DIY PTO driven wood chipper.

[iointerrupt]

I'll admit I tried this conversion and failed.

Was a TroyBilt Tomahawk I got for free. Engine was not worth fixing, and I prefer PTO-power anyway.

So I tore it all apart, added 3pt hitch arms, top link connection.

Added a pulley and bearings to support it, PTO shaft and more bearings. With the biggest pulley I could find on SurplusCenter, I still could only get it up to about 2900 RPM. Figured that'd be enough.

And right before I went to test it, I realized, that the whole thing was now spinning backwards. And I don't know about your tractor, but on mine the PTO isn't reversible.

So, tear it all apart again, redesign the mounting for the chipper blade so it can be mounted backwards. Carefully set the flywheel up in the milling machine and drill new mounting holes for the blade. Grind off the old blade backstop and weld on a new one in reverse position.

Finally big day comes, time make some chips! And...it's utterly bone jarring. It seems to be striping the wood in long lengths, not making chips. Worse, it likes to violently eject any sticks feed into it right back out the feed chute at the operator. I suspect the low RPM wasn't helping, but who knows what else might have also been wrong.

Time to admit failure, this isn't going anywhere good. Stripped off the good parts, sent all the rest down the road to the scrap yard.

Buy a PTO chipper, re-designing a gas-powered one to be PTO powered is a rabbit hole that you don't want to explore. I know.

 

[bmaverick]

I'll admit I tried this conversion and failed.

Was a TroyBilt Tomahawk I got for free. Engine was not worth fixing, and I prefer PTO-power anyway.

So I tore it all apart, added 3pt hitch arms, top link connection.

Added a pulley and bearings to support it, PTO shaft and more bearings. With the biggest pulley I could find on SurplusCenter, I still could only get it up to about 2900 RPM. Figured that'd be enough.

And right before I went to test it, I realized, that the whole thing was now spinning backwards. And I don't know about your tractor, but on mine the PTO isn't reversible.

So, tear it all apart again, redesign the mounting for the chipper blade so it can be mounted backwards. Carefully set the flywheel up in the milling machine and drill new mounting holes for the blade. Grind off the old blade backstop and weld on a new one in reverse position.

Finally big day comes, time make some chips! And...it's utterly bone jarring. It seems to be striping the wood in long lengths, not making chips. Worse, it likes to violently eject any sticks feed into it right back out the feed chute at the operator. I suspect the low RPM wasn't helping, but who knows what else might have also been wrong.

Time to admit failure, this isn't going anywhere good. Stripped off the good parts, sent all the rest down the road to the scrap yard.

Buy a PTO chipper, re-designing a gas-powered one to be PTO powered is a rabbit hole that you don't want to explore. I know.

View attachment 598705View attachment 598706View attachment 598707

Thank you for the heads up. That is some really good info.

With my Yanmar, I have a 4-speed PTO. 540, 6XX, 8XX and 1080. It has an over-run clutch too.

With the Baker chipper/shredder, it's rotating shaft sticks out of both ends. So, an engine can mount on either side.

As for the ...

Worse, it likes to violently eject any sticks feed into it right back out the feed chute at the operator.

... mine had done that since day-1. I then took the 2 blades off, sharpened them and then readjusted the entry chute. It stopped that trouble. The chute angle to the rotating blades is critical to prevent your trouble. The chute mounts with grade-5.5 bolts, lock-washers and has slots for alignment. When it's not aligned, it's a violent machine with the 3-inch branches.

The 2900rpm is your tractor engine speed for a 540rpm PTO I would assume. Having a multi-speed PTO really comes in handy then. Or in your case, any old CASE Ind or Woods gear-box for a PTO pull behind mower would have worked for you instead. Or even a gear box from a PTO driven auger. You were soooo close on getting it to work right.

 

[ThisJustin]

This is an old thread, not sure if anyone is checking back but I was thinking about trying this too.

I have an old MacKissic, it's a monster. It rivals some large 3pt pto driven models I've seen, weighs over 100lb and it doesn't have an onboard engine. It's meant to run with the pto from a Gravely but in my opinion, it's a bit too large for the Gravely.

It would be an easy conversion seeing as it already has a PTO drive shaft connection, just need some mounting points.

 

[ThisJustin]

Actually, here it is - from their website

 

[Stomper]

I'll admit I tried this conversion and failed.

Was a TroyBilt Tomahawk I got for free. Engine was not worth fixing, and I prefer PTO-power anyway.

So I tore it all apart, added 3pt hitch arms, top link connection.

Added a pulley and bearings to support it, PTO shaft and more bearings. With the biggest pulley I could find on SurplusCenter, I still could only get it up to about 2900 RPM. Figured that'd be enough.

And right before I went to test it, I realized, that the whole thing was now spinning backwards. And I don't know about your tractor, but on mine the PTO isn't reversible.

So, tear it all apart again, redesign the mounting for the chipper blade so it can be mounted backwards. Carefully set the flywheel up in the milling machine and drill new mounting holes for the blade. Grind off the old blade backstop and weld on a new one in reverse position.

Finally big day comes, time make some chips! And...it's utterly bone jarring. It seems to be striping the wood in long lengths, not making chips. Worse, it likes to violently eject any sticks feed into it right back out the feed chute at the operator. I suspect the low RPM wasn't helping, but who knows what else might have also been wrong.

Time to admit failure, this isn't going anywhere good. Stripped off the good parts, sent all the rest down the road to the scrap yard.

Buy a PTO chipper, re-designing a gas-powered one to be PTO powered is a rabbit hole that you don't want to explore. I know.

View attachment 598705View attachment 598706View attachment 598707

WOW thats too bad it didn't work out, You did a great job on it. looks great

 

[CalG]

Actually, here it is - from their website

View attachment 601938

That unit is the smaller of two PTO driven chipper/ shredders offered by MacKissck.. The large one has served me well for many years now.

Knife to anvil clearance is an important aspect to good performance on all chippers. The TPH 185 included.

MacKissic Inc.