treeslayer666
ArboristSite Member
Is anyone running a new vermeer bc1500? I have a 03 1400, and thinking of upgrading to the 1500. Its supposedly the answer to all the 1400's problems. Any imput on the 1500 will help.
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Vermeer BC1500
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Mikecutstrees
ArboristSite Guru
What problems did you have with the BC 1400, I used one at my old job and it wasn't too bad although the bearings did crap out at about 1000 hrs. Just wondering for future info..... Mike
treeslayer666
ArboristSite Member
Problems with bc1400
Vibration was the biggest problem. 22" drum with 2 knives that has a 14" diamiter capacity???? Its put together with so many nuts & bolts it would rattle itself apart. Very cheesy constuction, thin steel all around even in places where it should be beefed up. Weak feed system, no crushing power, electric motor for chute rotation that never worked right I'm on the 4th electric motor, 4th heat sheild, new drum, shute (needs another new one due to cracks at vermeers 1" welds, noticed the 1500 has solid welds), bearings, electrical, clutch, press plate, throwout bearing, rear main, you name it plus all the factory recalls. I bought it new in 03 and it has under 1000 hours.
Vibration was the biggest problem. 22" drum with 2 knives that has a 14" diamiter capacity???? Its put together with so many nuts & bolts it would rattle itself apart. Very cheesy constuction, thin steel all around even in places where it should be beefed up. Weak feed system, no crushing power, electric motor for chute rotation that never worked right I'm on the 4th electric motor, 4th heat sheild, new drum, shute (needs another new one due to cracks at vermeers 1" welds, noticed the 1500 has solid welds), bearings, electrical, clutch, press plate, throwout bearing, rear main, you name it plus all the factory recalls. I bought it new in 03 and it has under 1000 hours.
Mikecutstrees
ArboristSite Guru
thanks for the info, Now that you mention it I did see the welds failing on the BC1400 chute welds too and that chipper mostly chipped prunings, nothing major. Good to know the problems with different models....
Treeslayer all i can tell you is i was talking to a mechanic who has been in charge of servicing/maintaining a Bc1500 for the last few months,He said there really good machines,And where there being used is very dry an little moisture content in the trees extremley hard chipping.
They traded bandit 250's and BC 1000s on to buy the 1500s
They traded bandit 250's and BC 1000s on to buy the 1500s
Why would you even consider another one, even though it is an upgrade, if you had those problems. Time to try a different brand.
Treeslayer, why in another thread do you promote Bandit and here you are talking about another Vermeer??
Treeslayer, why in another thread do you promote Bandit and here you are talking about another Vermeer??
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treeslayer666
ArboristSite Member
Vermeer made me an offer that would blow your mind, take my 1400 give me a 1500 with 3 year 3000 hour warranty soup to nuts...FOR COST. They made me this offer when I was picking up my machine last week after another recall. I figured I'd check with AS members to see what they thought of the 1500.
Bandit is a superior machine, Ive owned them before the vermeer, and had great luck with little downtime unlike the vermeer that's why I promote bandit.
End result..about 1 hour ago I got off the phone with my BANDIT dealer and we just made a deal on a BANDIT 1590 007xp. He is dropping it off next week. I paid a #### load more for the Bandit and some people might think I'm crazy for passing on vermeers offer but its like comparing a Cadillac to a KIA. You get what you pay for.
oldirty
Addicted to ArboristSite
i dont know if i would call a bandit a cadillac. might reserve that for the morbark.
i dont get what the beef is about vermeer. the 1800 is a goooood chipper. maybe those smaller chippers rattle apart because they are being over fed?
we run 2 bandits and man do i hate those f'n things. to me the design is bunk. leaving a hole between the feed wheels and the disk leads to chips and sticks stopping the disk from spinning and watching a new guy smoke the clutch when he goes to fire it up after it sits for a minute.
plus that stupid trap door under the feed wheels does nothing but cause the wheels to get jammed because there is too much space between the feed wheels and disk that doesnt let everything get pulled through. a design flaw to me. nevermind the drum vs disk idea.
personally i would rank the chippers like this. morbark, vermeer, and then bandit. i would love to have something to say about a woodsman but i havent run one yet.
i dont get what the beef is about vermeer. the 1800 is a goooood chipper. maybe those smaller chippers rattle apart because they are being over fed?
we run 2 bandits and man do i hate those f'n things. to me the design is bunk. leaving a hole between the feed wheels and the disk leads to chips and sticks stopping the disk from spinning and watching a new guy smoke the clutch when he goes to fire it up after it sits for a minute.
plus that stupid trap door under the feed wheels does nothing but cause the wheels to get jammed because there is too much space between the feed wheels and disk that doesnt let everything get pulled through. a design flaw to me. nevermind the drum vs disk idea.
personally i would rank the chippers like this. morbark, vermeer, and then bandit. i would love to have something to say about a woodsman but i havent run one yet.
