Chipper Anybody using a Liberty Chipper?

[Old School]

I have the chipper from KPX/Liberty. I know that there is some site that claims that this is an improved version of the jinma, but I think it's BS.

Overall, I'm glad I have it, but I'll never buy anything from KPX/Liberty again!

Phineas7 and SuprDuprMn Thank You!

We all might not realize it but it's important to let others know about these kind of businesses through forums like this.

I just about placed a big order with a company called TruckAddOns.com only to find out they have shafted people left and right. Instead I orders some of what I needed from a place called SamsOffroad.com and these guys bent over backwards for me. I found out about both places through forums like these.

Letting others know about both the good and bad is what makes these forums so great!

 

[annapolistractorsales]

I've been selling the Liberty Chipper for years, and I can tell you a few things:

1) Everyone we sell the chipper to absolutely loves their chipper. If you read negative posts about the chipper, I would tend to believe that it is caused by a) the fact that this site has a ton of users who sell the product themselves and are thus unlikely to say anything nice about a competitor or b) the rare customer who has a bad experience is much more likely to be vocal online. Lots of things can go wrong with a wood chipper, and some people just like to vent when they have problems.

2) Jinma is not a real company that makes wood chippers. You can do all the research you want, and you will never find a Jinma Corporation that makes chippers. It's simply the name of a design style that no one owns the rights to.

3) The Liberty Chipper is different from the "Jinma" that many tractor dealerships sell for several reasons, including aspects of the design, components used (down to the screws, thickness of steel, blades, etc), precession of manufacturing, 2 year warranty (I don't think anyone else in the business offers a warranty like this), and high level quality assurance/testing performed before shipping out the products.

The truth is that the Liberty Wood Chipper is an outstanding machine. I sell the Bearcat Chipper as well, and it is an excellent machine, but it's price point makes it unaffordable for most of my customers.

 

[choffman41]

I recently bought an "Agri-Machinery" WC-6 that looks like the same chipper. I was quite happy with the quality and workmanship of the unit. I have only given it a test run so far, but have 8 acres of 30 year old logging debris to clean up so it will get a real workout. I got it on the auction site (seller Betstco) for 1349 and think it was a good deal. We'll see..........

 

[moot]

I purchased the WC-8 Liberty Implements Wood Chipper on Sept. 20th, 2008.
The chipper was delivered on Sept. 30th, 2008. Good marks so far.
The assembly was a bear... I did it by myself ... wish I would of had a extra pair of hands and an engine hoist. Using the loader to lift it on the base was scary as the lift ring was not at the center of balance and the chipper tended to lean to one side and spin.
It took me about 4 hours to put the unit together and do the initial greasing.
Attaching it to the tractor was easy and only needed some minor adjustment to get things straight and level.
I was very happy at the way the chipper ran without vibration and pretty quite. I started chipping small stuff and worked up to 4" - 5" branches of Yellow Pine. Even though I only have about 25HP @ PTO the engine only bogged down a little with the large 5"+ pieces.
After about an hour I had a nice pile of chips... and then...
The failure was on the right arm of the Feed Roller Arm, ( see image below)right where the one inch pipe was flattened and welded to the plate where the Roller Bearing Pad is bolted. The weld did not break... it was apparent that the break was caused by a manufacturing defect, i.e., the break operator crushed the wall of the pipe. The fracture was perfectly straight.
Of course when that jammed the roller I attempted to disengage the Roller Gearbox only to have the Lever break... luckily the Gearbox Driveshaft did disengage, but not before smoking the Roller Drive Belt.
The design of the Roller Arm assembly was the biggest problem. Because it was welded into the Feed Chute and not removable, the only way to repair the Arm was to weld in place. It would have been better to make the Arms out of flat-bar and at least attach/bolt the Arms to the pivot under the Chute. That way they could be removed if necessary. It cost me $170 to get a welder to come on site and weld the pipe and the Roller Disengage Lever. Taking everything apart and putting it back together cost me another day of down time.
Contacting KPXTRACTORS was not easy and very frustrating. It took two days until I got to talk to a human being and get things documented. They say they will reimburse me for the welding... we will see.
I posted pictures but seem to have a problem with publishing the Album.
I'm hoping for the best.
I started chipping again and about an hour into it I had a chip wedge between the Roller and the side of the Chute. When I tried to disengage the Roller the Lever bent.
Good news is nothing broke. Bad news is that I can't disengage the Roller.
Looks like I will have to fabricate a new lever that is much stronger than the soft metal that was used in the original. Seems someone thought they could save some money...
More updates as needed will be posted...

