The Best 3pt Wood Chippers for Your Tractor

If you need a PTO wood chipper with hydraulic infeed then here are your best options

Wood chippers are a valuable property maintenance tool, and can be especially useful when paired with a tractor. 

There are many models of PTO wood chippers, some featuring hydraulic feed while others use gravity feed, but the basic ideas are the same: match a compatible wood chipper to match the PTO output of your tractor.

Beyond that, there are many Woodland Mills wood chippers on offer with a range of features that can connect to your tractor's three point hitch. Let's discuss the basics of PTO wood chipping and which chipper is best for your setup.

An Introduction to Wood Chippers

Wood chippers are indispensable machines for anyone managing a property, farm, or commercial landscape. Whether you’re clearing a brush pile, turning tree limbs into mulch, or handling tree debris after a storm, a wood chipper makes the job faster and more efficient. These machines work by feeding branches and wood into a powerful mechanism that chips them into small, manageable wood chips, perfect for mulching or composting.

There are several types of wood chippers to consider, each designed for specific needs.

• • PTO wood chippers are ideal for tractor owners, harnessing the tractor’s PTO power to chip even the largest branches and tree debris. These chippers connect to your tractor via 3-point hitch.

  • Hydraulic feed chippers offer consistent feeding, making them a top choice for commercial use or anyone with a huge pile of material to process.

  • Gravity feed chippers, on the other hand, use the natural force of gravity to move material through the machine, making them a budget-friendly option for smaller jobs.

Both gravity and hydraulic feed chippers come in PTO compatible models.

When choosing the best wood chipper for your property, think about the chipping capacity you need, the feed rate, and the type of material you’ll be processing. The right chipper can make a huge difference in how quickly and safely you can turn branches and brush into useful mulch or wood chips, helping you maintain your land with less effort.

How do PTO wood chippers work?

PTO wood chippers connect to the 3-point hitch on the back of your tractor and are powered by a PTO shaft, which is connected to your tractor's PTO and powered by your tractor's engine.

The horsepower from your tractor applies power to the wood chipper, which spins the flywheel. When you feed material into the infeed chute, the hydraulic infeed rollers grip it and pull it into the flywheel. The sharp blades attached to the flywheel chip the material, which is then the thrown through the discharge chute.

PTO wood chippers work best on tractors with a live or independent transmission, and there are many models compatible with various horsepower ranges, so even small compact tractors can attach a chipper to their 3-point hitch and run them.

What is Twin Flywheel Technology?

Twin Flywheel is a patented technology unique to Woodland Mills PRO wood chippers, such as the TF810 PRO or the TF68 PRO models.

Typical wood chippers utilize paddles on the back of the flywheel to create airflow and send chips out the discharge chute. With Twin Flywheel, the functions of chipping and throwing are split among two flywheels: one dedicated to chipping the material and the other to spins at 2x the speed to throw materials out faster and farther. This also significantly increases the air flow, which helps carry difficult lightweight, wet, leafy, and coniferous material smoothly through the chip stream, reducing potential build-up.

This is great for landowners who want a consistent chipping experience regardless of the material they're feeding.

What's the difference between hydraulic infeed and gravity-assist infeed?

Most PTO wood chippers feature hydraulic feed, where hydraulic-powered infeed rollers grip the tree limbs and deliver them to the flywheel. This self-feeding system makes for an easier experience for the operator, who just needs to feed material to the rollers and let them do the work.

Gravity-assist infeed, featured on models like the TFG55 PTO, use a hybrid approach of a steep-angled chute and gravity to deliver material directly to the flywheel. This is a more economical system that's more budget-friendly, but may require more prep work from the operator depending on the materials they intend on feeding.

What wood chipper models are compatible with my 3-point hitch?

All Woodland Mills PTO wood chippers, such as the TF68 PRO or WC68, attach via a 3-point tractor hitch. The TFG55 GAS, Woodland Mills' gas chipper, does not attach to a 3-point hitch and can be attached to an ATV or tractor via a ball hitch.

What PTO wood chipper models are compatible with my tractor?

There are a few steps we'll follow to find out which Woodland Mills wood chipper is compatible with your tractor's PTO HP. First:

• • Check the PTO output of your tractor. This may differ from your tractor's engine horsepower output.

  • Check Woodland Mills' wood chippers PTO compatibility. Each chipper features a compatibility range (for example, the TFG55 PTO is compatible with tractors between 12 to 30 HP).

  • Select the largest model that's compatible with your tractor's PTO output.

The reason we suggest to pick the largest model your tractor can accommodate is so that you're able to make the most of your tractor's horsepower. Selecting a model whose maximum input caps out below your tractor's horsepower output means you aren't able to get the maximum chipping ability your tractor can offer. Pick a model that's too big and your tractor won't meet the minimum specs and you won't get the right horsepower to chip properly.

The best approach is to select the largest model that your tractor can lift, and is on the higher end of the compatibility range. For example for owners of large tractors with 80 HP at the PTO, you'd want to go with the TF810 PRO Wood Chipper, which is compatible with outputs between 35 and 100+ HP.

Having a tractor with an appropriately sized wood chipper attached gives you the most horsepower to chip through your brush pile and make the most of your PTO power.

What is the best wood chipper for me?

So what's the best 3-point wood chipper for your tractor's PTO so you can deal with tree debris across your property? Here's what you need to know.

For tractor owners whose PTO output is between:

15 and 30 HP: The TFG55 PTO is a great small wood chipper model that's budget friendly, though other small-sized models, the WC46 or TF46 PRO are larger and can chip through larger branches.

20 to 50 HP: While the WC46 and TF46 PRO will work with tractors with PTO outputs up to 30 HP, if you're in the 30-50 HP range you may want to consider the WC68 and TF68 Wood Chippers.

50 HP or higher: If your tractor can lift it the WC88 or TF810 PRO Wood Chippers are great models, able to chip material up to 8" in diameter easily.

Remember that the size of wood chipper you pick makes a huge difference, so select the model that makes the most of your PTO horsepower and can be lifted by your tractor.

What else should I get with my new PTO wood chipper?

Looking for accessories or parts to bundle with your wood chipper purchase? Here are some suggestions:

• • The maintenance kit comes with additional belts and chipper blades.

  • The chainsaw holder is great for mobile chipping, ensuring your chainsaw is always on hand.

  • The custom-fitted nylon wood chipper cover helps protect your wood chipper from the elements while in storage

  • The tow hitch kit is helpful for those who want to tow a trailer behind their chipper