Any additional nput on 3pt chippers?

[TJP440]

I received a lot of valuable input on my previous post and want to again thank ALL that replied
With that being said I'm wondering if there is more input from others that have bought /used them.

My need is not regular but I do have a number of trees that have grown to 70ft or more and I'm running out of places to put them when they die or otherwise fall (storms) etc. The tractor is a B3200 with 23Hp at the PTO. I'd like to get rid of the limbs & branches with minimal trimming with larger 3-5" being used for firewood.
the hours of research is pushing me towards the Woodmax WM 8H.
Thanks

 

[rc51stierhoff]

Only thing I have to offer would be my recommendations to:

1. Stick with a known brand that you could likely get parts / support. (Woodmax seems like fairly common but also woodland mills). Most likely it will need knives at some point.

2. Stick with a brand that allows easy to open up to unclog a jam. (I have a woodland mills and it’s real simple…I am not familiar with woodmax but it would be worth checking.) mine clogs up when fresh cut evergreens are wet from snow / rain…very handy to open up with minimal effort)

3. Features that I think are helpful are a shutoff bar you can bump with your hip and a saw holder.

4. I’d confirm weight of the unit looking at and make sure it makes sense it’s your machine, especially if you ground not flat. My WC-68 is about all my B can handle (or have a hilly property…I am glad I did not go bigger for use with the B).

Good luck.

 

[rh74]

I have Woodmaxx MX-8600. It was purchased in February, it has 20 hours of run time and no issues so far. I did have to change the blades at 16 hours. This is not a negative, I was chipping dry wood which is tough on the blades. The blade change was easy. Also chipped some pine branches with green needles and it didn't clog up. Overall the quality and operation of chipper is great. I'm running it on a LX2610 it has 20HP at the PTO and no issues with chipping 3-5 inch stuff.

I went back and forth between the Woodmaxx and Woodland Mills. My choice came down to the in feed system. I liked the operation (handle does both speed and direction) and it uses Parker Hydraulic parts (easy to get replacement parts).

Whichever brand you purchase, watch the overall weight of the machine as mentioned in the previous post and I would recommend that you purchase an extra set of blades.

 

[woodman55]

I have the large woodland mill chipper, it seems to be well made, and they seem like a decent company. Also, they are the only ones to offer a trailer hitch, which I use a lot.

 

[NCL4701]

I have a Woodland Mills WC-68 which I share with my brother. Between the two of us, probably around 100 hours on it. It’s about to the point of needing the blades turned around and after that, I suppose they’ll need sharpening. I like the adjustable feed speed. Slowing down the feed greatly assists in keeping sticky stuff like wet pine from clogging. No complaints so far.

Seems like quite a few here have Woodmaxx and quite a few have Woodland Mills. Don’t recall any complaints about either.

 

[WFM]

Works well
And is self contained.
Power feed is awesome also.
Unfortunately China made.

 

[SmallTownGuy]

I have the Woodmax WM 8H. I have used it quite a bit over the past year and it has performed very well. I have a lot of vines on my property, so occasionally I have to stop and clear them off the feed roller. It will chip some pretty large limbs... limited more by the tractor power than the chipper capability (I have an L2501). One thing that attracted me to the WM 8H is the horizontal feed chute. It makes it easier to feed longer, heavy items into the chipper.

 

[FOX3]

I have a WM-8M with about 20 hours on it with great results. I’ve cleared large areas of our property with it and haven’t had any issues. I wanted the simplest machine out there and so far not having the hydraulic model hasn’t been an issue. I’m running it with a MX6000 which doesn’t bog down even with 4+ inch trees being fed into it. I cut up bigger stuff for firewood. Woodmaxx seems like a great company.

 

[Tughill Tom]

I run a Salsco 624 Gravity feed on my B3200 and its beast. Overbuilt IMO, heavy and Made In America!
I've been cleaning up the lot I bought next to me this year and have run about 5 or 6 yards of chips through it, mostly dead Pine no issues.
Knives are reversable and can be sharpened. Good luck in search.

 

[TJP440]

I want to thank all that responded and give an update. I went with the Woodmaxx WM-8H. And for any one looking for one, they are running a 30% off sale and PSSST! free shipping If YOU ORDER ONLINE.
Lots of other things on sale as well

And Tom, I just looked at your Salsco unit, definitely impressive but out of my price range

 

[PortTackFarm]

30% off and free shipping is outstanding. Mine works well. Assembly was straight forward with a very helpful instruction manual.

 

[JimmyJazz]

Build a nice camp fire and keep feeding it. I split and season the bigger pieces for the fireplace but also enjoy burning the rest camp fire style. I wouldn't want a chipper if you gave it to me. Good luck.