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I dont know Oldirty, when I worked for Davey they were using Morbark`s & alot of the same problems as with the Bandits, I know what you mean about the trap door, The morbark I ran for Davey would compress all the chippings between the bottom feed roller & trap door to the point the roller wouldnt spin, it would pack it so tight the trap door actually bowed out bending the retaining pins!
I own a Bandit, good machine it has its flaws but in this biz we all want the world & then some..........thats why I tell people Tree trimmers can do just about anything, we weld & fabricate to make our equipment better, if they dont sell it we build it, we modify our saws & climbing gear, etc..etc... doesnt matter what I buy I always wonder why they didnt do something a certain way??
Good Luck, Take care Be safe!!!
LXT..............
I own a Bandit, good machine it has its flaws but in this biz we all want the world & then some..........thats why I tell people Tree trimmers can do just about anything, we weld & fabricate to make our equipment better, if they dont sell it we build it, we modify our saws & climbing gear, etc..etc... doesnt matter what I buy I always wonder why they didnt do something a certain way??
Good Luck, Take care Be safe!!!
LXT..............
treeslayer666
ArboristSite Member
Vermeers 1800xl can't Tango with Bandits 1590xp
Your right, any vermeer smaller than the 1800 rattles apart but its not due to being overfed, its a design flaw.. all bolts tack welds and thin gage steel, very erector set like.
As far as the 1800 goes I'm not very impressed. My father is on his second 1800 ( he bleeds vermeer yellow since 79 ) and loves it. I did a tree for him last year and was watching his groundies feed it and I swear my 1400 would out chip his 1800. He does have a 110hp version. I don't know why they would sell them with such low hp. The thing with both the 1400 & 1800 is consider clutch, pres plate, throwout bearing and rear main as part of your routine 500 hour service.
As far as the Bandit 1590 goes ( its a drum with no dead space ) it will defiantly lay a 1800 with a 140hp to waste no comparison. With vermeer you have to cut every crotch because their feed systems have no power and the vertical rollers have 2 springs at the top for tension but nothing at the bottom causing the bottom of the rollers to spread apart. 500 hours later you cant feed anything under 4" diameter.
Mark my words, Vermeer will be going to horizontal feed rollers and down pressure systems in the future to compete. Actually they already started in their new 280hp whammy. I think its the 2100xl. Now that's a nice machine but way to big for my needs.
Woodsman 15x & 18x seem like good, beefy machines but they are new to me & this time around I'm sticking with the name I know & trust.
Never cared much for Morbark. I'm not sure why. I saw a buddies run and it chipped, nothing mind blowing.
Your right, any vermeer smaller than the 1800 rattles apart but its not due to being overfed, its a design flaw.. all bolts tack welds and thin gage steel, very erector set like.
As far as the 1800 goes I'm not very impressed. My father is on his second 1800 ( he bleeds vermeer yellow since 79 ) and loves it. I did a tree for him last year and was watching his groundies feed it and I swear my 1400 would out chip his 1800. He does have a 110hp version. I don't know why they would sell them with such low hp. The thing with both the 1400 & 1800 is consider clutch, pres plate, throwout bearing and rear main as part of your routine 500 hour service.
As far as the Bandit 1590 goes ( its a drum with no dead space ) it will defiantly lay a 1800 with a 140hp to waste no comparison. With vermeer you have to cut every crotch because their feed systems have no power and the vertical rollers have 2 springs at the top for tension but nothing at the bottom causing the bottom of the rollers to spread apart. 500 hours later you cant feed anything under 4" diameter.
Mark my words, Vermeer will be going to horizontal feed rollers and down pressure systems in the future to compete. Actually they already started in their new 280hp whammy. I think its the 2100xl. Now that's a nice machine but way to big for my needs.
Woodsman 15x & 18x seem like good, beefy machines but they are new to me & this time around I'm sticking with the name I know & trust.
Never cared much for Morbark. I'm not sure why. I saw a buddies run and it chipped, nothing mind blowing.
oldirty
Addicted to ArboristSite
i saw that 2100xl at the NEGrows.....beast, i think, would be an understatement.
ummmm....i will be honest with you for a minute. i have only run a hurricane from morbark. i thought it was a stud. for the vermeer, i have been around the 1800's and like them, along with a 1000 and a 1400. (ahhhh, wasnt the 1800) now with bandit i have not seen one of those 1590's yet and am only familiar with the 250+.....so that is my chipper experience....and since i am being completely honest with ya, a couple chuck and ducks as well. (look out open skin in the winter!)
so with that being known i will still stand by my claim. lol
i kick those trap doors open now man. i would rather have to shovel a couple scoops of chips out than try to deal with the madness that is stuck rollers.
