Are asplundh chippers dangerous?

[chucknduck]

I own a 1970's era asplundh chipper with a ford 391 v-8 engine and a 16 inch drum. It is an old machine, but appears to be in good shape. I was told that there is a danger in owning a chipper this old; I was told that because of the age of the drum, that it could self destruct from metal fatigue and split apart violently. I have changed the blades and cutter bar on it(royal pain) and tuned up the engine, and it runs like a champ! Should I be worried about this kind of failure on a machine this old? Anyone had them fail before?

 

[mckeetree]

Most of the time when those chippers do that the bearings have been bad for a while.

 

[Tekko]

Just as dangerous as any other chipper, tho the respect in these C&D´s tend to make them alittle safer to operate than the driven feed models.

 

[arborterra]

All chippers are dangerous. Age is always a factor. As with everything in our business, inspect carefully and continuosly. Anything you turn your back on can and will kill you.