Rotating Chipper Chute Clogging?

[oosik]

Having owned and extensively used the Wallenstein BX42S and now the BX62S - I know for a fact that airflow is a MAJOR factor in the discharge chute plugging. The '62 is not only a bigger chipper but has substantially greater air flow. And for reasons that I do not understand - the pine pitch does not "clobber up" the chute on the '62 like it did on the '42.

The pine pitch would get so thick & gooey on the '42 that I would stop every two hours or so and douche it out with diesel fuel and a cotton mop. Otherwise it would be 15 minuets between plug ups. The answer for this problem with the plugging chute on the '42 - stack the felled trees into piles and let them sit and dry for a year.

I got the BX62S for many reasons - it would chip larger trees, higher air flow has meant the chute has never plugged and the larger tractor could easily handle the bigger chipper.

Any pine tree that survives to 6", on the butt, will not be chipped and might even make it to become a large pine - nature willing.

 

[vsteel]

I have never had my woodmaxx tm-86 plug up. Though I can't say I have ever seen as much pitch either as Oosik. My chute stays pretty clean but I do pine, cherry, locus, cottonwood, baswood, and elm so maybe all of my pine pitch gets cleaned out.

 

[747driver]

I only get plugged on my WM-8H when i chip limbs that are green and still have the leaves on it. I usually cut and stack so the trees and limbs can dry out. I pull my JD Gator up below the chute so it can blow the chips into the Gator box that i can dump where i want them. Now...it has been plugging up since i started doing this last week. Usually i just blow the chips farther out onto the ground and scoop up the pile with the FEL. I am thinking that the reason it is plugging up when i use the Gator is that i have the deflector flap more closed so it lets the chips go down into the dump bed. That i would think is slowing down the air flow for the chips to exit ?

 

[oosik]

747driver - your assumption is probably correct. Flap more closed = reduced air flow = reduced ability to move chips. I've never fooled with the adjustable flap on my Wally. Just wide open and let the chips pile up - way out there.

 

[rd_macgregor]

How can you tell the PTO clutch is slipping? Not questioning you, I want to know myself.

It seems to me that the load from a 4" branch shouldn't be enough to make the PTO clutch slip. Could yours be out of adjustment?

When it encounters too big a load, the tractor RPMs drop a bunch, but it doesn't die, nor does the shear pin break. I figure that if the PTO is engaged, but the shaft isn't turning and the tractor is still running, something is slipping.

 

[CincyFlyer]

On mine, the fan force is delivered just by two (maybe 4?) pieces of about 3" x 3" angle iron maybe 6" long bolted to the edge of the cutter wheel to make radial vanes. I wonder if adding a couple to yours would fix your issue. It should certainly increase airflow and should consume little of your input power.

It would likely consume a lot more than you'd think; doubling the air flow will double the power drain. Still worth trying.

 

[747driver]

747driver - your assumption is probably correct. Flap more closed = reduced air flow = reduced ability to move chips. I've never fooled with the adjustable flap on my Wally. Just wide open and let the chips pile up - way out there.

Thanks....will have to put the Gator further away from the chute so i can open the deflector flap more !

 

[ericm979]

When it encounters too big a load, the tractor RPMs drop a bunch, but it doesn't die, nor does the shear pin break. I figure that if the PTO is engaged, but the shaft isn't turning and the tractor is still running, something is slipping.

Whoa, the chipper was stalled and the tractor still running? Could well be the PTO clutch isn't getting enough pressure and is slipping. Or the chipper's belts were slipping but you'd hear and smell that.

The one time I stalled my chipper it stalled the tractor but the shear pin didn't break. I've had the shear pin dissappear but I think the nut backed off and the pin came out as it wasn't under much load at the time. I loctited the replacement.

When I load up the chipper the tractor slows some. Usually a few hundred rpm unless it's a big log, then it'll slow it more. Then I have to stop the feed to let the tractor bring the chipper back up to speed. Every once in a while I wish I'd gotten a few more hp.

 

[oosik]

I've got a Polaris ATP - all terrain pickup. Its an ATV with a small tilt able bed. I tried "shooting" the chips into the bed - kind of a mess. The chips completely covered the ATP. Then I had a brain storm - stood a 4' x 4' chunk of plywood up in the bed - like a backstop. Still had some chips going everywhere but about 80% to 90% landed in the bed.

 

[747driver]

I've got a Polaris ATP - all terrain pickup. Its an ATV with a small tilt able bed. I tried "shooting" the chips into the bed - kind of a mess. The chips completely covered the ATP. Then I had a brain storm - stood a 4' x 4' chunk of plywood up in the bed - like a backstop. Still had some chips going everywhere but about 80% to 90% landed in the bed.

I put higher side boards on 4 sides of the Gator....works great. But from now on i will put a tarp over the cab area to keep the chips and dust out !