 

[moot]

Just had a blade break. Again, it was frustrating to try and get hold of anyone from KPX. Their 'tech' number just went to a generic mailbox. Called the 800# and after about 15 minutes finally got a rep. He asked for pictures and said they would ship out new blades and bolts in 3 to 5 business days... no charge.
I think the blades are of very poor quality. I do not believe that the bolts are Grade 8. Also, when I was removing what was left of the blade it appeared that the bolts were over torqued... a real bear to get off.

 

[moot]

Received the bolts Friday afternoon (late). Today, Sunday, I decided to use the extra set of blades I purchased with the chipper. On inspection I saw that one blade already had a nick in it (pic attached).
I did not get the blades KPX promised.

Another thing! I read in the manual that the blade bolts should be torqued to 50 lbs. The safety label on the chipper says 30-40 lbs. What is it?

Also, I had noticed that when I removed the broken blades, there was the bolt and a nylon lock nut. The parts manual says there should be a bolt, washer, lock washer and nut. I was sent the parts from the manual - BUT - there is no way to get the nut started if you put on the washer and lock washer! The recessed holes were milled/bored 2mm to shallow!

Again the lack of communication by KPX/Liberty is frustrating...!

 

[Rara Avis]

I've been selling the Liberty Chipper for years, and I can tell you a few things:

1) Everyone we sell the chipper to absolutely loves their chipper. If you read negative posts about the chipper, I would tend to believe that it is caused by a) the fact that this site has a ton of users who sell the product themselves and are thus unlikely to say anything nice about a competitor or b) the rare customer who has a bad experience is much more likely to be vocal online. Lots of things can go wrong with a wood chipper, and some people just like to vent when they have problems.

2) Jinma is not a real company that makes wood chippers. You can do all the research you want, and you will never find a Jinma Corporation that makes chippers. It's simply the name of a design style that no one owns the rights to.

3) The Liberty Chipper is different from the "Jinma" that many tractor dealerships sell for several reasons, including aspects of the design, components used (down to the screws, thickness of steel, blades, etc), precession of manufacturing, 2 year warranty (I don't think anyone else in the business offers a warranty like this), and high level quality assurance/testing performed before shipping out the products.

The truth is that the Liberty Wood Chipper is an outstanding machine. I sell the Bearcat Chipper as well, and it is an excellent machine, but it's price point makes it unaffordable for most of my customers.

Could you help Moot out?...

 

[wedge40]

I've been selling the Liberty Chipper for years, and I can tell you a few things:

1) Everyone we sell the chipper to absolutely loves their chipper. If you read negative posts about the chipper, I would tend to believe that it is caused by a) the fact that this site has a ton of users who sell the product themselves and are thus unlikely to say anything nice about a competitor or b) the rare customer who has a bad experience is much more likely to be vocal online. Lots of things can go wrong with a wood chipper, and some people just like to vent when they have problems.

2) Jinma is not a real company that makes wood chippers. You can do all the research you want, and you will never find a Jinma Corporation that makes chippers. It's simply the name of a design style that no one owns the rights to.

3) The Liberty Chipper is different from the "Jinma" that many tractor dealerships sell for several reasons, including aspects of the design, components used (down to the screws, thickness of steel, blades, etc), precession of manufacturing, 2 year warranty (I don't think anyone else in the business offers a warranty like this), and high level quality assurance/testing performed before shipping out the products.

