Troy Bilt PTO chipper

[wh500special 2,055]

Anybody ever use one of these chipper/shredder attachments for a Troy Bilt Horse tiller?

 

Likes? Quality?

 

I’m sure it’s a bit cumbersome to maneuver when hitched up, but it has some advantages over a standalone unit for what I want to do.

Thanks,

Steve

 

Edited January 29, 2022 by wh500special

[ebinmaine 63,278]

I have a Mckissick chipper. 

Not the same brand, I realize. 

As to the general nature of having a PTO driven chipper shredder, I highly recommend it.  

VERY powerful. A great tool for us to use reducing huge piles of firewood brush to being flat on the ground.   

 

 

 

 

[wh500special 2,055]

Ready for something funny?

 

I have one of those Merry Mac’s too.  But I forgot about it.  
 

But it doesn’t matter since mine is just a shredder without the chipper chute.  I was looking for the combo. 
 

Twenty years ago the guys on the WH yahoo forums were calling them “salad shooters.”
 

yours looks surprisingly capable.  And it’s shredding branches bigger than I thought it would.  I probably ought to mount it to something and try it.   
 

I found a video of a kid using the TB PTO model on YouTube and it seemed to be rather anemic in comparison.  The one I pictured is on our local Craigslist and has been there for quite a while.  Seemed cheap and nice so was interested but after seeing his video and yours I think maybe there is a better option than the TB. 
 

Thanks for the input!

 

steve

[8ntruck 6,400]

I've got a MTH type 5 hp chipper shredder.  With sharp chipper blades, it will eat up an inch and a half diameter branch.  It self feeds, too.  It is a chuck 'n duck.  You chuck the branch into the chipper and duck out of the way.

 

Halfway thinking of doing surgery and making it into a pto driven implement.  

Edited January 29, 2022 by 8ntruck

[ri702bill 7,363]

My son bought this mid 80.s Gard N Way Super Tomahawk chipper / shredder about 10 years ago. It came with a great running low hour 5 HP Tecumseh - not quite powerful enough to keep the rather expensive to replace centrifugal clutch from slipping under heavy load. Switched it out with a 7 HP Tecky - works great. Best part is it came with the detachable drawbar so it can be towed or tethered to a tractor. It needs to remain tethered to something when in use - if not, the harmonic resonance generated by the internal flail at 3600 RPM causes the entire unit to slowly spin in circles - no fun trying to load a moving target ....

Bill

[ebinmaine 63,278]

7 hours ago, wh500special said:

surprisingly capable

So here's the thing though Steve.  

That video was one of, or maybe the first time I'd used it.  

 

Those are VERY small branches compared to what the flippin BEAST will actually take in.  

 

Mental notes:

DO NOT wear any loose clothing..... Especially loose gloves!

 

 

At the top feed chute:

Softwoods up to a full inch diameter. Likely more. 

Hardwoods I self limit to "broomstick" size. 

Whatever length you can hold onto, just drop it in the top and

 

GET OUT OF THE WAY. 

It PULLS IN the top. 

 

 

At the side:

Softwoods up to 3" diameter will feed without even slowing the 16 HP engine down. 

Hardwoods of that size CAN be done with a little patience. 

The side chute is manually fed. It does NOT pull. 

 

I don't often feed hardwoods more than about 2, 2-1/2" because we burn that.  

 

 

7 hours ago, wh500special said:

probably ought to mount it to something and try it.   

 

7 hours ago, 8ntruck said:

Halfway thinking of doing surgery and making it into a pto driven implement

 

I HIGHLY recommend both of you do that.  

 

It's important to understand how HEAVY the chipper shredder is. 

What tractor you mount it on and how often you swap it out is a consideration not to be taken "lightly."  (sorry). 

 

My intention is to leave it mounted on my Cinnamon Horse C160 permanently. 

I do have a LOT of work to do with it and we have several tractors to choose from for other tasks.  

 

 

 

The only thing I still need to figure out is the belt drive. Note how long it is.  This particular unit has an 84" (?) 1/2" belt. It's correct for application but is on the outside edge of being stable. 

