Chipper Bearcat 73554 Chipper Demo - Very Disappointing

[brandoro]

I use my chipper around here for small poplar trees and some pine branches. The poplar will self feed with little or no effort on my part besides poking the big end into the chute. If the last few leafy branches don't go on their own they get dragged through by the next sapling. The only thing that has plugged mine are small willow twigs, the twig breaker acts as a twig bender on those. Best to let them dry a bit first.
I am very pleased with the chipper, turns a problem-piles of dry flammable material-into something usefull to spread on muddy areas or gardens, etc.
It will take a 4" poplar through easily, I put a 4" birch through it once just to see how it did, no problem for the chipper but came close to stalling out the B7610 I had at the time. Shouldn't bother the current tractor.

 

[ChuckinNH]

I use my chipper around here for small poplar trees and some pine branches. The poplar will self feed with little or no effort on my part besides poking the big end into the chute. If the last few leafy branches don't go on their own they get dragged through by the next sapling. The only thing that has plugged mine are small willow twigs, the twig breaker acts as a twig bender on those. Best to let them dry a bit first.
I am very pleased with the chipper, turns a problem-piles of dry flammable material-into something usefull to spread on muddy areas or gardens, etc.
It will take a 4" poplar through easily, I put a 4" birch through it once just to see how it did, no problem for the chipper but came close to stalling out the B7610 I had at the time. Shouldn't bother the current tractor.

I found that by adjusting the knife clearance per the manual that flexable twigs fed, chipped, and ddn't clog. Another member suggested that to me, and it sure worked. Mine was set up at nearly three times the clearance from the factory that the manual suggested. (1/32") Mine is set at between .035, and .050 right now, and is working fine on flexible, and leaf filled branches, etc.

 

[The Saint]

Like Deerlope I have a 5" hydraulic feed Bearcat that I got via a great deal on Craiglist. There are only two things I don't like about it; hooking it up to the tractor (it's HEAVY) and the fact that it needs 12vdc for the feed controls.

Aside from the two quibbles above the machine is a beast. I rarely have to trim branches prior to feeding limbs in. I do have to start/stop the feed due to engine bogging (Kubota B3030) on 4"+ limbs of oak, cherry, etc. Aside from that it just eats whatever I toss into the chute.

I don't use it all that often but it's a great tool to have available when I do need it (like last years ice storm).