[HodgeLodge]

I searched and found most all post about chippers were related to pto driven chippers. I’ve been thinking about pto vs gas. I’m leaning to Woodmaxx but their new model that will work for the 1025 is not available for who knows how long. With the gas powered I am thinking it would be easier for my wife to use, both moving it around with the tractor and using it stationary without the tractor. I am also thinking her and I could double up the work. While one of us is chipping, the other could be running the tractor using the FEL to move the chips.
What pros and cons can you all share that have experience with either gas or pto driven chippers? Thanks

 

[VelvetFoot]

I have this one and I like it: https://www.woodmaxx.com/TM-86H-PTO-Wood-Chipper-p/tm-86h.htm

All the gas powered chippers I had were crap, except an old Tomahawk, I think.

Mine WoodMaxx spends most of its time in the garage, so it's a good think it's pretty compact.

 

[JamesRich]

I debated the same thing. The gas powered was cheaper and available locally. I wish I would have gone with the PTO chipper! the PTO chipper feeds it's self the gas powered don't! My gas powered has a hopper on top for small branches and leaves but things rarely just drop in. I usually have to push it with another stick. The larger branches up to 3" must be pushed in a lower chute, which after a half hour of this my back is killing me! The last time I cleared I just piled it up and burned it. I'd prefer making mulch for the garden but it's too much work. I watch videos of the PTO chippers, guys just tossing anything in the chute and it's gone.
James

 

[Upset264]

I have a Woodland Mills WC46 and it works well with my 1025R. At times I've thought I would have been better off with a stand alone chipper. It's big and heavy on the back of the small tractor and limits what you can do with the tractor. As you point out you can't use the tractor to carry chips away, or to bring wood to the chipper. However the nearly horizontal input and self feed are a huge advantage, especially for older guys like me.

 

[HodgeLodge]

I should have mentioned originally that the gas powered chipper I’m looking at is the WoodMaxx DC-1260. From the videos it looks pretty efficient.

 

[Sundancer268]

Times Two on the Woodland Mills WC46 on my 1026R. I just removed it Wednesday as I start setting up for the coming Winter Season.

 

[Guja0501]

I don't have a chipper, but along similar lines I have a log splitter. It's gas powered and I like it because it frees up the tractor to move logs to get ready to cut. We also have a Ranger so the vehicle situation is in our favor.

More to your point:
We double up on the work too. I'll run the splitter and the Wife will stack split wood. If by chance we can con a friend to help, then the 3rd person can get more logs/wood ready. It makes pretty quick work of those jobs.

Some of the comments above are pretty strong for the PTO chipper, I can't deny that.

Let us know what you end up with!

 

[JimR]

the PTO chipper feeds it's self the gas powered don't!

I have a PTO powered chipper that isn't self-feeding. Making blanket statements like this will pretty much always get one into trouble. SOME PTO chippers are self-feeding (or have a self-feeding option). You can also get that as an option on some stand alone gas power chippers too.

 

[Dr Maphesto]

I agree with the folks favoring the PTO model.
If you were close, you could borrow my gas engine chipper and see for yourself which fits your needs best.

 

[hosspuller]

Unlike many things... A bigger chipper is easier to use than a smaller chipper. By use, I mean feeding branches into a machine to process it into chips. The bigger feed opening allows less trimming. More Hp allows faster feeding.
Then cost... equal sized chippers... A PTO chipper will be less cost because the engine is the most expensive part. I already own a good sized engine (in the tractor), A PTO chipper uses it.

I purchased a chipper to avoid handling branches multiple times. The PTO chipper allows that.

 

[VelvetFoot]

While I didn't look at video, that WoodMaxx gas powered chipper seems pretty substantial.
Again, it will consume more storage space, if that's an issue.
Also, chippers typically don't shred, if that's what you're looking for.

 

[HodgeLodge]

While I didn't look at video, that WoodMaxx gas powered chipper seems pretty substantial.
Again, it will consume more storage space, if that's an issue.
Also, chippers typically don't shred, if that's what you're looking for.

[mention]VelvetFoot [/mention] What are the differences in chipping vs shredding?

 

[Dr Maphesto]

Also, chip as you cut.
Do not let the branches dry out. Dry branches are much harder to chip and I suspect that they dull the blades much faster as well.

 

[JimR]

What are the differences in chipping vs shredding?

The size of the "stuff" that ends up in the pile when you're done. My chipper will typically chop up a branch into 2" x 3" chunks. A shredder has a screen in it that feeds those back into the machine until the pieces are chopped up small enough to fit through the screen. Screen sizes vary but something like a 1"x1" or 3/4" x 3/4" isn't unusual. The shredder's output looks more like large sawdust.

 

[VelvetFoot]

If you're putting tiny branches through it, the leaves might get through unscathed.

 

[mark02tj]

I currently have a WoodMaxx MX-9900 PTO powered chipper. It is GREAT! Hydraulic feed is definitely the way to go! Before that I had a BearCat PTO powered chipper/shredder. It was also a beast but was manually fed. Definitely a lot more work to operate than the WoodMaxx.

Sometimes I wish I had a gas powered model, but if I went that route, I would definitely go bigger than the WoodMaxx DC-1260 that you're looking at. Here's a link to BearCat's gas powered chipper page:

Chippers | Product categories | Crary Bearcat Products

www.bearcatproducts.com

Based on my experience between a manual feed (pushing into a chute) and a hydraulic feed, I'd definitely want the hydraulic feed. So much easier and less strenuous to operate. But, to go that route, you're looking at a LOT more money than you would with a PTO powered unit.

