I also looked at the WoodlandMills and the
Woodmaxx. I like a lot of the design features of the WC88. But I went with the WM8H. The primary reasons were a level infeed hopper and easier feeding. The WC88's hopper is angled up. So if you have a long branch or tree you need to push it way up in the air to get it to feed. My old MacKissick had an angled hopper and it was a lot of effort to get long material high enough to feed. In videos it looks like the WC88 takes more effort to get the roller to grab larger material. It has a single feed roller while the 8H has two, and a lever you can pull to help the pivoting roller climb up on a large log. The WC88 doesn't have the lever so you have to push your larger material until it grabs. I chip a lot of long heavy pieces.
The WC88's feed hopper is at angle and sticks way out to the side. The 8H's hopper is straight but it's long. So with either one you have to be careful when backing up. I often park on roads to chip. Having to feed from an angle would mean parking at an angle or feeding material from off the road, which might be up or down a bank or in brush.
I like the WC88's better feed start/stop/safety lever and how the whole top of the rotor housing comes off to service the knives. The 8H has small doors to access the knives. They work ok but more access would be better.
The 8H comes with a flow control valve that's way too large. That makes it difficult to adjust the feed speed, especially at lower speeds. I replaced it with a lower flow valve which works much better. Cost about $120. It might be worth asking Woodland what GPM their flow valve is and what GPM their system is. The valve should be about 25% more. The 8H has a 3gpm system and comes with a 16gpm valve, which is way too big. They don't see it as a problem, I did (though not a huge one). I replaced it with a 4 gpm valve. If you're chipping small stuff and leave it on full speed you'll never notice. I've been chipping a lot of large stuff lately and need to adjust the feed rate more precisely.
Woodmaxx's HP ratings are optimistic. I have 32 PTO/ 37 engine HP and need to set the feed very slow for 6"+ material. Even then I need to stop the feed sometimes to let the tractor get the rotor back up to speed. I think Woodland's HP ratings are more realistic. I could use another 10hp for chipping the large stuff. Both units have the same chipping capacity. That's what consumes the power, so it doesn't make sense for one to need half the HP of the other.
The 8H has slots for the moving roller to move up and down. Sometimes material can wedge in there. It can take saws and chisels and a bit of disassembly to remove it. I have 40 hours on mine and it's happened five times. There is also a gap between the lower fixed roller and the bed knife. Material can hit that and jam, though reversing the feed will get it out and you can rotate it and try again. Wood that grows irregularly is more of a problem for both of these issues than stuff that's straight. I have been chipping madrone lately and it's the worst. It's very irregular. Pine's the opposite, it's rarely a problem.
