WC46 Chipper need an enema

[RalphVa]

Was working the WM WC46 chipper, and the 2025R's rpm suddenly dropped to about 1700 rpm. Wouldn't go any higher unless I turned the PTO off. Oh, oh. Thought it was the fuel filter. Took it up the hill to the carriage house. Didn't bog any. Probably not the fuel filter.

Opened up the chipper top. Completely plugged up. The wife gave the chipper an enema while I changed the oil in the tractor's engine. First time to have had to do this. Probably have 20 or more FEL-sized piles of chips down there.

That's what the wife called it.

Ralph

 

[Rdrcr]

^^^^
Yep, that's happened to me on a couple occasions. However, I think it is because I'm feeding bad stuff sometimes. I toss in branches with fresh leaves, needles, twigs...rotten wood...all kinds of good stuff. Mine seems to get plugged up with fir tree branches and soggy rotten wood which I'm pretty sure you're not supposed to feed it.

Mike

 

[5030]

Because your knives are getting dull.

 

[mrmikey]

Mine seems to get plugged up with fir tree branches and soggy rotten wood

My SIN borrowed one to run off my tractor, same thing with fir and soggy wood. As long as you put a dry stick in there once in awhile all was good.

Because your knives are getting dull.

Brand new knives when we were using it..................Mike

 

[Rdrcr]

^^^^
That's how I try to do it... but, I still have experienced a couple blockages.

I probably have nearly 20hrs on my chipper. Sharpening the blades is probably a good idea.

Mike

 

[Zebrafive]

Grape vines is what plugged mine up. I no longer try and run any through.

 

[Underdog57]

Old rotten wood plugged mine up, turned it into powder and plugged the chute.

 

[Captain Dirty]

The WM WC46 has a noticeable taper to the discharge chute and a choke point several inches above the rotational flange. The 4" Wally I used had a similar constriction and would clog on green, pliant twigs and leaves. mrmikey's suggestion of an occasional dry branch worked sometimes, but often such dry branches were not available. Opening the clamshell to unclog was a PITA so I made harpoon-like barbed hook a couple of feet long and would thrust it down the chute (after stopping the chipper) to try to dislodge and extract the jams. Besides the tapered chute, another factor was (lack of) airflow. The owner of the Wally said he ran it at 1000 RPM without problem; I only had 540. Also any air-inlet holes in the rotor housing may become choked with chaff; be sure they are clear.

 

[oldballs]

In about 40 hours of operation, my WC68 has had a clogged chute only once. That was the time that I ran a lot of green White Pine branches thru it. Normally I burn the pine branches, but this time I wanted to just run them thru the chipper. I won't do that again. It was no big chore to hand dig the sappy sawdust out of the jam.

 

[5030]

They need to be run at rated RPM when chipping, always and knife to anvil spacing has to be right. I always used an old credit card to set the spacing. Sold mine a while ago. Easier to roast the stuff. Another trick if you call it that is to provide more air for the flywheel / fan by drilling holes in the access plate on the drive side of the chipper. The more air getting to the flywheel / fan, the less chance of clogging.