# chipper spit back



## TimberMcPherson (Aug 21, 2008)

Feeding my 6 inch gravely yesterday a bunch of deadwood, about 3 inch in diameter. One piece I had cut was about a foot long and I threw it in on top of longer bits that were going through. 

The chipper spat it straight back at me, hit me right on the chin and almost knocking me to the ground. Bit of blood and pain but I was otherwise fine. I got under an inch long cut which bleed alot and swelled some.Hurts to try and eat. wife wont kiss me. so its not all bad. I think it might have broken teeth or a nose if higher. it was quite a smack.

havent had that many spit backs like that, but a few, not just from my chipper either. I do have a screen on my helmet but when chipping dusty stuff I find that with the saftey glasses as well its to hard to see, and without the glasses the dust is to bad for the eyes. I do have clear glasses in the truck, maybe thats the answer.

Could it have been avoided practically? I dont really think so, I was feeding from the side of the hopper but being only a 6 inch you do have to move limbs at times for it to feed properly at times, I had put the bit on top of others rather than be bent right over pushing it in due to it being so short. 

Anyhow thought I would share. We all spend alot of time feeding these things. Keep the glasses on helmets on. Be careful. Tell your boys.


----------



## redprospector (Aug 21, 2008)

I've never had one spit a chunk back (feed rolers probably help that), but I have had bigger limbs & stems swing sideways and knock the pee-waddin out of me. Spilled blood, nursed fat lips, & worried about bones a time or two. My guy's call my chipper "the wheels of hell".

Andy


----------



## joesawer (Aug 22, 2008)

I have had drum chippers throw stuff out and hit me when the feed rollers are held open by a bigger piece. Disk chippers are not near as bad to throw stuff out as the knives are always moving away from the opening.
We have a 400 hp,self propelled, whole tree chipper that the operater can raise the feed roller all the way up to make it easier to feed. Some times it will throw a big piece out the front with some scary velocity. 
Be carful about being exposed while the feed rollers are open.


----------



## TimberMcPherson (Aug 22, 2008)

Yo sup all

It wasnt a spit back off the blades, it was off the feed roller somehow, I think if you have played tiddlywinks you will have an idea how it went down, it has a gallotine type set up based only on weight. the thing never got near the blades, the chippers a 625LR Gravely disc chipper which I brought from Marky Mark, who went through 6 kinds of hell to get it send from New Jersey to New Zealand, something I am very grateful for. Its mounted on a 360 degree turntable which in my tight confined city works like cold beer on a hot day.

Heres a pic, with the stumpmaster grinder mounted on it (sack there as padding) Might look strange but being able to do a full job, fill the truck, grind the stump and be gone in one trip makes this work awesome for me.


----------



## Groundman One (Aug 22, 2008)

We have a 6" Vermeer 625B and if you feed in a piece of wood, maybe 3" or more with no branches at the end, it always spits back a golf ball sized piece straight back at me off the very end of the chipping action. Not that hard, but you still do not want it in the face. Also, it happens quite often that when you do feed in a a piece of wood, it grabs the wood very quickly and the end you are holding to feed it in goes smashing up against the roof of the chipper. Very easy to get a bent wrist or worse. Something to get used to.

I always wear glasses and a hard hat and two levels of ear protection, plugs and muffs. Makes it bearable noise wise. The climber I work with every day feeds the chipper with no safety glasses on. So does our second climber when he is with us. Technically they outrank me so they do what they want. It just amazes me how stupid some people can be. I have years on chippers and I would have been blinded and-or knocked senseless countless times if I did not have glasses and a hardhat. 

(Feeding in beech branches is the worst. You always take a whipping and a whooping with those.)


----------



## Eagle1 (Aug 23, 2008)

Blow back...ouch !!

I was using a 6" Vermeer 625B a long time ago and had a butt end about 2"x2" fire back and hit me in the nose. The velocity was amazing. I was ok, just 2 black eyes and some blood.


----------



## Groundman One (Aug 23, 2008)

Eagle1 said:


> Blow back...ouch !!
> 
> I was using a 6" Vermeer 625B a long time ago and had a butt end about 2"x2" fire back and hit me in the nose. The velocity was amazing. I was ok, just 2 black eyes and some blood.



Ooh. Nasty! Glad you kept your eyesight and your teeth. I wonder how much good a mesh visor would do in that situation? Not much I think. You`d need an honest to God face shield like on a footbal helmet to save you from that.

Another thing I`ve had happen that I watch for now is having a bunch of branches going in, the machine jams, you hit the red bar reverse, and a sharp piece of wood or branch tip kicks back out and gets you right in the neck. Yikes! That only had to happen once or twice before it become a habit to guard for it every time.