whats your favorite machine LXT? or anyone for that matter. personally i have a soft spot in my heart for a chipper with a winch, even if it is a bandit. lol
ummmm....i will be honest with you for a minute. i have only run a hurricane from morbark. i thought it was a stud. for the vermeer, i have been around the 1800's and like them, along with a 1000 and a 1400. (ahhhh, wasnt the 1800) now with bandit i have not seen one of those 1590's yet and am only familiar with the 250+.....so that is my chipper experience....and since i am being completely honest with ya, a couple chuck and ducks as well. (look out open skin in the winter!)
so with that being known i will still stand by my claim. lol
i kick those trap doors open now man. i would rather have to shovel a couple scoops of chips out than try to deal with the madness that is stuck rollers.
whats your favorite machine LXT? or anyone for that matter. personally i have a soft spot in my heart for a chipper with a winch, even if it is a bandit. lol
oldirty
Addicted to ArboristSite
treeslayer666
ArboristSite Member
Go to www.banditchippers.com and check out the 1590 in the video library. I can post some still pics but I'm not technologically advanced enough to post vid. I'm lucky I can get online.
I had the same problem with the trap door in my Bandit 250. I'd just leave it open and scoop up the pile when we were done.
JimL
Addicted to ArboristSite
we got 2 or 3, i think 3 1500's at work. They get used hard, run all day doing right of way work. Got winches on them. The little I have used them they seem to do alright. we had one spit the knives off it, twice! the 2nd time they were the ones vermeer installed after they fixed it the first time. not real sure what became of it..
Thats a good question!!! Honestly I dont think I have a favorite, New they`re all wonderful but after a little time...they show the evil side.
I personally own a 90xp bandit, it holds its own!! many times I wish I had a bigger chipper, my buddy owns a morbark same size as my bandit not sure the model its nice, Ive ran several through the utility vermeer, bandit, M&M, etc.. of course in utility work they get abused!!
absolutely......leave the trap door open!!
If I had to buy a new chipper I would check out the: Bandit, Morbark, Vermeer line something in a 12" or maybe that new Rayco?
LXT............
Whats the price of a new 1500? I have a 1000 xl and I'm thinking the big one is coming sometime soon as we haven't had a hurricane up here since 91 and when it comes, and it will, there are some big trees that will be coming down. My 1000xl has about 850 hrs overall but the engine was replaced after the first year and the drum/bearings replaced after the blades threw. None of it my fault. Rental before I owned it. Great since ownership though. And slayer, are you dealing through Hopkinton?
treeslayer666
ArboristSite Member
The Big One
Capetrees, I hope the big hurricane of 08 is brewing!
I belive the sticker price of a new Vermeer 1500 is about $44k so you should be able to get it for $40k. But if your gonna upgrade do yourself a favor and check out the Bandit 1590 its a 17" drum chipper or the 1290 its the 15" version. Ive been their and done that with the Vermeer 1400. I did check out their 1500 to see if they resolved any of the major design flaws but its basically the same machine with all the recalls they did to the 1400 and a deer 125hp replacing the cat 122hp. Belive me Vermeer really wanted my business and I appreciate the deal they offered me, but I just cant justify paying for a machine that I already own outright. I can justify paying for the BANDIT 1590.
In fact my Bandit dealer just delivered my new 1590 TODAY!! This machine is NO JOKE! It makes the vermeer 1400 look like the DR. chipper you see on late night infomercials.
Anyway If you are interested in my freshly traded Vermeer 1400 or decide to get into a Bandit chipper that can withstand the "BIG ONE OF 08" pm me and I'll hook you up with my salesman.
Capetrees, I hope the big hurricane of 08 is brewing!
I belive the sticker price of a new Vermeer 1500 is about $44k so you should be able to get it for $40k. But if your gonna upgrade do yourself a favor and check out the Bandit 1590 its a 17" drum chipper or the 1290 its the 15" version. Ive been their and done that with the Vermeer 1400. I did check out their 1500 to see if they resolved any of the major design flaws but its basically the same machine with all the recalls they did to the 1400 and a deer 125hp replacing the cat 122hp. Belive me Vermeer really wanted my business and I appreciate the deal they offered me, but I just cant justify paying for a machine that I already own outright. I can justify paying for the BANDIT 1590.
In fact my Bandit dealer just delivered my new 1590 TODAY!! This machine is NO JOKE! It makes the vermeer 1400 look like the DR. chipper you see on late night infomercials.
Anyway If you are interested in my freshly traded Vermeer 1400 or decide to get into a Bandit chipper that can withstand the "BIG ONE OF 08" pm me and I'll hook you up with my salesman.
If I upgrade, I won't be looking at a used one of any make. I LOVE my 1000xl but the time is getting near. Which bandit dealer do you use. I have none near me and even the vermeer dealer in hopkinton is 2 hours away.
