Chinese Chipper Evaluation

[wotalota]

Impressions of a BX42 knock off if anyone is thinking about getting one.

I had cut down about 150 small/medium trees, anything over 4" went to the neighbor for his wood stove. On buy versus rental, the local rental for a 6" was about $185 a day. That seemed to be the way to go except I didn't think I could work long enough to take advantage of it and would not want to work every day to get the cheaper long weekend rate. Craigs list didn't show up anything that seemed decent value in the month or so of checking.

There are a number of Chinese suppliers of chippers modeled on the BX42, the user manual identifies this one as TOWNSUNNY. It was on eBay for $1500 with free shipping. It is listed as weighing 425 lbs, the shipping slip said 500+ lbs. I had problem unloading it using attachable pallet forks on a BX24. It could take the weight but not raise it properly or keep it level at the height needed. So I put a chain around it and more or less dragged it off the truck. A lift gate on the truck would be the way to go for a small tractor. After unpacking I put it on a dolly to be able to move it around. The unit seems solid and the welding looked alright to me.

The two main bearing zerks took a lot of grease, it didn't appear that there was any in there.

A standard PTO drive shaft was provided that did not have the required shear pin for protection. I bought a slip clutch that fitted the spindle on the chipper but it couldn't go on far enough to engage the lock pin, so I had to set it aside and got a cross kit and end yolk to modify the drive shaft to add a shear pin.

The knife spacing should be 1/32" and came set at about 1/8". It wasn't adjustable any closer because the welding interfered with the Anvils bolt washer. Using smaller washers allowed the setting to be close to that specified. The flywheel appears smooth when rotating by hand. However the blade settings varied from one to the other. It ended up with one of the blades set wide at about 3/32".

The BX24 running at 3000 rpm only bogged down a bit when dealing with some 4" sections but picked up again as the branches fed in and thinned out. It self feeds quite well on the thicker stuff and will pull in 20' pieces. It needs some help feeding as the section branches out and get thinner. Feed in the whole thing and twigs cause the exit chute to jam up on a regular basis which is a pain. (Also actually a pain since I pinched my finger in the flywheel cleaning it out, still barely usable a week later.) I found that holding back on the feed for the last few feet of less than 1" branches lets it run longer without a clean out. Sprayed the exit chute with plenty of WD40 after each clean out. But lacking a shredder, still added to a burn pile the small stuff. Bark from some types of branches builds up around the flywheel center spindle and needs cleaning out from time to time. It is a good work out given I tire easily these days, after 2 or 3 hours of fetching and feeding the thing am pretty well drenched and ready to pack it in.

Tom

 

[KiwiBro]

Great work. Thanks very much for your thread. Am just starting to research options so this has been a good read.

 

[s219]

If you alternate thick woody pieces with the smaller branchy stuff, it will keep the discharge blown out. So send a thicker piece through periodically after the brushy stuff.

 

[Cherokee140]

Thanks for the review, I am also reviewing them, swallowing the price tag for a machine that I will use the heck out of for 4 months then use just once and a while is hard to do. The price of that machine is less painful. Keep us updated on how everything goes....I have plenty of time for reading at the moment.

 

[1026mrg]

Let's keep buying Chinese stuff when so many Americans are out of work......
Sure the Chinese stuff may be less expensive, but eventually the welfare bills will swamp the price differences.

 

[silvertramp]

Good review. I was trying to decide the same thing recently. I went with the Wallenstein BX42. It works well, and I haven't had the exit chute plug up.
I'm in the same boat as other posters. I'll use it hard for a month or two, and then not so much.
I just can't do the physical labor that I used to. It absolutely destroys me now. I give it all I've got, but I'm done quickly.
My 27 engine hp Yanmar happily chips 3-4" pine.
Those Chinese knock offs may well be the better deal.

 

[Cherokee140]

Let's keep buying Chinese stuff when so many Americans are out of work......
Sure the Chinese stuff may be less expensive, but eventually the welfare bills will swamp the price differences.

Lets not go down this road please. Oh and you better toss out that computer as every part is made in china....or your phone...or your router.


How about tossing your car...I highly doubt everything in it is made in 'merca. Think a little bit.

 

[1026mrg]

Lets not go down this road please. Oh and you better toss out that computer as every part is made in china....or your phone...or your router.


How about tossing your car...I highly doubt everything in it is made in 'merca. Think a little bit.

