I'm just curious if anyone has gone beyond the standard mods with these chippers. I'm kinda a reliability/convenience freak with anything I get into. For example, I bought my Jinma (actually a Farm Pro from Homier but identical to the Jinma) in the fall of 2005 but started using it only in March 2007 because I didn't want to start using it and then have it break down in the middle of a job. What I intended to do was control the chipper with hydraulics. I still plan to do that but time has been limited. So, I decided that I needed to go ahead and do something with it and start using it. I started my mods the 1st of March and finished them within a few days. They were pretty simple so they went very fast. They included replacing the standard knub drive shaft things with #6 universal joints and sliding bar. This required moving the gear reduction drive farther away from its normal location but I would have to do that anyway when I add the hydraulic motor to it later. So, it was one step towards the hydraulic mod. The drive belt is now 53 inches instead of the original 36 inches so I also added an idler pulley in line so that the belt would not flop too much. I added a steel plate (14 gauge sheetmetal) over the drive pulley and part of the belt to keep chips off the belt and out of the pulley. I added roller bearings to the drive feed disengagement clutch. I didn't like the idea of bolts rubbing against the clutch mechanism (even for a short time) while it was turning. For convenience (since my storage is limited) I added the capability of flipping the feed chute up and over the chipper where it can be permanently stored during non-use times. This was a really simple mod that reduced the amount of room needed to store the chipper by about 2-1/2 feet in the rear. Flipping it up or down can be accomplished in less than one minute (most of which is taken up by either removing or installing the two bottom attachment bolt/nut sets).
I've been using the chipper every day since I finished the mods. I have not had the first problem with the chipper. I would estimate around 80 to 90 hours of use. I have been doing the recommended maintenace and it appears to be right-on. The original blades were resharpened until no longer useful and I am now on my second set of blades. This was expected and seems reasonable for the amount of work done. I find that the chipper is a very heavy duty basic design that is easily modified and with regular maintenance should last for years.
I'll post some photos of my mods if anyone is interested. I would be really interested to hear about (and see) your mods.
Terry
I've been using the chipper every day since I finished the mods. I have not had the first problem with the chipper. I would estimate around 80 to 90 hours of use. I have been doing the recommended maintenace and it appears to be right-on. The original blades were resharpened until no longer useful and I am now on my second set of blades. This was expected and seems reasonable for the amount of work done. I find that the chipper is a very heavy duty basic design that is easily modified and with regular maintenance should last for years.
I'll post some photos of my mods if anyone is interested. I would be really interested to hear about (and see) your mods.
Terry