Chipper question...

Mm, my gap looks a wee bit wide now tbh, just flipped the knives, I could snug up the anvil a scootch.
HA! I'm not the only one who sometimes has to feed a tree backwards...yesss!

Have to do it some times on our live oaks here and grey pines occasionally. The stringy stuff. It'll often just wrap around the feed rollers.
Sean makes a good point about your anvil condition. Straight clean edge is needed.
 
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  • #53
That's one of the first things I check...basic chipper maintenance, anvil is fine.
 
I'm interested to see if there is an improvement when the gap between the blades and anvil is reduced some. A bigger gap will not only cause trouble with small & stringy material, but also requires more horsepower as they are taking off bigger chunks
 
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  • #56
So, I ran it today, tried the stick on the motor...nada, just a lot of vibration. Not sure how you would ever hear anything over the ambient noise!
It ran for about 15-20 mins before it got hot, and every hydraulic thingy was hot, but not the hoses...everything nice and clean. Next is an email to the manufacturer, see what they say.
Surprised to hear how tiny your gaps are...the manual I do have says the thickness of a hacksaw blade...about 2mm. Made some nice chip.
 
Wow, I love discussions like this. So much good information being exchanged! Great read, let us know when you email the manufacturer.
 
We'll, yesterday I was reminded why I hate chipping in sleet and rain. Stringy material, blades were due for changing, wet dead material. Clogged chute. Just trying to do the friend a favor when the weather cut loose.
Probably the most miserable 1 hour chip job ever :lol:
 
I have a sorta philosophical comment about gaps on the knives and anvil. I noticed that a bigger gap does make a bigger chip, but when fed slow the wheel seems to keep up the momentum. While a smaller gap makes a smaller chip, the wheel seems to bog down easier.
I really think it is the speed of the feed wheels.
I like to take 'bites' with my chipper by working the feed wheel.
This is on the small chipper 40 some horse
 
the manual I do have says the thickness of a hacksaw blade...about 2mm. Made some nice chip.
That seems very thick for a hacksaw blade (the hand held ones). They usually live a 1 mm kerf. Outside the teeth, the flat metal band is 0.8 mm.
 
I have a sorta philosophical comment about gaps on the knives and anvil. I noticed that a bigger gap does make a bigger chip, but when fed slow the wheel seems to keep up the momentum. While a smaller gap makes a smaller chip, the wheel seems to bog down easier.
I really think it is the speed of the feed wheels.
I like to take 'bites' with my chipper by working the feed wheel.
This is on the small chipper 40 some horse


There is a 2nd factor, which is the speed of the rollers. If you overfeed the chipper it will struggle whatever chip size. Getting the best,out of a chipper can be a real balancing act between these factors.
 
Feed wheels=rollers. But I forgive you, because your from England lol
 
There is a 2nd factor, which is the speed of the rollers. If you overfeed the chipper it will struggle whatever chip size. Getting the best,out of a chipper can be a real balancing act between these factors.

One of the few options on my chipper I don't use much is a variable flow control for the feed wheels. I'll try adjusting it when the chippers not chipping too well some time.
 
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  • #67
My little chipper has variable speed on the feed rollers as well as auto feed. It's a good little unit
 
I am always adjusting the roller speed - especially if I hit a lot of deadwood or larger diameter wood to chipthen I will slow it down some. I slow it down if the blades are dulled also. Loads of tiny stuff or easy stuff - crank it up some.
 
Seems like if I slow the wheels waay down I get sawdust chips. Not bad but,,it makes the cutter continually cut, thus slowing down the cutter wheel.
I take short bites, full throttle and highest speed on the feed wheels. Take a chomp, spew it out, take another when the wheel is back to full speed.
That seems to work with my little chipper.
Germ, one of my helpers made an observation I like: the Gravely 395 is a brush chipper, not a wood chipper".
Important distinction IMO.
 
Germ, one of my helpers made an observation I like: the Gravely 395 is a brush chipper, not a wood chipper". Important distinction IMO.
Ya, it's funny -- ours is a Vermeer BC1800, monster that can eat 18"x24" logs no problem. But when it comes to the brush chipping, as in BC, it tends to bog down with a full hopper of limbs and foliage, or a conifer top. Too much mulchy material all at once, versus the hard wood fibers.
 
Last time the gravely clogged up was with ginkgo. Stuff was so soft and green it clogged up the chipper.
In retrospect, if I had fed slowly, it MIGHT have kept going.
BUT some shit is just too soft and wet to process.
The 'big iron' guys just muscle through and pay no attention to this
 
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  • #73
Seriously, try putting the really green soft stuff in leaves first...seems to work.
 
Wrapping can be beat by the tip feed trick , it usually doesn't bother me as much as plugged outfeed chute does ... Drives my otherwise delightful workplace mood South.
 
Bump. This was a great thread! Issues were discussed here that I do not recall ever reading about anywhere else before this. So thanks to everybody who posted; I learn something new here all the time.

Tim
 
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