Bought a new to me PTO chipper. Need help undoing the previous owners "modifications"

[In.the.Piñons]

This is my first PTO attachment, so forgive me if I'm asking something dumb...

Anyway, I just bought this chipper which seems to be in good working order, it's a 2022 model Wallenstein BX102RI with only 400 hours.

The previous owner made a few modifications. The first, most obvious modification was running it full throttle into a tree. Fortunately, the only damage was to the hopper weldment which I am having fixed at my local metal fab shop. The other modification the previous owner did was to take a torch and cut off a bunch of the base/stand of the chipper to better fit his weird german tractor that had a front mounted 3pt hitch and PTO.

I figure I should get this fixed also? But I'm not sure... do you lower the chipper to the ground when operating, or can you keep it just off the ground, held up by the 3pt? Seems to me, on uneven ground you'd be better off just using the top and tilt of the 3pt to get the chipper sitting as level as possible? Does the angle of the PTO shaft come into play here? How important is it that the PTO shaft is close to level?

I've attached a few pics, so you can see how much material was removed from the base. In the photo that's ground level, I've adjusted the chipper so it's sitting perfectly level, but the only thing touching the ground is the single support leg that sits under the hopper. I could get the fab shop to weld on a new base, but not sure, is it worth it?

Anyway, here are the pics and also a link to the chipper that shows how the base should be. Also, jokes aside, I'm not trying to throw shade on the previous owner. The weldment damage was disclosed in the ad, but the "modified" base was not. However, I was told about it before purchasing. It was demonstrated to be working, and it was priced appropriately. Assuming no hidden damage, I'll be very happy with this purchase!

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[Runner]

IMHO it is best to run any PTO equipment keeping the drive shaft at level as possible to save wear and tear on the U joints. I place 4x4's under the skids on my BX42 which raises it just enough to level out the drive shaft.

While I realize that the purpose of U joints is to accommodate vertical (and lateral, sometimes) movement of equipment, I still think "the straighter, the better". If it was mine, I'd "fix" it.

 

[oldnslo]

I think you need to support the weight of the machine under the flywheel and not the infeed hopper.

Like runner states: Running the PTO shaft close to straight is the least wear on the U-joints.

 

[ruffdog]

How important is it that the PTO shaft is close to level?

IMHO it is best to run any PTO equipment keeping the drive shaft at level as possible to save wear and tear on the U joints. I place 4x4's under the skids on my BX42 which raises it just enough to level out the drive shaft.

While I realize that the purpose of U joints is to accommodate vertical (and lateral, sometimes) movement of equipment, I still think "the straighter, the better". If it was mine, I'd "fix" it.

Yes, I would make an attempt to have the pto shaft straight/level as possible. If that is not possible, it is best to have the front and rear u-joints at the same angle. If the front u-joint is at 5 deg, try to have the rear u-joint at 5 deg too.

 

[In.the.Piñons]

OK, thanks for the help. Looks like I should get a base fabricated up.

As it stands, if the flywheel is perpendicular to the ground there's a 4" vertical offset between the two PTO shafts and the distance between the shafts is about 34".

That would put the shaft at an angle of 6.7 deg when on flat ground. Does that sound reasonable?

[edit] I read the manual (who even does that? lol) and it said to keep the angle to less than 15 deg, so I should be right.

 

[oldnslo]

[edit] I read the manual (who even does that? lol) and it said to keep the angle to less than 15 deg, so I should be right.

That is an absolute last resort

7 degrees you should be OK. To sharp of an angle and you may get some vibration or chatter from the U-joints.

 

[Tinhack]

My Woodlands manual says to never run the chipper elevated. It should be lowered to the ground for stability. And it needs it.

 

[Too many Kubotas]

You want at least a degree at a U-joint for it to remain happy, and as ruffdog pointed out, the angles should be equal.

It doesn't matter if one's 5 degrees up and the other 5 down or both are 5 degrees down, or up.

As long as the angles are the same a typical driveshaft can work at fairly steep angles. Heck, according to Spicer my Jeep's driveshaft shouldn't have been turned at more than 325 rpm with the 25 degrees it was at, but in real life it was often at about 10 times that speed.

Lubed those U-joints very often, but over the decades it became obvious that it was the slip joint that took offense, not the U-joints.