I think you will need something bigger than 8hp. I have a 9hp chipper shredder, key start and it might do a 3" limb, I guess that is what you mean you have 3'.I am looking to purchase a chipper shredder for use around my home. I have 6 1/2 acres with lots of trees and shrubs. I have been looking at various used machines on Craigslist. I think I need a 8 hp or larger. I would like to be able to grind a 3' limb. Can any of you give me any advise as to what not to expect and what not to buy.
Thanks,
Ocmoses
I read in an old thread on MTF that 29x5/8 was correct size...and that is what I use - but with that sprung clutch idler there is play at least to go up an inch or two - I've used 30" when that was all I could get. I'd have thought 26 would be hard to fit...Lynnr, yours looks identical to the one I have. When I first got it the intake valve was sticking a little. Some marvel oil thru the intake cured that and it has run fine since then.
What size belt are you running on it? I've found a B-26 works good on mine.
Mike
Second the comment on older chippers, just based on the TroyBilt...there are sure to be others just as worthy. Blades - I've never bought one - make my own, and since the Troy Bilt still had an original sharp edge when I bought it this summer, that was the very first thing I did - keeping the original for pattern. I cut mild steel blank and give it a somewhat harder edge welding whatever stick comes to hand. Works for me...and since I use it for maybe 8 hours most weeks spring thru fall, I touch up weekly with a belt sander, building with weld as and when necessary. (That was a 1 1/2-hour+ job on the MTD/Craftsman style, 20 minutes on this machine - another consideration...how much dismantling to change blades, clear a jam etc.).Have you found a place to get replacement blades? I can sharpen mine easy enough but it'll wear past that point some day.
Ocmoses, I don't know what your budget is, but if you have a tractor w/ 540 RPM PTO and sufficient HP I'd get a three point hitch type chipper. Otherwise I think all the older chippers are pretty good if they've had good care. Can't comment on the newer ones.
Mike
:biglaugh: That's not an old troybilt, this is an old troy bilt....I'll say forget it. Waste of time. They are hard work for not a lot, even 10hp and 13hp. After my last one blew up this year, I found this old Troy-bilt on craigslist.
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I built this for my troy bilt.I've got a smaller Mighty Mac, good enough for my small acreage.
When I was out looking, most all shops said to stay away from direct drive units, motor directly connected to the cutter. Drop a rock or hard wood in it, shear a shaft. With a belt drive, the belt will slip saving the motor.
Have to make a tractor tow bar for the 2 units that I have.
Work smarter, not harder.
The B-26 goes on mine easy. I first tried a B-27 but it didn't last long. Just self destructed, my theory was it was backflexing too much around the idler pulley. Maybe I was hoggin' it too much. The B-26 has worked fine so far so I'll stick w/ it.
Yeah, I'm sure the extra 3 HP makes quite a difference. Have you found a place to get replacement blades? I can sharpen mine easy enough but it'll wear past that point some day.
Ocmoses, I don't know what your budget is, but if you have a tractor w/ 540 RPM PTO and sufficient HP I'd get a three point hitch type chipper. Otherwise I think all the older chippers are pretty good if they've had good care. Can't comment on the newer ones.
Mike
I used the shredder section for my leaves this Fall after sucking them up with the bagger on my riding mower. Worked pretty well as long as the leaves weren't too damp, then it plugged up pretty bad even though I only have the wide-spaced bar grate.I picked up a model #47266 chipper/shredder a little while ago. It had been sitting for a long time and the fuel system was full of water. I was able to clean it out - not pretty, but it runs well now. This is the 8 hp recoil start I/C Briggs version and was probably built sometime in the late 80s or early 90s for a guess.
When I tried chipping some branches, it wasn't really doing much. I powered down, let it come to a full stop, pulled the plug wire, and reached down into the chute to check out the condition of the knives. The moving knife feels nice and sharp and is ground at an angle as it should be. The fixed knife also feels like it has a nice square edge. There is, however, enough space for me to fit my fingers in between the two when they are next to each other and this is surely the cause for the poor chipping performance. Some of the branches were getting sucked between the knives and peeled, with long stringy chips exiting the chute.
I found a manual for the chipper, but it does not say anything about adjustments for the spacing of the chipper knives, only the steps to remove and replace the moving knife and nothing about the fixed one. I also have an exploded parts diagram. It does show some shims "as required" between the body of the machine and the bearing block next to the chipper inlet, but I bet I have 1/2" of clearance between the blades now and it came with a set of shims in there already.
Any thoughts? It looks like the spacing of the chipper drum in the housing is set by a bolt and heavy washer against the bearing on the end of the shaft near the chipper inlet. Maybe it's a matter of fabricating a cylindrical spacer to reset the drum depth. I can't figure out how it got like this in the first place, though.
