Since there are so many brands, who has used what? I have a L3010 Kubota 30hp.. Also I heard the pto driven chippers are very hard on tractors? I looking to chip maybe up to 3 inch, the rest I keep for firewood.. I like the hydraulic feed chippers with variable intake speed.
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Check out Bear Cat.
http://bearcatproducts.com/
Hydraulic feed machines will be 2-3X the price of a self-feed unit. How often/how much material do you plan to feed this thing? Knife maintenance can get tedious, especially for a self-feed (gravity feed) unit.
That L3010 should handle a small 4-5" machine continuously eating branches no problem.
http://bearcatproducts.com/
Hydraulic feed machines will be 2-3X the price of a self-feed unit. How often/how much material do you plan to feed this thing? Knife maintenance can get tedious, especially for a self-feed (gravity feed) unit.
That L3010 should handle a small 4-5" machine continuously eating branches no problem.
I want to clean up some of my woods and also use the chips on my logging road to keep down the weed growth, etc.. Just spent 2 months pruning out my 65 apple trees... All those branches are up in my woods in a good size pile.. That could have all been chipped as well.. I have like 50 acres of woods, so there's always something that could be chipped, especially when blazing new trails.. On one tree crew we had a 20 inch capacity brush Bandit... Once a day we would open up the flywheel housing and use a draw knife sharpener over the four blades.. That kept a nice edge on the blades and extended the time between flipping them around to the new side... I would do that with my own chipper.. I was looking at the Woodmax chippers, around 3000,, hydraulic feed.. 200 lb flywheel, all grease able bearings,, I use amsoil synthetic grease, stuff should last... watching some videos of the gravity feed chippers, you have to babysit the limb all the way in... Hands on will numb your hand after a while from the shock of the blades hitting the wood... I'd rather load it and forget it, move to get the next branch..
I have a wallenstein BXM 32 for my bx23 and it works great. We have used it a lot for a couple of years now. It self feeds just fine. We have a huge pile of chips for mulch and most of the trials covered. I don't think you could find a better machine in this price range!
http://www.embmfg.com/forestry/Chipper_Shredder/BXM.aspx
http://www.embmfg.com/forestry/Chipper_Shredder/BXM.aspx
Foragefarmer
Member
I think from reading the literature on both sites that they are both sourced from China. And the designs are only really cosmetically different. Only the knives are made in the US as stated by Woodmaxx. Given that you are in NY I would go with Woodmaxx since their warehouse is in NY. The price is basically the same when you factor in the different shipping policies and exchange rate.
After watching the Woodmax video,,, that thing is actually slow compared to the BXM 32 Wallenstein,,, plus the Wallenstein gives you two in feed choices... Looks like you get what you pay for...
That's the truth.
Price is real attractive on the WoodMax, prolly has something to do with it being a very simple design. 2 Blade design might explain why it's a bit slow as well.
One more note - You might need an over-running clutch if the chipper isn't equipped with one. A 200+lb flywheel spinning down can be hard on your tractor's PTO brake/clutch.
Price is real attractive on the WoodMax, prolly has something to do with it being a very simple design. 2 Blade design might explain why it's a bit slow as well.
One more note - You might need an over-running clutch if the chipper isn't equipped with one. A 200+lb flywheel spinning down can be hard on your tractor's PTO brake/clutch.
They say they can run a two blade design because they speed the flywheel up from the norm 540 rpms to 1200... In the videos the Woodmax couldn't really finish one limb of wood on it's own,,, pathetic when I've been around chippers both old style drum chippers and then the slow feed hydraulic, for a good part of my life...and saw that.. Wallenstein walked right by that chipper... For 800 more I'd buy the Wallenstein...
Never thought about the chipper winding down against the PTO.. I suppose you could just disengage the PTO at the instant you lower the motor RPMS..Let it just free wheel down.. I think the Wallenstein only runs an 80lb wheel..
I'll keep an eye out for next to new used ones as well... Just have to be patient..
Jack Fate
Feeling the Heat
I couldn't afford the $2000+ for a PTO chipper. I scoured CL and finally found a WW Grinder Apache 240C for sale. Guy wanted $300 and all it needed was new belts. Granted, it's not self feed but this little thing can chew a 3" limb pretty well. The shreader on top handles some large debris as well.
Nice scoreI couldn't afford the $2000+ for a PTO chipper. I scoured CL and finally found a WW Grinder Apache 240C for sale. Guy wanted $300 and all it needed was new belts. Granted, it's not self feed but this little thing can chew a 3" limb pretty well. The shreader on top handles some large debris as well.
Jack Fate
Feeling the Heat
Most hyd. Feed chippers that size cost $9-12 k
This must be a HF quality tool?
Around here you can't SEE any of these units
Dealers only order them when needed
How about you buy one & report back ; )
This must be a HF quality tool?
Around here you can't SEE any of these units
Dealers only order them when needed
How about you buy one & report back ; )
Staying away from the Woodmax,,, your right! That has to be a short lived chipper compared to paying 9-12 K...I'll keep my eye out for a good used Wallenstein ..
'bert
Minister of Fire
I have the Wallenstein BX 42s but have not used it since I sold my tractor last fall.
. It is well built and will chew thru a 3" tree like nothing. Often I wish I had bought the hydro feed model. On Friday I picked up a 3 pt hitch adaptor with pto drive for the skid steer, so have to test the chipper today. Buy the Wallenstein you wont be disappointed. I would suggest buying bigger then you think you need, often a 3" branch has a crook or a twist in it that wont allow it to go thru.
. It is well built and will chew thru a 3" tree like nothing. Often I wish I had bought the hydro feed model. On Friday I picked up a 3 pt hitch adaptor with pto drive for the skid steer, so have to test the chipper today. Buy the Wallenstein you wont be disappointed. I would suggest buying bigger then you think you need, often a 3" branch has a crook or a twist in it that wont allow it to go thru.Probably go 4 inch... I really save like 2-3 inch stuff anyways... unless we are talking pine.. I want to build a pallet or two that will hold nothing but kindling.. So any chipper I get will be just chewing up the brushy branches of the trees I harvest..not like I'm doing tree work and just want the trunk wood.. It's nice to hear all the positive posts about the Wallenstein chippers..I appreciate every ones feed back.. Nice to find out before you buy..I have the Wallenstein BX 42s but have not used it since I sold my tractor last fall.
The 42 is a great option but I use the mulcher quite a bit. I dont know what size your tractor is but a BXM 42 would be too big for my tractor. The BX 42 was what I started looking at, it would be fine but I am glad I have the mulching option. The crooked a bushy branches can be a pain but you quickly learn how to trim them with the chipper in mind. The self feed is great, if it slows down a bit you have dull blades.
'bert
Minister of Fire
Charly - not trying to hijack your thread but I just wanted to add that the PTO adapter on the skid steer did not work for the chipper. (in case anyone happens to search that subject and finds my comment above.) The PTO drive just went into bypass with larger trees
If the majority of the material that you want to run is under 1" then you most definitely want a chipper with a shredder (hammer mill) built in. Bearcat makes an excellent unit that IIRC isn't priced too bad either. The downside to chipper/shredders is that there are none with a hydraulic feed that I am aware of.
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