BX-42 @ 960 rpm

[ChuckinNH]

There was some discussion earlier about running a Wallenstein BX-42 Chipper at 960 rpm. I had a cherry tree down the other day, and cut everything up except the small branches which were mostly leaves. I put a weight on the seat of my B2620, and tried running the chipper at 960 rpm. It worked just great! It really spit that small stuff through there like a shredder would, and didn't bog at all. I also had a long maple branch that came down in the same wind. It was about 4" in diameter at the big end, 20' long, and still had a lot of leafy branches too. I tried that at 960, and it did bog a bit after a few feet. I switched back to 540 rpm, and it ate the branch just fine, but did clog on all the leafy stuff. So, for the small stuff the higher rpm really works well. I'll just do a little more trimming, to separate the big stuff from the really leafy stuff, and use both rpm settings where appropriate. I think some of these chippers have a bit more clearance between the twig breakers, and the piece that goes through them, and those units tend to clog easier because they bend instead of break flexible twigs that then spring open in the chute. The higher rpm doesn't give that a chance to happen.

 

[nickel plate]

I do practically the same thing with my Wallenstein BX42. I run a certain amount of twig branches through and follow up with some heavier limb stock to clear the machine. We generally use everything else from 2 to 4 inches in the woodstove.