PTO chippers- self feed vs hydraulic feed?

[plowhog]

I'm looking at a Wallenstein BX52 chipper. One model is "self feeding" while another has optional hydraulic feed. Self feed is around $3k, hydraulic feed almost double.

Also, I see some marketing that the design of the blades on the BX52 promotes "self feeding," which sort of implies that material is drawn in from the blades/chipping action itself without needing hydraulics. I believe the hydraulic feed has rollers to push material through regardless of blade action.

My primary chipper application is forestry slash and small diameter trees. Lots of small broken branches, etc. Although the BX52 can handle 5" diameter, any of my logs 4" or larger will become firewood, so anything I chip will be less than 4".

What has your experience been with self-feeding vs hydraulic? The video of the self feeding model looks like you push a log in, walk away, and it chews through the log without attendance. But is that really how a self feeder works, and if so, why would anyone pay such $$$ for the hydraulic model?

 

[ericm979]

You can stuff a log in a self feeder and let it feed while you get the next log. But it doesn't always feed well with a branch with lots of side branches or a bent shape. With those you need to keep pushing it in (without sticking arms in the chute of course). When the branch has a lot of side branches and foliage that fills the chipper opening it will stop feeding. Then you have to pull stuff out of the chipper chute and push the remainder in.

At the other extreme, sometimes it self-feeds too well and bogs the tractor down. The self feeding "feed speed" depends on the material being chipped and the sharpness of the blades.

With all self-feeding chippers the chute is at an angle, so you have to lift logs to get them down the chute. Sometimes I chip 20' long branches or small trees and lifting them up into the chipper chute takes some effort.

Some power feed chippers have a reverse. That could be handy to remove a stuck log without having to shut the chipper down.

There are mechanical and hydraulic power feed chippers. The mechanical ones feed at single speed, the hydraulic ones are variable speed. Woodmaxx and Woodland Mills make relatively inexpensive power feed chippers. Designed and supported in the US/Canada, made in China. Woodmaxx also has some made in US models.

I have a 4.5" MacKissic self-feeding chipper/shredder on my B7100HST. We don't burn much wood and have a lot of fir, which I can't even give away as firewood. So I want to move up to an 8" power feed chipper, probably a Woodmaxx 8H. I'll need a new tractor to run it.

 

[TerryR]

I have a BearCat "self-feed" chipper in the same size range. I've been very happy with it.

When the blades are sharp it really does self feed, provided there are no branches stiff enough to stop the feeding action. If there are, you either have to "help" it, or cut them off. You would probably need to trim off more branches then if you used a power feed model. And as ericm says, the self-feed can bog down the tractor if you put in a sizable sold log and you have to jerk it out.

Whether you can justify the cost of the power feed depends entirely on your intended use. No doubt you will get more production with a power feed model. In my view it's entirely unnecessary for homeowner for occasional use. Invest a bit more time in chipping and save a pile of money. But if you expect heavy usage, and certainly for professional use, power feed is worthwhile.

 

[747driver]

Just ordered and had delivered the Woodmaxx WM-8h. Total cost including shipping and a USA made PTO shaft was $2900. I wanted the hydraulic feed so if something jams you can reverse it out instead of having to struggle and pull out by hand with the mechanical version. I liked the 200 lb flywheel they use....puts less strain on the tractor and pto. It was $500 more for the hydraulic version.....makes life easier to me !

 

[newbury]

A few comments based on many hours of use with my 8" Jinma and M4700:

You can stuff a log in a self feeder and let it feed while you get the next log. But it doesn't always feed well with a branch with lots of side branches or a bent shape. With those you need to keep pushing it in (without sticking arms in the chute of course). When the branch has a lot of side branches and foliage that fills the chipper opening it will stop feeding. Then you have to pull stuff out of the chipper chute and push the remainder in.

I had lot's of vines and twisted stunted apple limbs with perpendicular side branches. Frequently clogging the chute. I'd keep a 6" diameter sacrificial pusher stick. Very rarely did I have to pull stuff back.

At the other extreme, sometimes it self-feeds too well and bogs the tractor down. The self feeding "feed speed" depends on the material being chipped and the sharpness of the blades.

Very rarely would it bog down because it fed itself too fast.

With all self-feeding chippers the chute is at an angle, so you have to lift logs to get them down the chute. Sometimes I chip 20' long branches or small trees and lifting them up into the chipper chute takes some effort.
<SNIP>

My Jinma is only slightly angled, as soon as I get some stuff in the chipper it eats it up.

I've feed 20 foot saplings in lifting the bottom up to the chute and just walk with the top.