The reason that I'd want the gas powered unit would be to use the tractor the load bigger, longer logs into the feed chute than I can comfortably handle by hand (since I'm an old, out of shape, gray haired guy). My WoodMaxx will handle up to 9", but I generally don't feed more than a 6" (most stuff is smaller than that) log into it. It would be nice to use the forks to help load longer, heavier stuff without having to cut it into smaller pieces.

I've never wanted a separate unit for hauling away the chips. Usually I'm chipping in the same part of the yard and just add to the chip/mulch pile. And, even when I'm chipping in the woods, I just let it pile up and then move the chips when I'm done. You're generally not building a chip pile so fast that someone has to keep up on it during the process.

 

[VelvetFoot]

I've chipped into a little garden trailer pulled by my lawn tractor. That worked out well.

 

[RalphVa]

Have a WM WC46 on the 2025R. It kinda loafs along at 2,500 rpm with hydraulic speed at mid range. The 1025R nor 2025R will not handle a larger unit: too heavy. Can put the stub end of a tree into it, and it'll just gobble it up.

Had a gas Tomahawk for 10 years. A BEAST to maintain. Bought a MacKissic TPH-122 and used it for 16 years on 4010, 1025R and 2025R; easy to maintain. Think I stopped it ONE TIME in 16 years vs. many times on the Tomahawk. My source of leaves dried up; so, I went to a chipper only. Also needed a chipper that does not require high lift to get limbs/trees into it.

The WM WC46's hydraulic feed has stopped me a half dozen times last season. Out with the crowbar to lift the feed roller, etc. Plugged up dischange a couple of times due to trying to chip small, green vines.

I just make a pile of chips and scoop them up with the FEL when done and take up to my compost pile.

 

[NH0336]

I have a WoodMax TM-86H on my Gen2 2025r. Night and day over the gas powered DR that I upgraded from. The DR I had was smaller than the WoodMax gas that is being considered. That said, the hydraulics of the WoodMax allows for a significant increase in efficiency.

If I position the branches and the tractor correctly, I am loading the infeed; walking back to pile and reloading the infeed continually with no downtime and it is really efficient. I don't need to tend to the manual gravity feed hopper like my previous DR.

My wife quickly grew comfortable with the WoodMax too. With two of us loading the hopper we can really keeping it humming and get through some big piles pretty quick. A few times with both of us loading the hopper we were really in sync and piles "disappeared". I have also found that the hydraulics and the efficiency allow me to handle the tasks a one man team in instances where previously it took two of us.

I blow the chips onto the ground or into a garden trailer with a tarp lining it or into really big Tyvek type debris bags that I get on Amazon and then I can get the chips where I want them pretty easily. I find that I usually run the chipper till I am done then move the chips to their final location. If I fill the trailer or the bags then I stop and move the chips and then resume. Everyone has their own style of work and flow of work that works them and their "team" but I find handling as two separate task is more efficient for me given the increased efficiency from the hydraulics on the WoodMax.

One recommendation - get a small powered handheld pruning saw if there are a lot shoots off of the wood or "Y" in the branches. The more long straight pieces going through, the faster the process and fewer instances of branches whipping around the hopper. I use a Stihl GTA 26. There are few threads around about that saw and similar offerings by Milwaukee and others. You can probably find something that works for you in your preferred battery platform.

 

[arnoha]

I don't have a chipper, but along similar lines I have a log splitter. It's gas powered and I like it because it frees up the tractor to move logs to get ready to cut. We also have a Ranger so the vehicle situation is in our favor.

More to your point:
We double up on the work too. I'll run the splitter and the Wife will stack split wood. If by chance we can con a friend to help, then the 3rd person can get more logs/wood ready. It makes pretty quick work of those jobs.

Some of the comments above are pretty strong for the PTO chipper, I can't deny that.

Let us know what you end up with!

I had to make this decision on a gas or PTO splitter. In my thread on that, I discovered that the consensus was pretty universal with the splitter to go gas powered, so that's what I did. It turns out it's not the same comparison with chippers. Some of the same people are that swung me to a gas, towed splitter are recommending PTO chippers here. Turns out they're pretty different machines with quite different needs. For reference, I have gas for both my chipper and splitter. I'm very happy with the splitter and my choice. Not so much the chipper; it will be PTO when this one breaks for good, which it undoubtedly will. Or maybe I get fed up sooner than that and just splurge.

The PTO splitter is always hydraulic. That means you're either feeding it from the tractor's pump or from a pump on the PTO. The tractor pump splitters require the tractor have a hydraulic feed, like power beyond. Our small tractors produce plenty of power, but very low flow rates. That means abysmally slow splitting for this style. On the upside, they're somewhat reasonably priced. Moving the pump onto the PTO means a pump much more suited to the task, but raises the cost a surprising amount, making it fairly uneconomical. And, as you noted, you also end up with a tractor that can't help you, since it's busy. Basically, the splitter needs only a modest amount of power, but a very specific pump design to work well. That keeps the engine price low and you end up having to buy the pump either way to get something reasonable.

The chipper is a different story. It's mechanical, so much more suited to the mechanical PTO. Yeah, there's often a hydraulic feed, but its needs are really small. A chipper will absorb all the power you can throw at it; it's very hungry for horses. Some of the big units towed behind the chip trucks will have bigger diesels driving them than in the truck towing it! So, buying the right size gas engine will be pricey, making it more economical to use the powerful engine you already have on the tractor. It's what bugs me most about my gas chipper: you need to be very careful how you feed it, lest you stall and jam it and spend 10+ minutes unjamming it. The diesel power curve is also better suited to the work than what you get with gas.