Advice on Wisconsin Engines in Morbark Chipper

[WillyStDruid]

I currently have a winning bid on a 1999 Morbark 2070 chipper that runs on a 35 hp Wisconsin engine. The engine has 560 hours on it. Before finalizing the purchase I went upto inspect
the chipper. I fired it up and it seemed to run fine. After shutting it down I checked the oil. There wasn't a drop that registered on the dipstick.

I was later told by another equipment dealer selling a Morbark with a different brand of engine that Wisconsin gas engines were being discontinued and that parts and labor on fixing them were at a premium.

I can buy the 99 Morbark for approximately 6000.00. However, I'm concerned about the lack of oil on the dipstick and on the durability of Wisconsin engines. The previous owners of the chipper had it repossessed from the dealer they bought it from. It was auctioned off by the finance company. The dealer had service records on the chipper and while the company that owned it was rough on it, they did bring it in for service when it needed it.

Any input on Wisconsin engines or advice on buying this chipper under these circumstances would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

The Willy Street Druid

 

[sonny]

We ran many wisconcon motors. (VERY DURABLE). Great engine.
35 h.p. seems to me a little sm for a chipper. we ran them on compressors. & sm stump grinders. 65 hp on larger stumpers.
No oil on dip stick. ? was there oil on the stick when the engine was off. ?But yes the parts were very expencive.Dont even dare to take the motors to a qualified greese monkey. You will have to get a second or third on your home .

 

[WillyStDruid]

If I owned a home, I'd take out a home equity loan and spend some decent money on something new. I didn't check the oil before I fired up the chipper. After I shut it off, I pulled out the dipstick. There was oil on it. I wiped it off, put the dipstick back in, pulled it out. Nothing. I agree 35 hp does seem small. The capacity on this chipper is 7". For me any brush, larger than 4"-5" is firewood. The 2,500.00 '74 Wayne chipper on TreeTrader.com is looking better all the time. Thanks for your input.

 

[palmer4670]

I rebuilt the Wis-Con on our stump grinder last year, I bored it 0.030 over and put new everything in it, I am not sure I will have to check, I think it was about $600. But I did everything except the machine work. Pretty expensive when compared to car engines, but compare to any other industrial and it is pretty much in line.

palmer

 

[Stumper]

Willy, I've run one of those old Waynes. It is a gas guzzling limb eating monster. Chuck and Duck! Since I run a 16 Hp engine on a Wood Pro (rated for4.5 inch does well with 3 inch and under)I think that 35 Hp/7 inch capacity sounds very reasonable for a disc style chipper. Should be able to handle 1 or 2 guys feeding it about as fast as they can.

 

[Cicero]

Morbark did not discontinue that engine, however on the 2070 it uses a wet clutch so make sure the clutch is good shape. Our experience has been that the wet clutch is not as durable as the twin disc used on all of their other models.

 

[Tree Machine]

35 horse Wisconsin

I have 35 HP Wisconsin on my chipper, a 6" Bandit brush-eating animal. I worship this torquey little beast of a powerplant. Does GREAT on a 6" capacity chipper, but I don't think it would be for beans on a bigger model. This motor has never given me one problem in the last three years, though I have had electrical issues. Once the electrical issues were cleared up, the engine would then run agai, all day long. I've thrown it some major abuses, and I'm surprised and greatful that it just runs day after day like a champ.

Wisconsin, I know was having some problems in their bureaucratic hierarchy -- got too bureaucratic for their own britches -- but as I understand it they were conglomerated with someone who could run the highly respected, long-running company. Whatever's going on, the manufacturers of industrial and farm equipment are still putting them on their machines, and you can stil get parts.

I have changed the oil religiously in my machine, rarely let it get very dirty. Oil is the lifeblood of an air-cooled engine. As far as your no-drip dip stick, bummer, but if the engine starts right up and runs, it's likely OK. Change that filter and oil and go have a chip-fest.

 

[Jdonkus]

I have a 2070 with the 35 HP Wisconsin engine. The 2070 is a 10" chipper but anything over 6" will just about kill the 35 HP engine unless you control the feed manually. Big problem with 2070 is that the chute will clog up if using wet wood or wood with wet leaves on the branches. The 2070 XL has an additional fan blade attached to the drum shaft to create extra air flow. If you're looking at the used market, look for something that has a JD, Cummins or Deutz >70 HP engine. Stay away from the Perki-Cat engines as they do not seem to have much torque. Have a great day. John the Stump Grump

 

[Tree Machine]

Hey Donkus, welcome to Arboristsite! Your chipper is definitely underpowered. I don't know what the builder of the machine was thinking. If you have a 10" chipper, you want to be able to feed it a 10" limb every now and then, not all day long, but a 10" chipper that you have to babysit on anything over 6", you lose a lot of the joy you deserve. Thanks for contributing Stump Grump.

 

[Stump Man]

When my son worked at a golf coarse they had a 12" Morbark with 4 cy Wisc. Not enough power, put an engine on able once a year. I wouldn't use less than a 4 cyl diesel on a 12" chipper. We have a Morbark 12" rebuilt Cummins Diesel, rebuilt hyd, new paint fenders tires drive belts Looks and runs like new $9,500. Can e-mail pictures

 

[Jdonkus]

35 HP Wisonsin Engines.

I currently have a winning bid on a 1999 Morbark 2070 chipper that runs on a 35 hp Wisconsin engine. The engine has 560 hours on it. Before finalizing the purchase I went upto inspect
the chipper. I fired it up and it seemed to run fine. After shutting it down I checked the oil. There wasn't a drop that registered on the dipstick.

I was later told by another equipment dealer selling a Morbark with a different brand of engine that Wisconsin gas engines were being discontinued and that parts and labor on fixing them were at a premium.

I can buy the 99 Morbark for approximately 6000.00. However, I'm concerned about the lack of oil on the dipstick and on the durability of Wisconsin engines. The previous owners of the chipper had it repossessed from the dealer they bought it from. It was auctioned off by the finance company. The dealer had service records on the chipper and while the company that owned it was rough on it, they did bring it in for service when it needed it.

Any input on Wisconsin engines or advice on buying this chipper under these circumstances would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

The Willy Street Druid

I wouldn't worry much about the lack of Oil on the dipstick as long as the engine rolled over and started without smoking much. As several others have said, the 35 HP engine is just not a good choice for a chipper of any size. They are however, very durable and have been around for at least 60 years without many design changes. If you shut them down while they're hot, don't expect to get them restarted easily until cooled down. I just return min e to idol if not going to be shut down for 30-40 minutes. Good luck. John

 

[Bigstumps]

Vermeer made thousand of the 935 with those Wisconsin Engines and even more 630s with it. The engine is decent but parts are expensive.

I'd run it long enough and with a load on it, pull the breather cap while it is running and see what kind of blow by it has.

I have ground tons of stumps with Wisconsin Engines

 

[Grace Tree]

35 hp is too small on the 2070. I've got the 66hp Wisconsin and that's just barely enough. That's alot of work for that small engine.
Phil

 

[Bigstumps]

Dude,

You bid on it, you won it, now buy it. If the engine is too small tough S@#*! You should have done the homework before you bid! Exactly why I hate EBAY!!!