Liberty 6" PTO Chipper - value and things to look for?

[travelrider73]

I have a lead on a Liberty 6" PTO Chipper. I've got them down to $1000 on it, and I think that's fair, but I want to know what you all think. I'm also curious if there's anything I should be looking for specifically? Any alarm bell items to watch out for? They say it only got used a few times, so it should be in fairly new condition. I also know that it's Chinese and I think Liberty is out of business, so I wonder about parts.

Just looking for feedback before I go look at this chipper.

Thanks.

 

[swnoel]

What does your gut say? I know what mine says and I bought a Wallenstein.

 

[travelrider73]

What does your gut say? I know what mine says and I bought a Wallenstein.

My gut isn't telling me anything. That's why I am asking you folks. I also haven't seen it yet. I'm going off of a few pictures.

 

[ericm979]

It probably requires more HP than a B7100HST delivers. I had a 4.5" MacKissick on my B7100 and the Kubota was somewhat underpowered for that. I could not engage the chipper with the tractor idling even with lots of clutch slipping. It'd stall the tractor. It was also close to the B7100's rated 3pt capacity thoguh it had no problem lifting it. The Liberty may be too heavy too.

 

[BoneStock]

That痴 a good deal, but with the little chipper experience I致e had, their is drawbacks. you need a high HP rating for some heavy stuff, as mentioned above. Our Ford 3930 bogged down with the chipper we rented, and that tractor never bogged down on us before.

 

[travelrider73]

Well, I've been thinking about getting a bigger tractor. This might just be the thing that tilts the scales... If I can get it to engage at all, I can test it with a small branch instead of going for full capacity.

Interestingly, the chipper says "540 rpm only" on it, so it wants low RPM, but I suspect it wants high torque. I can't find the rated HP minimum because the company appears to be out of business. I don't suppose any of you would have a link for a manual for any Liberty 6" chippers, do you???

I found out the Liberty PRO-6 calls for 18 hp at the PTO. That's 5 more HP than I have and my big reason for wanting a bigger tractor. I'd like to get the most compact tractor I can find that's over 30hp, but that's another conversation. So, assuming for a sec this is the PRO-6, do you think it'll engage with 13hp or am I just going to stall out my tractor immediately? If I can get it to engage and then test it with a 2" branch, that would make me happy enough to buy it and bring it home.

As for being heavy, my intention was to take the tractor with me to move it onto the trailer. You think I can pick up that chipper with the 7100HST without doing a wheelie? I just need to get it on and off the trailer. I could weigh down the front with some lead if you think it would be necessary.

 

[ericm979]

540 rpm is a standard pto speed. The 7100's lower of the two PTO speeds is 540 rpm when the engine is at full speed. (high speed is 1000 rpm which was used in some Japanese attachments). The MacKissick called for 16hp minimum. The Liberty (which I think was a Jinma) probably has a much heavier and larger flywheel and is going to be that much harder to get turning. I can't find the specs for the Liberty or Jinma 6" but it probably weighs quite a bit more than the 450 lbs of the MacKissick. I think the 7100's rated 3pt lift is 440 lbs.

You need to be able to drive the tractor to where you're chipping in order to use it. Getting it on the trailer should not be the only criteria.

This chipper is too much for that tractor. If you're going to buy a larger tractor I recommend doing it right and getting a chipper with a hydraulic infeed. It's much safer than "chuck and duck" self feeding chippers and handles a wider range of materials than a sindle speed mechanical feed. A criteria of the most compact tractor will end up limiting you. A tractor needs some size and weight to do ground engaging tasks or to carry things.

I started out with the 7100 and MacKissick and some years later when I got serious about clearing the brush and maintaining our 20 acres bought a 37hp Branson, an 8" Woodmaxx hydraulic feed chipper and a grapple. It wasn't cheap but I've gotten a lot of work done. Given the cost of hiring it out here I'll recoup my investment in a reasonable time. I originally was looking at the Kubota B3350 but after research and discussion here ended up with the larger Branson. There's one spot I mow that takes some backing and filling but everywhere else on our steep land the Branson's size has not been a problem. It's far more stable on side hills than the 7100 was.

 

[travelrider73]

Thanks for the valuable input, ericm979. So, the Liberty 6" is not hydraulic.
As for getting it on the trailer / driving it where I need to chip -- I'm in Florida. I move on flat land everywhere. If the tractor can get onto the trailer with it then it can move it to the spot I want to chip. I'm only maintaining 5 acres, so while I love your setup, I'm not sure I want to spend quite that much on it. I'll have to give this some thought. Maybe I should pass if this one needs more HP than my tractor can put out. I'm 5hp short of what it calls for. Doesn't sound like much but that's a huge percentage.

Hmmmm..

Is $1000 a good enough deal to flip this? Or is it just a fair deal for all parties involved? (Any chance I could make money by grabbing this at $1k and then reselling it?)

 

[travelrider73]

P.S. I guess Branson is out for me. There's only one dealer in Florida and they are nowhere near me. There's actually two, but one is an exporter only near the Port of Miami.

 

[ericm979]

Liberty's no longer in business so it's hard to know exactly which Chinese chipper they were selling but US prices of similar size self feeding Chinese chippers are in the $1500 range for new units. $1000 seems like a reasonable but not great price for a used one in decent shape.