Direct drive chipper question

[worthb]

I am about to buy a chipper and wanted some input first. I am looking at the Value Leader 4" chipper. It looks to be a close copy to the Wallenstein BX42. It is a direct drive chipper and I am concerned about the shock to the PTO driveline. I know there is a shear bolt. Does anyone have any comments or problems with direct drive vs belt drive? Any help is appreciated.

 

[oosik]

I've had two chippers - Wallenstein BX42S and now the BX62S. I used the 42 on my 28 hp Ford 1700 and now the 62 on my Kubota M6040. Both have shear bolts. I never had a moments problem with either and have never sheared a safety bolt on either. About 99% of my chipping is Ponderosa pine. I will occasionally chip some of my apple trees and I chipped about six locust trees for the neighbor. The locust had dried about 2-3 years and were as hard as a rock. It had no trouble chipping them either. I'm sure the shock loading to the drive line is part of the total engineering package when they design the chipper. I have no experience with a belt drive chipper nor any knowledge of Value Line chippers.

Just be sure to use the pto drive line recommended by the chipper manufacturer.

 

[worthb]

Thank you for the input. I was wondering how vulnerable the shear bolt is under normal use.

 

[Stonehaller]

I have a BX62 and have never broken a shear bolt either. I have stalled the tracker, though. The BX62 has a big mouth and if you feed it too much it will bog down my DX45 to the point of stalling it.

 

[rd_macgregor]

I've sheared a couple of bolts in my BX62, and also stopped/jammed the chipper with too heavy a load of maple. I think the momentum of the flywheel absorbs most of the shock loading; when it is excessive, the shear bolt will go.

 

[oosik]

You have to realize that pine is probably one of the softer woods to chip - along with alder, birch, aspen and the like. The Wally '42 would take stuff up to 4" in diameter and I could never bog it down with just pine trees. Feeding dry hardwoods could be another matter. Like Stonehaller said - if you run the chipper at the recommended pto rpm and feed one tree at a time - I really doubt there will be a problem. The mass of the rotating flywheel will absorb the majority of any shock loading.

I did have a problem with the '42 - I feed the pine trees hole (limbs & all) and I would get the pine sap, from green needles, causing plugging in the discharge chute - nothing to do with shock loading. I thin my stands and annually chip 750-900 trees. Now I thin & stack in the spring and chip the following year plus the '62 has a higher air flow and larger discharge chute.

 

[CobyRupert]

I suspect you should compare the weight of the flywheels to judge the shock that two equal pieces of wood would put on the drivelines.

 

[worthb]

I suspect you should compare the weight of the flywheels to judge the shock that two equal pieces of wood would put on the drivelines.

That's a good point that I didn't think about. The Value Leader chipper flywheel is listed at 115 lbs. The Wally is 75 lbs for the BX42. Pine is the only wood that scares me. I guess I could run it through mixed between some hardwood to help clear the sap.

I don't want to save $ on a chipper only to tear up my tractor.

 

[oosik]

I really wouldn't be worried about the pine trees unless you run a lot - 50 to 100 - thru in a row and if they are green and have the limbs & needles attached. On the '42 it would take that number to get enough pitch build-up in the chipper chamber/chute before the thing started plugging. I cleaned the chamber/chute by washing down with turpentine and it was ready to go again. OR I'd alternate some dry pines in with the green stuff.

Otherwise - I don't see near the system shock on a chipper that you would see on a rototiller.

 

[worthb]

Thanks to all of you for your input. You have put my mind at ease.