The truth is that the Liberty Wood Chipper is an outstanding machine. I sell the Bearcat Chipper as well, and it is an excellent machine, but it's price point makes it unaffordable for most of my customers.

Pretty bold statement.
But lets look at the op post. Right now he has broken blades and sounds like very poor customer service. There are two people on here who support the Jinma chipper, just like you support (?) the Liberty. Both of the those would be jumping at the opportunity to help this person fix the chipper, even phone support if needed. Right now I dont see that from the Liberty dealer. Just someone making statements about how good their (broken) product is. In any business customer service sells the product. Lets face it, if it has moving parts, ITS GOING TO BREAK. It's what happens when it does break that counts.

When I was looking at chippers about year ago I looked at the Liberty and was warned of their poor customer service. I own a Jimna.



Wedge

 

[mjdtexan]

So, how much is the comparable Jimna?

I learned two things from this site today

1 there are pto chippers
2 there are pto generators

I would like to have one of each

I am new to tractors. There are so many implements that I want. Gonna go look at Affordables website now

 

[mjdtexan]

I should have looked at his site before I asked the question. Theirs are $1600 dollars. Got to look in the piggy bank. Maybe he will tell me he's got a good used trade-in he wants to sell me

 

[moot]

Lets face it, if it has moving parts, ITS GOING TO BREAK. It's what happens when it does break that counts.
Wedge

Can't argue the premise - but - when things break because of poor quality, that's what gripes me!

When I was looking at chippers about year ago I looked at the Liberty and was warned of their poor customer service. I own a Jimna.
Wedge

Guess I wish I had found that warning!

So, bottom line is - here is another warning from someone bitten - if you are going to deal with KPX/Liberty/who knows what name is used... beware!

It is one thing to decide that in order to save a couple of bucks you buy 'seconds'... another if you think you are buying a reputable product.
I cannot say that KPX/Liberty is dealing in reputable product.
I think the lack of customer service speaks volumes ... they know they are selling for the one time sale...

btw - I have not gotten any response to my emails to KPX about where we stand...

 

[moot]

Theirs are $1600 dollars.

Just so you know, I purchased the Liberty WC-8, extra set of blades and belts for $2848. Shipping was 'free'

The repair to the feeder arm cost $170 and KPX did refund that.
KPX did send a set of bolts but no blade replacements.

Curious - is $1600 for an 8" chipper?

 

[Dreamin_Tractors]

How many hours did you have on those blades? Besides the break, they have a lot of chipping/damage along the edges. I have about 60 hours on my Jinma, I have reversed the blades and sharpened them, but they had basically no nicks in them. Makes you wonder what metal those blades are made out of?

Just for reference, I ordered replacement A8 grade tool steel blades from Mill Depot, ($35 each blade). I am hoping they hold a sharp edge longer, we'll see.

 

[Ranch_Hand_Supp]

Moot, I have not seen everything nor do I know everything, sooooo here is just another opinion.

It looks/appears that when the end of the blade broke/cracked it sheared off that bolt.

What I have seen under normal conditions that the blade/knifes edge will become more rounded as they dull.

When/if the blade hits something hard (metal,rock etc) they chip, break,crack.

If the blades lacked proper hardness, the blades would not hold there cutting edge very long and the cutting edge would become more rounded quickly.

A set of blades with proper hardness are brittle. Meaning they have little to no flex. So if they hit something hard the cutting edge gets chipped up.

A good set of blades & anvil can be broke / cracked when tightening down (torque down) if the bed / surface they lay in is not perfectly flat/clean. They are so hard they are brittle .....no flex. They will break/crack before they bend.

As many of you know we service/prep 99% of all the Jinma chippers we sell before we ship them out to the end user. We adjust the blades on every one of them for many reasons, but the main reason is because they are all out of adjustment straight out of the factory. I have found a broke/cracked anvil that happen when they (factory) tighten the bolts down. Removed the anvil to replace it and there was a weld that was causing a high spot. The list goes on .... they just need a good prep / service before they are put to work.

