Chipper Woodmax three point chipper

[nealfris]

I purchased the WM-8H spring of 2016. I love it! I researched a long time. For me my decision was spot on. Woodmaxx has a firm grip on quality control from china. My unit even came with a new feature, an hour meter that they hadn't even advertised yet. Follow users caution! check everything, I not only found loose bolts (except for blades and main drive train witch is torqued in the US) but my unit must have been bumped in transit. I found the main pulley with all the belts was way out of wack. My conclusion was that it sticks out past shipping crate and easily hit. The pros are... its a beast! it chews up every thing. I have wild grape in my VT woodland and it eats it up. I love the horizontal input chute. I have hundreds of black birch saplings that are 20' tall, try feeding that into the raised up chute. It also has no problem with throwing in the ground clutter, it eats it up. The rotating output chute is key in the woods where you want to spread the chips. there are only two draw backs I found, The first is the chips and debris accumulate on top of the hydraulic tank (my fix was a small piece of rubber roofing and a couple self tapping screws) the other is I only get to use it in the summer at my camp!

 

[daugen]

thanks guys, very helpful. I ordered the 8800 model yesterday, having it painted orange to match my Kubota, did not want a black implement, too hard to see leaks, and it should be in within two weeks. Will take pictures when it comes in, assembly, and then operation. Ordered the full spares kit but did not pay 150 dollars extra for a US made pto shaft. Strikes me as odd they are providing a Chinese shaft with a US machine but I think they were trying to hit a price point on the US made product and I guess there wasn't enough margin to include the US made shaft. There have been no complaints of breaking the supplied shaft so I stuck with that. I'm not throwing anything real big in here anyway.

 

[mark02tj]

Make sure you post a review when you've used it Daugen. I'm super interested in those "Made in the USA" WoodMaxx chippers. I have a Bearcat that works great but it's limited to about 4" and it's manual feed. Right after we bought this place (and the chipper) we were hit HARD with the Emerald Ash Borer which has destroyed about 40% of the trees in my woods. So I have everything from 2" up to about 16" that's coming down.

With the Bearcat I have to pretty much "limb" everything. I want to go to the hydraulic self-feed to eliminate that task. I'm stacking the bigger diameter stuff and eventually taking it to a local sawmill. I'm also inundated with honeysuckle around here. I don't burn, but the honeysuckle really isn't burning material anyway. It's also very scraggley so I have to limb it as well. Again, anther reason for the hydraulic feed.

I'm leaning towards their biggest unit. I don't think the extra inch is that big of a deal, but I like the 4 knife system of that unit vs. the 2 knife system. I don't know if it's worth the extra money or not, but I'd probably have buyer's remorse if I didn't go with the biggest unit.

 

[Code54]

If you really need the extra inch then it is worth it but I find my 8" does a great job. I have run maple, oak, pine, birch, etc up to max capacity without any problems. Sometimes we are cleaning up and I don't need firewood but need the area clear so everything goes in the chipper. Cant say I have found anything it wont chip just fine - if it goes in the chute it comes out in chips! Heck, sometimes I grab 4-5" trees with the Mini ex, rip them out, cut the stump off then load the chipper with the entire tree! We have been very impressed with it!

As for the PTO shaft - I have the non USA one - works fine and no issues what so ever. Don't really see a need to pay extra for the USA one unless you just want it.

 

[daugen]

unit arrived from woodmaxx on time, nicely wrapped, and because it also arrived the same day as
24 bareroot trees for a new orchard, it is still sitting wrapped up on its pallet next to the barn. Hope to put it together tomorrow and will take pics
about a 1000 pounds shipped

 

[Code54]

One thing I learned with mine is when you sit it somewhere, it has to stay there. No grabbed it and slid it over a foot or two, they are heavy!

 

[daugen]

took about an hour for two of us to bolt it all together, not hard, pictures in directions were not that good but it was pretty obvious what went where. Went to TSC today to get three quarts of conventional 10W40 motor oil for the hydraulic system, very specific not to use synthetic or a synthetic blend, too slippery apparently. Will put that in tomorrow and see how the oem pto shaft fits.

 

[oldafretired]

Got this last fall but haven't had a chance to use it. Will start using it after all the snow is gone.

 

[ericm979]

Nice implement carts. Did the one under the chipper start life as a Harbor Freight moving dolly?

 

[oldafretired]

Nice implement carts. Did the one under the chipper start life as a Harbor Freight moving dolly?

Thanks. I think it was from McMaster-Carr and was supposed to hold 1400lbs. The chipper weighs only 1000lbs and the dolly was bowing a bit so I added some extra bracing. It makes it a lot easier to hook up implements when you can move them around and you can push them out of the way too.