Picked up an Apache Wood Chipper

[sierradmax]

I purchased a wood chipper yesterday. It's an Apache 240C. Aside from the surface rust, which is cosmetic, the belts are good, the bearings move freely & have no play, the blades are sharp & have alot of meat on them. I think I scored for $400...

After doing some searching, I came across a topic which stated the unit was built in the 80's by a company called WW Grinder, who went out of business. Even further google search came across a website specifically for WW Grinder made products, including info for the 240C.
https://sites.google.com/site/wwgrinders/wwgrinder

However, the previous owner used it with his old Ford tractor who claimed it has 40hp and chewed through anything. I'm nervous about using it with my 17hp PTO B2320. In addition, should I use a PTO slip clutch?

 

[94BULLITT]

I think you did good. Is it self feeding? The pto shaft should have a shear bolt which should be grade 2, and you will not need a slip clutch unless you are constantly shearing it then I would upgrade to a slip clutch.

 

[Agent Blue]

I would certainly doubt the " chew through anything " part. I would say 2 to 3 " limbs would be the limit. To go through the heavy material one needs a flywheel close to 200#, four sharp cutters, and 50 hp at a minimum. At 17 hp your not going to chip large hardwoods. Good luck with your new attachment.

 

[s219]

That looks like a chipper/shredder to me -- if it works well, $400 is a great price!

It obviously doesn't have a big flywheel, so that will work against a smaller tractor. But I'd say start with 1" green limbs and work your way up until you get a feel for what works. How many blades are there?

Judging by the small intake cute for the chipper, this is not meant for big material -- it doesn't even have enough chute area to help bunch up branches. The best approach on a small tractor would be to strip limbs down, sending the main limb through the chipper and then the rest through the shredder. Keep your distance from the shredder, as they can really pull material in with a whoosh!

Let us know how it runs!

 

[sierradmax]

I have a large pile of oak, maple, & pine limbs from a clearing last fall. I'm going to give it a try this weekend. Upon further reading, the shear bolt is a 1/4-20 grade 8. I'm going to replace as I don't trust what's on there.

 

[s219]

If the chipper struggles on the old limbs, send some green wood through every now and then. It's tough on chippers when feeding older dry wood through. In fact, I'd caution that you should be careful if you see/smell any smoke!

 

[sierradmax]

I ran some brush through the chipper for the first time today. Anything over 2", you're wasting your time. Anything under, it works well. Obviously the larger pieces take more time. As for the tractor, it didn't even flinch. The chipped material is of a nice size, too. Perfect for mulching. Only dissapointment is the feeder. It doesn't suck the branches in the intake chute so you're left with a 12" piece "bobbing" around in there. Eventually, it gets chipped when feeding more material in. I'm going to put it through it's paces tomorrow.

 

[Ductape]

I had one of those years ago. I thought it was an excellent chipper / shredder for an average home owner. Obviously, its not for a guy who does alot of chipping. I would have the blade professionally sharpened, then set the blade to anvil clearance properly. This will make all the difference in how well it chips. If I remember correctly, i chipped 3 1/2 inch rock Maple regularly, and it did pretty well. I heat with wood, so larger stuff becomes firewood. If I were going to complain about anything, it would be that the infeed hopper on the chipper should be wider, as I did have to keep some loppers handy, and cut at the crotches that wouldn't fit. I always felt that the shredder worked fantastic. I wouldn't bother with a slip clutch, a proper shear bolt should work fine. I remeber with mine, I would frequently have to feather the clutch a little when engaging it, because the weight of the flywheel alone would shear the bolt. Youll find that most parts are 'off the shelf', so if you ever needed to replace a shaft, bearing, etc.... it shouldn't be a problem. When I owned mine, I needed to have a new anvil made by a machine shop. It cost me a whopping $25 to get one made from hardened steel. I think you did well on the price. I just saw one on CraigsList with an asking price of $900 , and it had been spray bombed orange. Honestly, I see no reason why these chippers shouldn't hold their value at $700+ for eternity. How much is a new DR PTO chipper?

I like that site you linked. I've never seen it before. I was surprised to see a picture of my chipper (attached to my old Yanmar tractor on the home page..... obviously lifted from TBN.

 

[Brian Miller]

I have the same chipper on a 28hp tractor & it has done everything I've asked of it. It could chip anything I could stuff down the hopper. I break shear bolts regularly but only when I engage the pto. I wish I could feather it, but that's not an option on my tractor.
However, don't put cardboard boxes in the shredder unless you remove the tape! Don't ask how I learned this.

 

[mag1]

I just picked up a Super Apache and am looking to have a new anvil and knives made up. The old anvil edge is very rounded over. Is there supposed to be a bevel on the edge?