Wallenstein BX-62 chipper...clog, clog, clog!

[eraforest]

OKay, we got a partial afternoon of chipping in, running the tractor up to 2300+ rpm, making the PTO 540 rpm. And not one clog! All just cut branches from 2 good sized Doug Fir trees, and misc. green brush. I have not checked the bed knife yet. I guess you just have to have max rpm to throw the product out the blow pipe. What do you think is easier to chip; fresh green, couple months dry, or full dry material? Thanks for the good advise ArborSiters!

 

[Bango Skank]

Maybe this should go without saying, but can’t hurt to mention it. I think I’ve heard a bad tale about this gone wrong before.

The gap between the knives and anvil isn’t going to be the same for each individual knife. When you set that gap, rotate the disc and find the knife that has the smallest gap, set the gap on the knife that will be closest to the anvil. The other knives might have a bit bigger of a gap, so it goes.

 

[Hddnis]

Looks like you have it worked out.

Chippers like RPM's.

Only time our big chippers have ever clogged it's when the autofeed lets it bog too much on leafy material. It's going to be an hour to fix that with the service truck on site, that much HP jams them up real good and fast. Only happened three times in the last five plus years, so not something we really worry about.

 

[eraforest]

Another day of chipping, different outcome. Ran the tractor pto at 540 + rpm, same material; .green oak stumps sprouts, Doug Fir limbs, Ceonothus (wild lilac/tick bush), and we're back to clog, clog, clog every few minutes. Knives still good, though I'll hand dress before next use. Don't see a bed knife/anvil to adjust, and seems like a lot of twigs pass through too big, and are the cause of the clog at the base of the blow pipe. I will communicate with the mfgr (Wallenstein) next.

 

[atpchas]

There should be an anvil that is adjustable and/or replaceable - it is a part that wears in normal usage. It sounds like that part needs attention.

I know that with our Bearcat chipper with 25HP engine we have to listen for dropping RPMs - below a certain point, the chipped material accumulates faster than it can be blown out and the chipper jams. BTDT, many times.

 

[Hddnis]

The knives have to work against something. The bed knife may be part of the housing and not adjustable, I've seen that on homeowner chippers in the really low HP range. Sure seems like a PTO chipper should have an adjustable bed knife. Also it should cut the small stuff too, our chippers cut long pine needles.

 

[atpchas]

Not sure if this is the OP's exact model chipper, but if it is I'm guessing part #5 is the anvil or bedknife.

 

[atpchas]

From the owner's manual:
12. Sharpening Blades:
The rotor and stationary blades need to be sharp for the chipper to perform as expected. It is recommended that the rotor blades be removed from the rotor when sharpening. Always sharpen the blades at a 45° angle to provide the best cutting effect as it meets the stationary blade. Be sure to tighten the blade mounting bolts to their specified torque when re-installing the blades to the rotor.
The stationary blade is designed with 4 sharp corners that can be utilized. When the corner facing the rotor blade rounds over, remove the blade and re-install with a different corner facing the rotor blade. Use the stationary blade to set the clearance to the rotor blade when re-installing. Be sure to tighten mounting bolts to their specified torque.
13. Clearance:
It is recommended that the clearance between the rotor and stationary blades be set and maintained at 1/32 to 1/16 inch to obtain the best performance. Use the stationary blade mounting bolts to set the clearance as required.

 

[eraforest]

Great, very helpful. The model pictured has a feed works (oh I wish), but the #5 "ledger knife" and the clearance (a tight 1/32 to 1/16") is what I need to check. And it appears to have a "twig breaker" (#7) I'll look at.

 

[Jeff Lary]

I have I think? the same chipper mine is red here are a couple things I have found. I too experienced plugging and one day while in my Kubota dealership I mentioned this. A very knowledgeable man at the parts counter told me this. Any attachment that requires rotational energy to do the needed task needs to be run at wide open throttle W.O.T read that and believe it! I kind of winced at that and said boy I hate to harm the engine he said the engine on my tractor an L2950 will run at about 2,400 he reminded me how low that was when I was asking about harming the engine dur to such high rpms. I have since done this to much less plugging.
Next leafy limbs like live maple or green pine are and always will be an issue there just is not enough weight to these pieces to help them fly up and out the chute. Work with trees whenever possible before they "leaf" out either in the winter or after they have been dead long enough for the leaves to have fallen off the cut trees.
Sharp blades are a must of course as are balanced blades but remember this that chipper will NEVER come close to comparing with a controlled feed (feed roll) chipper it is what it is unfortuinately.

 

[ericm979]

Alternate green stuff with brown stuff. The chips from branches help clear out the leaves or needles.

 

[eraforest]

I haven't been using the chipper for a month or more, on to other tasks, like cleaning up after a heavy wet snow event here on the coast of N. Cal. Our place is at about 2500 ft elevation, very vulnerable to wet snow damage, trees and bldgs. I think ultimately the solution (as inferred by some of you), is replacing this chipper with one that has powered, controlled, infeed. I'm looking at the Woodland 6". Any comments out there? Thanks people for your input!

 

[ericm979]

I have an 8" Woodmaxx 8H. It's worked pretty well. I had a hard time choosing between that and the Woodland Mills 8". They're totally different designs, each with plusses and minuses. The Woodland Mills has only one roller and in their vids it looked like it was sometimes hard to get that roller to grab. The operator had to put some force into it. Woodmaxx has upper and lower rollers and the upper has a lever to lift it. If the branch is too big I can use the lever to lift the roller up on to it. I can also chip short pieces by chucking them and timing lifting and dropping the roller so it goes in and the roller grabs it. It's easier than it sounds.

The Woodland's clamshell design makes it easier to get to the knives. You get two little doors on the 8H that are just large enough to get a knife though. And if you drop a bolt down there it'll be an adventure to get it out. Yea I did that. The little door they give you to retrieve stuff was on the wrong side. Checking or setting the bed knife clearance by reaching in the chute is a stretch and I'm tall and fit. The slots for the upper roller can sometimes trap a branch and it can be work to get it out.

My 8H would not let me set the feed speed to any speed. The adjustment range is too narrow because they used a 20gpm valve on a 3 gpm system. I replaced it with a 5 gpm valve and it works much better. The Woodland may suffer the same problem as it's also made in China. Supposedly the Woodmaxx made in the US units that are a different design do not have this problem. I use the chipper a lot and if I did it over I'd get one of those, and a tractor with more hp. My tractor's got 32 hp at the PTO and I could use more for chipping larger stuff.

I lived in Humboldt a while back and yea I bet the snow at 2500' was pretty thick. We don't get it often down here but when we do it damages a lot of trees.

 

[eraforest]

The snow is really rough on our trees, the Tanoaks, Madrone, and Pepperwood are all evergreen, so their canopy really collects a bunch of wet snow, crack-boom-bang down they come. And the Doug Fir tops bust out, especially the 10-20 yr old re-gen, making for an ultimately defective tree. And the bear kills...This tree farmin is frustrating! EricM, thank you for that info, I'll check out the WoodMaxx. I like the self contained feed system, my tractors don't have rear remotes. And, Santa Cruz Mtns...yep, grew up in Corralitos. Eureka Canyon, Buzzard Lagoon, Loma Prieta, Mt Madonna...