Chipper WC8 Feeding problems

[rovingswaim]

So, I have a WC8 and have run about 10 to 12 hours of material through it and now it doesn't want to feed as well as it did when it was new. I have adjusted he anvil to a dimes distance from the blades, adjusted the drive belt, checked the feeder roller for the teeth and other discrepancies, and finally the springs that give tension to the drive roller.
What else would I check? The chipper still works but not as efficient as when it was new, like I said. Sometimes I feel like I have to push more Han I should on material.

 

[RoyJackson]

Time to get the chipper blades sharpened...
Don't go by "feel"...just get 'em sharpened and I'm sure you see a vast improvement.

Probably wouldn't be a bad idea to buy a spare set.

 

[rovingswaim]

You wouldn't happen to know the best angle for those blades would you?

 

[Ranch_Hand_Supp]

Make sure the belt is not slipping that turns the feed drum gear box.

 

[RoyJackson]

You wouldn't happen to know the best angle for those blades would you?

I don't...did you buy this chipper new? If so, the owner's manual should have the correct angle.
BTW, I did a quick internet search on WC8 chippers. I see this is a Chinese built machine. Those blades might not be a real good quality steel (China isn't real good at steel manufacturing). You can probably get a local machine shop to duplicate them out of a good quality tool steel.

 

[greg_g]

The chipper still works but not as efficient as when it was new, like I said. Sometimes I feel like I have to push more Han I should on material.

I've got 40+ hours on my blades, they're still chipping just fine. They've never been removed or adjusted. But the teeth on the feed roller wear with time, how much varies with what kind of material they've dragged through. I recommend you remove the feed roller and touch up the teeth with a grinder or a file.

While it's out, inspect both ends of the little driveshaft for signs of slippage. The U-joint connects with simple male/female couplers, so rounding of the square edges is a (slight) possibility. But I'm thinking just sharpening the roller teeth should help a lot.

//greg//

 

[rovingswaim]

Awesome, thanks for the advice.

As an update, I've tightened the feeder gear box belt and it helped a little. I checked the blade edges and they look to have a good edge still on them, but I'm going to sharpen them just for general purpose. As for the feeder roller...... it looks to still have plenty of tooth left, especially when it's chewing a branch or whatever while it's not chipping, but again I'm going to hit those teeth for good measure as well.

One more question, does anyone think that the spring tension on the feed roller might be an issue?

 

[DeeDubya]

If the blades are dull then forcing the material into the chipper is a futile effort. The chips will start to look stringy instead of clean cut small pieces. Actually with sharp blades the chipper will try to pull the material in and the feed roller actually holds it to a manageable speed. I adjust the bed blade gap with a dime. Turn the flywheel until a blade lines up with the bed blade and then check the gap for the full length of the blade.

I've found that sharp blades are a must with green material and then usually chip dead wood after the blades start to get dull.

 

[deedplot]

I have a similar problem. The branches/small trees want to work toward the center of the flywheel. From there the bark lips between the cutting blades and the cutter bar. From there the wood will no longer feed through. Does anyone have any suggestions for this problem.

 

[greg_g]

As addressed by DeeDubya, sounds like your blade gap is too wide

//greg//

 

[DeeDubya]

If the chipping blades are sharp and adjusted and it's still not feeding then check the bed blade. The top sharp 90 degree corner will eventually become rounded. It's function is not to cut but to hold the material in place and not allow it to pull down. I removed mine and refinished it on a belt sander, or just replace it. It made a big difference.

 

[deedplot]

Thanks for the help, I will remove it and double check the edge. I noticed one reply on this thread suggested setting the gap between bed blade and cutting blade to the thickness of a dime. Does that work well for you?

 

[DeeDubya]

Thanks for the help, I will remove it and double check the edge. I noticed one reply on this thread suggested setting the gap between bed blade and cutting blade to the thickness of a dime. Does that work well for you?

Mine came with a feeler gauge, but I think a dime is very close to that. A misconception is that the chip size is determined by the gap between the knives and bed blade. Not so, chip size is determined by the distance from the flywheel to the edge of the knives. As material is fed it bumps against the spinning flywheel and that is as far as it can go. When a knife comes around it shaves away a chip then allowing the material to once again move against the flywheel. Sharpening the knives will work once or twice, but once they are shortened too much, chip size will be smaller and performance will diminish. The reason for adjusting the knife to bed blade gap is to keep it very close but not touching. Obviously you don't want them hitting each other but neither do you want them too far apart as this will reduce the scissor effect creating drag and stringy chips, especially with green material.