I've been thinking of trying to set up a couple extra flat idlers to get a better surround on the PTO pulley and stabilize the excess length.  

 

[gwest_ca-(File Mod) 10,513]

A spring loaded flat idler below and ahead of the pto would be ideal. As the load increases the belt gets sucked into the drive and driven pulleys and the tension idler would take up the extra belt under those conditions.

[ebinmaine 63,278]

1 hour ago, gwest_ca said:

A spring loaded flat idler below and ahead of the pto would be ideal. As the load increases the belt gets sucked into the drive and driven pulleys and the tension idler would take up the extra belt under those conditions.

Excellent. Thanks Gary.  

[JAinVA 4,619]

Dont think any WH could power this chipper since the disk alone weighs more than 900lbs. Up to 10" capacity.  That is Big Ugly with drawbar duty.

Edited January 29, 2022 by JAinVA

[ebinmaine 63,278]

5 minutes ago, JAinVA said:

Dont think any WH could power this chipper since the disk alone weighs more than 900lbs. Up to 10" capacity.  That is Big Ugly with drawbar duty.

Gonna need MO' Powah!!

[pkvandyke1@gmail.com 1]

I acquired a Troy-Bilt Horse PTO tiller a few years ago from my in-laws.  I helped my father-in-law uncrate and set it up brand new in 1987 and it's performed very well since I've got it.  I've been wanting one of the PTO shredders since I first saw them in the Troy-Bilt catalog, but I'm having zero luck locating one (I can find the ones with the B&S or Tecumseh engines, but I don't need the engine).  Is there a reason Troy-Bilt quit making the Tomahawk PTO chipper/shredders (quality, low demand, etc.) or are they just that difficult to find?  Any advice would help, and if I can get pointed towards someone who has a Tomahawk to sell, so much the better.

 

Thanks.

[ebinmaine 63,278]

15 hours ago, pkvandyke1@gmail.com said:

I acquired a Troy-Bilt Horse PTO tiller a few years ago from my in-laws.  I helped my father-in-law uncrate and set it up brand new in 1987 and it's performed very well since I've got it.  I've been wanting one of the PTO shredders since I first saw them in the Troy-Bilt catalog, but I'm having zero luck locating one (I can find the ones with the B&S or Tecumseh engines, but I don't need the engine).  Is there a reason Troy-Bilt quit making the Tomahawk PTO chipper/shredders (quality, low demand, etc.) or are they just that difficult to find?  Any advice would help, and if I can get pointed towards someone who has a Tomahawk to sell, so much the better.

 

Thanks.

 

 

 

 

Mackissick Mighty Mac is another great brand of chipper shredder. 

They were marketed as implements for several brands of garden tractors. 

 

If you find one for another brand the mount can be fabricated for a Wheelhorse.  

 

 

[Handy Don 10,656]

15 hours ago, pkvandyke1@gmail.com said:

I've been wanting one of the PTO shredders since I first saw them in the Troy-Bilt catalog, but I'm having zero luck locating one (I can find the ones with the B&S or Tecumseh engines, but I don't need the engine).  ... and if I can get pointed towards someone who has a Tomahawk to sell, so much the better.

 

34 minutes ago, ebinmaine said:

If you find one for another brand the mount can be fabricated for a Wheelhorse.  

 

 

A couple of members here (me included) have Tomahawk chippers and others have MacKissics. 

 

One very important difference between these is their rotation. Tomahawks spin clockwise and MacKissics turn counter-clockwise (looking from the drive pulley side on both). This makes it easy to put a MacKissic’s body in front of the tractor and drive it with the tractor PTO direct to the chipper input pulley.

 

A Tomahawk’s body would have to be offset to the operator’s right side for a direct drive belt connection. Most likely not mounted to the tractor and requiring careful positioning and means of keeping the drive belt protected and tensioned. If it was mounted to the tractor, there would have to be a jackshaft to carry the power from the tractor’s PTO on the right to the Tomahawk’s input pulley on the left (this is similar to the WH 1-stage snowblowers’ power train).

 

For these reason, I’ve never considered powering my Tomahawk from the Wheel Horse.

 

Edited April 27 by Handy Don
typos