Chipper DR Chipper first impressions

[Boondox]

Got a call from Country Home Products this morning telling me the 3ph chippers had finally come in and would I like one? Drove to Vergennes, dodging some HUGE thunderstorms along the way, and after poking around their showroom I paid for the chipper and a little slip of a girl wrestled a 200# cardboard box off the loading dock into the back of my truck. I ran over to help, but she had the thing in place in the blink of an eye! An unexpected surprise, since they had free shipping and I had driven over to pick the unit up...they dropped the price by $130! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Drove home and found ten yards of gravel blocking the driveway. Darn. Forgot about that! So spend an hour spreading it with the bucket, then drove to the garage and used the bucket to transfer the box from truck to garage. Then decided since the sun was shining to mow the lower field. Only then did I take the time to check out the chipper.

Opened the box and peered inside. The chipper is tiny. Absolutely tiny! I really had doubts right then and there! In fact, I used the bucket hooks to lift the unit out of the box just in case the box was needed for the return trip.

Good instructions, albeit with some rather humorous lawyer warnings. "Soft wood processes easier than hard wood." "Do not adjust knife blade while unit is in operation." Love that stuff! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif Installed the hopper chute and the deflector. Didn't have to cut the PTO shaft at all. Read the operating instructions, then drove to the lower field for a test run.

It shakes and rattles. And with those sound attenuating earmuffs it sounds like a bell ringing with a tractor in the background. But it chips! I mean it really gobbled up the saplings I ran through it! The biggest piece was about three inches in diameter; we heat with wood so anything bigger than that goes into the firewood shed. But it took a huge pile of brush and saplings, and in about 45 minutes all I had left was a pretty good pile of chips. Not bad at all!

But I can't get over the smallness of the unit. Looks like the first time I forget to raise the 3ph before driving off the unit will fold up like a pretzel. So the verdict is mixed at this point. More later, including some pics.

Pete

 

[Cliff_Johns]

I look forward to your further adventures with the Dr. as well as the pictures.
Cliff

 

[Egon]

Next thing Pete is to make a wood chip feeder for your wood stove. Dry chips would burn more efficiently than solid wood.

Egon

 

[Boondox]

Well, I used it hard all three days this Memorial Day weekend and the verdict is still out. It stalled only once, with a huge cloud of black smoke as the belt slid over the stationary pulley wheel, and I learned it doesn't care much for punky wood. In that case, a partially rotted birch branch full of moisture managed to clog the discharge chute. Seems to handle just about everything else I feed into it, though.

The advertised capacity is 4.5 inches. I found this to be true for softwoods and some of the softer deciduous trees like greenstripe. Maple, oak and beech, no way. The limit is more like 3 inches for the tough stuff.

Tamara and I have been clearing the brush at the edge of our meadow to discourage the coyotes from checking out our sheep...and to give me a clear shot if they are not to be discouraged. The DR seems perfect for long straight saplings or branches. Gentle curves feed in just fine, but abrupt changes in direction don't fit through the hopper and have to be cut with the chainsaw before feeding them. Not unique to the DR; any small chipper will have this issue.

The DR is not a shredder. It chips wood. At the end of a limb the little twigs get cut into smaller pieces, but still some of them are a foot long, especially the tiny stuff like on birch trees. Leaves come out more or less intact, though obviously a little folded and mutilated. I've found it's best to toss leaved branches in with the sheep for a couple of hours, then later chip the picked clean branches.

The 3PH model does not come with a top discharge option. I've found the easiest way to deal with the piles of chips is to discharge into a box, then dump the box into either the bucket for transport or into the bed of the truck. I used the truck because the meadow was pretty soggy and I didn't want the aggies carving ruts in the muck.

Here's a pic of a truckload of chips ready for the garden.

Pete

 

[Boondox]

And a pic of the garden with the walkways all covered in fresh chips.

 

[cisco]

Got one.
Had it for over 6 months, and used it for a few hours today. My system today was my son or I (alternately) trimming lower tree branches from a platform I've fashioned for my FEL, and the one of us "on the ground" moves the tractor around, adjusts FEL height, and takes cut branches from the ground to the DR unit mounted on the 3ph, so when we got through trimming a tree of low hanging branches (the ones that get in my face when I'm bush hogging the property) all there was to show for it was a pile of shredded stuff on the ground (WEAR HEARING PROTECTION).
It works for what I got it for, and for the price is reasonable. It will not take 4" hardwood (much less 4.5"), and I've found the exit chute will clog if a bunch of small branches with lots of juicy leaves are fed into the intake chute (dried leaves are fine). Hand feeding in branches slows things down, but in my case speed is limited by the person cutting branches. When I had a backlog of shredding to do, and a large pile to work on, I rented a large Vermeer with an auto-feed, and the pile disappeared in half a day (would have taken days with the DR). As stated, you have to trim (I've a 2 handed clipper that can handle 2" limbs, and a small Stihl) all large branches from the main trunk, or you'll never be able to stuff a large branch in the intake chute. I trim all major side branches that I can't manually break. I've had no mechanical problems with the DR. It will rust (painted, but has bare metal on the flywheel, and thinly covered metal in other spots), so keep it indoors.
I've a 3410 GST, so far more pto than the 18hp gas unit on DR's highest end self-contained shredder (same shredding unit as the 3ph). I have no idea how DR makes the 4.5 inch claim (? dry pine).
My one hint - keep the single cutting blade sharp (every 10 hours is what's recommended) - it makes a difference.

