New Woodland Mills Chipper arrived

[ctfjr]

My Woodland Mills WC68 chipper arrived. With the temps today between 10-15 F there was no way I was going to attempt assembly outside. Fortunately they pack this like they love it. There is metal channel running underneath it like a metal pallet (since I haven't stated unpacking it yet I'm not sure what is there). Since I don't have forks it was on to plan B.

I snaked 2 chains through the channels and then used a lifting strap to connect the two chains and give me pretty much a center lifting point. The strap was then wrapped around my fel bucket.
Then is was a challenge just lifting everything. I'm guessing I am at the fel's limit with the load and the bucket weight.
All went smooth, slow but smooth and got it into the garage without incident
Video of moving into garage
Next steps, unpack it and assemble it - I have 5 gallons of hydraulic fluid ready to go in it!

ahh couldn't wait for tomorrow. Started uncrating tonight. It's a hell of a crating job!

 

[NCL4701]

I put 4 steel casters on the pallet it came on which makes a good place to store it to allow moving around the shop and easily transfer to my brother an hour away who co-owns it with me. (We both needed a chipper but neither of us need it constantly.) Also made a dipstick for it after filling with the 5 gallons of hydraulic so I’d know where “full” is for future reference. Hope you enjoy it as much as I’ve enjoyed mine.

 

[ctfjr]

I put 4 steel casters on the pallet it came on which makes a good place to store it to allow moving around the shop and easily transfer to my brother an hour away who co-owns it with me. (We both needed a chipper but neither of us need it constantly.) Also made a dipstick for it after filling with the 5 gallons of hydraulic so I’d know where “full” is for future reference. Hope you enjoy it as much as I’ve enjoyed mine.

Thank you NCL4701 those are great ideas. How did you make the dipstick? Is it just a marked rod that you insert in the fill or did you weld something to the fill cap?
I will definitely convert that shipping base to a dolly. I will be storing it in the basement where there is a garage door. With my last tractor I stored my Wallenstein chipper and Normand snowblower on furniture dollies. Not nearly as secure as this metal pallet will be with casters. Any reason you used metal casters?

 

[NCL4701]

Thank you NCL4701 those are great ideas. How did you make the dipstick? Is it just a marked rod that you insert in the fill or did you weld something to the fill cap?
I will definitely convert that shipping base to a dolly. I will be storing it in the basement where there is a garage door. With my last tractor I stored my Wallenstein chipper and Normand snowblower on furniture dollies. Not nearly as secure as this metal pallet will be with casters. Any reason you used metal casters?

View attachment 54095

The steel casters seem to pivot more easily on smooth concrete than plastic/rubber type casters, which I have on some of my other implement dollies, so it’s easier for me to steer an 800lb object on steel casters so long as the floor is free of dirt and sawdust.

The dipstick is literally a stick of wood with a notch cut at the level where the oil stopped. It’s short enough to fit in the document tube on the chipper. Not exactly proud of my fabrication accomplishment there, just don’t know how else you’d know where full is unless you measure it first time you fill it.

 

[ctfjr]

Well, its all assembled without mishap. It would have been a lot easier with a second set of hands
Although I won't be able to use it until the snow is gone - another foot due tomorrow I did find good use for it before I put it in the basement. It worked as fine ballast as I moved my new ballast box from the basement to under the deck.

 

[Mak65]

Well, its all assembled without mishap. It would have been a lot easier with a second set of hands
Although I won't be able to use it until the snow is gone - another foot due tomorrow I did find good use for it before I put it in the basement. It worked as fine ballast as I moved my new ballast box from the basement to under the deck.

View attachment 54182

Ctfjr how do you like your Wallenstein wood chipper?

 

[ctfjr]

Ctfjr how do you like your Wallenstein wood chipper?

It looks really nice other than ballast I haven't used it. I'm in CT. The snow is still melting

 

[Old_Paint]

Ok, I'm a little confuzzled. You had a Wallenstein, and now you have a WC-68?

I like my WC-68, absolutely, but I may be just a little underpowered for it. I've only stalled the tractor with it twice, though, and that was on a rather long piece of elm that was 5 inches in diameter.

 

[ctfjr]

Ok, I'm a little confuzzled. You had a Wallenstein, and now you have a WC-68?

