JD 4720 with new Bear Cat 73554
- Thread starter ddivinia
- Start date
- Views: 3350
-
- Tags
- john deere 4720
Kyle_in_Tex
Super Member
ddivinia said:
Sorry D, I've got to go to church this week. Missed last week due to allergies and sore throat.
Superduper
Platinum Member
- Joined
- Jul 18, 2006
- Messages
- 523
- Location
- Somewhere, over the rainbow.
- Tractor
- John Deere 3120, Kubota BX2350, Deere X740
ddivinia said:
D, I have a portable bearcat chipper 8hp unit and I can tell you I compared most of them before settling on this unit. It costed a heck of a lot more but again, like someone else said -- you get what you pay for. There's no question in my mind that these Bearcats are amongst the best.
As for your blade issue, may I make a suggestion: I also bought an extra set of blades and they can be sharpened at your local carbide sharpening shop. That way, if one set gets dull, I can swap it out immediately and get those sharpened and ready for the next time. Also, when making your limb pile, try to keep the wood clean prior to chipping. Place them on top of a large tarp if necessary. The wood doesn't dull the blades much but when they are dirty, such as when they have been sitting on top of dirt, you will dull the blades lightning quick. I didn't know this until the dealer told me and even then, I had to learn the hard way. If you drag the limbs through the dirt before chipping -- well, that is the worst thing you can do. Also, I do not chip hard dry limbs that have been dead for some time as they also dull the blades. I save those for the fireplace instead and cut them with a chainsaw if large and a sawzall if smaller. Since I began following these guidelines and resisted the temptation of making exceptions, my blades now last a very time between sharpenings.
jeffinsgf
Veteran Member
The Goossen (similar machine and similar blades) owner's manual says 8 to 10 hours. That seems a bit excessive to me, but from my experience, the blades start showing the signs of edge loss at about 12 hours, can last up to 30 if you're chipping clean green material (see superduper's comments), but are usually ready to change at around between 15 and 20 hours.
The self-feeding/manual-feeding design of these machines makes it very undesirable to push blades past their prime. With a power feed, the blades will stop cutting and start beating the wood into chips, and for a very long while, you may not notice. I can promise you, that if you let those Bearcat blades go too long, you'll know it at the end of the day. The "self-feeding" feature sort of fades into the distance, and you'll find yourself trying to force the limbs through the chipper. I have been known to try to finish a job, instead of stopping and changing blades -- but that's seldom the best approach. If you find yourself forcing stuff in, give up and change blades.
I use mine almost exclusively on cedar. That's what I have most of to clear, it makes the best mulch for gardening beds, and the blades last significantly longer between sharpenings if I keep away from the hardwoods. The hardwoods get cut up for firewood and the slash gets piled up for rabbit habitat. If I had a reason to chip up hardwoods, I wouldn't hesitate to do it, but until I have more rabbitats than I want, I'll stick to chipping cedars only.
The self-feeding/manual-feeding design of these machines makes it very undesirable to push blades past their prime. With a power feed, the blades will stop cutting and start beating the wood into chips, and for a very long while, you may not notice. I can promise you, that if you let those Bearcat blades go too long, you'll know it at the end of the day. The "self-feeding" feature sort of fades into the distance, and you'll find yourself trying to force the limbs through the chipper. I have been known to try to finish a job, instead of stopping and changing blades -- but that's seldom the best approach. If you find yourself forcing stuff in, give up and change blades.
I use mine almost exclusively on cedar. That's what I have most of to clear, it makes the best mulch for gardening beds, and the blades last significantly longer between sharpenings if I keep away from the hardwoods. The hardwoods get cut up for firewood and the slash gets piled up for rabbit habitat. If I had a reason to chip up hardwoods, I wouldn't hesitate to do it, but until I have more rabbitats than I want, I'll stick to chipping cedars only.