 

[NCL4701]

Build a nice camp fire and keep feeding it. I split and season the bigger pieces for the fireplace but also enjoy burning the rest camp fire style. I wouldn't want a chipper if you gave it to me. Good luck.

We used to do that pretty routinely a few decades ago. Then about 40 billion people moved here and it was decided we can’t do that any more. Build a bonfire/brush fire in the used to be rural county I live in and about the time it gets going good the fire department will show up, put it out, and leave you with a fine of a few hundred dollars. Do it again, it’s a few thousand. Keep doing it and they’ll show up with a couple sheriff deputies that will haul your ass off and keep repeating fines, court costs, short but irritating stays at the county jail, and lawyers fees until you figure out a chipper is a lot cheaper than burning.

Congratulations on living somewhere remote enough you can still burn. I’m actually a bit jealous of the freedoms we used to have prior to the invasion, which you apparently still enjoy.

 

[PortTackFarm]

Build a nice camp fire and keep feeding it. I split and season the bigger pieces for the fireplace but also enjoy burning the rest camp fire style. I wouldn't want a chipper if you gave it to me. Good luck.

We burn a lot with burn piles and there's no doubt we could burn much of what gets chipped. That said, our soil is mostly clay with very little top soil in spots, so anytime I can add organic matter back into the ground it's a good thing. We also use the chipped mulch on trails and in other ways. Clearly a role for both methods of getting rid of the wood debris for us.

 

[JimmyJazz]

We used to do that pretty routinely a few decades ago. Then about 40 billion people moved here and it was decided we can’t do that any more. Build a bonfire/brush fire in the used to be rural county I live in and about the time it gets going good the fire department will show up, put it out, and leave you with a fine of a few hundred dollars. Do it again, it’s a few thousand. Keep doing it and they’ll show up with a couple sheriff deputies that will haul your ass off and keep repeating fines, court costs, short but irritating stays at the county jail, and lawyers fees until you figure out a chipper is a lot cheaper than burning.

Congratulations on living somewhere remote enough you can still burn. I’m actually a bit jealous of the freedoms we used to have prior to the invasion, which you apparently still enjoy.

We are supposed to keep our fires within a 3 foot ring. My last fire pile I had used my loader to compress the sticks to the size of a 5 foot tightly compressed ball. I am sure it could have been seen from outer space. Two police cars showed up. It was quite a sight made all the more impressive/terrifying (think gates of hell) by it being ignited after dark. Even after millions of years of evolution fire still stirs my soul. The police and I had an amicable chat and that was that. I have an even bigger compressed pile ready to go now. I want to have people over who share my evolutionary trait. Most are not interested. Potential chipper buyers I suppose.

 

[rc51stierhoff]

We are supposed to keep our fires within a 3 foot ring. My last fire pile I had used my loader to compress the sticks to the size of a 5 foot tightly compressed ball. I am sure it could have been seen from outer space. Two police cars showed up. It was quite a sight made all the more impressive/terrifying (think gates of hell) by it being ignited after dark. Even after millions of years of evolution fire still stirs my soul. The police and I had an amicable chat and that was that. I have an even bigger compressed pile ready to go now. I want to have people over who share my evolutionary trait. Most are not interested. Potential chipper buyers I suppose.

I understand I am not keeping in topic, but I would add that ‘If’ you want more height without increasing the diameter, add some compressed air at base of the fire. It’s gonna blow some sparks so be careful about that, but you’re gonna get some extra illumination.

 

[WI_Hedgehog]

I want to thank all that responded and give an update. I went with the Woodmaxx WM-8H. And for any one looking for one, they are running a 30% off sale and PSSST! free shipping If YOU ORDER ONLINE.
Lots of other things on sale as well

Thanks for the heads-up on the sale, it's exactly what I needed. Bought a hammer-flail to help put in and maintain a walking trail along the property border and a chipper to mulch the smaller scrub trees. Yes, burning it would be far easier, but if something went sideways in the middle of nowhere a lot of wooded acreage would go up in flames. In the past year I've created 5 large brush piles while clearing around the cabin, those will get cleaned up and the chips put on walking paths and in gardens.

 

[nbryan]

My 6 year old WM68 still chips like a champ with the original blade edges.

One thing I did do last year that resulted in a large in-feed traction increase was take an angle grinder to the feed roller's teeth and grind off just enough to barely sharpen the rounded tooth edges. I didn't need to take much off at all, and wow.

Try it, WC68 owners with dull intake roller teeth. Look closely at them now, there's for sure wear and rounding near the center of the chute where most gripping takes place.
Mine were showing pronounced wear and the slippage was annoying to say the least.
5 minutes with the angle grinder, and like I said WOW. Great intake grip again!

I made well over 30 cords of chips over the years before tuning up those teeth, pretty good in my books.