patrickg
Veteran Member
Well Christmas finally arrived, the DR Chipper was delivered yesterday 15 min ahead of schedule on the day DR predicted. It was easily uloaded with my pallet forks but the shipping crate was a hassle to open up as they used plenty of twisted nails from a power nailer to construct it. te crate had several broken boards but the chipper didn't get a scratch. It was a bit of a chore to get it out of the crate, especially they say to save the crate for returning it if you chose (at their expense). The delivery driver says they deliver a lot of the chippers and end up shipping a lot of them back with folks complaining that they don't do what the video says. Lucky me, I didn't see the video so NO WORRIES MATE!
Took me an hour total to uncrate and assemble 15 min of uncrating and removing from crate. At one point I looked at the assembly instructions but it was too late and I presed on with success. The end of the "trailer" frame where you bolt on extensions and the toungue is a bit heavy but I levered it up and put some 4x4 under it to hold it while I worked. Had to go to store for 30 wt detergent as all I had was multi viscosity and they say DO NOT USE IT. 48 oz.
You need to grease two zerks for bearings that support the flywheel with chipper blades on it. Supposedly one zerk is supposed to be at 7 o'clock on the side away from belt guard and opposite that by 180 degrees on the side where the belt guard hampers access. Mine were both pointed down and I couldn't get to the one with the guard in the way. Removed the guard and still couldn't get it. Thought I had it on but grease just oozed out without entering the zerk. Went to Friendly Local Autoparts Store (12 miles one way) got oil and a rubber hose extension for grease gun. Easy to grease now so I shall not remove the locking ring, two nuts, and two set screws to turn the bearing around which they gave the OK to via the phone.
Connected the battery ground cable, pulled out the choke, turned the switch on, and pressed the starter button. It spun up and in a few seconds got gas and fired up. After a few seconds I shut it down waited a couple minutes and hit it agin. Fired instantly without the choke. Rain or no, I had to know... Towed it out to a brush pile, fired it up and started shoving stuff down its throat. Instant jam in the input hopper. Too radical of a bend in a large diameter piece of limb. I kknow better now. Went for tool kit. Took hopper off, 4 carriage bolts that I had just put on as it ships with hopper removed to conserve space. Cleared jam and being careful to not drop bolts into the "chewing" area, reassembled hopper to chipper and had at it again. Clogged the output chute with Juniper (they call it cedar here but it is juniper) leaves/needles being wet made them more clog prone. Shut down and reached up the discharge chute with finger and dislodged the cloging material. Another lesson learned, put something substantial down it before it clogs with juniper needles and it clears it just fine. So juniper branches then good sized limb, juniper branches then limb, and repeat. Worked pretty good.
Today I made a few bushels more chips. Learned more. Helps when cutting limbs with a chain saw to cut them where they make a sharp bend as it is a hassle to feed a limb with a bend (if it will go at all). A littel extra time spent with the chain saw saves a disproportinate amount of work feeding the chipper (leveraged investment). It loads the engine quite noticibly to cut 3 inch limbs and severely at 3 1/2. I think it will eat most 3 inch limbs all day long. Fed it pear and juniper and mystery tree (OK, among other things, I'm not an arborist). When feeding limbs over an inch or so it frequently "burps" the last little chunk back out the input hopper. Does this almost every time with limbs over a couple inches in diameter.
On the phone the DR tech said to avoid vines and really stringy supple willow as they wrap rather than chip. If there are vines in the limbs you are chipping that is not a problem but feeding straight vines in a bad idea. He also said that for really sticky resinous limbs that water poured in the hopper helped clean it out. Alternating with clean chipping feed stock helps with that too.
It is important that you check to see that there are chips being ejected from the output chute when limbs are being chipped. This provs that there is no jamb, the output chute is not plugged up. Also you need to keep checking that the output chute isn't burried in chips as this will surely force a jam. You can move the chiper a bit forward to clear this last problem or give the chip pile a kick to clear it away from the chute. The muffler works pretty well and the exhaust is on the other side of the engine away from the operator position/zone and is aimed away from the operator.
When eating a limb, the unit is quite noisy, at least up close where the operator is. Use hearing protection. Wear eye protection. They supply safety glasses but not hearing protection. Next time I'' wear my Husqvarna helmet, a hard hat with built in ear protection, steel mesh face/eye shield, and neck protection flap to keep chipps from falling down your neck in back.
I was a bit surprised and some dissapointed to buy a roadable model and it arrives with a big black and yellow sticker on the toungue that says DO NOT EXCEED 35 MPH. The phone guy said, yeah, real stiff (no suspension) don't want to tow it faster than 35. Well, if I end up feeling limited by that I can certainly do some suspension mods: larger wheels/tires, wider axle, better bearings, and springs (will consider shocks) if roadabiliity develops into an important issue..
Very graphic drawings reinforce safety comments (missing fingers dripping blood and like that. I won't be reaching in the hopper to push on anything. I discovered (without loss of blood) that it is best to push stuff into the hopper by grasping it with your forarm at right angles to the limb. If it should suddenly slip into the hopper, you won't because your arm will strike the rim of the hopper and stop you. Shoving with your arm parallel to the limb looks bad as if you and the limb slip you might stick your hand into the "eating zone". I fond that if there was stuff in the hopper that didn't self feed (happens a lot with small stuff) that using a pusher ( a fair sized limb an inch or two in diameter) clears it just fine.
So far so good, only time will tell but it seems to be a pretty good unit. I guess the 10 and 12HP versions may not cut the mustard (or limbs) as good as folks expect (hence returns). This 18 HP model seems OK. I'll report again if anything major happens and or if it just works great for a while or any lessons learned worth sharing come along.
