Bought a Wallenstein chipper

[oosik]

There is a post on this thread - one of you guys always set the chipper down on the ground. Otherwise, that person will get torquing & twisting when they chip. I don't get that even though my chipper may be a foot off the ground. Two reasons - I chip young, green pines - 6" on the butt or less. My blades are uber sharp.

If I were chipping hardwood or old dry trees - then I would DEFINITELY look to set the chipper on a pallet or fabricate legs.

The harder the wood - the more likely that you might experience torquing & twisting. It's simply the resistance to chip causing the entire unit to rotate.

I doubt there is much of anything easier to chip than fresh green pine trees.

 

[s219]

I doubt there is much of anything easier to chip than fresh green pine trees.

Can't beat the smell either.

 

[Zebrafive]

The Wallenstein chipper name is new to me but is really highly regarded and I can't find a single negative complaint. It must be one heck of a chipper. I paid $1500 for this one and it's is 99% condition with very little use. I think I did OK?

I bought a BX62 new for $2500 (last one they had for the season) Only regret was no color choice, I wanted GREEN.

Well, I think you better make yourself scarce. They will find you - - you STOLE it. I just check my Owner Manual that has the sales receipt.

Purchased brand new one year AFTER the M6040. 2010 and for $4500.

IIRC I bought mine end of 2009 for $2500

I do have a dumb question on this. When operating the BX60, do I set the chipper on the ground when using it or do I leave it off the ground maybe a foot and supported by the 3pt arms? I Suppose I could also set it on a pallet when chipping.

Held off the ground keeps the PTO shaft straighter while sitting the unit on the ground angles it more. What's the correct way to chip?

I bolted some wood 4x4s to mine to raise it up slightly, but I am tall so no problem feeding it. I wanted the PTO shaft straighter, but not perfectly straight.

The base on the BX62S is NOT adjustable. I position my chipper so that the pto shaft is a straight as possible. Why induce added stress into the U-joints?? If that means off the ground to be straight - then that's the way it will be.

You want some "angle" (only a few degrees) in a drive shaft for the U-Joints to have to "move".

 

[oosik]

I guess I'm going to have to ask. Why do you want the U-joints to "move". Operate at a slight angle??

 

[3Lfarms]

Operating in a straight line for a while shouldn’t hurt anything, but If the joint is operated perfectly straight for a long time, the needle bearings in the cross caps are not forced to move at all and the load is only applied in once spot. Bearings need to move a bit to keep the lube moving and prevent them from taking a set or corroding in place.
Think of it like a car tire. It’s best to move the car to keep the tires round and the rubber flexible. If left in one spot, they get flat spots. Also, without the constant flexing, the natural oils that keep the rubber pliable aren’t able to migrate throughout the tire, and dry rot is accelerated.

 

[oosik]

Interesting concept. However, I seriously doubt that a perfectly straight driveshaft would be easy to obtain anyhow. There is bound to to a slight offset either vertically or horizontally.

The times I operate in what I think is level in the vertical plane - I look at the operation from behind and its offset several degrees horizontally. The weight of the chipper causes it to "fall off" to the low side. My 3-point side links are never set bone tight.

 

[sixdogs]

I flipped open the lid--flywheel cover-- yesterday to look inside and it was perfectly clean. The chipping chamber is very tight so while you could plug it, I don't think it would be easy. There was no trash wood left behind. The knives were in perfect condition with no nicks and they looked razor sharp. Good advice to wear gloves when the lid is open. Put this chipper behind 60HP and it's going to chip wood faster than I can feed it in.

 

[oosik]

Another thing I've found. If you chip shorter chunks ( 4' or less ) of larger diameter wood - 3", 4", 5" - it has the potential to "backfire" on you. The short chunk will hit the rotating chipper and such force is generated that the short chunk can be shot back out the feed chute.

It doesn't happen very often. When you load something into the feed chute it's best to stand off to the side and not directly behind the chute.

Never happens when I load full length pine trees. The total weight of the pine tree is pushing the tree down the chute. Besides the blades are cutting so fast and pulling so HARD - it has frightened many who have come for a day to help me. Also - since I NEVER prune the pines nor cut them shorter - the compression of the side branches being pulled down the chute will hold the tree in the chute.