 

[RebelYell]

Nice looking dogs, garden, truck, chip pile; now how about a pic of the chipper. With the amount of chips you have I assume you are very pleased with the chipper.

 

[Boondox]

Hah! I knew I'd forgotten something! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif Hard to take a pic of myself running branches thru the chipper, but I can get one of the unit installed on ol' Clementine. Sorry for the oversight! Old Timers' Disease strikes again! /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

Anyway, here's one of the chipper eating a small birch.

Pete

 

[MadDog]

Yah, I like your landscaping assistants, too. I'm sure they're a lot of help. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif I have a black lab and a newfie and they think that all outdoor work with the tractor means "playtime" and the lab regards all branches, sticks, etc. as her personal toys. If you're gonna chip one, you also have to throw one. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

The newfie could care less about sticks; he prefers to "herd" the lab and divert her from bringing the sticks back. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Boondox]

Well, my concerns about the durability of the chipper were reinforced this morning when, after a total of six or so hours of use, I fed a 3" beech branch into the hopper and the drive belt immediately snapped. Remember, the rated capacity of the unit is 4.5 inches. The belt separated at the splice, so it looks like a manufacturing defect. And remember, this belt was smoked for a few seconds when wet wood blocked the discharge chute last weekend and the unit jammed. So if it was weak to begin with that certainly didn't help.

Tech support was great, though, and a replacement is on the way. I'll let you know how the installation goes. Might as well swap out the knife while I'm in there so I can relate the whole maintenance experience.

So it's back to the winch and harvesting firewood for next winter.

Pete

 

[wejones]

Pete, I also have a DR Chipper and have used it just like you have. I have put 4" stuff through it, but have not had any problems. The larger dryer wood does rattle the hands a bit, but so far my unit has kept on chugging. I have only choked my unit up once when I failed to move a pile of chips out of the way. Like you I also discharge into a large tub which works well. I also found that if I set the unit on 6" x 6" blocks it would have better clearance and fill my tub fuller. Do you have a spare blade? So far I have only had to switch blades once. Mine seem to stay sharp for the full 10 hours of use. My only wish is that the unit had a top discharge then I could fill my dump trailer with it. we jones

 

[Boondox]

WEJones -- I was so surprised by the belt snapping on such a small piece that I sent both the belt and the end of the branch to DR's quality folks. The fact that it snapped right at the splice suggests a bad belt, and nothing wrong with the chipper itself.

They didn't have any spare blades in stock when I picked up the chipper, but I ordered one and it should arrive this week. Figured I could swap the knife out every ten hours and sharpen the other one at night in the shop. Can't be any different than sharpening my jointer knives.

I agree, a top discharge for the PTO model would be a bonus!

Pete

 

[DPic105]

Could you tell how much you paid for the unit?

 

[MikePA]

<font color="blue"> Could you tell how much you paid for the unit? </font>
I went to the Country Home Products web site. Here's a link to the chipper model and price list. Cost for the 3ph version, on sale at the web site, $1,799.10.

 

[John_Mc]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Cost for the 3ph version, on sale at the web site, $1,7999.10. )</font>

Did you by any chance get one too many "9"s in that price?

John Mc

 

[MikePA]

Yep. Corrected.

 

[Boondox]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Could you tell how much you paid for the unit? )</font>

The total came to $1771 with tax. The chipper itself was $1670, they knocked off some for shipping since I drove over to pick it up personally.

Pete

 

[nomad]

Liked that small chipper. But it's price is high comparing with large chipper such as that Chinese chipper which is same or even for lower price. Any superiority of that small chipper?

 

[Boondox]

Well, the part is still not here. I was told last Saturday it was in stock and would be mailed out that afternoon, or I could shop around at area tractor supply stores and be reimbursed for my expenses. I opted to wait for delivery since I'm only 45 miles away and figured it would arrive in a couple of days. It's now Wednesday and no replacement belt.

So I called customer support to get a tracking number. Was told they were on backorder and the part had never shipped. They thought some belts might come in by the week after next. Asked how I could be reimbursed if I bought one locally. Was told they don't do that, that the tech support person shouldn't have made promises like that.

This reminded me of my first uncomfortable feeling with Country Home Products. When I first called to ask about the DR Chipper I was told they had every model ready to ship. Got me thru the entire sales process before telling me not only were they not in stock, but they had no idea when more would become available as the past several orders had run late or been incomplete.

I really don't like it when folks aren't up front with me! /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif

I finally called my local tractor dealers to see if they had the belt in stock. On the very first call I was told they were quite common and that I ought to be able to find one at NAPA. So I called NAPA and will have a replacement belt tomorrow morning for less than $13! Why couldn't Country Home Products have told me that...and if I can get one tomorrow, why is their supply chain so slow and cumbersome?

I like the unit, small though it might be, but after spending $1776 on it I'd appreciate a little better customer support.

Or am I just expecting too much..?

Pete

 

[Bird]

I would not be happy with someone telling me something is in stock and will be shipped today and then finding that they didn't even ship it. Like you, I expect folks to just be up front with me to start with. Did they tell you the brand and part number of the belt? I once had to have a new belt for my DR trimmer/mower and called Country Home Products to order one and the person I was talking to told me what it cost, but also told me it was a Gates belt and gave me the part number if I preferred buying one locally, which I did.