The best PTO wood chipper for each tractor HP range. If your tractor has the PTO horsepower, a PTO chipper is the best capacity per dollar in this category.
PTO woodchippers run off your tractor’s PTO shaft instead of a dedicated engine. That’s why they dominate the capacity-per-dollar chart: you’re not paying for a second engine you don’t need. If your tractor has the PTO HP for one, a PTO chipper beats a gas-standalone chipper on almost every axis except portability.
The rankings below are grouped by tractor HP. Match your tractor’s rated PTO HP (roughly 85–90% of engine HP) to the chipper’s minimum, and stay within the recommended range.
Tell us what you’ll chip. We’ll calculate the minimum and comfortable HP, then match woodchippers from our reviews that fit your spec.
Reading: A 6-inch hardwood chipper needs 35 pto hp for comfortable sustained chipping. Tractor PTO HP is typically 10–15% lower than rated engine HP.
USA-made 8-inch PTO chipper with Woodmaxx's patented POW-R-TORQ™ hydrostatic infeed. Requires only 2 quarts of motor oil. 20 HP minimum, 7-year transferable warranty.
Best for20–50+ HP tractor owners who want USA-made 8-inch hydrostatic feed with a 7-year warranty.
8-inch dual-roller hydraulic-feed PTO chipper. Imported. Self-contained hydraulic system (no tractor hydraulics needed). Works from 19 HP; 50 HP for full 8-inch capacity.
6-inch hydraulic-feed PTO chipper and one of the most popular compact-tractor chippers in North America. 4 reversible blades, 360° chute, self-contained hydraulics.
USA-made 6-inch hydrostatic-feed PTO chipper with Woodmaxx's patented POW-R-TORQ™ infeed system. Lightest 6-inch hydraulic-feed PTO chipper in its class.
5-inch gravity-feed Wallenstein PTO chipper built on a 25-inch rotor. Most common Wallenstein pick for 30–45 HP compact tractors.
Entry-tier USA-made direct-drive gravity-feed 5-inch PTO chipper in the MX-Series, with Woodmaxx's 7-year warranty.
4-inch hydraulic-feed PTO chipper sized for subcompact tractors — the cheapest hydraulic PTO chipper in our coverage.
Woodland Mills' first gravity-feed PTO chipper — 5-inch capacity with patented Twin Flywheel Technology, sized for subcompact tractors.
8-inch hydraulic-feed PTO chipper — the largest in the Woodland Mills lineup and one of the cheapest 8-inch hydraulics in the category. Requires 35 HP minimum.
Flagship USA-made 9-inch PTO chipper — 'The Beast.' Patented POW-R-TORQ™ hydrostatic infeed, 225 lb flywheel, 4 offset A8 knives, fold-up infeed bin, 100% assembled on delivery. 25 HP minimum, 7-year transferable warranty.
10-inch gravity-feed flagship PTO chipper on a 36-inch rotor with 400 lb flywheel mass. Cat II hitch, 80–120 HP utility-tractor range.
The number that matters is rated PTO HP, not engine HP. Tractors lose 10–15% between the crankshaft and the PTO shaft. A 35 HP engine tractor typically produces around 30 PTO HP — right at the minimum for an 8-inch hydraulic chipper.
Rough sizing rule: 3–4 PTO HP per inch of max branch diameter. Also check your tractor’s 3-point hitch lift capacity. An 8-inch chipper weighs 1,100–1,400 lb; a 9-inch commercial unit pushes 1,600 lb.
Mechanical-feed chippers use gravity and infeed rollers driven by the chipper flywheel. They’re simpler, cheaper, and have fewer failure points. They also hang up on forked or crooked material.
Hydraulic-feed chippers use a dedicated hydraulic pump to pull the rollers. They handle messy brush better, offer reversible feed for jam recovery, and cost $500–$1,500 more than their mechanical equivalents. For property-cleanup buyers (most readers here) the hydraulic feed is worth the premium.
Kubota BX / B-Series (15–25 PTO HP): Woodland Mills WC46 (hydraulic 4-inch) or Woodmaxx MX-8500G+ (gravity 5-inch, longer warranty).
John Deere 1025R / 1-Series (18–22 PTO HP): Same subcompact tier — the WC46 fits hydraulic-feed buyers; the MX-8500G+ wins on capacity and 7-year warranty.
Kubota L / MX / John Deere 3-Series (30–45 PTO HP): Woodland Mills WC68 (6-inch value) or Woodland Mills WC88 / Woodmaxx WM-8H (8-inch hydraulic).
Head-to-head matchups: Woodland Mills vs Woodmaxx, WM-8M vs WM-8H, WM-8H vs WC88, MX-Series vs WM-Series, WC88 vs MX-8800, WM-8H vs MX-8800, best PTO for 30 HP tractor. See also every model ranked by price per inch of capacity and our PTO vs gas wood chipper guide.
