What not to feed a woodchipper

[YanmarFever]

We have a 3 point hydraulic feed chipper for the Branson 45HP.
I was chipping some oak branches when it started to rain, so I laid my new stihl 029 in the feed chute of the chipper and headed for the barn.
An hour later I started the tractor and went back to work, when I heard the awful sound of the stihl meeting the chipper !!!!
It ate the bar and chain but the engine wouldn't fit thru the final chute to the waiting blades. Needless to say we put a new bar and chain on and learned a lesson.
The chipper.... not a scratch !

 

[OldPaint]

I guess while we're telling on ourselves, I better fess up and tell how I left the catcher bag on my little MTD 3" chipper/shredder in the shredder hopper. It didn't suck the bag in until it was wound up pretty high RPM, which made it even worse. It wrapped on the chopper blade, then got stuffed into the blower housing. Fortunately I had the flail screen out (I was chipping, not mulching) so the damage to the bag was limited to a few holes, and the bag was tough enough to stall the 6.5 HP engine. Having gone in the mulcher side, it never contacted the chipper knives. The fun part was getting that bag out, which took a complete disassembly of the housing and flywheel. The housing was nice and clean inside, though. Stitched the bag up with some small nylon string and a canvas needle and still have it today. That was more than 15 years ago.

One of the things I like about my WC-68 is that the chute folds up to decrease the footprint for storage. It forces the issue of looking in the chute (while unfolding it) before using the chipper. Otherwise, if I know it's ready to run, I don't put ANYTHING in the chute except what I intend to chop up.

 

[5030]

Just did a major contribution to the burn pile with 3 dead pine trees, gonna be a nice blaze.

 

[ultrarunner]

Lost a small chipper when taking in a metal railroad spike...

Gloves... I use the cheap Harbor Freight welding gloves because I like the gauntlet style...

My preferred chips are redwood... if I see one going down I ask and almost always yes delivered to the driveway...

 

[5030]

"The only "tough" material I've ever put thru my chipper - old, age & weather hardened apple trees. It chipped them OK but it wasn't easy like the young, soft & small pines I usually chip."

Best thing to do with old hard and dead apple tree limbs is make charcoal out of them and BBQ on it.

Dead apple wood is always in great demand by people who really know what BBQ'ing is and it ain't cauterizing a good steak on a propane grill either.... YUK.

 

[arto98607]

Just did a major contribution to the burn pile with 3 dead pine trees, gonna be a nice blaze.

We have not had any measurable rain since very early June so burning is out of the question this time of year!

It's similar during most summers - burning may be OK in late November but by then it may be too wet?

 

[5030]

Dead, beetle infested pine will bur wet or dry with a little 'accelerant' (used motor oil) to get it going. Got some pretty big butts too.

 

[OldPaint]

Dead, beetle infested pine will bur wet or dry with a little 'accelerant' (used motor oil) to get it going. Got some pretty big butts too.

Got several big dead pines I gotta put down this fall/winter. Unfortunately, if I build a fire that big, it's gonna draw a LOT of unwanted attention and be a lot more expensive (fines) than if I just hügelkultur with them. Pine/conifer species are not recommended for hügelkultur, but the widow makers have gotta go and I ain't paying to haul them to a dump.

I'm waiting for cold weather to make sure woodpeckers aren't sitting a clutch (and make it a lot cooler working out there). Quite illegal to kill woodpeckers here, and I like 'em anyway. Pilliated, Red heads, red-bellies, yellowhammers, Downies, you name it, we got LOTs of woodpeckers. I hate to take down their favorite nesting trees, but I also hate for their nesting trees to drop big chunks on me, too. One of 'em is nearly 80 feet tall, despite 20 feet of top already gone, with a couple 6 inch or larger limbs still hanging on up there, which would be almost certain death to anyone or anything they fall on. That one's gonna hit the ground with a thump. Not much left of them that I can put in the chipper without splitting, but I'll chip what I can and just blow the chips out on the ground then spread 'em for ground cover/mulch. Maybe the resin in the hearts will run off a few ticks and chiggers.

 

[5030]

A good roast out here is a non issue. We live on a working farm in very rural America, aka: Flyover Country.

 

[ultrarunner]

Even a working farm here doing a burn by the book causes massive response including arial support…

Blighted trees not allowed to leave the farm and must be incinerated… we have strict requirement for the burn piles and equipment at the ready once burn day declared…

Adjoining a 100,000 acre public park is the issue…

 

[jayhawk238]

We have not had any measurable rain since very early June so burning is out of the question this time of year!

It's similar during most summers - burning may be OK in late November but by then it may be too wet?

Most of the time I don't burn until there is snow on the ground. The pile would be rain soaked also. But I have never had a pile I could not burn using diesel. I try to get diesel deep into the pile as possible. Once the diesel starts to burn it generates enough heat to get a good complete burn. You have to do a little chucking here and there but that's not a big deal.

