Chipper Mods

[Short Game]

...(although I think everyone complains about the chips falling under the chipper). I can't complain as I knew that before I bought the machine.

One thing I noticed in the pictures Short Game has posted is he appears to do a lot of chipping! I'm going to guess he uses his chipper more then many residential/small farm owners do.

I lived with the chips blowing out on the ground for the first few months. I even spent that few months building my trailer dumping device just to deal with it. Even with that, it was still a pain getting them into the trailer, so then I built the blower. As many chips as I was making, I knew I would want more.

Between our combined pieces of property, I and my neighbors have quite a bit of woodlot. I get everyone's woodshed filled each year as a service project. This makes for lots of branches and brush to chip. At first I combined the chips with cow manure from a local farmer to make compost. The manure was so dirty and full of rocks that I stopped that and got given a fairly worn out sickle bar and started combining chips and fresh cut grass. That worked better anyway. Now we just top-dress with the chips.

I have an interest in learning to grow mushrooms. I have done shiitake logs, inoculated with sawdust spawn. But I want to try, along with more logs, growing them on plastic bags of chips.

This pic is from yesterday. I'm picking these after lunch. Those logs are four years old and I don't know for how much longer they'll produce. I am going to be making mushroom logs for my next try today. Should be better with a little experience under my belt.

 

[RoyJackson]

I lived with the chips blowing out on the ground for the first few months. I even spent that few months building my trailer dumping device just to deal with it. Even with that, it was still a pain getting them into the trailer

Just out of curiousity, why did you buy a chipper/shredder you knew dropped the chips under it?
When I bought my used Woods 5000, it was the nicest PTO driven chipper/shredder I could find for the money I budgeted ($1000-$1500). Can't say I really cared about the shredder part, but it is a lot handier then I expected.
My use is 4-8 hours chipping/shredding 3-4 times a year. My total amount of chips in a year might be what you get in one or two sessions, based upon the pictures you attached.
In retrospect, you probably didn't buy the best chipper for your needs. A Valby 140 or 160 would likely have been a better choice (more money though).

 

[Short Game]

Let's just say I started out ignorant and was about to learn something. Yes, as I said earlier, I would opt out of a shredder and the straight chippers mostly don't even need blowers.

Thirty eight years ago, I tried to borrow from a bank to get a shredder and a rear-tine tiller. The banker took one look at the hippies across his desk and sent us packing. I was reading my Mother Earth News and Organic Farming and Gardening and thought I had to have one. I eventually got a used gas powered five horse and learned what torture they are for a pitiful few chips. I gave that machine to a community garden group in town.

Still trying to get by on the land. The hair is cut short to keep it out of power tools. The pastures are now a top grade disc golf course. And my blood pressure is 110 over 70.

 

[Gordon Gould]

My experience is the same as Roy's. I bought my BearCat used about 6 years ago and have never had any trouble with it.
It's to bad that you are having so many problems - doesn't make sense to me.

 

[Short Game]

Maybe it's because it's color coordinated with your tractor.

You must have had to jump to get that pic with the chips still flying.

 

[teg]

What's the method for posting linking thumbnails?

Either click on the "paperclip" on the top line of the reply box... Or scroll down below the Submit Reply and Preview Post buttons to the Additional Options, to the Attach Files... click on "Manage Attachments"

 

[Short Game]

Either click on the "paperclip" on the top line of the reply box... Or scroll down below the Submit Reply and Preview Post buttons to the Additional Options, to the Attach Files... click on "Manage Attachments"

Ah. A mystery solved. Thank you. I've asked that question before and no one ever told me. Soon I may get the secret handshake and decoder ring.