Chipper Wallenstein BX42 Chipper Tips?

[dave1949]

I don't know about the glove thing. I have sent a few into the fire while burning brush

A loose fitting glove will come off your hand if snagged. A tight glove will pull your hand with it if snagged. Neither sounds good.
Dave.

 

[SevernDH]

Have had mine for a couple weeks now, and love it. Like others, my main caution would be to be careful to avoid any situation where you can get snagged on whatever you are feeding it.

So far, I have been OK with just safety glasses and ear muffs, but can see where a logging helmet would be a better option.

I do have one question, though. I am torn as to whether I agree it is better to run the chipper on the ground vs. elevated to the point where the PTO shaft is relatively straight. I would guess it is a safety concern with the chipper being able to shift if elevated? The 3PH on my NH TC40DA seems very stable, though that may be a naive observation. Thoughts?

 

[RoyJackson]

If you are doing small branches and green junk, run it at 960, it will throw it clear and not clog nearly as much.
Good luck

Just make sure your chipper is rated to operate at that RPM. Just because you can do it doesn't mean the equipment can withstand that speed.
The operating speed should be listed in the chipper manual.

From SevernDH

I do have one question, though. I am torn as to whether I agree it is better to run the chipper on the ground vs. elevated to the point where the PTO shaft is relatively straight. I would guess it is a safety concern with the chipper being able to shift if elevated? The 3PH on my NH TC40DA seems very stable, though that may be a naive observation. Thoughts?

My chipper manual states operating with it on the ground (but not hard pavement). Since the Woods drops the chips directly under the machine, it's a bit of a pain to rake under it while operating. However, I do follow the manual's instructions.
I think you'd see excessive vibration if you operated it raised on the 3ph. That could result in wear on the tractor's PTO as well as loosening fasteners on the chipper.
Maybe you could set the chipper legs on some sort of stand.
There was a relatively recent thread about SevernDH's concerns (the thread's picture were of a NH, so it may have been SevernDH). IIRC, most respondents suggested extending the legs of the chipper.
Since I mentioned vibration...the reasoning not to operate the Woods chipper on hard pavement is it would experience excessive vibration (which the softer dirt would absorb some of the vibration).

If either of you men do operate the machine at a higher RPM or elevated, I do suggest you check the fasteners (bolts, nuts, etc.) more frequently then the manual calls for.

 

[Happyman]

Read the manual that comes with it and understand the safe operation.
Adjust the knife clearance as stated in manual as most come from factory with too much clearance.

My BX62 came with the knives in perfect adjustment. I ran it without even checking and have never had a problem (so I'm guessing they're perfect). As a matter of fact, after 3 years of use on old, dry oak and pine as well as new fresh cut oak, pine and sweet gum, the blades are still sharp enough to cut paper....like a razor!
Wear gloves! Wear ear and eye protection! Don't hold the material as it feeds in! The vibration, pulling and whipping of the branches and logs will beat your hands and arms to a pulp. I still finish a day of chipping with bruises on my arms, face and chest. It never fails that at least one branch nails me as it is feeding in. Great machine! I run mine at 600+ pto rpm. The 62 is rated up to 1000 rpm.

 

[Runner]

I always throw down a couple of 4x4's for my BX42's skids to rest on. This keeps the drive shaft fairly level.

Agree with being VERY careful when loading branches into the unit. I usually use the "chuck and duck" method...

 

[RavensRoost]

Thanks for your input!

 

[Window Geek]

I like Runner's Chuck and Duck technique. My chipper is gravity feed. I *throw* the stuff in to chip. It's a lot better than risk getting dragged into the machine. You can always use a pusher stick.

 

[SevernDH]

Thanks for the feedback Roy. The previous thread was not for my machine, but I will see if I can find it to see if I can absorb a bit more of the expertise out here. I will have to find a balance for mine, since it sits about a foot off the ground when the PTO shaft is level.

I like the idea of a couple pieces of 4x4. May have to see if I can just bolt a couple on to reduce that gap. Maybe I am just putting too much emphasis on trying to keep the PTO shaft level, and not enough on keeping vibration down to protect the PTO itself ... I think a shaft would be a LOT easier to fix or replace

 

[RoyJackson]

Thanks for the feedback Roy. The previous thread was not for my machine, but I will see if I can find it to see if I can absorb a bit more of the expertise out here. I will have to find a balance for mine, since it sits about a foot off the ground when the PTO shaft is level.

I like the idea of a couple pieces of 4x4. May have to see if I can just bolt a couple on to reduce that gap. Maybe I am just putting too much emphasis on trying to keep the PTO shaft level, and not enough on keeping vibration down to protect the PTO itself ... I think a shaft would be a LOT easier to fix or replace

You're quite welcome!
That 4x4 idea does sound good (THANKS RUNNER!!)...got plenty of them around (scraps).
The "recommended" angular limit for the PTO shafts are 15°. The same thread I'd written about started that discussion. Doesn't seem like much, but 15° looks pretty severe when the implement is rigged to the tractor.

 

[DelSc]

Its a great chipper. I second Texas42's advice to check the blade clearance like they say in the manual, especially if you experience problems with plugging. Its really easy to check and set, and it has a big effect on performance.

If the clearance is too big it plugs easier when chipping stuff with a lot of green twigs. When its set properly, it has no problems with it.