 

[5030]

Even a working farm here doing a burn by the book causes massive response including arial support…

Blighted trees not allowed to leave the farm and must be incinerated… we have strict requirement for the burn piles and equipment at the ready once burn day declared…

Adjoining a 100,000 acre public park is the issue…

Not here and the local fire department just says use common sense. I now have a HUGE burn pile about 10 feet high but it's not rained here for about 2 weeks (measurable precip) so I'll wait to roast. Supposed to rain the next couple days and looks like rain right now.

Around here, we don't need anything but common sense, I guess out your way people don't exhibit that and around here people don't like government intervention anyway and candidly, neither do I.

After the coming rain event so long as it's a good soaker, I'll light it up and roast it

 

[5030]

Most of the time I don't burn until there is snow on the ground. The pile would be rain soaked also. But I have never had a pile I could not burn using diesel. I try to get diesel deep into the pile as possible. Once the diesel starts to burn it generates enough heat to get a good complete burn. You have to do a little chucking here and there but that's not a big deal.

About 2 months ago I roasted 3 moldy hay round bales but before I did, I soaked them down with drain oil really good (as in about 10 gallons). Burning moldy hay bales really stinks and they smoke a ton. These didn't smoke much because of the amount of drain oil I soaked them with. Well saturated. Took 2 days to reduce them. Burned HOT too. Like huge wicks on oil.

 

[cqaigy2]

About 2 months ago I roasted 3 moldy hay round bales but before I did, I soaked them down with drain oil really good (as in about 10 gallons). Burning moldy hay bales really stinks and they smoke a ton. These didn't smoke much because of the amount of drain oil I soaked them with. Well saturated. Took 2 days to reduce them. Burned HOT too. Like huge wicks on oil.

I'd a like to seen picts of that.

 

[ultrarunner]

Not here and the local fire department just says use common sense. I now have a HUGE burn pile about 10 feet high but it's not rained here for about 2 weeks (measurable precip) so I'll wait to roast. Supposed to rain the next couple days and looks like rain right now.

Around here, we don't need anything but common sense, I guess out your way people don't exhibit that and around here people don't like government intervention anyway and candidly, neither do I.

After the coming rain event so long as it's a good soaker, I'll light it up and roast it

People freak when smoke rises in the distance... as far as burn days also limited as 6 months no rain is quite possible...

 

[5030]

People freak when smoke rises in the distance... as far as burn days also limited as 6 months no rain is quite possible...

My roasts make little visible smoke to begin with and if it's gonna be a smoker, I do it after sunset. Again, around here it's all about common sense and discretion. Guess out your way, local governments feel their citizens haven't the maturity to use discretion.

Presently, I'm waiting for a rain event myself. Looks promising but no cigar this morning.

 

[5030]

It's always been my hands that take the most abuse in the thinning process. Just that momentary time when the butt contacts the chipper flywheel. Do this for six to eight hours a day - for a week or so. Sure puts a lot of wear on a new pair of Elk Skin Ropers from Aerostich.

Dragging the cut trees to a unified pile is hard on the knees and shins. Tripping, stumbling, falling - all part of the game.

At my age (72), all the above can result in a serious injury to me...

 

[Zebrafive]

My roasts make little visible smoke to begin with and if it's gonna be a smoker, I do it after sunset. Again, around here it's all about common sense and discretion. Guess out your way, local governments feel their citizens haven't the maturity to use discretion.

Presently, I'm waiting for a rain event myself. Looks promising but no cigar this morning.

We have to call the local Fire department for a "Burn Permit". Unless unusually dry it's granted. If you do not call for a burn permit and your fire is called in to the F.D. you get a $500 fine. They will make a run to check the fire. With a permit, they will call and check everything is under control.
We can only burn "natural material". No processed wood/building materials. Also, no burning after sunset. They worry that's when you will start throwing the old tires on. My brother was burning brush and his fire was still going strong at sunset. The F.D. came and put it out. He was mad, but no fine.

Back to chippers, I found grape vines quickly clogged mine.

Local WMCA Camp would get deliveries of chips for free from tree services. It had not gone through a chipper, but more than once they found worn out chainsaw chains in load of chips.

 

[5030]

We have to call the local Fire department for a "Burn Permit". Unless unusually dry it's granted.

I'm on the opposite end of the state and yes, that is required here to but never enforced and no one does. Common sense dictates what you can roast and what not. Tires are a good example. Nasty, stinky things. we do the local recycle deal every year here. Think they grind them up and mix them with asphalt for the roads that never get fixed)....lol

 

[oosik]

5030 - Yeah, well at my age( 80 ) tripping, falling, stumbling, etc - doesn't do me much good either. I've never been seriously hurt - but it will sure get my attention.