pondnstream
ArboristSite Member
We just bought an Olathe 986 that some fella had sitting around unused. He put a new alternator on it and got it going. We paid $4300 . We hit all the grease zerks we could find and checked all the fluids, sharpened the knives with a angle grinder and some other small repairs.
Have been using it on and off for about a month now and it seems to work ok .
The engine is a ford 300 inline 6. The fan belt pulley tension which drives the cooling fan has come slack once and caused the radiator to blow off steam, we caught it soon enough before it caused any serious harm (I hope). After that we put Loctite red , high strength, on the pulley tensioner bolts which hopefully will keep the tensioner in place and the fan belt from loosening again.
But I really need to get the Murphy over temperature cut off switch system working. The previous owners seem to have disabled the system for protecting the engine against overheating and low oil pressure.
In researching this machine, I’ve read the many negative comments but at least half of the chipper is a tried and true ford I-6 engine, a trailer, a hydraulic pump & motors (non Olathe made). The rest seems fairly simple as machines go. I may end up regretting this , after all the brand is discontinued and obsolete, but just wanted to throw out that we got a 986 that’s up and running, for now anyway.
Have not found any owners manual or service manual anywhere, if anyone has any documentation, please let me know.
Thanks !
I’m 
Have been using it on and off for about a month now and it seems to work ok .
The engine is a ford 300 inline 6. The fan belt pulley tension which drives the cooling fan has come slack once and caused the radiator to blow off steam, we caught it soon enough before it caused any serious harm (I hope). After that we put Loctite red , high strength, on the pulley tensioner bolts which hopefully will keep the tensioner in place and the fan belt from loosening again.
But I really need to get the Murphy over temperature cut off switch system working. The previous owners seem to have disabled the system for protecting the engine against overheating and low oil pressure.
In researching this machine, I’ve read the many negative comments but at least half of the chipper is a tried and true ford I-6 engine, a trailer, a hydraulic pump & motors (non Olathe made). The rest seems fairly simple as machines go. I may end up regretting this , after all the brand is discontinued and obsolete, but just wanted to throw out that we got a 986 that’s up and running, for now anyway.
Have not found any owners manual or service manual anywhere, if anyone has any documentation, please let me know.
Thanks !
I’m 
