Wallenstein BX42 - will it chip 5" logs?

daveinwestmi · May 26, 2014

My new B2650 is three weeks old and already has 20+ hours in two weekends, looks like I might have the bug. I found a barely used Wallenstein BX42 that was used on a Deere 2320 that has been in a heated garage since the owner passed away. It looks like it didnç¨š have any use; the paint was unscratched in the chute and on the flywheel. The owner was asking $1300.00 and with a little dickering sold it for $1100.00. It looks like brand new; hopefully my B2650 will have enough power to handle four to five inch maple, oak and pine. I figured I couldnç¨š go wrong at the price and if it didnç¨š work for me I could sell it and not lose any money. Had to shorten the PTO shaft and itç—´ ready to go. Iå€¤l report back after IçŸ¥ done with the first days chipping.

If anybody is interested I believe the Deere is still for sale, 2006 John Deere Compact Tractor without the chipper, I would guess it could be bought for 14-15K. The usual disclaimer, it is not my tractor and I do not have any financial interest in it nor do I know anything about it.

number two · May 26, 2014

Wow Dave-awesome deal!
I purchased my BX42 in Kubota orange a few years ago for $2800 delivered.
It's rated up to 4" stuff,as long as you can feed it in as needed,it can be a little fussy if not straight.
My B3030 isn't phased by it-your B2650 will do fine,and mine works fine without any shaft cutting.
4"-5" hardwood is firewood here!
Good Luck!

42800

s219 · May 27, 2014

It's rated for up to 4" thick, but the material can be wider because the chute throat is rectangular. I believe the chute opening is 4" x 10". So 5" probably won't fit. I think you'll find your PTO power will even make 4" stuff marginal if it's hardwood. Softwood won't be an issue.

buck boost · May 27, 2014

s219 is spot on. Anything larger than 4" dia round won't fit, the opening is 4"x10". The rectangular opening is great for brush with a lot of chutes, forks, wishbones, whatever you wanna call it.

Running my BX-42 with my 21 PTO hp tractor is on the marginal side when grinding up 3.5"-4" "hardwood". I don't just mean deciduous trees, but any kind of wood that is "hard". If I'm doing big stuff, the M7040 gets the chipper, or the wood gets saved for the buzz saw for firewood.

Super price by the way, my chipper was right at 3K.

I think you will find that B2650 will comfortably chip up to 3", and struggle with anything larger that is hard.

Keep those knives sharp also. It makes a big difference on it self feeding, operator wear, and HP usage. Buy a couple cans of silicone spray and spray down the feed chute. Helps keep the chute slippery.

daveinwestmi · May 27, 2014

Thanks for the replies. Spent some chipping, four inches seems to be the maximum diameter and the maximum width seems to be determined by side chutes, if they are more than an inch thick they don’t move through and need to be trimmed to a length that allows them to fold back to the main log. Also found it doesn’t work as shredder for small diameter twigs and branches, the discharge chute clogs easily when there is not a lot of mass moving through it. Anything over half inch is not a problem and it seemed to chip any diameter maple that would fit in the chute. I’m sure it will work harder as the knives get dull, so I’ll check them regularly. Will definitely use some silicone spray on the intake chute, might as well try it on the exhaust if I’m working with small stuff.

Again thanks for the replies.

s219 · May 27, 2014

You can handle small stuff OK as long as something bigger is there to push it through. So try alternating big/small when feeding material in. Or if you have a lot of thin leafy branches, periodically send a bigger woodier piece through to clear the chute.

The flywheel has "twig breakers" to bust up anything that doesn't chip. However, it's not a shredder that can arbitrarily grind up anything -- you'd need the BXM-42 for that.

buck boost · May 27, 2014

Does the 2650 have a two speed pto? My b2920 has 540/960 rear pto capability. On strictly small stuff and evergreens, I run the chipper at 960. If I remember correctly, the chipper is rated up to 1000 rpm. The increased rotor speed moves more air through the chipper and helps reduce clogging. Silicone spray on the exit chute does help also.

daveinwestmi · May 28, 2014

buck boost said:
Does the 2650 have a two speed pto? My b2920 has 540/960 rear pto capability. On strictly small stuff and evergreens, I run the chipper at 960. If I remember correctly, the chipper is rated up to 1000 rpm. The increased rotor speed moves more air through the chipper and helps reduce clogging. Silicone spray on the exit chute does help also.

The B2650 has a single speed 540 rear PTO. The owners manual that came with chipper reads "Operate only at 540 RPM" so I would be out of luck even if I had a 960 PTO.