You are absolutely correct that a lot of the electronics industry has left the US.

As far as my car.... GMC, Chevy, Jeep.

Whenever possible, and there are lots of possibilities, I would rather buy US and keep the jobs here.
But hey, that's just me. People complain about stagnating wages & job losses and then contribute to the problem with
offshore purchases from countries that don't have the regulations or rule of law that we enjoy here.

So I am already "down that road" and unapologetic.

 

[newbury]

Good review, keep us posted. Hopefully the troll will go away.

 

[wotalota]

I put a couple different fairly thick and long pieces in today that made it jump around and then stalled the tractor, no breakage of the shear pin. Must be a harder wood I suppose. I'll trim it back a few feet and try again but now it is time for the England Uruguay game.

 

[Cherokee140]

Are you sure your chevy, jeep and gmc all came from this country? Hate to tell you but I highly doubt it....it might be screwed together here, but not "made" here. One thing I do know is the tires you are rolling on likely did not come from this country so you better pull those suckers off right now.

And tell me why do you hate the American dock workers that unloaded the chipper, the RR that shipped it from the port, the trucking company and the truck drivers. Even the guys that drove the tug boat to dock the freighter.

Point is the same jobs are not going to stay there....they will move around. Less people making it means more people have to transport it, supply the fuel, build the train cars, build the tracks, maintain the tracks and roads. Like I said big picture.

You are absolutely correct that a lot of the electronics industry has left the US.

As far as my car.... GMC, Chevy, Jeep.

Whenever possible, and there are lots of possibilities, I would rather buy US and keep the jobs here.
But hey, that's just me. People complain about stagnating wages & job losses and then contribute to the problem with
offshore purchases from countries that don't have the regulations or rule of law that we enjoy here.

So I am already "down that road" and unapologetic.

 

[Cherokee140]

Good review, keep us posted. Hopefully the troll will go away.

Naa.....I am tossing bait like crazy

its fun.

Keep us going on how the chipper is doing. I have been reading quite a bit on them and looking heavy at them. I will likely buy next spring.

I really like the woodchippers Canada models and they are about the same price....but darn that buy American thing....can't get that as well :laughing:

 

[1026mrg]

Are you sure your chevy, jeep and gmc all came from this country? Hate to tell you but I highly doubt it....it might be screwed together here, but not "made" here. One thing I do know is the tires you are rolling on likely did not come from this country so you better pull those suckers off right now.

And tell me why do you hate the American dock workers that unloaded the chipper, the RR that shipped it from the port, the trucking company and the truck drivers. Even the guys that drove the tug boat to dock the freighter.

Point is the same jobs are not going to stay there....they will move around. Less people making it means more people have to transport it, supply the fuel, build the train cars, build the tracks, maintain the tracks and roads. Like I said big picture.

I don't "hate the American dock workers....etc." In fact I have a deep respect for hard working Americans. That is why I try to buy American whenever possible. Also, fewer people making does not always translate into more people transporting. Once it hits these shores it is pretty much a wash.
If you want to get into a "big picture" debate, most of the blue ocean freighters that bring stuff here are foreign flagged vessels with foreign seaman that operate in a manner that is more consistent with Third World than First World.

Point is, and fact is, that imports have placed tremendous downward pressure on US wages. As a country we have traded stagnant middle-class wages for
less expensive imported goods. Not always a good trade.... You cannot build an economy on service wages and the growth of government.

The other point is that the competitive arena is not the same for all imported goods. Germany, Italy, Sweden, most Western European countries, have the same sorts of regulations that we do concerning environmental, safety, workplace OSHA, social (government mandated) expenses like unemployment comp, workers comp, etc. These all add significant costs to doing business. Not saying that they are all bad, just that they add cost. Low input factor (read wages) countries like China, Vietnam, etc. do not impose these costs on their businesses. To think that we as a society can mandate these sorts of programs, and then compete on a cost basis, with countries that have none of these is madness.

My only point is that continuing to purchase manufactured goods from offshore countries who have none of the legally mandated protections and costs that we have here is the path to poverty. I need no lectures on the "Big Picture". Look at the rate of wage growth/stagnation vs the balance of trade deficit. Facts are stubborn things.

End of rant....

 

[Cherokee140]

Facts are stubborn things.

End of rant....

And too complex for some people,

I am glad your rant is over