Wood Chipper

[MBDiagMan]

Thanks for the video link. As much as I would like to have one, at that kind of money I will just have to keep burning brush.

 

[rswyan]

What type of 'upgrades' do they need?

1. The stock OEM v-belt that runs the feed drum gearbox is junk - smoked mine in less than 10 hours of use. The gear oil supplied is also questionable and should be changed immediately when you get the machine.

2. On earlier models at least, the little driveshaft that runs the feed roller drum uses a funky ball-n-socket type universal joint (which is prone to destroying itself, if not properly lubricated) on the gearbox end of the shaft. Stock replacements are available for relatively cheap ..... $20 ?

My solution was to cut off the u-joint and weld on a 3/8" drive impact universal from Harbor Freight, which is working great after probably 50 hours of use. Others have had small driveshafts made up which use actual standard cross-type universal joints. I believe at least one online reseller does this as a matter of course, on all units they offer for sale.

3. The feed roller drum does not always grab the wood being fed in as good as it could ... this is something I haven't addressed yet ..... but will.

4. At least one individual added a foot-operated mechanism to raise the feed roller drum (which is spring-loaded) when feeding in large material. This is on my "to do" list.

5. IMHO, the feed chute on the unit could stand to be wider at the mouth, with a taper leading into the chipper disc. Also on my "to do" list.

6. I need to add some skids (PT Lumber) on the base of my unit to raise it slightly when resting on the ground, hooked to the tractor - to get a better angle for the driveshaft. As it is now, I block it up whenever I use it. This would also make the unit less prone to tipping when not attached to the tractor.

There are probably a number of other (relatively minor) issues that could be addressed to make the unit a better machine.

As Roy points out, if you want a great quality chipper buy an American or Canadian .... the only thing that he forgot to mention was that you should be prepared to pay anywhere from 2x to 4x for such a unit with similar features to these Chinese chippers ...... unless you have the good fortune to find one in good condition, used, for a song somewhere ......

 

[jml755]

"unless you have the good fortune to find one in good condition, used, for a song somewhere ...... "

Hard to find stuff for a "song" anymore. :laughing: But... I paid under $2k for a Busy Beever, trailer mounted 23hp 6" chipper (obviously used). It's 6" capacity but I've never put anything that big in it. The opening would probably do a 6" dia branch, but the biggest I've done is about 4". Why? Because the bigger stuff will bounce around and whack you in the hands,, head etc. as it's feeding. Yes, it has a reversing hydraulic power feed which works pretty good. Larger than 4" and I'm using it for firewood.

Haven't used it that much lately because I've been clearing land (brush, trees) where I use both my chainsaw and my 13 hp DR Brush Mower. After I run my chainsaw along the limbs of a felled tree and cut the trunk into firewood sized pieces, I just run my Brush Mower through the limbs laying on the ground. Does a fair job of mulching the leaves, twigs, etc. For stuff that's in between Mower and firewood size, I've been stacking in a pile and will just spend a day or so with the chipper this winter.

 

[rswyan]

Hard to find stuff for a "song" anymore. :laughing:

Indeed ....

But... I paid under $2k for a Busy Beever, trailer mounted 23hp 6" chipper (obviously used). It's 6" capacity but I've never put anything that big in it. The opening would probably do a 6" dia branch, but the biggest I've done is about 4". Why? Because the bigger stuff will bounce around and whack you in the hands,, head etc. as it's feeding.

Sounds like a good score ..... provided that it is a disc-type chipper and not a "chuck-n-duck" drum-type chipper ......

In hindsight, I think something like a small trailer mounted unit like you have is a better way to go .... provided that you can pick it up a good price .... mostly because it frees the tractor for other things .....

 

[chopped]

Goodness, Thanks so much for the info Its amazing to see these are the small things that go wrong, glad they can be fixed for faily small money
BUT overall, I dont think Id want to have to make the repairs myself on something brand new.
Sure do appreciate it, I have ruled out the el cheapo ones now.
and the others will be a bit more than I can afford. .I dont burn anymore, but have a cliff that I drop it over...
Thanks again for the replies.