Running a dull set of blades & anvil puts a lot of extra load, wear and tear on the chipper and tractor.

I would not install the new set of blades you have pictured .... nor would I have even of sold them. So far all of my replacement blades have looked good / normal.

I recommend replacing the bolts & lock nuts when replacing blades. I don't think a flat washer should be used under the nut. But where the nut makes contact with the flywheel has the be flat to stay tight.

I am assuming the bolts are 10mm. I would torque the bolts 40 foot pounds for class 8.8. 47 foot pounds for class 10.9.

I look at chipper blades the same way I look at my chain saw. If I am sawing clean green wood the chain will stay sharp longer. If I am sawing dirty hard wood it dulls quicker. Wood that has been laying on the ground, drug through dirt/mud etc dulls cutting edges pretty quick.

I have sold my Jinma 6 inch chipper blades to owners of the 8 inch chipper. I guess the feed drum just goes up 2 more inches higher to make it a 8 inch ???.

I have a picture at the bottom of this page with measurments of the 6 inch blades.

Click here http://www.ranchhandsupply.com/woodchippers.html

Maybe annapolistractorsales will chime in ??


Ronald
Ranch Hand Supply

 

[moot]

How many hours did you have on those blades? Besides the break, they have a lot of chipping/damage along the edges.

I had under 20 hrs on the blades. The chips you see are from the pieces of shrapnel that came off the blade and from the bolt head that sheared off.
I never did find the bolt head or about two inches of the blade.

I did a visual check of the blades the day before this happened. The blades where clean, without any damage to the edge and even felt 'sharp' to the touch. The anvil still had a edge, i.e., not rounded. My routine is to take 30 minutes after each use of the chipper and clean up/dig out any stuff caught behind the blades, in the Cutter/Feeder Assembly, etc., and squirt in some grease to all the bearings. That way I'm ready to go the next time I want to do some chipping.

I believe the original blade bolts were WAY over torqued at the factory (or whomever put them on). The manual said 50 lbs -but- the warning on the PTO shield said 30-40 lbs. I would be betting that the bolt where the break occurred (and all the other bolts) were well over 80 lbs. They were a bear to get off - had to extend the handle of my ratchet to get them off. The bolts were 8.8 grade. From what I remember from the DIN specs, 50 lbs was max for that grade bolt. Anyway I replaced them with 10.9 grade and next time I change the blades I'm going to 12.9 grade.

Thanks for the info on where I may find a good set of blades. Have any experience with Tennessee Saw and Knife or other suppliers?

 

[moot]

I would not install the new set of blades you have pictured .... Ronald
Ranch Hand Supply

OOPS... I installed the blades so I could get some work done. Put two hours on them yesterday. I'm keeping a eye on them and will replace ASAP.

I have a picture at the bottom of this page with measurements of the 6 inch blades.

Ronald
Ranch Hand Supply

The original blades measure 9 15/16 (10) X 2 1/4 , holes are 2 1/2 o/c (close as I can measure). The anvil is 9 5/16 X 2 1/4 , holes are 3 3/4 o/c (close...)

The replacement blades were approx. 1/4" shorter. I noticed that because the stock migrates to the center of the flywheel as it feeds, just the 1/8" difference leaves a thin stringy 'tail' that is not cut.

KPX claims the WC-8 has a heavier flywheel vs. the WC-6 and that the chute opening is larger. That is why I went with the 8", I wasn't planning on putting anything larger than 5" anyway... now I revise that to < 5"

Do you have more specs on the blades you recommend and do you think they would work on my Liberty WC-8? Really does look like a Jinma knock off heh?

As for the clearance between the blade and anvil - I have mine set to .025, about the thickness of a credit card. The manual says .010 to .030, what do you suggest?

Also, I thought there was a dye/black light trick that could show stress/cracking on metal. I'm searching the web now. Any insight there?

Thank you Ronald for all you help and good information.

 

[Ranch_Hand_Supp]

OOPS...