It's only happened to me when chipping larger diameter, old, hard apple limbs and split trunks. You would think there was an old, angry mule going down the chute. Kick, thump, thrash, whip around. I'm really quite glad I'm done with chipping all my apple trees. This is the one time where hydraulic in-feed could have helped. I could have slowed the in-feed action and it, most likely, wouldn't have been quite so violent.

It never hurt anything but it wasn't anything like feeding green pine trees.

 

[jonsstihl]

I knew there was a reason why the shaft shouldn't be straight. I just couldn't remember all the technical details.


Sent from my EML-L09 using TractorByNet mobile app

 

[sixdogs]

On page 16 of this link below from my snowblower owner's manual is a chart listing how long a u-joint will last based on the degree of angle it is operating at. I don't know how to post just that one page so here's the whole link. Note, there is no zero percent and the chart starts at a 5 percent angle. There is a severe reduction in u-joint life as the operating angle increases.

View attachment 593066

 

[ericm979]

My self-feeding MacKissick would sometimes chip a branch down to a stub and then eject all or part of it. I learned to not stand in the firing line.

 

[sixdogs]

So I greased it up and took it out to just chip one or two branches to get the feel of it. It's too wet here to move around yet. Anyway, the MX60 is an astounding chipper and is the smoothest and well-balanced chipper I have ever seen or used. Wow is it impressive and you almost can't tell it's running.

Maybe some of that is because I put it behind 70HP but it chewed up 5" wood like it was toothpics. Heavy and green bushy stuff fed slower but still it just chewed through the wood at warp speed. I don't think I'll ever sell this. So, if you need a serious chipper, the MX60-- or the replacement version MX62 is worth a hard look. Highly recommended.

 

[oosik]

Ha, ha - 6dogs - you have too wet to move around. It's so D**N cold & windy here - I didn't have to give it two thoughts about doing a couple projects I have lined up. I stood out on the porch - it's like standing in a blast freezer. The projects will wait - they aren't going anywhere.

 

[sixdogs]

Here's some pics on an M7040 Kubota. With the bigger tires it's higher off the ground so I stuck two pallets underneath to keep the driveshaft straight when I set it down. I cut down two 30 ft soft maples today and chipped anything under 5-6". This Walenstein chipper chewed through everything and at an amazing speed. Almost no vibration either.

I've had other chippers years ago and even with self feed they sometimes plugged up. Not this one and I was surprised what I could stuff in it and how well it would feed. It folded limbs back and pulled the stock right through. No problem.

Anyway, this is one of the best tools I've ever owned.

 

[papachaz]

I do have a dumb question on this. When operating the BX60, do I set the chipper on the ground when using it or do I leave it off the ground maybe a foot and supported by the 3pt arms? I Suppose I could also set it on a pallet when chipping.

Held off the ground keeps the PTO shaft straighter while sitting the unit on the ground angles it more. What's the correct way to chip?

I made some legs for my BX42S knockoff model

 

[sixdogs]

That works but I could use the chipper on different tractors with different height lift arms. This way I can just add or subtract pallets.

 

[xtxpete]

Hey sixdogs, the 3pt should work to hold the chipper at whatever height you decide has an acceptable angle on the pto
But maybe that's not acceptable?

 

[Ron50]

I added a 4" metal stand under my BX 62s to raise it up. While I was at it we welded a reciever hitch to the new stand that is bolted to the bottom of the chipper. I hook my 6x10 dump trailer to the chipper and blow the chips directly into the trailer. Then drive to the next spot and continue on.

 

[sixdogs]

Hey sixdogs, the 3pt should work to hold the chipper at whatever height you decide has an acceptable angle on the pto
But maybe that's not acceptable?

Well, I figure the unit would twist with bigger wood and 60 PTO HP, so resting on the ground or pallets is a better idea. I don't know if the twisting forces would be an issue?

I added a 4" metal stand under my BX 62s to raise it up. While I was at it we welded a reciever hitch to the new stand that is bolted to the bottom of the chipper. I hook my 6x10 dump trailer to the chipper and blow the chips directly into the trailer. Then drive to the next spot and continue on.

Sounds like a good idea. I thought of putting the bucket from a loader tractor under the chute but didn't do it because the ground was too soft for all that maneuvering. Trailer would be a good idea.

 

[oosik]

I thought of attaching my farm wagon behind the chipper and doing that. Because all my pines are 15 feet or longer I would have to disconnect and reposition the tractor/chipper. It would have been a PITA.

I blow the chips in huge piles and come back later with the grapple - should I need chips.