 

[jml755]

yeah, it's a disc type with 2 knives (180 deg apart). I'll probably use it a little more now that I'm putting a ball on my tractor. That will allow me to leave the chipper at the pile attached to the tractor and chip into the bed of my p/u. Then I can drive the p/u to where I want to spread the chips. I've used the chips on paths through my woods to keep them from getting muddy. I'd like to get a little bigger one, with a larger engine, like the commercial tree services use. But the wife thinks this is big enough.

As for the video that was linked to earlier, the pto unit seems to run about the same as mine. HP is probably comparable. I would question the last portion where they claim a 5" branch being chipped. That limb looked smaller than 5" and you only get a quick glance at the beginning of the sequence of the "fat" end. And as you can see, it took a little while and some effort to get that through it. So, it's not going to chew up 6" limbs/trunks lickety-split, all day long.

Also, a chipper of this size WILL tire you out if you're fighting the knarly stuff and you haven't cut it up to fit into the hopper as the video alludes to. I did chuckle when the one branch they're feeding whips around outside the hopper. BTDT. I've since learned to wear a Logger's helmet with face shield and ear muffs. The racket WILL give you a ringing in the ears otherwise.

 

[chopped]

I agre eon one hand I am glad they posted a real video. It could indicate that they are presenting it as it would be in real world.
I would have thought they would have done one that didnt show the slowness of it in some instances.Id be chipping small stuff so not to concerned with the larger one taking time but to have to fight with it is another thing all together..Ive done that with the small chippers 5 hp ones.

 

[rswyan]

yeah, it's a disc type with 2 knives (180 deg apart).

Kewl - yeah .... the chuck-n-duck drum units are bad, bad news from a safety perspective ....

My neighbor bought one .... can't imagine what he was thinking ....

As for the video that was linked to earlier, the pto unit seems to run about the same as mine. HP is probably comparable.

I'm running mine on a Kubota B2910 - 30 HP gross, something less than that on the PTO (24 - 26 ?)

I would question the last portion where they claim a 5" branch being chipped. That limb looked smaller than 5" and you only get a quick glance at the beginning of the sequence of the "fat" end.

I have chipped 6" material through mine ..... although the larger stuff tends to junk wood, like big-tooth poplar and slippery elm ....

Often (but not always) this is dead wood that has been down on the ground for some time and is starting to go punky .....

And as you can see, it took a little while and some effort to get that through it. So, it's not going to chew up 6" limbs/trunks lickety-split, all day long.

That's absolutely a fact - with stuff over 4" and over I have to disengage/re-engage the feed roller, feeding it in a few feet at a time .... large stuff will pull down the rpms and load up the engine ..... it would be possible to stall the tractor if you just let it go. Of course, I often don't run at full PTO speed for smaller stuff and have to bump up the throttle when I'm going to stick in a big log.

Also, a chipper of this size WILL tire you out if you're fighting the knarly stuff and you haven't cut it up to fit into the hopper as the video alludes to.

True - part of it is the chute taper (or lack thereof) as I mentioned earlier .....

You're definitely better off limbing off the larger branches as close as possible to the log. It's also good to cut stuff into manageable sections - about 6' to 8' is best IMHO.

I noticed that the "teeth" on the feed drum roller are of a very different design than on mine - and looked to work alot better.

I've since learned to wear a Logger's helmet with face shield and ear muffs. The racket WILL give you a ringing in the ears otherwise.

Very good advice - the chipper is extremely noisy.

 

[Dr_Zinj]

I can't imagine putting anything over 2 inches into a chipper anyway. I cut anything down to an inch for firewood, and only turn the smallest stuff into mulch.

 

[Heywood Jannockitov]

I can't imagine putting anything over 2 inches into a chipper anyway. I cut anything down to an inch for firewood, and only turn the smallest stuff into mulch.

With a larger capacity chipper, even if you don't expect to be chipping stuff over 2", you could shove a bundle of smaller branches through at once instead of one at a time. I have a Wallenstein BX62r with hydraulic feed and it will eat anything that I feed it with no complaints. No limbing required. If the feed rollers can grab it, it's gone. I don't have to wait for the previous limb to be fully mulched before sticking the next one in. It's not just about how big a diameter of a single branch the machine can handle, but increasing productivity. The bigger chippers make the whole process a little less slow and tedious.