1: I installed the blades so I could get some work done. Put two hours on them yesterday. I'm keeping a eye on them and will replace ASAP.


2: KPX claims the WC-8 has a heavier flywheel vs. the WC-6 and that the chute opening is larger. That is why I went with the 8", I wasn't planning on putting anything larger than 5" anyway... now I revise that to < 5"

3: Do you have more specs on the blades you recommend and do you think they would work on my Liberty WC-8? Really does look like a Jinma knock off heh?

4: As for the clearance between the blade and anvil - I have mine set to .025, about the thickness of a credit card. The manual says .010 to .030, what do you suggest?

5: Also, I thought there was a dye/black light trick that could show stress/cracking on metal. I'm searching the web now. Any insight there?

Thank you Ronald for all you help and good information.

1: Understand

2: I have had the flywheel out of a Jinma 6 inch chipper. With the blades in the flywheel it weighted 135 lb on my shipping scale.

3: No, I have sold them to other 8 inch owners.

4: For all around use / wood I think .030. Around the thickness of a dime.

5: Don't know??



Ronald
Ranch Hand Supply

 

[wedge40]

1: Understand

2: I have had the flywheel out of a Jinma 6 inch chipper. With the blades in the flywheel it weighted 135 lb on my shipping scale.

3: No, I have sold them to other 8 inch owners.

4: For all around use / wood I think .030. Around the thickness of a dime.

5: Don't know??



Ronald
Ranch Hand Supply

Ron I had a heck of time getting my blades adjusted. Is there some trick that you might be able to share with us. I was thinking of gettinga a piece of 20 or 24 gauge steel about 6" wide and making gauge to set between the anvil and blade. My problem seemed to be that I didn't get what ever I was using to guage thickness parallel to the anvil and blade.

Wedge

 

[Rara Avis]

OOPS... I installed the blades so I could get some work done. Put two hours on them yesterday. I'm keeping a eye on them and will replace ASAP.



The original blades measure 9 15/16 (10) X 2 1/4 , holes are 2 1/2 o/c (close as I can measure). The anvil is 9 5/16 X 2 1/4 , holes are 3 3/4 o/c (close...)

The replacement blades were approx. 1/4" shorter. I noticed that because the stock migrates to the center of the flywheel as it feeds, just the 1/8" difference leaves a thin stringy 'tail' that is not cut.

KPX claims the WC-8 has a heavier flywheel vs. the WC-6 and that the chute opening is larger. That is why I went with the 8", I wasn't planning on putting anything larger than 5" anyway... now I revise that to < 5"

Do you have more specs on the blades you recommend and do you think they would work on my Liberty WC-8? Really does look like a Jinma knock off heh?

As for the clearance between the blade and anvil - I have mine set to .025, about the thickness of a credit card. The manual says .010 to .030, what do you suggest?

Also, I thought there was a dye/black light trick that could show stress/cracking on metal. I'm searching the web now. Any insight there?

Thank you Ronald for all you help and good information.

Moot...I'd put your chipper up for sale on Craigslist and get one you don't have to dink with...a Wallenstein...

 

[moot]

Moot...I'd put your chipper up for sale on Craigslist and get one you don't have to dink with...a Wallenstein...

I looked at them but... 4" was to small, anything bigger needed more HP than what I have on my Kubota L3010. Please correct me if I am mistaken - do they make an affordable 6+" chipper that will run on 25hp HPO.

The main reason I went with the KPX/Liberty is because of the 185 pound flywheel and the large chute (even though I would never put anything bigger than 5" in it) to take brush without having to lop a lot.

It is a shame that they tried to cut corners because the main unit, i.e., drive balance, overall heft... it could have been a contender

Anyway, could have, should have... I've got to make do with what I have to work with. NO, I would never buy from KPX/Liberty again - AND - would not recommend to anyone AND would not try to sell this to anybody else... no matter how much I disliked them or didn't know them

I will have to work through the bugs. I cannot afford to throw good money after bad. Though it is disappointing, I will have to make the best of the choice I made.