can bx22 run a chipper ?

david43a · Mar 20, 2004

I went to my local kubota dealer and told him that I was interested in getting a chipper for my tractor. My salesman told me he would love to sell me a chipper , but he didn't think the bx22 would handle the Bear Cat model 70554. The chipper weighs 450 lbs and the pto requirement is 13 -40 hp.
My bx22's pto hp is 16.7. The three point hitch lift capacity is 680 lbs 24" behind the link pins. He said I had the lift capacity and the power at the pto. but that I did not have a clutch. Because the flywheel weighs 125 lbs the tractor would stall before it started the chipper. He thought It might damage the engine or the transmission. I rember an article of a member running a bear cat chipper with his bx22. I do not see pto chippers listed on the approved impliment chart, in my tractors operators manual. Please help set me straight. Thanks David.

gone · Mar 20, 2004

All i can say is you can slip the pto on the bx, i had one and hated the way the yhd. clutch engaged,if you very slowly move the lever the clutch will engage slower to get load moving smoothly with out the shock to implement or tractor. the Ih tractors on the farm were designed to do that,very good and instant control,like loader valves,ie. you could not start a baler or forage harvester by slaming pto in gear for long or somthig was going to break, flyweels and choper heads have alot of mass and don't like to start or stop motion quickly. I never understood why the bx was so hard to feather in gear.

heith · Mar 20, 2004

If you can get your machine to the dealer and hook up to the chipper you won't need our advice.Once you get the thing spinning and into the engine power range it'll be smooth sailing from there.You just need to know if it will engage properly.....good luck Heith...

B7500 · Mar 20, 2004

My B7500 runs my Bearcat with no problems. I believe both machines are about the same HP. You should be able to do it.
-Terry

Henro · Mar 20, 2004

I don't have a clue, but what the sales guy said sounds reasonable.

I do know that I don't really like the way the pto kicks in when I engage it to run the MMM on my BX. I have never tried the real slow movement of the pto lever like ttnh mentioned. I am going to try that when I get the MMM back on this spring.

As a side question, can someone explain briefly what actually happens when the BX pto lever is moved into the selected [on]position? What kind of clutch is the PTO clutch? I see my manual says to shift the lever "slowly."

Is there a dry clutch in there that is hydraulically operated, or is it some kind of hydraulic clutch/coupling?

Proof again that I neet the shop manuals for my tractors! /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

GregJ · Mar 20, 2004

David,
I have a B7500 and a Bearcat 70554, and I think your salesman may be right. I am not real familiar with the BX pto, but I can tell you that when I start my chipper up, it is similar to starting a car on a hill in second gear. It does take some oooomph to get that flywheel turning. You can't just dump the clutch or it will kill the engine.

There was another post a while back where I remember people had a problem with drive line alignment. Because of the lower stance of the BX there was a problem getting the driveline straight. If it is at an angle, it will really work the universal joints. I can't remember how that was resolved, it may not be a problem, but I thought I would mention it. It seems like it could be adjusted to a lower position.

Other than those 2 issues a BX has all the power that a 70554 needs.

Greg

gone · Mar 20, 2004

Henro the bx has a hdy. engaged wet clutch= inside trans. housing. it is engaged with hyd. presure,very common set up,i dont know how kubota set up the valve but it takes a wile for oil to build presure,like a line drains back or somthing. it's the only hyd. pto iv'e seen like that, Ih and john deere farm tractors are instant and for a better word feelable engagment.I hate hard starts it's like side steping the clutch in a drag car sooner or later somthing breaks,clutch,rear end or drive shaft. well now i don't have to worry my massy has a two stage clutch problem solved.

dmartin88 · Mar 20, 2004

I have a BX22 and the Woods chipper and have used it for a total of about 25 hours over the last 8 months or so.

The tractor does bog down quite a bit when the PTO engages against the weight of the clutch but I have never actually stalled the tractor. Not sure how it could hurt the engine even if it did but I'm not a tractor mechanic. I do worry that something will give in the PTO but so far, no problem. I do keep the engine RPM up near maximum when starting and using the chipper.

I move around a lot when chipping and usually keep the unit engaged when I move so I don't have to go through the strain of starting multiple times.

Feel free to write if you have questions but so far, so good for me. Chipper works great by the way, I feed a lot through the top and have to be careful as it can really grab. Main chute self feeds well when the blades are sharp and relatively easy to change/ sharpen the blades.

Sounds like your dealer is being cautious with his advice, mine told me he thought it would be okay and said the specs on the BX22 met what the chipper needed so I went ahead and happy so far.

jbclbc · Mar 20, 2004

( All i can say is you can slip the pto on the bx, i had one and hated the way the yhd. clutch engaged,if you very slowly move the lever the clutch will engage slower to get load moving smoothly with out the shock to implement or tractor.)

So does that mean that you should always move the lever very slowly to shooth out the shock to implement and tractor?

gone · Mar 21, 2004

I don't think the mass of weight on the moer is that hard on tractor pto,but i sure didn't like the way engaged, on the other hand like any clutch to much slipage is not a good thing either,maybe kubota was more concerned home owners would slip it excessively. wet clutches will last longer though because they are cooled by the oil. the 90hp-180 jd tractors had a perma clutch run in oil that was the trans. foot clutch. i actualy never knew of any one replacing one though im sure somone has just not any farmers i know that had them.