I like my WC-68, absolutely, but I may be just a little underpowered for it. I've only stalled the tractor with it twice, though, and that was on a rather long piece of elm that was 5 inches in diameter.

obviously I'm confused also
I HAD a Wallenstein on my L3400 a few years ago. I thought he was asking about the WC68

 

[Old_Paint]

obviously I'm confused also
I HAD a Wallenstein on my L3400 a few years ago. I thought he was asking about the WC68

From what I see, you posted the photos of the new WC68, and then one of the Wally sitting on the dolly. That's what derailed me. Couldn't imagine swapping a Wally for a Woody, considering the price differential.

Ennyhoo, the WC-68 is what I have. I took my sweet time putting it together and looking at all the bits and bobs as I did. It's a quality build, certainly for the price. Just be careful setting the Knife/Anvil gap. While the flywheel shaft runs in ball bearings, it doesn't take much thrust for the blades to hit the anvil plate, and single ball bearings are NOT a true thrust bearing. That requires opposing and pre-loaded tapered roller bearings. Probably the reason for the 1/16" tolerance of the setting for the anvil. If there's one thing I would improve, it would be setting the anvil. I've found no way to get anything in there to check it other than just eyeballing it like the book says. Luckily, I didn't get mine too hard, but certainly nicked them a little. They'll grind clean with time, but there's still plenty left to chew up anything I throw in it. Well, short of a chain or sledge hammer.

One of the things I intend to get when I build my shop is a good belt grinder/sander so I can sharpen these things myself. Shouldn't be too hard to measure and duplicate the cutting angle. Getting the wear specs from WM might be difficult, though, since they offer a sharpening service.

 

[Mak65]

I’m getting tired of the brush piles building up on my place. Yes, I can create burn piles but I don’t want to burn every other weekend.

Most of what I am wanting to chip is yaupon and small branches, etc. woul a chipper handle smaller brush. from what I read it appears brush clogs the chippers. The chipper/shredder would be better for this. But, my main plants would be 2-3” yaupon.

Anything larger would go to burns eventaully.

Thoughts?

 

[Old_Paint]

I've stuffed 5" sweet gum and elm in mine, but there's an art to getting something that large to feed. Kinda have to trick it with something smaller first. The infeed drum doesn't want to walk up on anything that large.

The chipper will not chop up small brush as well as a shredder will because the shredder has flails that will beat what the knives don't cut against anvils and break it up more. A big chipper was designed to chip big brush. I have no idea what yaupon is. Not a species we have in Alabama, I guess. But I've fed mine water oak, red oak, pine, elm, maple, huckleberry, muscadine vine, privet, sweetgum, and just about anything else that DOES grow in Alabama. It's HAWNGRY! I get a lot of twigs in the chips when the brush goes through because it doesn't have flails, but that doesn't bother me when I see 1/4" thick 4 inch diameter chips where it was cutting full cross sections off cherry limbs. My LX2610 is at the bottom end of the HP range for the WC68, but I've only stalled it a few times. Keep the knives sharp, RPM up, and let the big dog eat.

I've only had one clog on mine so far, and it wasn't small stuff that did it. Should have been paying better attention, but when a piece tails out, the chunk between the infeed drum and the chipper blade is still nearly 6" long, and will turn sideways. Next time the knives hit it, it splits off large slabs that will hang up in the chute if they're turned just right. I fed a few more limbs in after this happened before I actually looked up and didn't see any chips coming out, and I was smelling smoke (because of the chips rubbing inside the plenum). Took a minute to clean that out, because it really packed in there once it chewed on stuff for a while before cramming it up in there. But, the clamshell housing made it fairly easy other than reaching the top of the clog through the chute. Need pretty long arms for that.

If you're not going to be chipping anything larger than 3", you'll save a few bucks getting a smaller chipper, but adding the shredder function to it normally pushes the price back up a little. The problem with smaller chippers is that in order to use them at rated size, you have to cut the brush very straight to feed it in. Another problem is that they don't typically have mechanical infeed, and will wear you out. Between all the shock from the knives transmitted through the limb, the effort of pushing the limb into the infeed chute, and just the amount of extra sawing, it doesn't take much to triple the work even though it's on lighter stuff. Because of this, my philosophy was to get the biggest meanest chipper I could put behind my tractor. I have a little Briggs powered 3" chipper that I've probably chipped a couple tons of brush with. I have some carpal problems because of it now. They are not kind do your hands and arms.