Bandit owners manuals worth it?

[KarlP]

I recently ebayed a '97 Bandit 65 for $1757. Spent all day and almost $200 in gas to pick it up, it's only got the Kohler 25, and the autofeed mechanism is my father pushing & pulling the bar a few times when I throw anything > 4" in it. It feeds/chips great and I'm fairly sure it has just over 900 hours on it. The knives look to be in great shape and Zenith replacements for this model are inexpensive. Given the $1/lb price and the fact that its for personal use, I feel like I did alright. :msp_smile:

However, it came with no manuals and it could use a sandblast/repaint. Being a (no-good-rotten-cheap-bastard) homeowner, I was surprised to learn that a replacement owners manual is $40 and replacement stickers are $250.

Are Bandit manuals full of useful information or are they 50 pages of "the lawyers require us to tell you not to stick your arm in the following locations while the engine is running" and 2 pages of "and don't forget to grease the bearings and inspect the knives every 10 hours"?

 

[deevo]

I recently ebayed a '97 Bandit 65 for $1757. Spent all day and almost $200 in gas to pick it up, it's only got the Kohler 25, and the autofeed mechanism is my father pushing & pulling the bar a few times when I throw anything > 4" in it. It feeds/chips great and I'm fairly sure it has just over 900 hours on it. The knives look to be in great shape and Zenith replacements for this model are inexpensive. Given the $1/lb price and the fact that its for personal use, I feel like I did alright. :msp_smile:

However, it came with no manuals and it could use a sandblast/repaint. Being a (no-good-rotten-cheap-bastard) homeowner, I was surprised to learn that a replacement owners manual is $40 and replacement stickers are $250.

Are Bandit manuals full of useful information or are they 50 pages of "the lawyers require us to tell you not to stick your arm in the following locations while the engine is running" and 2 pages of "and don't forget to grease the bearings and inspect the knives every 10 hours"?

$40 isn't bad, as for the stickers, take pics of them, bring them to a sign shop, and they can do them for under $75 easy. Lot's of guys I know did that when they got theirs re-painted.

 

[squad143]

I've found my manual useful at times. (Knife bolt torques specs, anvil clearance, etc). I'm sure I could have found this info elsewhere, but it came with the machine.

Are you using the chipper for personal use only, or are you doing tree work?

You may want to check with your local "safety police" if you're doing tree work as some jurisdictions require that manuals for all equipment being used be kept with the machine or at minimum, on site.