----------



## Eagle1 (Aug 23, 2008)

```
I wonder how much good a mesh visor would do in that situation
```

I think it would have slowed it down to about 500mph :hmm3grin2orange:


----------



## yooper (Aug 24, 2008)

I have an old 1973 Wayne 16 chipper(drum) with a dodge 318 in it. you really have to watch out when throwing short dead pieces of wood in it sometimes they come back a heck of allot faster than any man could throw them. I have been abused a few times by it.


----------



## Eagle1 (Aug 24, 2008)

Just make sure no one bends over when that chipper is throwing wood.......that would REALLY be abuse


----------



## JeffL (Aug 24, 2008)

One day we were pushing some big chunks of willow into our Bandit ermmmm, something XP . Cant recall the model number, will take up to 15" wood. Either way, lots of small bits kicking around the feed wheels, and I kept getting nervous opening those feed wheels all the way up to push those butt pieces into them. Sure enough, what I was nervous of happening happened and had a piece come flying off the knives and hit me square in the stomach. Cut me a bit and left a nice bruise.


----------



## southsoundtree (Sep 16, 2008)

yooper said:


> I have an old 1973 Wayne 16 chipper(drum) with a dodge 318 in it. you really have to watch out when throwing short dead pieces of wood in it sometimes they come back a heck of allot faster than any man could throw them. I have been abused a few times by it.



I've got a hungry wayne 1975. On a guy's first day the end of the branch shot back and got him squarely in the family jewels. 

I told him to feed from the side, that there is protection from the sides of the tray, but nothing like being doubled over in pain from a nutshot will emphasize it better.


----------



## lostcoastland (Sep 21, 2008)

treemandan said:


> ALLRIGHT, ***** TIMBERMCPHERSON, what in God's name are you doing with that thing?
> I am sure it hurt and a NG situation BUT seriously watch that kinda stuff. You got a pic of this graveley?





*****????


----------



## woodchop (Sep 21, 2008)

lostcoastland said:


> *****????



Australians, black or white, do not on the whole have the same sensitivity to the word as Americans, at least when it is used in a lighthearted, non-derogatory fashion among established groups of friends. It would not be acceptable to use the term to a stranger or casual acquaintance. The relaxed attitude is mainly because there was no direct slave trading or slave use in Australia per se[citation needed], as the country was built on the exploitation of European convict labour. The mistreatment, and genocide, of the indigenous people is generally covered under the term of "racial abuse" rather than "slavery"; however, the increasing use of American vernacular has sensitised conservative Australia to its use.

They must be friends.


----------



## TimberMcPherson (Sep 22, 2008)

Aussies and NZers are sworn enemies, our two countries have been in a state of war for years due to an attempt to control the kangaroo resource. 

The problem is that during the peace talks where we carefully distributed the kangaroos between the nations for use for transportation, food, entertainment and as tourist drawcards, the kangaroos kept leaping between the countries, destroying an agreed to balance and which which resulted in a long and bloody conflict.

If ekka or aussie and I were face to face we could be charged with treason if we didnt try to kill each other or steal the others kangaroos

The sad thing is that over a third of americans I told that to when I llived in the US believed me, and NZ has no kangaroos.

Oh, ***** is offensive here unless your a ***** calling another ***** a *****, then for some reason its supposed to be fine. I have no problem being called that at all, but dont call me an aussie, or its war.


----------



## Jlarnard (Sep 23, 2008)

I did a 1 &3/4 tuck running jack pine through a 14"whisper. We dicovered that if we fed them backwards it would take them clean through with no kickback. They were 20 to 30 foot beanpoles. Well I turned my back and it got me right under the hard hat. Partner said I did 1.75 rotations head over heels, before hitting the ground. I don't recall a thing until much later. my short term memory has been crap since.


----------



## (WLL) (Sep 24, 2008)

TimberMcPherson said:


> Aussies and NZers are sworn enemies, our two countries have been in a state of war for years due to an attempt to control the kangaroo resource.
> 
> The problem is that during the peace talks where we carefully distributed the kangaroos between the nations for use for transportation, food, entertainment and as tourist drawcards, the kangaroos kept leaping between the countries, destroying an agreed to balance and which which resulted in a long and bloody conflict.
> 
> ...


lmao


----------



## (WLL) (Sep 24, 2008)

(WLL) said:


> lmao


 the whisper chippers should be outlawed. back in the day we used a Big Jack whisper and she could/wood spit em back out good enough ta kill a large horse:jawdrop: i can remember a crew member or two lobbing in large firewood chunks and just watch the chit fly. im not a boss and i dont like to tell people what to do but when i see people doing something stupid or dangerous i find myself saying things like its all fun n games till someone gets hurt or its all fun n games until i flip the f out! be safe people


----------