I guess that if I could have spent several thousand $$$ more I could have gotten a nice hydraulic chipper. But I had an immediate use for a big chipper and we might have used it for 60 running hours for the first job. Then I moved it down to Mississippi and have only run it for about 10 to 20 hours since. And anticipate using it for about 10 to 20 hours a year from now on.

I had been waiting for rswyan to finish his thread "Re: YAJCMT: Yet Another Jinma Chipper Modification Thread"

But from my viewpoint as a non-commercial user, where time is NOT money a $1500 8" Jinma chipper w/ a good set of belts does all I need compared to a $2,800 Woodmaxx hydraulic or a very expensive Wallenstein.

 

[Piston]

They hydraulic feed is really nice. I haven't used a self feed chipper so I can't make a comparison (I imagine not many of us have both, but many have gone from a self feed to a hydraulic, but not as many the other way around).

I think the hydraulic vs. self feed is a tough debate to choose a clear winner. I think that for the cost savings, some people are very happy with the self feed models. If your only concern is getting a cheaper chipper, I think the self feed model is a good way to keep the cost down without an extraordinary disadvantage.

From using my hyro feed 6" chipper, I know that I'm happy I have it, and I would not purchase a self feed if I ever go with a larger chipper. As mentioned, there is only one advantage of a self feed over a hydro....cost.

I do believe the hydro versions have multiple advantages in many situations over the self feed, but as mentioned, I haven't actually used a self feed PTO unit personally.

I'm exhausted after a day of chipping, it is NOT easy work. With the hydro feed, I think I'm "less" exhausted than I would be with a self feed.

I extend my top link so my chipper is at a downward angle, lift the tree onto the chipper, and get it started, then adjust feed rate as required (I go full speed on anything under 4" and slow down on the larger hardwoods). I walk away and grab a pile of brush, and start pushing brush into the feeder, while it's pulling in the tree, it's pulling in the brush. I will load smaller diameter trees at the same time, and as the roller pulls the larger one in and finishes it up, it automatically starts pulling the next one in.

I had 2 other guys and myself feeding the chipper on a job last year, we couldn't keep up with it.

If cost is the concern, my personal opinion is to buy a used hydro feed before buying a brand new self feed. I think I paid $2,500 for my chipper that cost $10k new.

 

[The Deerslayer]

When I was in the market to buy mine, I had a hard time justifying the additional cost for hyd-feed. I have the same chipper as TerryR, and am extremely pleased with the performance. As he noted, it self feeds very well;especially with the blades sharp. For longer trees/branches, I can leave it in the chute as it chips allowing me to get another.

How much chipping do you plan on doing?

 

[s219]

I have a Wallenstein BX-42 that self feeds. It does a very good job sucking in material. In fact, you need to drop it in and back away because it will suck the material in pretty quick, and if it's something long it will whack you!

The only time self feed isn't as robust is when you're feeding in twiggy/leafy stuff all by itself -- that sort of material is better off with a combo chipper/shredder unit. I alleviate the problem by making sure to feed in something larger and more woody when putting in a lot of twiggy/leafy stuff, as normally the bigger material will drag the smaller stuff through with it.

Obviously hydraulic feed would be even nicer, but at least for my uses self feed works just fine. I haven't ever really seen a need for hydraulic feed myself. Even having a self feeding chipper is a pretty huge capability for me and saves a lot of time.

 

[ericm979]

The used chippers I see here are usually very used. The ones that aren't are priced high. Maybe it's just a California thing.

I was using my MerryMac (I misspoke earlier, but it looks very similar to a MacKissic) today on coyote brush. This stuff often grows crooked. I had to do a lot of breaking by hand and pushing and pulling on the pieces being chipped. Maybe 1/3 of the time it would self feed well, usually on relatively straight sections with few branches. The tops would not self feed and the crooked parts usually didn't. When chipping pine branches it self feeds fairly well, until the narrow chipping chute clogs with small branches. Then I have to grab them and put them down the shredder.

One drawback of the chipper I have is it has no fan and chip ejector chute. It just dumps chips on the ground. It doesn't take too long before the pile is up to the shredder drum exit. When it does that and you don't notice, it doesn't chip as well. It leaves piles that you have to spread out by hand. I'm hoping that a WoodMaxx would let me shoot chips out into the woods where I don't have to deal with them.

I'm hoping that a WoodMaxx will be better as handing the twisted coyote brush. I have acres of the stuff. I've yet to find a video of someone using one to chip anything other than straight branches.

 

[Rustyiron]

I went from this

to this to this!

I see your in CA and prolly need a permit from heaven to burn, but I went from a big heavy 3 point disc style chipper to a Vermeer 1250 like in the pic, and back to piling with a grapple and burning. Now this was in a rural farm setting with no nosey neighbors also. I would suggest the self feed if I were to go back to chipping anything over 2-3".