Chipper Jimma Chipper noise/replacment

[Slippy]

Wow! My first post to the site was in 2002. I have visited numerous time since then but this is my first post in a long time, and my, how things have grown. Impressive!
So I come to the great wealth of all you knowledgeable people here to see if anyone has an ideas about my Jimma Chipper. Its called a Farm Pro, but it is the same thing.
The noise is the sound of the back side of the fly wheel contacting the shroud. It is a clicking sound as if there is a high point on the fly wheel. I have checked all the bolts on the fly wheel, all good, and the shaft, bearings, etc. Nothing is loose that I can find.
I did have a couple of jams that required clearing the shroud. I saw the point of contact between one of the "wings" on fly wheel and the shroud when I took the discharge shoot off and was looking down at the fly wheel and turning it by hand. It catches enough to stop it from free spinning. My only guess is that the fly wheel is bent or the shroud. Nothing obvious though from visual inspection. Wondering is anyone has encounter a similar problem. Any yes, the blades are sharp. Just turned them recently.

I am also looking to replace the chipper. Had it about 13 years now and it has done a good job, but looking for a hydraulic more robust chipper. I have read most of the posts here about chippers, and as one poster put it, the subject of manual feed v hydraulic has been "beat to death". I will say that all the reading has brought me to the conclusion of a hydraulic chipper. Now its, which one. Lots of good reviews of the Woodmax, and some new stuff on the Woodland Mills. Wallenstien looks very solid, but seems over priced compared to similar stuff, and unless you buy the reservoir, you need tractor hydraulics, an exercise I would rather avoid. What I did not find was anyone who had two different manufacutures products such as Woodmax, Jimma, etc. I really am interested in one that will work quickly. I chip a lot of dead trees due to our Ash boor problem we have here in central Ohio. Took down or cut up/chipped about 50 trees last year, so my chipper gets a work out.

 

[Tractor Seabee]

Reflections on the 6" JINMA I just sold.

Can you see the rub spot? That may clue you in; might need a mirror to see it through one of the inspection ports. You would never bend that heavy flywheel. Not easy to bend the 2"+/- shaft either. Is a bearing block out of line? Maybe a worn bearing. I could visualize a jamb up twisting the frame. That appears to be the weak link in them; it is pretty light xconstruction compared to the inertia that flywheel develops. With a dial indicator you can check run-outs easily; to start the process of elimination. A piece of flat bar clamped down and a feeler gauge will substitute for a DI; just a little more cumbersome.

Ron

 

[Slippy]

I took the discharge shoot off. As I look down in at the fly wheel and spin it, as it comes around, one of the wings on the fly wheels contacts the shroud on the back side (toward tractor). It only contacts at that particular wing. Once past that wing, it free wheels (no contact). That to me means it is not an alignment problem or it would rub all the way around as it spins. I did reset the bearing blocks just to make sure they were fine. Shaft is not loose. Pully wheel and everything else seems tight. I have not taken the belts off yet and completely free turned the fly wheel. Perhaps that is the next step. Thank you so much for your reply.

 

[Tractor Seabee]

Watch your fingers around that flywheel. Once it is moving you cannot stop it; goodbye fingers. A misaligned shaft could only rub atone spot. There was a post not far back on problems with two piece belt sheaves. If not made up even all around that could cause misalignment also. Inertial stress could reflect through the light framework. Easy to detect with a dial indicator. I have see those sheaves come from the assembler misaligned. That was the first thing we checked when going through a new belt drive start up; W/O power applied naturally. Never trust an assembly line to get it right.

Ron

 

[Slippy]

I have been running this chipper for 13 years and frankly amazed at how well it has held up. I have replaced many of the parts, i.e., knuckle haft, belts, roller, knives. This problem has just developed. I cant imaging how a misaligned shaft could cause only scrping at one point unless something is bent. If everything else is true, I would thing it would rub constatly. But thanks again.