Side note: The phone guy, when asked, admitted that some folks "buy" a chipper, use it for a month, and return it as a FREE RENTAL with no intention of keeping it. They have had some folks "buy" a second unit later and return that as well. I find that disgusting but as most of you know by now, I am a personal responsibility/accountability freak.
Patrick
Took me an hour total to uncrate and assemble 15 min of uncrating and removing from crate. At one point I looked at the assembly instructions but it was too late and I presed on with success. The end of the "trailer" frame where you bolt on extensions and the toungue is a bit heavy but I levered it up and put some 4x4 under it to hold it while I worked. Had to go to store for 30 wt detergent as all I had was multi viscosity and they say DO NOT USE IT. 48 oz.
You need to grease two zerks for bearings that support the flywheel with chipper blades on it. Supposedly one zerk is supposed to be at 7 o'clock on the side away from belt guard and opposite that by 180 degrees on the side where the belt guard hampers access. Mine were both pointed down and I couldn't get to the one with the guard in the way. Removed the guard and still couldn't get it. Thought I had it on but grease just oozed out without entering the zerk. Went to Friendly Local Autoparts Store (12 miles one way) got oil and a rubber hose extension for grease gun. Easy to grease now so I shall not remove the locking ring, two nuts, and two set screws to turn the bearing around which they gave the OK to via the phone.
Connected the battery ground cable, pulled out the choke, turned the switch on, and pressed the starter button. It spun up and in a few seconds got gas and fired up. After a few seconds I shut it down waited a couple minutes and hit it agin. Fired instantly without the choke. Rain or no, I had to know... Towed it out to a brush pile, fired it up and started shoving stuff down its throat. Instant jam in the input hopper. Too radical of a bend in a large diameter piece of limb. I kknow better now. Went for tool kit. Took hopper off, 4 carriage bolts that I had just put on as it ships with hopper removed to conserve space. Cleared jam and being careful to not drop bolts into the "chewing" area, reassembled hopper to chipper and had at it again. Clogged the output chute with Juniper (they call it cedar here but it is juniper) leaves/needles being wet made them more clog prone. Shut down and reached up the discharge chute with finger and dislodged the cloging material. Another lesson learned, put something substantial down it before it clogs with juniper needles and it clears it just fine. So juniper branches then good sized limb, juniper branches then limb, and repeat. Worked pretty good.
Today I made a few bushels more chips. Learned more. Helps when cutting limbs with a chain saw to cut them where they make a sharp bend as it is a hassle to feed a limb with a bend (if it will go at all). A littel extra time spent with the chain saw saves a disproportinate amount of work feeding the chipper (leveraged investment). It loads the engine quite noticibly to cut 3 inch limbs and severely at 3 1/2. I think it will eat most 3 inch limbs all day long. Fed it pear and juniper and mystery tree (OK, among other things, I'm not an arborist). When feeding limbs over an inch or so it frequently "burps" the last little chunk back out the input hopper. Does this almost every time with limbs over a couple inches in diameter.
On the phone the DR tech said to avoid vines and really stringy supple willow as they wrap rather than chip. If there are vines in the limbs you are chipping that is not a problem but feeding straight vines in a bad idea. He also said that for really sticky resinous limbs that water poured in the hopper helped clean it out. Alternating with clean chipping feed stock helps with that too.
It is important that you check to see that there are chips being ejected from the output chute when limbs are being chipped. This provs that there is no jamb, the output chute is not plugged up. Also you need to keep checking that the output chute isn't burried in chips as this will surely force a jam. You can move the chiper a bit forward to clear this last problem or give the chip pile a kick to clear it away from the chute. The muffler works pretty well and the exhaust is on the other side of the engine away from the operator position/zone and is aimed away from the operator.
When eating a limb, the unit is quite noisy, at least up close where the operator is. Use hearing protection. Wear eye protection. They supply safety glasses but not hearing protection. Next time I'' wear my Husqvarna helmet, a hard hat with built in ear protection, steel mesh face/eye shield, and neck protection flap to keep chipps from falling down your neck in back.
I was a bit surprised and some dissapointed to buy a roadable model and it arrives with a big black and yellow sticker on the toungue that says DO NOT EXCEED 35 MPH. The phone guy said, yeah, real stiff (no suspension) don't want to tow it faster than 35. Well, if I end up feeling limited by that I can certainly do some suspension mods: larger wheels/tires, wider axle, better bearings, and springs (will consider shocks) if roadabiliity develops into an important issue..
Very graphic drawings reinforce safety comments (missing fingers dripping blood and like that. I won't be reaching in the hopper to push on anything. I discovered (without loss of blood) that it is best to push stuff into the hopper by grasping it with your forarm at right angles to the limb. If it should suddenly slip into the hopper, you won't because your arm will strike the rim of the hopper and stop you. Shoving with your arm parallel to the limb looks bad as if you and the limb slip you might stick your hand into the "eating zone". I fond that if there was stuff in the hopper that didn't self feed (happens a lot with small stuff) that using a pusher ( a fair sized limb an inch or two in diameter) clears it just fine.
So far so good, only time will tell but it seems to be a pretty good unit. I guess the 10 and 12HP versions may not cut the mustard (or limbs) as good as folks expect (hence returns). This 18 HP model seems OK. I'll report again if anything major happens and or if it just works great for a while or any lessons learned worth sharing come along.
Side note: The phone guy, when asked, admitted that some folks "buy" a chipper, use it for a month, and return it as a FREE RENTAL with no intention of keeping it. They have had some folks "buy" a second unit later and return that as well. I find that disgusting but as most of you know by now, I am a personal responsibility/accountability freak.
Patrick
