Looking to get a chipper for 4" branches

[Frans]

check out: www.muni-equip.com

Gravely makes a great 9" chipper.
Manufacturers usually dont put tool holders on the chippers but will put a tool box.
clean up tool attachments are not included either.
The reason is our Dept of Motor Vehicles has classifications for trailers and the class. changes if you mount special tool holders. When this happens the fees change as well.
The other modifications you mentioned are not necessary to the sale of a good unit. Your winch idea for example can be mounted by the end user at little cost. By the way you want a chipper light enough to move with one or two persons but you also want all this other stuff welded to it like a vise. All this stuff adds to the weight. You need to be realistic and get a good chipper that will do the job. If you want a 'swiss army' type tool you will not find a good unit. Why do you think chipper manufactures not done this already? because of cost. If you want this stuff weld it on yourself.
Frans

 

[Tree Machine]

That is what I've done, Frans. I've done all the welding and modifying to my chipper. I've upgraded and put on most of the features listed above, and a few that are not listed. I have, possibly, the most versatile 6" chipper on the planet.

It's an absolute dream to run, munching limbage as fast as you can feed it in. Direct drive to the disc with no clutch, meaning you start it up, throttle up and chip. Very quick start -to- chip time

I tend to keep the knives pretty sharp too, and the machine well-maintained. It doubled my annual income when I got it and changed forever the way I did business.

I'm not bragging. I just wish everyone in the small chipper arena could experience the benefits I enjoy daily, especially being able to move it around yourself, and couple and uncouple it so swiftly.

There are days I'd rather have a 9", but then I'd lose the benefit of being able to move the machine around by hand when needed, and it would be a bigger lug to tow.

p.s. I have TWO vises on my chipper.

 

[fattyphatcakes]

all you need now is a brush draggin, stump grindin, bee killin, log loadin robot.

And runs on chips.

Maybe with a bbq welded on the side.

Yeah, cook up some wicked woodszekistanan food for lunch.



no, that would be silly.

 

[Tree Machine]

In Woodzekistan our Power Bars come in the flavors Oak, maple, sycamore, ash and beech. Favorite national flavor chewing gum is Lignin.

I like the robot idea, and the barbeque makes perfectly good sense. Maybe a bioconverter within the robot; he eats chips and pisses methanol into the chipper tank. Hmmmmm. Phabulous idea Phattyman.

 

[fattyphatcakes]

Thanks, I have my moments, I have to go check out the us patient office website now.

So do any of the other small chipper people ever rent larger chippers for bigger jobs? I just got my f-250 setup with a brake controler so that I can rent a 9"(they require it). I think it would have been worth the money for some of the wildfire mitigation jobs I've done up here in the foothills.

 

[Stumper]

Fats, Yeah, I rented a Vermeer BC1000 this spring for a ROW job. A few years ago I rented a Wayne chuck-and-duck for another ROW job. A couple of months after the job this spring I upgraded to an old Olathe 984- I doubt that I'll shell out the dough for a rental now that I have a large capacity chipper.... but I might for the right job. The BC 1000 was awesome -faster than the 984. THe Old Wayne chuck-and-duck was great for ROW clearing-It would take stuff as fast as 4 men could throw it!

 

[Tree Machine]

Before I bought my 6" model, I rented all sizes, styles and models. This direct experience allowed me to then make what was definitely the right choice for me.

I've never rented bigger since, and that is primarily because I can get rid of firewood very easily. You just need to put it out there that you are a supplier, and get a list of persons who want it (free is an easy sell). The ad in the paper might go like this:

FREE Firewood, Vancouver northside. You come get it.

List your number and be ready to interview people on the day the ad comes out.

I have a few log arches that allow me to move phatty phat logs.

Logs, firewood, brush. That's my world.

 

[fattyphatcakes]

So does anybody out there using a chuck n duck ever clean out the inside? When were chipping pine sometimes it gets clogged (at the bend in the chute). I've found that dumping a cup or two of vegtable oil in the hopper keeps it from clogging as much, and cleans some of the pitch out of the inside.

Any advice on cleaning small chippers?

 

[NeTree]

If you're having a clogging problem in a chuck-n-duck, you must have something set WAY wrong.

I've never had mine clog. Ever.

Vines, elms, doesn't matter.

 

[BigJohn]

Try some wet elm and feed it as fast as you can and if it doesn't clog your doing something way wrong or right?

 

[NeTree]

Originally posted by BigJohn
Try some wet elm and feed it as fast as you can and if it doesn't clog your doing something way wrong or right?

Been there, done that. If the blades are sharp and set correctly, the material should come out just fine.

Another tip: Brush the leaves off of the blower intake now and then when they build up.

 

[fattyphatcakes]

Whenever it has clogged it's been with ponderosa that has pretty dence foliage. If I throw a limb in there that's too big it can get clogged in the chute. Cutting it into shoirter pieces helps, but I always tend to push it as the day goes on. We now use a knife sharpener on the blades daily, and that has helped a lot.

What could be set wrong? Its a real simple machine.


And what about the layer of pitch that seems to coat everything inside, It looks to me that that can cause problems. Once it dries out it'll flake off with with a scraper, but that's not practical for the chute.

 

[NeTree]

I'd start with making sure the knives are SHARP. First and foremost.

Next, check the gap between the knives and the anvil. Set the knife protrution to .25". Nevermind what the book says; set the knife gap to .010"-.015".


Using these settings, I get results that make disc guys drool. No, really!

10" material chips well. Small stringy stuff actually gets chipped and not simply blown thru the chute.

 

[Tree Machine]

Would you like a virtual sharpening lesson?

Golf course applause for you , nice shot !

With these small chippers BIG power is not an option. They have small motors because they are small machines, small meaning small enough to be air-cooled (<40 HP). Keeping the knives really sharp and keeping the foreign debris outta there (gravel, sand, pole pruner head OW!) will serve you very well.

And since we've mentioned AIR COOLED engines, I will share with you; clean oil is the life-blood of these machines. Regular oil changes, and sharp knives, you are way more than half way there.

 

[fattyphatcakes]

netree, thanks for the specific advice. we'll try adjusting the gap from the knife to the anvil. Our chipper IS a disk chipper, the only adjustment is the gap from the knife to the anvil. I guess the root of the problem is that larger material slows down the disk to the point that material gets stuck in the shoot. Reducing the gap may help.

What kinda chuck n duck do you have?

thanks

 

[NeTree]

With a disc it's even more important- the feed path on most drums is straight through.

My chipper is an Altec.

 

[geofore]

set wrong?

Engine speed about the only thing not mentioned. When was the last time the engine had a tuneup? When big power is not an option, you should make sure you're getting all you can out of the engine you have.

 

[huskycandoit]

The dr. chipper

i think u should get the dr. chipper it reativly cheap. its about 3.5 think and there is 3 models 10 12 and 18 hp. they chip from 4 1/2 inchs to 14 inches

 

[NeTree]

Re: The dr. chipper

Originally posted by huskycandoit
i think u should get the dr. chipper it reativly cheap. its about 3.5 think and there is 3 models 10 12 and 18 hp. they chip from 4 1/2 inchs to 14 inches

For that kind of money, you can get a used chuck'n'duck, and get something done before you're 90.

 

[Tree Machine]

Testing a slideshow 2.1 Meg, dial-up guys and girls

10 12 and 18 hp. they chip from 4 1/2 inchs to 14 inches

Hmmmmm.