Does this one look familiar?

made outside of Beijing China by FRD Machinery Co. They sell them for about $1,000US and even put on House of Contractors stickers.

 

[fried1765]

Does this one look familiar?

made outside of Beijing China by FRD Machinery Co. They sell them for about $1,000US and even put on House of Contractors stickers.

View attachment 128174

I think I would rather go to Vegas with my $1,000.

 

[TJP440]

Does this one look familiar?

made outside of Beijing China by FRD Machinery Co. They sell them for about $1,000US and even put on House of Contractors stickers.

View attachment 128174

Mapleleaf Farmer and all else that responded,

Thank you all very much, kind of what I suspected. I'm going to cross post this to tractornbynet just too see if their are any other comments.
Below is the response I received from them on an Ebay inquiry: it made my BS meter go off



When I get fully retired (if ever) I hope to be able to spend a bit more time here helping others with my limited experience. Classic cars, electrical, some engineering and other subjects I can help on.

thanks again

 

[TJP440]

Sorry I can’t directly answer your question as I have no experience with them. One thing you might consider with the one you posted a link to: the infeed rollers are driven by some sort of belt and gear box system with a short driveshaft that appears to have quite a lot of offset. I’m assuming the clutch they reference is a slip clutch for that drive system. Woodmax is driving the infeed with hydraulic motors. In my experience running chippers and shopping for one a couple years ago, the one you posted is the first I’ve ever seen with infeed powered by anything other than hydraulic motors. As much stopping, starting, reversing, jamming, etc. as goes on with operating a chipper I personally would be very hesitant to go with a drive system involving belts, gears, and clutches. YMMV.

thank you for your input

 

[Elliott in GA]

FWIW, WoodMaxx in NY, USA sells two varieties of chippers. All of the MX series are made by them in NY, and the others are imported from China.

I bought an MX series from them, and it has performed very well. See my review:

WoodMaxx MX-8500G+ PTO Chipper review - it's great w/o power feed.

I purchased the above chipper for my LX 2610 SU tractor; its primary use will be disposing of small trees and big privet hedge on our property in North Georgia. The things that appealed to me about the chipper are: made in the USA, will operate on as little as 15 PTO HP, price ($2525 with...

www.orangetractortalks.com

 

[DustyRusty]

I bought a Vermeer chipper about 4 or 5 years ago with a Koehler engine and it will handle anything you throw at it up to 6". For the first 2 years, I put a lot of time put on it, but haven't used it much ever since. My wife keeps saying I should sell it, but I prefer to keep it because I know that I will have work for it in the near future. It is like owning a snowblower, you never know when it is going to snow, but when it does, you are glad that you have it.

 

[fried1765]

I bought a Vermeer chipper about 4 or 5 years ago with a Koehler engine and it will handle anything you throw at it up to 6". For the first 2 years, I put a lot of time put on it, but haven't used it much ever since. My wife keeps saying I should sell it, but I prefer to keep it because I know that I will have work for it in the near future. It is like owning a snowblower, you never know when it is going to snow, but when it does, you are glad that you have it.

Yup!
Keep it!
You will need it for the next hurricane!

 

[Tim Horton]

When I looked at the web site linked it said ...assembled in Canada... And a lot of double talk to me that I presumed to mean ...assembled from foreign parts... The only contact info available is there phone number is ...eastern time zone...

I had to click ...add to cart... to get a price... At $2844USD, that for you will be a lot of loonies to put out for no more info than they provide.. I also agree there site seems like it was written by a used car salesman..

Good luck..

 

[Jeleanosb]

I’d stick with the Woodmaxx unless you can confirm parts support and actual specs from that Canadian seller. Some of those off-brand chippers look good on paper but turn into a pain when something breaks. I’ve dealt with smaller outfits before while doing outdoor upgrades like my patio with Richardson masonry services, and having someone who actually answers the phone made all the difference.

 

[TJP440]

[

Jumping in on this older post because I’m curious whether you ever ended up buying a chipper. I’ve seen mixed chatter about smaller Canadian importers, so I’d love to know how things turned out. If you went with the WM-8H instead, how’s it handling the 23 PTO HP on your B3200?

I originally bought the Woodmax WM-8H. BUT I spent as much time working on it as I did chipping. Their quality control must have taken a vacation as their were multiple issues.
The support was horrendous IMO. You have to write in via their website or leave a message and they will call back at some point.
Their customer support person commented that they are made in China and it can be a roll of the dice on the issues I was experiencing. I suggested replacing the unit but HE chose to do a full refund and have it picked up
So I jumped to the next most recommended one which was a woodland mills WC68

The Woodland Mills does not feed as well as the Woodmax. I believe this is due to the unit only having one input roller that grabs the branch/ log but then has to DRAG is against the bottom of the input chute under the pressure of the feed springs.
Getting larger diameter material started requires a good push on larger diameter material. I have found that loosening the down tension on the feed roller seems to substantially help. I am still playing with this and have a couple of ideas to try. Will update any positive solutions.

Summary: Loved the Woodmax but not the problems. The Woodland mills has been trouble free so far.
I don’t understand is why Woodland doesn't / won't upgrade their input system. They could likely design a system that is retrofittable and grab the only advantage Wood max has IMO.

Woodmax WM8H
PRO’s
Excellent input system

Con’s
Poor quality control
Customer support is hard to reach and does not really provide much technical help.
Two chipping Blades vs 4.
Blades went to hell in a hurry
Real PITA to change the blades or clear jams
Head banging feed control bar (forward/Neutral/Reverse)

Woodland Mills WC68
PRO’s
Higher quality overall
Somewhat better support in that they answer the phone. SEE CON’s below.
4 blades
Clamshell design for changing blades etc. is far superior. Haven’t experienced a jam yet as I did with the WMH a few times, but if I do it will be a walk in the park.
Con’s
Input system needs improvement. Not a show-stopper IMO but a noticeable difference between the two.

Support: You’re stuck with talking to ladies that have been trained to ask and answer questions that have no technical background. Trying to get beyond them has not been successful.

Both units performed well with the B3200’s PTO power. The Woodmaxx bogged it down a few times but that may be due to its better infeed system and /or only having two blades

Hope this helps a bit

 

[etodd002000]

I know this is an old thread, but I would recommend not doing business with this company. I've had really bad experiences with them. Shane in particular is a lying Bas**d. He will convince you to purchase something and promise you a quick delivery then you will wait for weeks beyond the time he promised you. Try and return, 25% restocking fee.
If you'd like for me to elaborate, let me know. I'll give you all the details and have documents to prove my statements.
I hope this helps.

 

[Donystoy]

"My Cluttered Garage" on YouTube did a comparison video recently of the two Woodland Mills wood chippers. It appears that they have also improved the indeed rollers.