MacKissic Review

[RalphVa]

I used my MacKissic on the 3 pt hitch of my JD 4010 this morning to do a couple piles of stuff.

It worked better than either the MacKissic that I had for my Gravely and my Troy Bilt Tomahawk. Fed leaves better than the Troy Bilt, like the other MacKissic but still needed a stir with a stick unless you dribbled them in along one side of the chute. It has more moxie than either one. At one point I cut off a 2" diameter limb that I could barely lift, because of its length and fed it into the chipper chute. No problem.

One thing that I need to work on is how to shut it down. Turning off the PTO at speed caused belt squeak. Powering down quickly with PTO on also caused belt squeak. Think the best solution may be to either power down slowly and then turn off the PTO or to turn off PTO and slip the selector into the front PTO slot, to not cause any drag on the rear PTO.

One thing that I wish they'd done is to put the dual Cat 0/Cat 1 hitch pins opposed at each location like the Frontier RB folks did. The little Cat 0 pins are a little close in and require some Cat 0/Cat 1 bushings, which I bought at TSC ahead of time. The top connection is also the 1/2" Cat 0, requiring a 3rd bushing. Pretty sure it isn't iMatch compatible.


Now, I'll be able to simply pull the Mac up to my bed out front and to cut and chip those large flowers stalks left over right in place. Don't want them on my compost pile because of all their seeds. Didn't get around to that this morning.

Ralph

 

[Cliff_Johns]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( One thing that I need to work on is how to shut it down.)</font>

I reduce the RPM to idle, then just turn off the PTO. The belt squeaks a little, but no harm done.

Which Mac do you have?

Glad it's working for you.

Cliff

 

[RalphVa]

I've the Mighty Mac. Don't have the owner's manual yet. Dealer ordered another one. Couldn't find the one they were supposed to have for it. Got $100 off on it, because they'd used it to demo to all the sales people recently, only $1600.

Another problem I had is the JD 4010 requires the seat to have weight on it to actuate the PTO. I use a tension cord to pull down on it.

Ralph

 

[Cliff_Johns]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Another problem I had is the JD 4010 requires the seat to have weight on it to actuate the PTO. I use a tension cord to pull down on it. )</font>

I would have expected that if you tilted the seat forward there would be a little knob there. If you pull up on the knob, then start the PTO, it should work fine without anyone sitting on it.

Doesn't you're tractor have such a knob?

Cliff

 

[RoyJackson]

"Another problem I had is the JD 4010 requires the seat to have weight on it to actuate the PTO. I use a tension cord to pull down on it."

Read your manual again, Ralph...I think you should be able to operate the PTO while off the seat. There should be a safety switch under the seat.
Read your manual for the correct process.

 

[RalphVa]

The manual clearly states that there has to be someone on the seat while the PTO is actuated. However, I'll check to see if I have a knob.

The tension cords work pretty well: no false kills while operating the Mac. I always have the tension cords. Use them to keep the turnbuckles tight. All I have to do is to fasten one to the back of the seat instead of onto the ROPS frame.

Ralph

 

[OlyRick]

That's my only complaint with the MacKissic chipper/shedder, is the cat 0 and 1 hitch. They did supply the bushings to convert to a cat 1 size pins. The top pin was a real pain since you kind of needed 3 hands to get it to go all together. I fixed this with a 3/4" drill bit. I think I will spot weld the bushings onto the lower pins.

On the kubota the seat flips forward to allow use of the pto with out sitting on the seat.

 

[RalphVa]

Cliff/Roy,

Found the black knob on my 4010. It doesn't work when pulled up; does when pushed down, which is what the seat pushes on when sat on. I've sent a note to my dealer asking him whether it's supposed to on the 4010. Also posted on the JD operating forum and asked this, to see if any other 4010 owners have used it successfully.

Ralph

 

[RalphVa]

I've done more work with the Mac. Cleaned up flowers and pruned some bushes in front of the house. 'Twas nice to be able to take it right to where the stuff was. Didn't want to put the flower stuff anywhere else because of the seeds.

Then, I thinned out a persimmon grove down along the creek. Some of those were a tad larger than the 3 1/2" that it is supposed to take. I just chipped them down to where they wouldn't feed and then tossed them. Only once did I have to stop the machine due to a problem. One of the pieces jammed at the bottom of the chipper chute. Had to stop the machine to reach down there and wiggle it just so to get it out. On the Troy Bilt, I probably would have had to stop it, remove the screen any number of times due to problems.

Am pursuing the seat button problem with the dealer and through the JD operating forum. Taped it down and/or used a tension cord to hold the seat down.

Got a copy of the owner's manual. They say to inspect and maybe sharpen the chipper blade at 8-10 hours. I've probably about 6-8 on it.

Oh, the Troy Bilt is for sale. Sold the Gravely MacKissic.

Ralph

 

[RalphVa]

Did some more work on the Mac and finally had to remove the screen to get an errant piece of wood that was stuck in it making some noise but otherwise not causing any harm.

The Mac screen is a lot lighter weight than the very heavy ones on my old Troy Bilt. The one on the Mac for my Gravely was similarly light. The Mac screens bend a little when you pull a pin at one end. It makes getting the pin back in a little harder than on the Troy Bilt, as you have to spring the screen a little bit to align with the pin.

Everything on the Mac is actually lighter weight than similar metal parts on the Troy Bilt. The Troy Bilt is built like a tank by comparison. Think the hammer assembly is virtually the same and probably the chipper blade. These are very heavy.

Looks as though the rods on the hammer assembly are held in place by cotter pins. These ought to be easier than the troublesome roll pins that hold the rods in place on the Troy Bilt. The spacers on the Troy Bilt rods were maybe a tad light, as some of those would occasionally get bent a little. The ones on the Mac look similar.

Shredded up 3 more truckloads of leaves this afternoon. Got quite a compost pile, and it's cooking already.

Attached is a pic. The pile behind the Mac is about 2' higher now.

Ralph