Chipper Woodmax three point chipper

[daugen]

Do any of you own a Woodmax chipper product and can you give feedback as to your experience?
I searched here and found two threads, both of which asked a similar question and no one responded.
That is a concern to me because it sounds like no one owns one. It's been three years since those posts,
any new Woodmax chipper owners here? There is a Woodmax vs Wallenstein comparison to be done, but Woodmax seems
to provide huge value in an 8 inch hydraulic feed chipper for $2800 delivered. Their own top of the line US made chipper is $4,000
and is really the one I have my eye on.

Any Woodmax chipper feedback would be appreciated.

 

[ericm979]

There's a bunch of threads talking about Woodmaxx chippers here, try searching on "woodmaxx chipper" in the body of posts. From them I got the impression that other than a few loose bolts on delivery, owners like them a lot. And the customer support seems good. I'll be ordering one as soon as my new tractor arrives.

Anther option is the Woodland Mills 8" chipper. Designed in Canada and made in China. Similar capacity and weight. I think that overall it may be a better design but there's a few features on it that don't appeal to me but that other people might like.

There are also videos on youtube of people running these chippers.

 

[newbury]

Do any of you own a Woodmax chipper product and can you give feedback as to your experience?
I searched here and found two threads, both of which asked a similar question and no one responded.
That is a concern to me because it sounds like no one owns one. It's been three years since those posts,
any new Woodmax chipper owners here? There is a Woodmax vs Wallenstein comparison to be done, but Woodmax seems
to provide huge value in an 8 inch hydraulic feed chipper for $2800 delivered. Their own top of the line US made chipper is $4,000
and is really the one I have my eye on.

Any Woodmax chipper feedback would be appreciated.

I investigated chippers in detail before I bought my Jinma.
Here's a link on a good discussion of the Woodmaxx.

In general you've got the straight off the boat Jinma type for $1500. This requires blade and belt replacement and refitting of parts, the paint job looks like a rattle can application by a 5 year old. The chute doesn't rotate (but rswyan is working on it )

The Woodmaxx china type it seems the sellers have taken a basic chinese chipper and either through quality control or fixing in the US have a much better chipper, plus they offer more support for an extra $500. Then they add hydraulics for more $$.

The Woodmaxx seems like a "modified" Jinma with great support. The Wallenstein line is almost the difference between a Harry Homeowner occasional use Woodmaxx and something built to be used for a business day in and day out.

You will probably enjoy the Woodmaxx 8H or better.

 

[747driver]

I posted a small review a few weeks ago on my new Woodmaxx 8H chipper. Its under the Attachment forum on page 3. Couldn't be happier with the machine.

 

[747driver]

This machine has been well designed to keep you away from the feed rollers !! Plus it doesn't pull the limbs in that fast but you still need to respect it.

 

[Budweiser John]

Owned a Woodmax 8H for 4 years now. No complaints.
I've never maxed out the advertised capacity as I think after a period of time the machine would self destruct and anything 3-4" or more is cut for fire wood. Salpings and branches with side limbs are swallowed up with no problem. Keep the knives sharp.

B. John

 

[daugen]

thanks guys, I have had poor luck using the search function. Will study all this carefully.
Two years ago I had a large concrete block firepit made, and it's almost full of ash now. Need a better solution than burning.

 

[daugen]

I've now read all the threads and it is very clear the Woodmaxx products are keeping their owners happy. The idea of jamming an 8 inch piece of oak trunk in any of these things is silly; like most of you, that's firewood! But I have a lot of pine here which I can't burn. Wondering if the pine pitch is a problem gumming up the blades/rollers/?.

I still have to make a decision on the 8H or the 8800. The 8800 is hydrostatic (another version of hydraulic right?) and has a lot less hoses, seems more compact, and built in US, plus it comes fully assembled. The lady I talked to said the advantages were not so much in how it chipped the wood, other than variable speed vs choice of set speeds, but the hydrostatic only used two gallons of fluid vs much more in the other one. Doesn't seem like a game changer to me. The real question is do I want to pay 1200 bucks more for made in USA. I think I do.

 

[hslogger]

Get whatcha want but you'll not find many if any dissatisfied Woodmaxx hydraulic chipper owners.
I sho'nuff like mine

 

[vsteel]

I love my Woodmaxx TM-86H and the people were always great to work with.

 

[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.