Chipper Mods

[o2batsea]

Scary.

 

[Short Game]

...(stuff falls below the chipper).

That was my main issue with not having a blower. I made a 3PH device that would tow the trailer and also would hydraulically lift the trailer tongue from 12 to 62 inches off the ground. Great for dumping, but every load had to be scooped and shoveled into the bucket and loaded into the disconnected trailer. Then the trailer had to be re-hitched and hauled away. When I came back for the next load, I had to disconnect the trailer on a jack stand to load it and repeat the process.

That's why I decided to build the blower.

 

[Short Game]

o2batsea?

Scared of what?

I too liked my sea time.

 

[o2batsea]

Scary that junk like this gets to market and the buyer is stuck with an unusable pile. He has to reengineer the thing just so he can use it. Maybe more sad than scary.
A proper chipper shouldn't need an add on blower.

 

[RoyJackson]

Scary that junk like this gets to market and the buyer is stuck with an unusable pile. He has to reengineer the thing just so he can use it. Maybe more sad than scary.
A proper chipper shouldn't need an add on blower.

As I'd written in earlier posts, Bearcat makes a fine chipper and the model he has is a good unit for residential/small farm use. However, it isn't a commercial grade machine.
Short Game knew when he bought the chipper that the chips fell under it. Perhaps he should have bought one with a blower/chute.
As an owner of the same chipper/shredder (although mines was sold by Woods Equipment), I know what I'm writing about.

In fact, Short Game's post is the first one I've read of problems with the Bearcat chippers.

 

[Short Game]

In fact, Short Game's post is the first one I've read of problems with the Bearcat chippers.

Lucky me.

That problem of the chips in the reserve blade edges says a lot. Here are the details of what happened there, Roy. Since you have the same machine, and assuming you service your own blades, you should be able to understand this. You know the shallow reliefs that the four double edged blades bolt into? They are obviously ground or cut into the flywheel. The stone, or cutting head (I'm guessing it was a stone), had become rounded, so the cross-section of the relief, at the point where the reserve blade edge was to lay against the flat of the bottom of the relief, was ground into a quarter-round profile, not square. The reserve edge was lifted away from the flat. When they were tightened down, the hardened steel edges were simply snapped off. Somebody really dropped the ball on that for sure.

Then the misalignment of the drive pulleys was insult to injury, resulting in the premature failure of, and destruction of, both belts. All it took was a straightedge (and two new belts) to fix it, but that should have been right in the first place.

The cob job on making the blower impeller was so bad as to be unbelievable. Since I bought the impeller several months after the chipper/shredder, I have to think that eliminates the "bad day" hypothesis.

Hard to believe I got hit with all three of those and it wasn't the norm at Bearcat in 2003. $2300 bucks for the chipper/shredder, and $115 for the impeller in 2003, was a big bite for this old man. Then on top of that, the dealer treated me like crap for my troubles. That most likely sent me somewhere else when I bought my next tractor. So it goes. I now have a blue tractor, and not a green one.

 

[grsthegreat]

I find that if the blades and the cutting block on my Jimna are aligned with a dimes width between everything works great and the chips blow and pile as they are supposed to.

Nut over time if i don't maintain that spacing, i can get large chunks trying to jamb the works. As long as the spacing is maintained though, no problems.

I have seen someone in this site that has made a nice razor sharp feed roller for their Jimna that i wouldn't mind having......... looks like it would grab the smaller branches with ease, but my factory feed roller does pretty good.

 

[RoyJackson]

Lucky me.

That problem of the chips in the reserve blade edges says a lot. Here are the details of what happened there, Roy. Since you have the same machine, and assuming you service your own blades...

I pull the blades, but send them out for sharpening.

I am sorry to read about your problems though...

 

[Short Game]

I pull the blades, but send them out for sharpening.

Aren't sharp blades the cat's meow? What a difference they make.

I've been filing and grinding and sharpening stuff for 40 years. I ran into all the right old-timers when I left LA without a clue to come up to the Washington Coast. I had a natural talent for making things dull and then running them that way. The old guys had to get me turned around.

 

[RonMar]

I find that if the blades and the cutting block on my Jimna are aligned with a dimes width between everything works great and the chips blow and pile as they are supposed to.

Nut over time if i don't maintain that spacing, i can get large chunks trying to jamb the works. As long as the spacing is maintained though, no problems.

I have seen someone in this site that has made a nice razor sharp feed roller for their Jimna that i wouldn't mind having......... looks like it would grab the smaller branches with ease, but my factory feed roller does pretty good.

A dime by the way is about .045". I have heard the dime trick before, but when I measured one and found it measured at 45 thousandths, I opted for the feeler gauges. I set mine around .022". I guess set so a dime just won't fit would also be pretty close to 30 thousandths, but how much under .045" you get would be a guess... If you were working with large pieces or hard woods, a dime sized gap might really load up the rotor/cutters...

I welded some on my roller teeth and reground them sharper and that makes a big difference on how well it feeds and eats material.